We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Rich and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Follow-through to me is the most important principle. I have to set an example of integrity in order to be able to help someone else reach their goals.

We regularly deal with children with behavioral issues. It’s crucial in those instances, and with those youth, that they see me follow-through, it’s absolutely essential that they know I’m real and that they can count on me. I’m not just suggesting they do something – I must lead by example, or I’d lose their trust.

What should our readers know about your business?
In all honesty I started out with far less thought AND process than I’d be comfortable with these days. I wanted to offer a service that would be objectively higher quality than my competition, and I found an area where there was a scarcity of that. I leased a commercial space in Granite Bay so that I could get going. I really wanted to offer a super high-quality facility in a nice area where more families with children could be exposed to the benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Historically, these kinds of academies have been in somewhat sketchy areas of Sacramento, and I didn’t get the sense that families with children wanted to travel there.

Nothing about this has been easy – and the two things that have made this possible are that I’m extremely resilient thanks to my upbringing and that I’m absolutely committed and passionate about my students and their progress.

As for lessons and the brand…how much time do you have? It’s an adventure every week and a constant work-in-progress which is part of why people have come and further: stayed.

My brand, at its core, is my patience with children and youth, I think. That comes up a lot when we survey our clientele and in online reviews we get at Yelp, Nextdoor, and Google.

For me, as far as letting the world know what makes this all work: it goes a little deeper in that I actively try to anticipate what the kids and teenagers will need before they indicate they need it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting we’d hit my favorite taco place near my academy and eat until we were nearly sick (yes, the tacos are THAT good). My microcosm makes visiting easy: all of my friends are Jiu-Jitsu people, so the first question is always where we should train (my place, my coach’s place in Sacramento), where we should eat, and who the best sparring partners are. Eating and rest would be what we do between sessions – and any legitimate BJJ place is full of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Ken Kuykendall. The father everyone wishes they had.

Website: gbjj.org

Instagram: instagram.com/granitebayjiujitsu

Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/granitebayjiujitsu

Facebook: Facebook.com/granitebayjiujitsu

Yelp: yelp.com/biz/granite-bay-jiu-jitsu-granite-bay-8

Youtube: youtube.com/@gbjj

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.