Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Sheppard and Phil Gentry.
Hi Jim and Phil, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Phil Gentry: As a third-generation entrepreneur, I always saw myself running my own business so between high school and the age of 30, I started seven companies. Not to mention I was also fired from two out of the three jobs. I had made it pretty clear that working for myself was the best option. I always had big dreams of being a Real Estate magnate or selling my software startup to Google for millions. After chasing that for several years, in 2010, I decided to match my drive for business success with my life passion, Martial Arts instruction. It seems like an obvious choice now but my dreams of grandeur stunted my ability to see what I was put on earth for. I mean let’s be honest, a Martial Arts gym owner has never been on the cover of Fortune magazine. Now that I’m a decade into this business, I can’t see myself doing anything else. I still wake up excited to go to work. That feeling of purpose can’t be replaced with G7 jets and mansions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Jim Sheppard: Not a chance. Is entrepreneurship ever a smooth road, lol. I think I can safely speak for both of us when I say that the COVID pandemic has been the biggest hurdle we’ve had to deal with. We were forced to adapt and overcome virtually overnight. Phil was much more ahead of this than I was, and in January of 2020 he predicted that it was going to be a problem. When we got to March we were forced to cease operation, with the scariest part being that we didn’t know how long that shut-down was going to last. While we were closed, we continued to release tons of content and communication with our students and athletes. We sent out daily emails, held virtual classes, had group get-togethers via Zoom, and were constantly calling and communicating with our tribe. In addition to serving our students, it was also very important to us that we were able to continue paying our coaches and employees. We put them to work, making upgrades to our facility, creating content for our members, and being available to do anything we needed until we were allowed to re-open. They were very clutch, and we ended up getting through the mandatory shutdown with all but 1 of our staff still on board and about 90% of our student base still intact.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Jim: Without a doubt, our tribe. and an awesome sense of community. Look, there are a lot of places that teach martial arts and group fitness classes. Now don’t get me wrong, we’ve got amazing coaches who are teaching amazing, quality classes. Phil here was voted the Martial Arts Coach of the Year for the entire state of Georgia in 2017. But, we’ve always known that teaching dope Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing classes aren’t enough. People want to feel appreciated and valued. People want to feel like they belong. We strive to provide that for all of our students, which really isn’t all that hard because we truly do value and appreciate our students and the efforts they put forward in our gym. We have systems in place to ensure that our people’s hard work doesn’t go unnoticed and unappreciated (that goes for our staff too). It’s easy to quit a gym; it’s much harder to quit a friendship.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Phil: I loved jumping mounds and ramps on my BMX bike growing up. I was an outdoorsy kid and I really wish that kids in 2021 took more enjoyment in riding bikes and playing outdoors. I make sure that my daughter has limited screen time every day, and we get outside as much as possible. Thankfully she doesn’t fight me on that very much, but there are definitely times when she just wants to play on her tablet or watch tv. I was an active kid and I think it’s important as a parent to keep my child active, even if she don’t always want to be.
Contact Info:
- Email: jim@sbgatlanta.com
- Website: https://sbgatlanta.com/locations/sbg-atlanta/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sbg_atlanta/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StraightBlastGymAtlanta
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtlantaSbg
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC476u1XyQqzP_3aHlj9infQ
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/straight-blast-gym-atlanta-no-title-3?osq=straight+blast+gym
