What It's Been Like Running a Jiu-Jitsu Business Right Now
2020 has been quite the year for all businesses. Our industry specifically was hit quite hard. With all the gyms closed, and all the uncertainty, sales fell off a cliff earlier this year. As a jiu-jitsu brand owner it was a hard place to be in. We had strong sales to close out 2019. January and February were good as well, so we made some big orders to keep up with demand. But COVID hit and Inverted Gear quickly was in a place with slow sales and payments due and it became clear that the jiu-jitsu market as we knew it had changed.
I will be honest I am not proud how I reacted to those first few weeks of lockdown. I never experienced such anxiety before. My sleep was terrible, I let my latent video game addiction take over, and spent hours a day playing League of Legends and not getting much else accomplished. I just needed something to shut my brain off and help the day go faster, (check out this sweet penta ). I ate like the world was ending and ballooned up in weight. One day I was wrapped up in my video games and self pity, when Hillary and Leo snapped me out of it. I uninstalled my digital crack, and got back on track with diet and exercise. Hillary and I jumped on a 30 day reset my friend Robb Wolf was doing. Shed the weight off, cleaned out my desk and started working on a plan of how to move forward.
By May we figured the market was split into two: One, people that will continue training at gyms following precautions or underground in small training groups. And two, those that will take a break from the sport until they feel safe to come back. So we decided that the best thing we could do was find a way to continue making gear to serve the first group that will continue to train, but also find a way to help the rest of our jiujitsu brethren forced to the sidelines.
While jiu-jitsu has long been my favorite fitness activity, kettlebells and ergs have been a closed second. We are not making an Inverted Gear rower anytime soon, but we were able to find a factory that could make us some panda kettlebells. Our order was made back in May, and after some serious manufacturing delays they are on their way. Inverted Gear steel clubs are in the works as well. They have become my new obsession, plus maces will be available next year.
Hillary and I feel working with these new products, we have found a strong carry over to BJJ and are perfect for at home training. As soon as the equipment comes in we will be releasing training videos on our Youtube channel. Whether it is something you are using to compliment your rolling or your standalone fitness routine we are here to help.
Once upon a time I was a kinesiology student and worked as a strength coach, after school to help pay for tuition. I took my first kettlebell certification all the way back in 2010. I have been swinging kettlebells longer than I have been doing Jiujitsu. I am looking forward to sharing all the knowledge I have picked up along the way with you.
