Episode 905: What are you doing to stand out?, with Jesse Cole

Onward Nation

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. His teams have welcomed more than one million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, and ESPN.

The Bananas have been awarded the Organization of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year, and won the CPL Championship in their first year. Fans First Entertainment has been featured on the INC 5000 lists as one of the fastest-growing companies in America. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game for two straight seasons and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets.

Jesse is an in-demand speaker and released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018. The book launched #1 in three categories on Amazon and has been sold in 18 countries. Staying true to his mantra, “Whatever’s normal, do the exact opposite,” Cole launched the book with a World Book Tour at Epcot.

Cole’s greatest mentors are Bill Veeck, P.T. Barnum, and Walt Disney. All three share a wall in his office on custom-made posters that display the words Innovation, Showmanship, and Vision. Cole believes to be successful you need to stand out and be different.

He releases daily videos, blogs, and articles on LinkedIn. He is passionate about creating attention, loving your customers more than your product, and loving your employees more than your customers. Cole is the host of the Business Done Differently Podcast and has been featured on more than 100 podcasts including the Ziglar Show, StoryBrand with Donald Miller and NPR’s Only a Game.

What you will learn from this episode:

• Why it takes a while to realize what your best at – and why it’s worth it
• The origin story of Jesse’s legendary Yellow Tux
• Where Jesse gets his courage
• The incredible formation story of the Savannah Bananas
• How the Savannah Bananas brand has benefited fans and players and why culture is so critical
• Empowering employees to become leaders and make decisions, especially in tough circumstances
• How Jesse draws inspiration from people like Walt Disney and P.T. Barnum
• The future of the Savannah Bananas and how they continue to put fans first

Resources:

• Website: https://findyouryellowtux.com/
• Savannah Bananas Website: https://thesavannahbananas.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasNOOUN7FbQXBUsfZD4Y_Q