Meet Anthony Garcia | Entrepreneur, Jiu Jitsu Academy Owner, Algorithmic Software Developer, Published Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In order to be an entrepreneur, one must be comfortable with taking risks. Our success in life is directly correlated with the number of awkward conversations we’re willing to start.

I look at risk in different ways depending on what type of risk it is.

If it’s a business related monetary risk, and the goal is to make a profit, then I have to do a simple cost benefit analysis. That’s led me to learn things like advertising is not always the best way to expand your brick and mortar business. It’s important, but not always the best. Advertising lasts as long as a potential customer sees the image, but if I spend the same amount getting my business an accreditation that will last forever (essentially evergreen content) and is a big draw for customers then that is a much better return on investment.

It could be a personal risk to me. For example I left my safe job as a truck driver just after COVID in order to pursue my main business which evolved into me becoming a stock market algorithm and software developer working for myself. I had to look at whether I had a safety net or not (I still had a CDL license), and how much happier I was going to be. The answer was that it was the best decision I’ve ever made business wise, but it was a lot of difficulty and uncertainty.

I’ve also taken a lot of risks that didn’t pan out. I’ve failed at business ventures far more often than I’ve succeeded. That’s part of risk taking: understanding that you may fail. You have to plan for that potential outcome and ensure that a failure with a particular venture will not bankrupt you monetarily or mentally. That is risk management and is essential in business. If you cannot start a business without mortgaging yourself to the hilt, then you cannot start that business (yet).

If you never take a risk then you will never be a success or achieve the things you want personally. The key is to take them intelligently. Consider the potential benefit and potential loss. Ensure you have a management plan in place if you fail. If you have a backstop then you can free yourself of the mental burden of feeling the pressure to succeed and focus solely on completing your task, thereby making yourself far more likely to succeed.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When talking about my jiu jitsu academy, Lionheart, I came into it in an entirely different way than almost any other academy. I’ve been training BJJ for years and have had the opportunity to see both what works and what doesn’t. I found a few problems in most academies.

Firstly, the owners mostly did not understand business – they were jiu jitsu black belts that liked to teach. Nothing wrong with that, but you need to understand business in order to run a successful business. They didn’t understand proper funding levels, advertising, customer relations management, cost benefits, business plans, market research, etc.

Secondly, nearly all of them suffered from the same problems that plague chronically underfunded businesses. Their pricing was raised too high, they made people sign contracts, they were very money focused instead of jiu jitsu focused. They become worried about paying their personal bills and allow it to affect the way they’re running the business.

When I came into this academy I had proper levels of funding. I earmarked $200k of my personal funds for startup. Most academies would be lucky to have a quarter of that. That right there allowed me to make proper investments into things like the facility, the staff, advertising, safety, and to charge reasonable prices to build my initial student base. I knew I wouldn’t be paid out of the business for several years and I was completely fine with that because I had another income stream. I relieved myself of that burden, and could focus entirely on the customer experience.

That is the big thing that separates us from other martial arts academies. I am not relying on the academy to pay my bills at this stage because I understand how business works. I knew I wouldn’t make a profit for a significant amount of time. I ensured I had a backstop in place and had proper funding without leveraging a single dime of it through loans or otherwise. This is how you expand your business portfolio without stretching yourself too thin.

If you are worried about paying your bills then you will not be able to give customers the experience they need to return and for the customer base to grow. This is the largest lesson my first business taught me – never play the game with your back against a wall. You are much less likely to succeed. Free yourself from that and operate in a manner that is entirely customer focused.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s a very fun bar called Williams and Graham. It’s built like a prohibition era speakeasy, that would be a stop for sure.

A stop at Red Rocks would be a good place to go. It’s iconic for the Denver area and worth seeing.

And a dinner at Happy Sumo is definitely recommended.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family deserves a lot of credit.

When I was growing up my parents were self-employed and I got to see the struggles, the work ethic required, and the determination. That was foundational and fundamental for me to be successful myself.

My wife and child have also been pivotal. My wife has been nothing but supportive, and my child is a big reason I do what I do. I want to inspire him to be the best he can possibly be.

Website: https://www.lionheartbjj.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lionheartjiujitsu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560900150082

Image Credits
Anthony Garcia