2021 in a nutshell

As 2022 approaches I'd like to reflect on how much of an impact I've made on the Judo community as a business, and as well as how well I've done as a business to be able to bring more opportunities to the Judo community.

Without a further ado, here is a list of lessons learnt/experiences/thoughts while operating a solely Judo business.

Lessons learnt:

1) If an opportunity arises, make sure to not hesitate and seize it.

There was a moment where borders were closed, and opened momentarily. I needed to be in Queensland to deploy some mats to a customer. Had I not made the split decision to book the first flight (there were rumors of imminent lockdown), I wouldnt not have been able to deploy the mats and the result would have been a very angry customer

2) Take the opportunity to get everything done while in the vicinity, especially if logistics are uncertain in the future

That being said there was a separate customer who was happy to pickup from the warehouse in Queensland - he was on the other side of the border, but the delay in getting the mats to him could have been avoided if the mats were deployed at the same time, rather than letting him pick it up. Lesson learnt, but customer was happy that I kept the mats safe for him anyway!

3) Its not about what you know, its about who you know

Great opportunities have been created due to effective networking, through social media as well as attending smaller events

4) Know your worth

There have been times where people look to get a good deal at ridiculous expense to yourself. Do not do things for free, or if it is to be done for free, make sure the exposure if well worth it. There is also no need to associate one's self with an entity that tries to rip you off at first go

5) Lost opportunities from Live Streaming

Live streaming Judo events was a great opportunity and concept, with the added technology of automated tracking being one of its main pluses. As time progressed, events were cancelled due to Covid and so the need of live streaming Judo events seemed compromised.

Future plans:

1) Sponsoring/supporting athletes

There needs to be a specification of what athletes need to do to earn the support of a business. This will be written as I consolidate my learnings of athletes over the past 4 years in business. Athletes that have shown support from the start will be prioritised

2) Sponsoring Judo tournaments

I will be looking at sponsoring tournaments in 2022, starting from NSW, QLD and SA as they have been my main supporters for live streaming. 

3) Wallpads and custom graphics

I will be looking into furthering the product range of Australian made wallpads, crashmats as well as custom graphics to help make Dojos more visually impressive

4) Stock quantity

Early 2022 I will be looking into building up my stock with bulk orders (I've been quite restricted over the years) of belts, kids gis and adult gis