They Signed 350 Members Before Opening a Single Class
2024 YEAR THE GYM OPENED
25+ YEARS MIKE HAS BEEN IN BJJ
90 VETERANS FUNDED INTO BJJ
300+ MEMBERS IN 9 MONTHS
Rooted in the Art. Built for the Community.
Mike Jaramillo earned his black belt under John Danaher—Danaher’s first—after training at Renzo Gracie HQ for over two decades. Athan Siamas came to jiu-jitsu later, but brought something else: decades of experience building businesses from the ground up, from health clubs to restaurants to electrical contracting.
The gym started with a shared belief that BJJ transforms lives. Before they had a lease, they were running free seminars and funding veterans into training programs across 48 states. The Upper East Side location was the next step in that mission.
They Needed a Tool To Meet Them at Founding Stage
When Mike and Athan were evaluating software for the new location, they knew exactly what they didn’t want. The old system—dig through a box, find your card, carry it downstairs, leave it on the bench, wait for the guy upstairs to come down and manually enter it—wasn’t just slow. It required people whose entire job was moving paper around.
They were also launching lean. Paying $700 a month for software before a single member walked through the door wasn’t an option.
“I clicked around and I said, ‘Bro, this is the one we need.’ The interface was clean. It was fast.”
All the Tools. Priced for Where They Were At.
Gymdesk’s scaled pricing meant they could start at the 0–50 member tier and grow into the cost as the academy grew. No bloated upfront bill before revenue came in. The check-in system put the class list on the dashboard in real time—no cards, no stairs, no data entry.
Athan, whose background is in marketing, put the automation to work immediately. Email templates, nurture sequences, workflows—all live from the start.
The Operational Shift
Without the Right Tools
- Membership cards shuffled between desks manually
- Staff hired for data entry, not member experience
- Flat-rate software pricing before revenue existed
- Manual outreach to prospects
With Gymdesk
- Digital check-in visible on the dashboard in real time
- Front desk focused on welcoming members
- Scaled pricing that grows with membership
- Automated email sequences and templates live from day one
The Culture Is the Product
Mike and Athan are deliberate about culture. Front desk staff are carefully selected—people who love jiu-jitsu and care about the environment, not people looking at their phones. Classes are structured to protect new students from feeling overwhelmed, splitting the room between foundations and advanced work.
The academy also partners with a veteran-support nonprofit, funding BJJ training for military veterans dealing with service-connected disabilities. Between seminars, fundraisers, and donations, Mike and Athan have helped get 90 veterans into programs across 48 states.
“I clicked around and I said, ‘Bro, this is the one we need.’ The interface was clean. It was fast.”
“My goal is to help people. Help is the goal. Not to be champions.”
Run Your Academy. Not Your Inbox.
Gymdesk handles the admin so you can stay on the mat.
