By Heidi Gomez Garcia
Miguel Velez first came across Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the Fall of 2000 at 19 years old by accident in college. He needed an elective course that year and although he really wanted to do Hapkido, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the only option that fit the schedule. He begrudgingly signed up for the class. On day 1, his instructor showed clips of “ Gracie in Action 2” on an old dvd copy. When
he watched the video he said, “ It displayed the effectiveness of Jiu-Jitsu against other martial arts and how it focused on the most important yet neglected part of fighting…that 90% of altercations end up on the ground. Every match showed the same thing, the BJJ practitioner would close the distance, clinch, take their opponent down, and then tap them out.”
Before he entered Jiu-Jitsu his assumption of how it was, was wrong and he became instantly hooked. After he had passed the course, He enrolled in the Academy and made it part of his life ever since. Miguel knew he wanted to make this passion into a business. His wife had just passed the State
Bar of Texas, which soon after they got pregnant. After their daughter was born they had decided it would be best for Miguel to stay home. At the same time, his instructor needed a few more part time coaches to help build the program, so began to be a stay at home dad during the day and BJJ coach at night which he said was a pretty cool routine.
As he became more confident in his abilities, he told himself “When the time is right…I could probably do this but I have no idea where to start. His wife and him both knew Scarlett would grow up and not need him at home one day so they began discussing future plans for him to return back to work.
September of 2023 is when he started the process of finding answers to make his dream a reality. Jiu-Jitsu had always been a part of his life. He would constantly joke with his wife, Aimee, saying, “I’m finally gonna use my business degree from Texas Tech.” She would remind him that he has been using it this entire time.
When he first started his business there were some challenges he had to overcome which tend to cross over with each other. One of the struggles was students. He needed to find a healthy balance between training life, work life and family life. He kept pushing himself to train with other black belts out there that can make you question why anyone would subject themselves to this.
The second challenge was coaching. To him as a coach and a leader he wanted to share his knowledge to the students to make sense to everyone in different levels of experience while keeping the students engaged.
The last challenge was being a business owner. Taking his experiences as a student and coach then asking himself, “Am I really capable of taking my passion for the last 25 years and turning it into a successful operation? Do I have the tools to understand Administration? Bookkeeping? Taxes? Marketing?
Conflict Resolution?”
The imposter syndrome and self doubt would kick in. He says, “They used to show their ugly faces from time to time but not anymore. I know I can do this.”
When he decided it was time to pursue this endeavor, their financial advisor gave him a list of checkpoints to reach. He said that part took a few years to get done. Afterwards, he scheduled an appt. with his local bank, Bank of America, an SMB officer and from there they were introduced to the amazing resources from the City of Austin Economic Development Department. He scheduled his live BizAid orientation and discovered CDFIs PeopleFund and organizations like Economic Growth Business Incubator (EGBI).
“EGBI helped provide the knowledge and confidence I needed to make this passion a reality. “I’ve taken 4 courses: Manage Your Business, Bookkeeping Series, Marketing Workshop, Minority Certification from them over the last year and I cannot stress enough how their guidance filled in the missing
gaps. Their friendly and welcoming approach has been crucial in preparing us. I plan to take the 60 Days to Success course and connect with other small business owners at future Lunch and Learns. “
What Miguel wants to teach people in Jiu-Jitsu is to believe in themselves and build them up. He wants to show people there are so many awesome results from consistent BJJ training. Self discipline, self defense, flexibility, core development, self confidence, and weight loss. There’s also a social aspect to their Academy. They want to build a community. A place where families
come together for a common goal. They will start with Gi Jiu-Jitsu for children, teens, and adults. He says that a big part of this training incorporates both Judo and Wrestling takedowns. When they’ve grown a large enough student base, NoGi Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Yoga programs will be implemented.
Miguel feels like balance is important when it comes to handling your business and your day to day life. So when he’ss not at the gym getting smashed or prepping for tournaments, he 100% enjoys spending time with his family and making memories. His wife, Aimee, and daughter, Scarlett, love going to the water park, watching movies, cooking, playing video games, going
on trips, lazy Saturday nights on the couch together, and raising their new puppy, Cookie.
Recently, Scarlett just discovered Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga on the PS5. It’s something they get to do together and now she’s a superfan of anything Star Wars. He really enjoys spending time with his family and he says, “It’s been really cool introducing my 8yr old to the lore like my dad did for me.”
Lastly, something Miguel would tell people that don't know too much about Jiu-Jitsu is, “Jiu-Jitsu isn’t about hurting people. It’s about learning how not to get hurt while staying calm, thinking clearly, and using leverage over force. When trained properly, it’s one of the safest martial arts because of the tap system and constant mutual respect.”
If you would like to get in contact with miguel to learn more about his company you can call him at 512-850-7784 or you can go to his website at https://clanvelez.com/
If you would like to help start or grow your business please be sure to reach out to us at hello@egbi.org