I started training Jiu-Jitsu after many years of entrepreneurship. I had already gone through crises, restarts, difficult decisions — but it was on the mat that I realized how much the sport reflects the life of someone who builds something from scratch.
Jiu-Jitsu didn’t teach me how to be an entrepreneur. It made me better understand what I was already experiencing every day.
On the mat, ego has no place. You can arrive full of titles, experiences, or achievements, but the first training session is enough to realize that everyone there is learning, everyone is exposed.
In entrepreneurship, it’s the same. The market doesn’t care who you were, only what you are capable of doing now.
And this awareness brings humility — the kind of humility that keeps you grounded even when everything starts to go right.
Jiu-Jitsu also taught me about rhythm. Not every fight is won with strength, and not every company grows in a hurry.
There are times for attack and times for defense. There are situations where retreating is the only way to find the right space to advance.
I learned to respect the timing of things, of people, of results, of maturity. And I realized that true mastery, both on the mat and in business, comes from calm amidst chaos.
Another lesson is about consistency. In Jiu-Jitsu, evolution doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of silent repetitions, of mistakes corrected little by little, of patience with the process itself.
Building a company is the same thing: success rarely comes from a single well-aimed strike, but from the discipline of those who show up every day, even when there’s no applause.
And finally, Jiu-Jitsu taught me something essential about leadership:
You only truly grow when you learn to use the strength of others in favor of building, not competing.
Solid companies are not sustained by constant competition, but by collaboration and mutual respect.
Today, I understand that the tatami mat is a perfect metaphor for entrepreneurship.
In both, victory lies not in dominating the opponent, but in dominating oneself — one’s emotions, impulses, and fears.
And when you learn to do that, you realize that building a company is, above all, a daily exercise in balance, discipline, and self-awareness.
