Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 914 is my conversation with Aaron Benjamin, known online as Abenz Fishing. If you are on social media and you like fishing, jiu-jitsu, or wrestling, you probably already know his content. Aaron started in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a self-described lost kid, trained obsessively under a five-time world champion, then translated that same drive into building a content business and, eventually, Abenz Fishing. We talk about jiu-jitsu, fishing, entrepreneurship, and the mindset behind getting great at anything.
Listen now: Megaphone · YouTube.
Aaron Benjamin, known online as Abenz Fishing, is a fishing content creator and entrepreneur from Sanibel Island, Florida. Before fishing, he was a serious competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete who earned his brown belt in four years, trained under five-time black belt world champion Bernardo Faria, and competed at the world championships. He now creates fishing content and builds businesses online.
Aaron started training while at college in Gainesville, describing himself at the time as a lost kid without direction. He picked up traditional gi jiu-jitsu, found a coach who believed in him, and became obsessed, eventually dropping out of college to train every day. His drive earned him a brown belt in four years and a spot competing at the world championships.
Aaron explains that the obsessive, tunnel-vision mindset he developed chasing jiu-jitsu mastery is the same mindset he applies to building a business and creating content. When he could not land sponsors as a young competitor, he started his first company, a jiu-jitsu apparel and content brand, which became his entry into content creation and entrepreneurship.
After being pushed to move to a higher-level academy, Aaron took a position as an academy manager and full-time instructor under Bernardo Faria, a five-time black belt jiu-jitsu world champion. Aaron credits that move and his coaches with accelerating his growth both on the mats and in his approach to business.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 914 with Aaron Benjamin is available on Megaphone, Spotify, YouTube, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I wanted Aaron on because his story is about more than fishing. He is a guy who took the obsessive drive he built chasing jiu-jitsu mastery and turned it into a content business and a brand. I am always interested in the mindset behind people who get great at something, and Aaron is honest about the tunnel vision it takes. Whether you care about jiu-jitsu, fishing, or building something of your own, there is a lot to learn from how he thinks.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Aaron shares the line a coach gave him that stuck forever, that anyone great at anything almost has to be obsessive to the point of tunnel vision. He gets into what that obsession looked like in his own life. Hear it in the episode.
Aaron describes arriving in Gainesville as a lost kid, finding the mats, and training so much that he walked away from school to chase it full-time. He is candid about the risk. Listen to that section of the conversation.
When Aaron could not find sponsors to fund his competition expenses, he launched a jiu-jitsu apparel and content company instead. He explains how that first imperfect business model taught him content creation. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Aaron walks through the path from jiu-jitsu apparel to Abenz Fishing and what carried over from one world to the next. He explains why the skills transferred. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · YouTube.
What I take away from Aaron is that the discipline is portable. The same obsession that got him a brown belt in four years is what built his content and his business.
If you are trying to get good at anything, his honesty about the mindset is worth your time. Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 914 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Aaron Benjamin · Abenz Fishing · Bernardo Faria · Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu · Sanibel Island, Florida · Tom Rowland (host)
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Aaron Benjamin, known online as Abenz Fishing, is a fishing content creator and entrepreneur from Sanibel Island, Florida. Before turning to fishing, he was a competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete who earned his brown belt in four years, competed at the world championships, and served as an academy manager and instructor under five-time world champion Bernardo Faria. He launched his first business, a jiu-jitsu apparel and content brand, before building Abenz Fishing into a recognized name in fishing content.
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