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22
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West Side Jiu-Jitsu Academy at 2417 kiesel, before and after
Tap or Die is still in its infancy. The way the company looks now will be nothing compared to what it will look like in five years. The acorn and the oak are very different. The beginning looks nothing like the end. I’ve been thinking about West Side Jiu-Jitsu Academy—my jiu-jitsu school. The first class I ever taught was in the hallway at Ogden High School, just outside my English classroom, in the basement.
The class grew, so I moved to the wrestling room, then to a 900 sq. ft. store front in a dilapidated building downtown, then around the corner to 2,100 sq. ft, then up the street to a place that was cheaper, but smelled like cat pee, and now to our current address 4,500 sq. ft. and a 5 year lease.
But what I’m writing about today is the first place I rented, 2417 Kiesel Ave. It was a mess, but for $400 a month I’d make due. It was scary moving from the high school where I paid very little to what seemed like a fortune at the time. I spent a month getting the place ready; it was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I was spending every sent I had for paint, and licenses, and wood, and nails, and all the things you don’t even think of when you’re dreaming about your business. It was tough.
Even though running a business out of that building was tough, I learned a lot, about running a business, about surviving, and following your vision. I’ve moved to a new building and it seems to have started all over again, the struggles, the worries, but also the self-confidence, determination, and believing in your dream.
Tap or Die will follow that same path, step-by-step, slowly like a sloth. Like an acorn into an oak.
