Living in a garage to building the $1B+ 'Savannah Bananas'
Executive Summary
My First Million episode, sponsored by HubSpot, in which the hosts talk with Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas, about going from a garage to a billion-dollar entertainment company. Cole traces the path: a torn shoulder ends his playing dream, boredom in the best seat in the Cape Cod League convinces him baseball fails its spectators, and at 23 he becomes general manager of a team with 268 dollars in the bank. He describes years of PT Barnum experiments - grandma beauty pageants, garbage can nachos, a dig to China night - then Savannah: two tickets sold in three months, seven figures of debt, shops telling his wife to get out, and a January 2016 call that the money was gone, so they sold their house and moved into a garage. His principles: create attention first, do the opposite of normal, and show people the experience because no one knows what they want until you show them. PARTIAL COVERAGE: the captions cover most of the conversation, but this summary highlights the founding story and philosophy only, so the later business segments are not covered. These are the guest's own account, not independently verified, and nothing here is business advice.
Key Takeaways
Bored in the best seat
Cole quit coaching after realizing even a dugout seat at elite baseball bored him, so he chose entertainment over baseball.
268 dollars and no paycheck
At 23 he ran a college summer team, unpaid for months, and used it as a laboratory for stunts.
Experiment in no man's land
Grandma beauty pageants, a fired mascot and a fake George Bush internship were cheap attention experiments nobody watched.
Savannah's cold shoulder
After 90 years of pro baseball, the city sold them two tickets in three months and shops threw his wife out.
January 15, 2016
Out of money before the first season, he and Emily sold their house and moved into a garage to make payroll.
Show, don't tell
He quotes Steve Jobs: marketing is creating an experience people can see, not describing one.
The opposite of normal
His rule: whatever is normal, do the reverse, because nobody talks about normal.
The Conversation Breakdown
Bored in the best seat
⏱ Untimed topicCole quit coaching after realizing even a dugout seat at elite baseball bored him, so he chose entertainment over baseball.
268 dollars and no paycheck
⏱ Untimed topicAt 23 he ran a college summer team, unpaid for months, and used it as a laboratory for stunts.
Experiment in no man's land
⏱ Untimed topicGrandma beauty pageants, a fired mascot and a fake George Bush internship were cheap attention experiments nobody watched.
Savannah's cold shoulder
⏱ Untimed topicAfter 90 years of pro baseball, the city sold them two tickets in three months and shops threw his wife out.
January 15, 2016
⏱ Untimed topicOut of money before the first season, he and Emily sold their house and moved into a garage to make payroll.
Show, don't tell
⏱ Untimed topicHe quotes Steve Jobs: marketing is creating an experience people can see, not describing one.
The opposite of normal
⏱ Untimed topicHis rule: whatever is normal, do the reverse, because nobody talks about normal.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Attention first - Cole
Without attention no product matters; budget for being remarked about, not just for being good.
Opposite test - his idea filter
If the industry does it one way, the opportunity is the reverse.
Customer's shoes - via Walt Disney
Judge your product from the spectator's bench, the way Disney did at Griffith Park.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Write down what a first-time customer finds boring about your product.
- ✓Plan one low-cost publicity experiment this month.
- ✓List the industry norms you follow and pick one to reverse.
- ✓Show a prospect your product live instead of describing it.
Notable Quotes
“You got to create attention first”
“Whatever's normal, do the exact opposite”
“no one knows what they want until you show it to them”
The One Thing to Remember
Jesse Cole sold his house and lived in a garage to fund a baseball circus, betting that attention and abnormal experiences beat everything.