Start a No-Gi BJJ Academy Merch Shop

Starting a no-gi BJJ academy merch shop on Bear Grips Pro Shops takes about fifteen minutes on the free plan. Three live products, your academy logo on every piece, students ordering direct, and you earning a margin on every sale. Here are the exact steps from zero to live shop, plus what to do in the first week to drive your first 10 sales.

The Fifteen-Minute Setup

1. Sign up. Create your free account at Bear Grips Pro Shops for Jiu Jitsu. You will receive your branded shop URL immediately.
2. Upload your academy logo. Vector (SVG/AI) or high-resolution PNG at 2000px or wider. The logo applies across all products you add.
3. Pick your three free-plan products. The recommended starter trio for a no-gi academy: Bear Grips Airlume Cotton Tee, Bear Grips Comfort Soft Hoodie, Yupoong Classic Flat Bill Snapback. This covers tee, hoodie, and hat in one launch.
4. Set your retail prices. Recommended starting points: tee at $30, hoodie at $55, hat at $34. The platform shows your base cost and margin per item as you set each price.
5. Pick two color variants per product. Recommended: black and heather gray for the tee, black and navy for the hoodie, black for the hat.
6. Publish the shop. The shop goes live on your branded URL immediately.
7. Share the link. Post in the academy WhatsApp/Telegram group, email to your active student list, and pin to your Instagram bio.

Done. From zero to live shop with three products in about fifteen minutes.

Week One: How to Drive Your First Ten Sales

The first ten sales prove the concept and give you data to decide if upgrading to VIP makes sense. Here is the week-one playbook:

• Day 1. Send a launch email to your full student list with the shop link. Mention what is in the shop, why you launched it (academy identity), and invite questions.
• Day 2-3. Wear an academy hoodie to teach class. The visual cue drives questions naturally and your answer is "shop link is in the group chat".
• Day 4. Post a single Instagram story showing a student wearing their academy tee at the academy. Tag the student. The social proof matters.
• Day 5-7. Mention the shop in two classes. Once at the start (any new gear questions), once at the end (a quick reminder of the shop link). Do not over-pitch.

By end of week one, an academy of 40+ active students typically sees 5 to 12 sales. That is $50 to $180 in margin from week one, with zero ongoing time investment after the initial setup.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

When to Upgrade to VIP

Plan	Cost	Products	Break-even	Best For
Free	$0	3	None	Validating demand in first month
Self-Service VIP	$59/mo	200	~6 tees or ~4 hoodies/mo	Academies clearing $100+/mo in margin
Done-For-You VIP	$109/mo	250	~11 tees or ~7 hoodies/mo	Academies that want hands-off monthly setup

The upgrade decision: once you clear $100 in monthly margin on the free plan, Self-Service VIP pays for itself with the lower base prices alone (saving $4 to $11 per piece) before you even count the expanded product catalog. Most academies upgrade within 30 to 60 days of launching.

Tools That Help You Pick Products and Set Prices

Before you set retail prices, check what comparable apparel sells for in the no-gi space. The 10th Planet apparel pricing comparison walks through where to set retail on each product type to stay in line with brand-store pricing while leaving you a meaningful margin.

For revenue projections, the no-gi academy shop revenue math guide breaks down annual margin by academy size and product mix. Use it to set expectations before launch.

For logo prep before upload, the free design tools page includes mockup generators, color testers, and logo preparation utilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a business license to start a Bear Grips Pro Shops academy shop?

Sign up requires you to be the owner or authorized representative of the academy you are setting up the shop for. Tax treatment of your payouts depends on your business structure (sole proprietor, LLC, S-corp) and is your responsibility to handle with your accountant.

Can I have multiple shops under one account?

Each shop URL is tied to one academy. If you run multiple academies, set up a shop for each. Contact support if you need to consolidate across academies under one ownership.

What happens if I want to close my shop later?

The shop can be paused or closed at any time from the dashboard. There is no long-term commitment and no exit fee. Outstanding orders ship as normal.

How are my margins paid out?

Payouts run on a bi-weekly schedule directly to your account on file. The dashboard shows pending margin in real time so you can track sales as they happen.