EP. 1963

08/05/26

Jesse Cole

โ€œMindset: start small, dream big. That’s how we do everything.โ€

How Jesse Cole Turned Baseball Into a Billion Dollar Show

He slept in his socks on a garage floor because it was too filthy to touch. That was Jesse Cole eight years ago, broke, sleeping on an air mattress, betting everything on a wooden bat baseball team nobody wanted.

Jesse is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the man behind the Savannah Bananas, the “Find Your Yellow Tux” author who turned a dying college summer league into a movement that now plays in front of millions.

He explains the moment he realized baseball itself was broken and why he studies Walt Disney more than any business book. He also opens up about the night his wife got a text from a birth mother on Mother’s Day that changed their family forever.

You’ll hear how a bat trickster became a starting first baseman and how a Broadway A-lister ended up pitching in front of 80,000 fans. Jesse still signs autographs until the very last fan leaves, every single night.

This conversation will change how you think about customers versus fans, and about what it actually costs to build something the world has never seen before.

Find Your Yellow Tux

Jesse’s Instagram

Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience

Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out

Tweet Image
โ€œBe patient in what you want for yourself, but be impatient in how much you give to others.โ€ โ€” Jesse Cole
Share:

And now let’s jump into episode 1963 of The School of Greatness!

Some Questions I Ask:

  • How did you continue to believe in yourself when everyone said no?
  • What’s the thing you misunderstand about yourself still?
  • How do you energetically hold that space and not feel like an imposter?
  • Where does the fear of irrelevance come from?
  • How has your definition of love evolved?
  • What’s your biggest internal challenge with all the success you’ve had?
  • Is there anything you misunderstand about yourself, or you don’t understand about yourself at where you currently are from where you were five years ago?

In this episode, you will learn:

  • Discover why “whatever’s normal, do the exact opposite” became the founding rule behind Banana Ball
  • Learn how studying Walt Disney’s obsession with “plussing the show” turned a dying league into a movement
  • Hear the Mother’s Day text that changed Jesse and Emily’s family forever
  • Understand why Jesse believes fans are different from customers, and why that distinction changes everything
  • Explore the mindset shift required to go from 4,000 fans a night to 100,000
  • Plus much more…

Show Notes:

  • Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience
  • Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out
The School of Greatness Podcast
The School of Greatness Podcast

The School of Greatness Show

The School of Greatness shares inspiring interviews from the most successful people on the planetโ€”world-renowned leaders in business, entertainment, sports, science, health, and literatureโ€”to inspire YOU to unlock your inner greatness and live your best life.