We were lucky to catch up with Kyle Terboss recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kyle, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?
In April of 2023, the film and television industry was completely shut down due to the writers (WGA) strike, then followed up with the actors (SAG) strike. My business partner and I, who are both working members of the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) and reliant on the film and television business as our main source of income were left with no jobs, no income and plenty of time on our hands. We both decided that rather than sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, that this was the perfect opportunity to chase a dream we had been talking about for a while. In 2022 we both received out black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has long been a hobby of ours, something that we love and something we wanted to share with the rest of our community, which was lacking a place for people to practice. In August of 2023, we took a risk and opened up a small Jiu Jitsu gym in the community of Rockaway Beach, NY. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know if the community would be interested, let alone accept us into it. but we gave it a shot anyway, knowing that we could easily fail. We focused on building a friendly environment with high-level instruction and the people took notice and began to come. 6 months later, we’re still in business and running a successful Jiu Jitsu gym.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
We’re the owners and instructors of Clockwork Jiu Jitsu, Rockaway Chapter which is located in Rockaway Beach, NY. We’re obsessed with Jiu Jitsu and we love sharing this sport with our community. We love to watch people who maybe never saw themselves doing this type of thing fall in love with it and change their lives for the better when they begin training. We’re focused on continuing to build a safe and friendly environment where people can train Jiu Jitsu at a high level. We think Jiu Jitsu is for everyone, wether you’re looking to get in shape, learn effective self defense, learn self-discipline, positively change your mental state or even to have a place to hang out where the people are friendly and motivated.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
We’re still early in our journey but the three main things that helped us grow quickly are as follows:
– Creating a friendly, non-intimidating environment where our members are happy and can always take something away when they leave our doors. It’s a community where everyone knows your name and even though it’s an individual sport, we support each other as a team.
– We believe in our product. We know Jiu Jitsu works and has plenty of mental and physical benefits. Our students learn that the moment they enter our doors.
– Quality instruction. We believe that we offer a high level of instruction. If we teach bad Jiu Jitsu, our students won’t get better and so far, that hasn’t been the case. Everyday, we’re amazed at the progress our students and making.
Our advice is to believe in what you’re doing and keep at it. We continue to grow and get ourselves better at this sport. This isn’t the kind of sport you can get good at overnight. It takes time and patience and if you stick with it, you’ll never regret it.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
When we decided to open our Jiu Jitsu gym this summer, we first asked the permission of Josh Griffiths, the owner and head instructor of Clockwork Jiu Jitsu’s main location in Manhattan. I started training with Josh in 2011 and became a black belt under his instruction in 2022. He was always a mentor and overtime became a good friend. Josh runs a very successful gym and has had plenty of opportunities to open other gyms but never did, so when we decided to ask him for his blessing to open our own gym, we were nervous that he’d say no. When we finally found the courage to ask him, not only did he give us his blessing but he allowed us to open the gym under his lineage of “Clockwork Jiu Jitsu”. Josh opened Clockwork Jiu Jitsu in 2009 and it’s since gained credibility as one of the best gyms in New York. Josh gave us an immeasurable amount of advice on how to operate a successful gym, from the business aspect to interacting with clients and most importantly, he taught us the Jiu Jitsu that we teach today. Without him, we easily could have failed. He always makes himself accessible to us with any questions we have, or insight we need. His knowledge has been invaluable to us and for that we are forever grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://clockworkrockaway.com/
- Instagram: @clockworkbjj_rockawaychapter
Image Credits
All images copyright of Alberto Vasari.
