Doing my own thing........

[Sam Sales]

:-) cheers guys. :-)
thanks to you all for your support. :-)

[Slick Rick]

Do your thing brotha. I'm with you in the starting late thing. But we got all kinds of time. Helio at 9x years old. Ermin in Maui showin me what's up an he was a recent bb at 56. Time is on our side. We have room to experiment.

[Justin W.]

http://www.graciemag.com/en/2012/01/...elt-gene-pace/

You are very young, my friend. Good luck on your new journey.

[Justin W.]

and to add what Rick said, my instructor Ermin is 55 and still competes. Fought his first pro MMA bout at age 44 and has a pro record of 6-2 I think.

[Sam Sales]

WOW that is some achievement from your instructor Justin. :-)

Thanks again guys. I have spent the morning so far looking at motorbikes so i can travel about easier for training. Looking forward to that heaps. Things are looking up. Feeling much more positive and less stressed already. :-)

Also still plan on doing the hotbox thing too.

[Slick Rick]

and to add what Rick said, my instructor Ermin is 55 and still competes. Fought his first pro MMA bout at age 44 and has a pro record of 6-2 I think.

Thanks Justin! Ermins too cool for school! He still surfs too right?

[Slick Rick]

WOW that is some achievement from your instructor Justin. :-)

Thanks again guys. I have spent the morning so far looking at motorbikes so i can travel about easier for training. Looking forward to that heaps. Things are looking up. Feeling much more positive and less stressed already. :-)

Also still plan on doing the hotbox thing too.

That's awesome Sam! You going to Sean's seminars coming up in the UK?

[Sam Sales]

Yes hoping to make the Essex one. Need to book a hotel and stuff first though. Will be awesome i am sure. :-)

[Chris Garry]

Fitness and bodybuilding gyms always stand to make far more profit than MMA, thats just how it is.

I have owned Elements MMA for 9 months now and if money was my biggest incentive then I would have converted it to a nice well equipped body builder type gym after a couple of months, and I am sure I would probably have signed up a third of my village.

But after a week or two of sitting at the counter watching the pound notes roll in I would be asking the question, 'so when do I get to roll, box and fight?'

In your shoes Sam I may well have done the same thing. I am blessed in that I have some wicked support from Mick Broster and all my coaches, training partners and a good portion of the general members, as well as my dad and gf, without whom things would have been very different for me and Elements would not have made it into 2012.

Almost as fortunate is that I dont have massive outgoings like mortgage, car payments, kids and all that other shit that might make someone like your business partner plum for the type of income associated with a weights gym.

I rent my place off my dad and live with my gf who works very hard at a local barber shop and brings in far more disposable cash than I do.

So for now as long as my memberships equal my rent, rates and other business bills then I can get by on the what I make from privates and the money I make off fights.

Also becoming 10th Planet Birmingham could turn out to be massive for us so I have that to look forward to this year too.

No matter where you are and what you do it is a struggle. You just gotta try and find the right struggle for you.

[Sam Sales]

Nice post bro. Thanks Chris. :-)