In this episode of the Business of Jiu Jitsu Podcast, JP Levesque sits down with Mark Millare from Hart Jiu Jitsu to talk about what actually makes a gym stand out today. They dive into the importance of building a strong culture, creating a fun but pressure-tested training environment, and using social media consistently to attract and retain students.

Mark shares how Hart Jiu Jitsu approaches class structure, onboarding, and community building to create an environment where people want to train long-term. The conversation also covers simple ways to create engaging content, build gym pride among students, and use branding and merchandise to strengthen your academy’s identity.

Key Topics

• Why culture and environment matter more than fancy facilities

• How consistent social media builds visibility and attracts students

• Batching and planning content around training schedules

• Balancing fun training with pressure-tested technique

• Creating a welcoming trial experience that converts

• Building gym pride and community through inside jokes and shared identity

• Structuring classes and warmups to improve retention and engagement

• Using branding and merchandise to strengthen your academy’s identity

Follow Hart Jiu Jitsu on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hart_jiujitsu/

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