Should You Open a Jiu-Jitsu Gym Solo or With a Partner? 

Should You Open a Jiu-Jitsu Gym Solo or With a Partner? 

When I first decided to open a Jiu Jitsu Academy, I wasn’t sitting on a pile of cash. It was September 2022, and coming out of the pandemic, I didn’t have much saved. But I had vision, experience in business and marketing, a black belt, and a deep desire to build a community through Jiu Jitsu.

I decided to partner with a Jiu Jitsu friend who was also a Black Belt. At the time we only knew each other for about a year. A mutual friend connected us because we were both talking about wanting to open a school. He had the financial resources. I had a business background. And we both shared Christian values, which mattered a lot to me when considering a potential partner.

We met up several times, talked about our goals, hashed out potential challenges, and even had dinner with our wives to see if everyone vibed. I wanted to really think it through because I knew we weren’t just starting a business—we were building a community. I didn’t want to do it all by myself. Not because I couldn’t, but because I didn’t want to carry all the responsibility, represent the school alone, or try to grow the community by myself.

So we partnered up—and opened our gym in Aiea, Hawaii.

The Upside of Going In With a Partner

There were some big advantages:

1. We Could Grow Faster
With my partner’s financial backing, we had some breathing room to make mistakes, invest in marketing, and our facility. That peace of mind was huge in the early days. In fact, we went from zero to 400 students in 12 months, and were named Hawaii’s #1 Martial Arts School in our first year. I honestly don’t think I could have moved that fast solo.

2. We Were Able to Split Teaching Duties
He spearheaded our younger kids and women’s programs. I handled a lot of the marketing, bigger kids program and we both share the adult classes. That gave us the ability to run twice as many classes per day—and double our revenue potential.

3. Built-In Collaboration
We bounced ideas off each other constantly. When you’re in the trenches, having a partner you trust can keep you from making emotional decisions—or burning out.

The Hard Parts No One Talks About

But it wasn’t all smooth. There were some real challenges:

1. Decision-Making Was Slower
We both ran all financial decisions by one another. Sometimes we didn’t agree. We also had different Jiu Jitsu styles and teaching methods, which made curriculum development and promotion standards tricky.

2. Uneven Workload
Even though we were 50/50 partners things didn’t always feel 50/50. At times, I felt like I was doing more. But I realized partnerships are not 50/50, they are 100/100 and I needed to remain committed to bringing my best every single day no matter what. 

3. Splitting the Pie
One of the biggest long-term downsides of having a partner was sharing the profits. Even after we made back our initial investment, I was still only receiving half of what the business generated. As the school grew and became more profitable, I started to realize that I could hire additional instructors and team members for far less than what I was giving up in profit share. The financial trade-off became more and more clear over time.

What I’d Tell Someone Thinking About Partnering

If you’re about to open a school and you’re asking, "Should I do this alone or find a partner?" — here’s what I’d say:

It depends on your goals. If you need financial help or someone to share the load, a partner might make sense. But you have to deeply align—not just in values, but in vision, work ethic, and communication. And you should also have complimentary skill sets.

But most of all, decide in advance how you’ll handle conflict. My partner and I agreed early on that no matter what, we’d prioritize our personal relationship over the business. That principle helped us avoid blowups and kept the community stable.

Where We Are Now

After nearly 3 years of running the academy together, my partner is transitioning out of the business to be closer to family, and I’m buying him out. Most people talk about how they will start a business but don’t take the time to talk about how they will exit one in case things don’t go as planned. Thankfully for us we had this conversation ahead of time as well. 

Final Thoughts

Starting a Jiu Jitsu academy with a partner can be one of the best decisions you make or one of the worst. Make sure you go in with eyes wide open.