Customer Spotlight: Creating a Community with A-Side Jiu Jitsu

Starting a new hobby can feel a bit intimidating at times, especially when it comes to something like martial arts. In a sport where the goal, at least from a first glance, seems to be to potentially hurt one another—how do you not get a little nervous? Well, A-Side Jiu Jitsu General Manager Janice Gopez and Head Instructor, Professor Arman Gopez, are setting out to break the stigma and stereotypes that turn many individuals away from practicing martial arts in the first place. How? Well, A-Side offers enriching new and old-school Jiu Jitsu classes & workshops to students and families of all ages & walks of life in an aesthetic environment that’s not just comfortable, but fun to train in. With their incredibly structured curriculum and focused instruction, A-Side prides itself on creating a space that is a rare find.

According to both Arman and Janice, the martial arts environment can be cliquey or even jaded towards new members since its rapid growth in popularity within recent decades. The first thing that they want people to notice when stepping into A-Side, however, is how welcoming it is. Professor Arman explains how he doesn’t even need to ask his students to be friendly to newcomers anymore, “They just go up and introduce themselves, and make sure the person feels welcome.” No sweaty gis scattered about, funky smells, or strange looks. Between the high-quality, 2-inch padded floors, the genuine smile worn by other students, and the upbeat music they keep pumping in the background, it’d be impossible to not feel positive when training at A-Side.

A powerful business such as A-Side requires a powerful management system, though. Which is exactly why A-Side chooses Vagaro. As we learn more about A-Side’s story, let’s find out why Vagaro was their choice for booking and all things business management.

Rolling with Respect

When it comes to something like Jiu Jitsu, you need to leave your ego at the door, Professor Arman explains. If you don’t, someone can get pretty badly hurt. Both Janice and Arman say how, at the end of the day, everyone trains to be better, to relieve stress, or cure some type of physical or mental ailment they might be struggling with. If you can’t train without hurting one another, and if the mutual respect for one another isn’t there, there’s no point in training at all.

Arman and Janice agreed that respect for one another starts at the top, no matter what kind of studio or business you might be trying to run. It’s important as professionals and business owners to always understand the value that someone can bring to your team, regardless of position or title.

“If another coach or student comes in, and sees that I’m in a bad mood, then they’re going to be as well” Professor Arman continues. Negativity can be infectious, but so can positivity! Professor Arman and the A-Side team ensure that they’re always trying their best to foster a wholesome environment for all who enter, even on the rough days.

Stop Grappling with Time

In martial arts, or any fitness-related business, tracking client progress plays a monumental part in not just their success, but your business’s as well. It can be difficult to stay on top of it when you’re rummaging through piles of unorganized forms and miscellaneous notebooks, as Janice says she once had. The team at A-Side heavily relies on Vagaro’s general tag feature, which allows you to mark or tag client profiles for organizational/tracking purposes. Things like belt ranks, names of classes, or weight class could all be listed as a general tag for your client-management needs. Thus, minimizing your time behind a desk and maximizing your time on the mats.

Real progress takes true dedication, and with over 13 years of experience under his belt, Professor Arman is a firm believer in this. It can be hard these days to find a school that really invests in your mental and physical growth, though. By using Vagaro, Professor Arman and his fellow coaches can spend that much more quality time with their students.

Wallet-Friendly Wrestling

Something Janice and Arman both appreciate about Vagaro is not just affordability, but transparent pricing. Janice recalls her experiences with previous software, saying, “There’s always hidden fees.” At the moment, she says she gets just about everything she needs within Vagaro’s base $30/mo. subscription. Even still, a majority of Vagaro’s add-ons are just $10/mo. more to your subscription—plain & simple, which Arman and Janice both appreciate. Janice mentioned how she plans on using Vagaro’s Forms feature ASAP, especially since it falls in that $10/mo. category, so she can start sending intake forms to her new students. From being able to charge their students automatically for their monthly memberships to booking out the mats when necessary with Vagaro’s resource-booking capabilities, there’s plenty of tools for anyone looking to get their martial arts or fitness businesses started, Janice mentions.

No More Sparring with Support

Nowadays, it feels rare to connect with an actual human on the other end of the line when you need over-the-phone support for, well, just about anything. A-Side mentions how they love having a team of actual people in their corner who are there for them whenever they reach out to Vagaro Customer Support. Vagaro prides themselves on their live and local Support Team, who work 24/7 to ensure its entire userbase is taken care of.

If you’re a martial arts instructor or business owner, and are searching for simple booking & management software, consider Vagaro. If you think you might be interested, give us a try for 30 days entirely free!