Home › Blog › What Does Running a Successful Staffing Business and Jiu-Jitsu Have in Common?

What Does Running a Successful Staffing Business and Jiu-Jitsu Have in Common?

What would you do if someone tackled you and pinned you to the ground?

Would you freeze—or fight to get back on top?

Now imagine you do… only to get knocked down again. Would you keep going, or give up?

It might sound dramatic, but that’s exactly what being a business owner feels like.

The Parallels Between Jiu-Jitsu and Business Ownership

In a recent conversation with Louis Song, co-founder of Proven Recruiting, he shared an insightful metaphor. Louis, a practitioner of stand-up Kung Fu, found himself wondering: What happens if my opponent takes me to the ground?

It scared him. But instead of avoiding that fear, he used it as fuel:

“You know, a lot of my success in life has really been about being afraid of something, and saying, you know what? I don’t want to be afraid anymore—let me go tackle it.”

And that mindset is precisely what makes a great staffing firm owner: resilience in the face of chaos. Just like in Jiu-Jitsu, there are moments of control—and moments where everything flips.

Here are three key lessons from the mat that directly apply to staffing leadership:

1. Know Your Opponent—and Yourself

Success in martial arts depends on understanding both your own strengths and your adversary’s. The same principle applies in staffing.

What are your core competencies? Where do you outperform your competition?
If you can define and own the space where you’re the best in the market, you can build a clear, defensible advantage.

Double down on your strengths. Stay focused. Let others fight over scraps while you dominate in your zone of excellence.

2. Fear is Normal—Quitting is Optional

Fear is human. What matters is how you respond.

The staffing industry is cyclical. Right now, demand is high, companies have job orders pouring in, but talent is scarce. Many staffing firms are treading water despite the flood of business. They’re frozen in place, frustrated, and falling behind.

But others? They’re thriving.
They’re adapting—revamping their sourcing strategies, boosting retention, and redeploying talent like never before.

The difference isn’t resources. It’s mindset. The winners didn’t curl up—they found solutions.

3. Plan for the Takedown Before It Happens

Every match has momentum shifts. In business, downturns are inevitable.

The firms that prepare now and are investing in tech, building infrastructure, tightening operations, will emerge from the next slowdown faster and stronger. Are you:

• Strengthening your BD efforts?

• Streamlining processes to increase profit per placement?

• Laying the groundwork for long-term scalability?

If you’re not planning for the fall, don’t expect to bounce back quickly.

Are You Ready for the Next Round?

You don’t need to be a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu to master the staffing game, but you do need the same discipline, focus, and toughness.

At Tracker, we work closely with some of the most successful and fastest-growing staffing firms. We’ve seen what works, and what doesn’t. And we’d love to share that insight with you.

Let’s talk. Because in this business, just like on the mat, it’s not about how many times you get taken down, it’s about how many times you get back up.