Podcasts about fans first entertainment

We are excited to have the legendary Jesse Cole joining us today!  In today's episode, Jesse shares the incredible story behind how he and his wife, Emily, started the famous Savannah Bananas! He also gets into where they are today and how he leverages the Savannah Bananas for his projects! We hope you enjoy listening to today's super-motivating conversation with Jesse Cole! Bio: Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Savannah Bananas. He's a fanatic about fandom and launched the Savannah Bananas with one mission: to spark a fan-focused movement. Whether at the ballpark, on social media, onstage delivering keynotes, in features for ESPN and Entrepreneur, or in his first book, Find Your Yellow Tux, Jesse continues to create fans all over the world. The Bananas have sold out every game since their first season and have a waitlist for tickets in the thousands. They have entertained millions of fans in Savannah and at ballparks all over their country on their Banana Ball Tour. Jesse is the proud inventor of Banana Ball and Dolce & Banana underwear and a not-so-proud promoter of the Human Horse Race and Flatulence Fun Night. He's a raving fan of his wife, Emily, his kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney, PT Barnum, and Bill Veeck. Jesse owns seven yellow tuxedos. Jesse's story Jesse was raised by his dad, who spent hours playing baseball with him and taught him the value of putting in the effort to create something special!  Jesse played baseball throughout his life. After getting into the baseball industry about fifteen years ago, he tore his shoulder, and his baseball career ended. So, he started working in the front office and began his journey to where he is today. Savannah Bananas  Before starting the Savannah Bananas, Jesse spent ten years with the team in Gastonia, North Carolina. He became their GM when he was twenty-three and had to figure out how to make people excited about going to a baseball game. It was much harder than he anticipated, so he tried doing some crazy things! Then, seven years ago, Jesse and his wife moved to Savannah, Georgia, and had the opportunity to take on an old and historic stadium. Jesse was not successful in selling the way everyone else did because no one took him seriously. So he tried something new.  A vision Everything we accomplish in life starts with a vision. Especially in business! Going into Savannah, Jesse and his wife truly believed they could change baseball games, make them fun, and create something people had never seen before! It was tough at first, but they knew their idea would work. Fans first Many companies focus solely on chasing customers. However, early on, Jesse and his wife became obsessed with creating fans and decided to focus on putting their fans first. So they named their company Fans First Entertainment. All-inclusive tickets They decided to make every ticket all-inclusive so that if the game was terrible, the fans would still get some value for their money because everything, including the food, was included.  Spicing things up They decided to spice things up and go all-in on creating an entertaining experience. They hired a dancing coach and choreographed dances for the players. They introduced a banana baby that they lifted, celebrated, and sang to at the start of the match. They even handed out roses to little girls in the middle of the game! No more marketing After that, they no longer had to do any marketing. They just shared what they were doing, and people told others about it! ESPN ESPN became aware of what they were doing. So they wrote an article about the Savannah Bananas, which did very well. Then their sports center did a feature on them, which also did very well. Then, Jesse and his wife approached ESPN with an idea they had for a show, and they agreed. The show was highly rated (and still does well today) and led to even bigger things! Making baseball more fun Leaning in on making baseball more fun, offering non-stop entertainment, storytelling, creating memorable moments for fans, and building an idea culture helped them get to where they are today! No more normal Doing normal things gets normal results. So they work from the premise of doing the exact opposite of whatever would be deemed normal. What if Asking what if and trying out new things motivates them to keep finding new and exciting ways to entertain their fans.  Secondary ticket sellers Jesse always refused to sell tickets to secondary marketing groups. One group even offered to pay twice the ticket value and buy more than a million dollars worth of tickets. But Jesse refused because that would inflate ticket prices, and hurting their fans goes against everything they stand for. Living the dream Jesse's dream for the future is to continue chasing the energy they created, making people happy, and dancing in front of fans all over the world! Surrounding yourself with good people When you share your vision, what you stand for, and what you hope to accomplish, you will attract the best people to work for you! Connect with Eric LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Website Connect with Jesse Cole Fans First Entertainment: Bananas For Business The Savannah Bananas

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, which owns and operates the baseball team the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have welcomed millions of fans to their ballpark and have been featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO and ESPN. They have sold out hundreds of games in a row, have a ticket waiting list of millions, and have done a barnstorming tour where they've played at some of America's most famous stadiums, including my hometown stadium, Fenway Park. Beyond the bananas Jesse is an in-demand speaker and bestselling author of two books, Find Your Yellow Tux and Fans First. In his second appearance on the Elevate Podcast, Jesse talked about the Savannah Bananas' meteoric rise to fame and how he and his team have revolutionized the world of sports and business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Capital Hacking, we had the privilege of knowing the unique journey of the Savannah Bananas through an engaging conversation with Jared Orton, President and COO. Hosts Josh McCallen and John Edwin delve into the origins, growth, and business philosophy behind the Savannah Bananas, a wildly entertaining baseball team. Orton shares insights into their unconventional approach to making baseball fun, the cultural ethos of Fans First Entertainment, and their innovative events that captivate audiences. They discuss the formation of a new league, the team's growth strategies, and maintaining control over their vision and brand. The episode offers valuable lessons on leadership, business growth, and creating memorable customer experiences.Ultimate Show Notes:00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks00:46 Savannah Bananas: The Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball01:51 The Journey of Jared Orton and Jesse Cole02:42 Building the Savannah Bananas Brand03:30 The Mission: Making Baseball Fun05:48 Challenges and Early Struggles13:08 The Evolution of Entertainment in Baseball15:45 Creating a New Baseball League18:55 Human Capital vs Financial Capital19:22 The Role of Coaches Over Bosses20:40 Creating a Supportive Work Environment22:20 Savannah Bananas: Team Structure and Growth24:19 Innovative Baseball Rules27:17 Business Expansion and Challenges34:37 Ticketing System and Scalping IssuesFollow on Socials:Website: https://thesavannahbananas.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSavBananas/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesavbananas/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVMOQmAEqtzfBGV-_X6_zMwX: https://x.com/thesavbananasLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/savannah-bananas/GET YOUR PASS NOW for an unforgettable day at Experience Learn & Grow 2024: https://accountableequity.com/learngrow/Turn your unique talent into capital and achieve the life you were destined to live. Join our community!We believe that Capital is more than just Cash. In fact, Human Capital always comes first before the accumulation of Financial Capital. We explore the best, most efficient, high-integrity ways of raising capital (Human & Financial). We want our listeners to use their personal human capital to empower the growth of their financial capital. Together we are stronger. LinkedinFacebookInstagramApple PodcastSpotify

FIRST AIRED: 6/23/23 My guest on E272 of #thePOZcast is Jesse Cole, The Man In The Yellow Tux himself! Jesse is the founder and owner of Fans First Entertainment, home to the Savannah Bananas as well as The Party Animals baseball teams. Jesse created Banana Ball, which is a twist on classic baseball meant to be the most entertaining, engaging, and fan-first event in the game. Jesse got his start as a leader in the sports and entertainment worlds at age 23 when he was appointed GM of the Gastonia Grizzlies. When ticket sales were moving slowly, he jumped into introducing first-class entertainment into the world of baseball. Many summarize the end-product of Banana Ball to being like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, but as you guys are about to find out Jesse has built and continues to build so much more. I'm thrilled to have this guy on the show, and we are about to dig in so buckle up! Check out the team at https://thesavannahbananas.com/ and findyouryellowtux.com for any info on Jesse's speaking or books. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers. Check out a free demo today! https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and Twitter @AdamJPosner.eth For more, please visit www.thePOZcast.com

Derek talks with Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas. Jesse helps companies stand out by thinking different, creating attention and creating fans for life.Jesse Cole, also known as “the guy in the yellow tuxedo” is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the world-famous Savannah Bananas as well as the Party Animals and Firefighters.With the mantra “Fans First. Entertain Always”, the Bananas are on a mission to Make Baseball Fun by creating the Greatest Show in Sports.The team has sold out every game since their inaugural season in Savannah and has since grown a ticket waitlist of more than 2 million fans from all over the world.With more than 15 million social media followers and features on such outlets as The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO Real Sports and Access Hollywood in addition to  Bananaland, a five-part documentary original series on ESPN+, the Savannah Bananas are just getting started.Jesse is the proud inventor of the fastest and most entertaining game of baseball, Banana Ball. Banana Ball puts a fun twist on traditional baseball with new rules featuring a two-hour time limit, no walks, no bunting, no stepping out of the box, no mound visits and best of all, fans can catch a foul ball for an out.He is the not-so-proud promoter of the Grandma Beauty Pageant, the Human Horse Race, the Living Pinata, and Flatulence Fun Night.In addition to the wildly successful Banana Ball, Jesse continues to create raving fans all over the world as a best-selling author of “Fans First, Find Your Yellow Tux”, and as a highly sought-after international keynote speaker for some of the world's largest and most respected organizations.Most of all, Jesse is a raving fan of his wife, Emily, his 3 kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney and PT Barnum.

On this episode of the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show, Wayne Kimmel interviewed Jesse Cole, Owner of the Savannah Bananas. Cole, also known as “the guy in the yellow tuxedo” is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the world-famous Savannah Bananas as well as the Party Animals and Firefighters. The Bananas have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballpark and have been featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, Access Hollywood, HBO Real Sports, CNN, and ESPN. With the mantra “Fans First. Entertain Always”, the Bananas are on a mission to Make Baseball Fun by creating the Greatest Show in Sports. The team has sold out every game since their inaugural season in Savannah and has since grown a ticket waitlist of more than 2 million fans from all over the world. With more than 15 million social media followers and features on such outlets as The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO Real Sports and Access Hollywood in addition to  Bananaland, a five-part documentary original series on ESPN+, the Savannah Bananas are just getting started Cole believes to be successful you need to Stand Out and Be Different. He releases blogs and videos regularly on LinkedIn. He is passionate about creating attention, loving your customers more than your product and loving your employees more than your customers. Cole's mantra is "Whatever's normal, do the exact opposite." Cole is the not-so-proud promoter of the Grandma Beauty Pageant, the Human Horse Race, the Living Pinata, and Flatulence Fun Night. In addition to the wildly successful Banana Ball, Cole continues to create raving fans all over the world as a best-selling author of “Fans First, Find Your Yellow Tux”, and as a highly sought-after international keynote speaker for some of the world's largest and most respected organizations. Most of all, Cole is a raving fan of his wife, Emily, his 3 kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney and PT Barnum. Jesse Cole: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yellowtuxjesse/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowtuxjesse/ X: https://twitter.com/YellowTuxJesse Savannah Bananas: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/savannah-bananas/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesavbananas/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesavbananas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSavannahBananas

How the Savannah Bananas baseball team stand out and get noticed with guest Jesse Cole. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/r180-stand-out-get-noticed/ Instead of traditional marketing methods, Jesse applies unconventional promotional tactics that are fun and attract attention and a loyal following of fans. You might be thinking, what can I learn from an owner of a baseball team – well this is not your usual sports team. We are talking about the Savannah Bananas, which have become a huge success due to their unique approach to marketing. And so much of what they do can be applied to any small business. Jesse Cole, also known as “the guy in the yellow tuxedo” is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the world-famous Savannah Bananas as well as the Party Animals and Firefighters. With the mantra “Fans First. Entertain Always”, the Bananas are on a mission to Make Baseball Fun by creating the Greatest Show in Sports. The team has sold out every game since their inaugural season in Savannah and has since grown a ticket waitlist of more than 2 million fans from all over the world. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez with co-host David Begin. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. He's fanatic about fandom and launched the Savannah Bananas with one mission: to spark a fan-focused movement. Jesse is also a keynote speaker and the author of three bestselling books, and he owns seven yellow tuxedos! He discusses what inspired him to buy a baseball team, and how we can all put fans first and inject more fun into our businesses.

This week Andrew talks with Jesse Cole — the founder of Fans First Entertainment & owner of the world famous Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have sold out every game since their first season and have entertained millions around the globe. Jesse & his team are fanatical about the fan experience — and have a tireless passion to experiment and do things the world has never seen. In this conversation, Jesse shares powerful ideas on how to be more creative, take bold risks, & win fans for life. You'll hear Jesse's system for coming up with 10 new ideas per day, how to build an “idea factory”, why he wears a yellow tuxedo every day, & so much more. This is a conversation you don't want to miss.Show Highlights:0:00 - Intro3:07 - Idea for Savannah Bananas4:11 - Early days as entrepreneur5:35 - “Fans first differentiator”7:12 - Lifelong fans over short-term profits8:35 - Getting through messy8:55 - Calling 100,00 fans to thank them9:24 - Looking to other industries for new ideas10:11 - Studying Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, & other innovators11:35 - Inspiration from Henry Ford12:17 - Building an idea muscle12:51 - 10 ideas per day14:20 - Saturday Night Live creative framework16:05 - Debriefing to improve17:40 - What Jesse looks for in players & cast22:55 - “We never walk past trash”23:17 - Why Jesse wears a yellow tuxedo 25:25 - Dealing with criticism29:01 - National Baseball Hall of Fame30:49 - Meeting baseball legend Lee Smith 31:33 - “Every game is someone's first game”** Follow Andrew On Social Media **Twitter/X: @andrewhmosesInstagram: @AndrewMoses123Sign up for e-mails to keep up with Andrew's podcast at everybodypullsthetarp.com/newsletter

Join Chad Lingafelt for a captivating chat with Jesse Cole, the mastermind behind Fans First Entertainment and the iconic Savannah Bananas!  Known for his distinctive Yellow Tux and infectious charisma, Jesse reveals the transformational journey from selling just 2 tickets to boasting consecutive sold-out seasons.  But it's not just about ticket sales; it's about passion.  Discover Jesse's secrets to creating buzz, nurturing a brand people love, and most importantly, cherishing both customers and employees.  Don't miss out on this energetic dialogue, packed with insights and actionable takeaways.

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team. Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Savannah Bananas. With one mission to Make Baseball Fun, the Bananas have quickly become known as the Greatest Show in Sports. The team has sold out every game since their first season and have a waitlist for tickets of over 900,000. The Bananas have more than 5 million social media followers and been featured on Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO Real Sports, Access Hollywood and in Bananaland, a five-part documentary original series on ESPN+ Jesse is the proud inventor of Banana Ball, the fastest and most entertaining game of baseball that features a two-hour time limit, no walks, no bunting, no stepping out of the box, no mound visits, and fans can catch a foul ball for an out. He is the not-so-proud promoter of the Grandma Beauty Pageant, the Human Horse Race, the Living Pinata, and Flatulence Fun Night. A best-selling author of Fans First and Find Your Yellow Tux, international speaker, Jesse continues to create fans all over the world. He's a raving fan of his wife, Emily, his kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney and PT Barnum Join Jesse and Terry as they talk about putting fans first, creating exceptional experiences, and going bananas with your business. They dive into the concept of firing bullets and cannonballs, the power of vision, and the importance of having fun in your organization. Discover how the Savannah Bananas have revolutionized the fan experience and why they believe that now is the time to bring hope back into people's lives. Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation with Jesse Cole on Making Elephants Fly. Find out more at http://terryweaver.com and join Terry at the Thing at http://thething.live and use the code PODCAST for a discount.

Savannah Bananas owner and the founder of Fans First Entertainment, Jesse Cole, (11:38) joins the podcast .Find out more details about this episode here:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1153229/episodes/13207408-jesse-cole-savannah-bananas-owner-interviewSupport the 1 Star Recruits podcast by subscribing to our Patreon!  Receive all of our bonus content for only $4.99 per month.EPISODE SPONSORS:500 Level - Get 20% off all orders with the promo code 1STARUCAN - Get 20% off + free shipping on all orders with the promo code 1STAR here - UCAN.co/1STARPro Financial InsuranceIN THIS EPISODE:Jesse ColeMLB Home Run DerbyMLB All-Star GameSavannah BananasBanana BallBanana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah BananasBananas FosterNBA Summer LeagueLedger/Ledger LiveThreadsFollow 1 Star Recruits on:InstagramTwitterFacebookYoutubeTikTokPatreon

My guest on E272 of #thePOZcast is Jesse Cole, The Man In The Yellow Tux himself! Jesse is the founder and owner of Fans First Entertainment, home to the Savannah Bananas as well as The Party Animals baseball teams. Jesse created Banana Ball, which is a twist on classic baseball meant to be the most entertaining, engaging, and fan-first event in the game. Jesse got his start as a leader in the sports and entertainment worlds at age 23 when he was appointed GM of the Gastonia Grizzlies. When ticket sales were moving slowly, he jumped into introducing first-class entertainment into the world of baseball. Many summarize the end-product of Banana Ball to being like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, but as you guys are about to find out Jesse has built and continues to build so much more. I'm thrilled to have this guy on the show, and we are about to dig in so buckle up! Check out the team at https://thesavannahbananas.com/ and  findyouryellowtux.com for any info on Jesse's speaking or books.  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review:   https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers.  Check out a free demo today! https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and Twitter @AdamJPosner.eth  For more, please visit www.thePOZcast.com

Jesse Cole lives life by being different. He is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, which owns and operates the baseball team the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballpark and have been featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO and ESPN. Jesse is an in-demand speaker and bestselling author of two books, Find Your Yellow Tux and his newest Fans First. Jesse joined host Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast to discuss how he and his wife built the Savannah Bananas from a bankrupt organization to a leading entertainment brand, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How The Savannah Bananas is Changing Baseball through Fan Focus, Creativity, and CX Shep Hyken interviews Jesse Cole, founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. He talks about how he redefined baseball and customer and employee experience by creating a culture that puts them first. Top Takeaways:  The Savannah Bananas sells out every game, with a waitlist of 550,000 for tickets. There are 3,000 people joining the waitlist every day. They have 4,000,000 more followers on social media than any Major League Baseball team. The best inspiration happens from what people are doing wrong. Ask what the biggest friction points in your customers' experiences are. Then, do the opposite. The Savannah Bananas took the biggest friction points in a baseball game and changed the rules. For example, a typical baseball game can run for over 3 hours. In Banana Ball, each game lasts no more than 2 hours. Learn from outside your industry and bring that into your organization. Look at the companies you love and why you love them. Identify what you love about those companies that you can start doing with your team. If everyone in your business makes the customers the stars and gives them the red carpet treatment, you make those customers feel like a million bucks. It changes everything for the customer, and your employees will have more purpose and pride in their work. Ideas are the future. Work your idea muscle like you work out your regular muscles. Write down a few ideas every day, get together with your team, and share them. You'll get more energy, inspiration, and purpose out of ideas. Jesse Cole's latest book, Bannana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bannanas, just came out May 18, 2005. Get it at Amazon.  Plus, Jesse shares some incredible fan-first moments from their tour. Tune in! Quote: "Imagine what the best possible customer experience is and do that. Don't settle for the way things have been done before." About:  Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Savannah Bananas. He is the author of Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience, Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out, and Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jesse is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, who owns and operates the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballpark and have been featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, Access Hollywood, HBO Real Sports, CNN, and ESPN. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game since the first season and have a wait list for tickets that's over 60,000. Cole is an in-demand speaker and author of "Find Your Yellow Tux - How to Be Successful by Standing Out," and "Fans First, Change the Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience." Cole believes to be successful you need to Stand Out and Be Different. He releases blogs and videos regularly on LinkedIn. He is passionate about creating attention, loving your customers more than your product and loving your employees more than your customers. Cole's mantra is "Whatever's normal, do the exact opposite."

Before her work with Fans First Entertainment, which began in 2011, Emily spent time with Ripken Baseball, the Augusta GreenJackes, the Vermont Lake Monsters, and the Binghamton Mets. Emily's biggest passion with the team is working with the full-time staff, interns, and hundreds of game-day staff workers to focus on the culture, service, and logistics of events held at the ballpark.   After the birth of their son, Maverick, Emily stepped back a little from everyday operations to raise Mav and the other children in their care (Jesse and Emily are foster parents) but can still be found often around the stadium. She also oversees their Airbnb rentals on Tybee and wrote the team's first children's book, Go Bananas! You can read more about it here.   Here is what to expect on this week's show: Emily shares fun facts on how and why the Savannah Bananas do things differently. ☀️ How the internship program teaches and provides opportunities to students. ☀️ Tips on reducing team turnover. ☀️ Why the Savannah Bananas turns challenges into learning experiences. ☀️ The story behind the coast-to-coast tour of the Savannah Bananas. ☀️ Behind the “All in One” ticket price for games in Savannah. ☀️ How employees become like family and behind the meaning of “Animals are trained, people are led.”   Connect with the Savannah Bananas: Website: https://thesavannahbananas.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/The-savanah-bannanas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesavbananas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Savannah-Baseball-2016-547484042073874/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txh0P6jfAT Get in touch with Dr. Joey at www.workpositive.today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Business of Meetings – Episode 152 – The Amazing Story of the Savannah Bananas with Jesse Cole We are excited to have the legendary Jesse Cole joining us today!  In today's episode, Jesse shares the incredible story behind how he and his wife, Emily, started the famous Savannah Bananas, the year-round baseball team! He also gets into where they are today, their vision, and how he leverages the Savannah Bananas for his projects! You will absolutely love listening to today's super-motivating conversation with Jesse Cole! Bio Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Savannah Bananas. He's fanatic about fandom and launched the Savannah Bananas with one mission: to spark a fan-focused movement. Whether at the ballpark, on social media, onstage delivering keynotes, in features for ESPN and Entrepreneur, or in his first book, Find Your Yellow Tux, Jesse continues to create fans all over the world. The Bananas have sold out every game since their first season and have a waitlist for tickets in the thousands. They have entertained millions of fans in Savannah and at ballparks all over their country on their Banana Ball Tour. Jesse is the proud inventor of Banana Ball and Dolce & Banana underwear and a not-so-proud promoter of the Human Horse Race and Flatulence Fun Night. He's a raving fan of his wife, Emily, his kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney, PT Barnum, and Bill Veeck. Jesse owns seven yellow tuxedos. Jesse's story Jesse was raised by his dad, who spent hours playing baseball with him and taught him the value of putting in the effort to create something special!  Jesse played baseball throughout his life. After getting into the baseball industry about fifteen years ago, he tore his shoulder, and his baseball career ended. So, he started working in the front office and began his journey to where he is today. Savannah Bananas  Before starting the Savannah Bananas, Jesse spent ten years with the team in Gastonia, North Carolina. He became their GM when he was twenty-three and had to figure out how to make people excited about going to a baseball game. It was much harder than he anticipated, so he tried doing some crazy things! Then, seven years ago, Jesse and his wife moved to Savannah, Georgia, and had the opportunity to take on an old and historic stadium. Jesse was not successful in selling the way everyone else did because no one took him seriously. So he tried something new.  A vision Everything we accomplish in life starts with a vision. Especially in business! Going into Savannah, Jesse and his wife truly believed they could change baseball games, make them fun, and create something people had never seen before! It was tough at first, but they knew their idea would work. Fans first Many companies focus solely on chasing customers. However, early on, Jesse and his wife became obsessed with creating fans and decided to focus on putting their fans first. So they named their company Fans First Entertainment. All-inclusive tickets They decided to make every ticket all-inclusive so that if the game was terrible, the fans would still get some value for their money because everything, including the food, was included.  Spicing things up They decided to spice things up and go all-in on creating an entertaining experience. They hired a dancing coach and choreographed dances for the players. They introduced a banana baby that they lifted, celebrated, and sang to at the start of the match. They even handed out roses to little girls in the middle of the game! No more marketing After that, they no longer had to do any marketing. They just shared what they were doing, and people told others about it! ESPN ESPN became aware of what they were doing. So they wrote an article about the Savannah Bananas, which did very well. Then their sports center did a feature on them which also did very well. Then, Jesse and his wife approached ESPN with an idea they had for a show, and they agreed. The show was highly-rated (and still does well today) and led to even bigger things! Making baseball more fun Leaning in on making baseball more fun, offering non-stop entertainment, and storytelling, creating memorable moments for fans, and building an idea culture helped them get to where they are today! No more normal Doing normal things gets normal results. So they work from the premise of doing the exact opposite of whatever would be deemed normal. What if Asking what if, and trying out new things, motivates them to keep finding new and exciting ways to entertain their fans.  Secondary ticket sellers Jesse always refused to sell tickets to secondary marketing groups. One group even offered to pay twice the ticket value and buy more than a million dollars worth of tickets. But Jesse refused because that would inflate ticket prices, and hurting their fans goes against everything they stand for. Living the dream Jesse's dream for the future is to continue chasing the energy they created, making people happy, and dancing in front of fans all over the world! Surrounding yourself with good people When you share your vision, what you stand for, and what you hope to accomplish, you will attract the best people to work for you! Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Jesse Cole Fans First Entertainment: Bananas For Business The Savannah Bananas Jesse's Books Fans First Find Your Yellow Tuxedo

If you are a baseball fan and have never seen a coach breakdancing in the middle of a game, an umpire dancing before calling a play, or a male cheerleading team, you don't know the Savannah Bananas. And that, my friend, means you are missing a lot. In this episode, I'm delighted to welcome Jesse Cole, Founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner and operator of the Savannah Bananas. Jesse is also the author of "Fans first" and "Find your yellow tux," "Banana Ball," and a Keynote Speaker who dedicated most of his life to creating extraordinary and unique experiences for the fans. Throughout our conversation, we talk about Jesse's commitment to creating memorable experiences every time the Bananas get in the pitch and the idea of treating the Savannah Bananas presentations as a spectacle that will never be completed. Jesse shared details of how they keep their shows fresh and entertaining, the attractions that didn't work very well, and his constantly exploring and trying new things mindset. Plus, Jesse talks about his mentors, what to expect from the Bananas in the future, and so much more.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Fans first, entertainment always. Jesse talks about Fans First Entertainment's mantra (2:52)About Jesse's "obsession" with creating unique experiences (6:33)Jesse talks about the importance and benefits of having a clear vision (11:45)How to turn an idea into the fuel for your entire business (15:52)Work your idea muscle every day (21:21)Resources:Fans Firs Entertainment websiteThe Savannah Bananas websiteJesse Cole booksConnect with Jesse:LinkedInTwitterLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: info@maximumoctane.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Text Hawk to 66866 to become part of "Mindful Monday." Join 10's of thousands of Learning Leaders and receive a carefully curated email from me each Monday morning to help you start your week off right... Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12    https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12 Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Savannah Bananas. He's fanatic about fandom and launched the Savannah Bananas with one mission: to spark a fan-focused movement. The Bananas have sold out every game since their first season and have a waitlist for tickets in the thousands. They have entertained millions of fans in Savannah and at ballparks all over their country on their Banana Ball Tour. Notes: “So many business owners are focused on short-term profits. We are focused on long-term fans.” “If you're not getting criticized, then you're playing it too safe.” - When is the last time you were criticized for pushing it too far? Ideas are about quantity. Jesse writes down ten new ideas in his "idea journal" every morning. Most of them aren't that good. You have to get through the quantity to get to the quality. It's a numbers game. Send handwritten thank you notes to people. Tell them about the impact they've made on you. Jesse has done this for me multiple times and it always makes me feel good. Customers are transactional... Create fans for life. "Do for one what you wish you could do for many." Create special moments for people. One at a time. Do an energy audit: What activities give you energy? How can you do more of those? We learn who we are in practice, not in theory. We learn best through actual trial. Move from idea to execution quickly. If it doesn't work, move on. "I'm not afraid to be embarrassed. My biggest fear is being irrelevant." Jesse focuses a ton of effort on understanding his teammates (both players and everyone else who works for him) The love language assessment... He learned that the majority of his employees have "words of affirmation" as their top love language. "Recognition drives behavior." The job title for Jesse's executive assistant is "Executive Rockstar." What Jesse learned from Walt Disney and PT Barnum: Master storytellers They create attention "Without promotion, something terrible happens... Nothing." Watch "The Imagineering Story" on Disney Plus "They built Disney Land in less than a year!" "Money doesn't excite me. Ideas excite me." Advice: "Give without asking for anything in return. Give, give, give." 9 Rules To Banana Ball: Every Inning Counts - Create walk-off moments 2 Hour Time Limit 1 on 1 Showdown (if there is a tie). No extra innings. Walks are now springs (if you walk, it's a sprint) No Bunting (bunting sucks) No Mound Visits (they are boring The batter can steal first base (if a pitcher throws a passed ball) If a fan catches a foul ball, it's an out No stepping out of the box

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, which owns and operates the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballpark and have been featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, Access Hollywood, HBO Real Sports, CNN, and ESPN.  The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game since the first season and have a wait list for tickets that's over 90,000.  You will love this episode

Host Dr. Joey Faucette shares a Thanksgiving message of gratitude for his first seven guests in this episode of the Work Positive Podcast. Guests of the podcast share positive work culture strategies and tactics that attract top talent and increase productivity and profits, along with real-life stories and case studies that reduce team turnover. Dr. Joey says, "The thing I love about every one of my guests is I learn from them—their experiences shape their stories—about how to create a positive work culture. Listeners get great strategies and tactics to implement today, especially as I ask each guest about their “one thing" they recommend we do today to create a positive work culture.” Enjoy this Thanksgiving episode featuring Dr. Joey's fun and poignant expressions of gratitude for his guests in the first seven episodes. These seven guests, their episode titles, and links to the complete episode are: Garry Ridge, the Chairman, and CEO of WD40: Growing Company Culture in a Petri Dish -https://workpositive.today/garry-ridge Dr. Ivan Misner - Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI: Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast https://workpositive.today/ivan-misner Jesse Cole - founder of Fans First Entertainment which owns the Savannah Bananas: Become a Fan of Yourself: https://workpositive.today/jesse-cole Julie Bauke, Chief Career Advisor of The Bauke Group: 3 Tips For A Crystal Clear Career Path: https://workpositive.today/julie-bauke Larry Levine, best-selling author of Selling from The Heart and cohost of the Selling from the Heart Podcast: Soft Skills Yield Hard Dollars: https://workpositive.today/larry-levine Jamie Weeks, Executive Chairman and Founder of Honors Holding, the largest franchisee for Orangetheory Fitness: Cultures are Built on Humility and Empathy: https://workpositive.today/jamie-weeks Mitchell Levy is a 2x TEDx speaker, international bestselling author, and founder of Credibility Nation: Create A Positive Work Culture With Credibility https://workpositive.today/mitchell-levy About Dr. Joey Faucette Dr. Joey Faucette is the architect of the Work Positive culture and best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World: Team Edition. A certified executive coach and organizational development consultant, Dr. Joey hosts the Work Positive podcast. His content has appeared on Fox News, CNBC, Wall Street Journal Market Watch, MSNBC, Entreprenur.com, and numerous other websites. Follow Dr. Joey to receive Work Positive culture solutions at: Website: https://workpositive.today  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd1x1Sh3zPnz49lQ2MX68Zw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Savannah Bananas think there's a better way to do almost everything. So they try it all. Some people may think they're crazy. But they are okay with that. No matter what, they just want one thing - to make baseball fun and ultimately give fans the best possible experience at the ballpark. They call this Fans First. Emily Cole is the owner of the Savannah Bananas with her husband, Jesse Cole, which is all about making baseball fun with a Fans First mentality. They're passionate about making baseball fun and are currently planning the 2023 Banana Ball World Tour which will take the Bananas across the US. They are also licensed foster parents and currently have 3 kiddos in their home. Prior to her work with Fans First Entertainment which began in 2011, Emily spent time with Ripken Baseball and the Augusta GreenJackets as well as the Vermont Lake Monsters and the Binghamton Mets. Emily's biggest passion with the team is working with the full-time staff, interns, and hundreds of game-day staff workers to focus on the culture, service, and logistics of events held at the ballpark.   Season 6, Episode 25 of the Better Learning Podcast   Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast, Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture, and Executive Director of Education Leaders' Organization, the exclusive peer network for School Leaders.

This week we are throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes featuring Jesse Cole. Jesse is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have sold out every game since their first season and have a waitlist for tickets in the thousands. The team has built a social media following in the millions including becoming known as TikTok's favorite team with over 2 million followers. Jesse has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, MSNBC, ESPN, HBO Real Sports and once at his son's show and tell. He is the author of two best selling books, Find Your Yellow Tux and Fans First. He's been featured on over 1000 podcasts and delivers keynote speeches all over the world sharing the Fans First experience. The views, information, or opinions expressed during this show are solely those of the participants involved and do not necessarily represent those of SouthState Bank and its employees.  SouthState Bank, N.A. - Member FDIC

Jesse is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, which owns and operates the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballpark and featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, Access Hollywood, HBO Real Sports, CNN, and ESPN. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game since the first season and have a  wait list for tickets that's over 90,000. Cole is an in-demand speaker and author of “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” and “Fans First, Change the Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience.”   Listen to this rousing, educational and entertaining Work Positive podcast episode with famous and funny Jesse Cole. Here is what to expect on this week's show: ●      If you want to attract people to your organization, become a fan of what you do. ●      Hear the importance of listening carefully and responding creatively. ●      Why you should invest in your people first ●      Sometimes, change is hard, so you should stop doing what your customers hate. ●      How can your company benefit by removing all HR policies?   Cole believes to be successful; you need to Stand Out and Be Different. He releases blogs and videos regularly on LinkedIn. He is passionate about creating attention, loving your customers more than your product, and loving your employees more than your customers. Cole's mantra is “Whatever's normal, do the exact opposite.”   Connect with Guest first name: Jesse Cole Website: https://thesavannahbananas.com/ Links Mentioned: Books Mentioned: https://shop.thesavannahbananas.com/products/fans-first-book-by-jesse-cole Guest Contact Info: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSavBananas/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesavbananas/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVMOQmAEqtzfBGV-_X6_zMw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yellowtuxjesse/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jesse Cole lives life by being different. He is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, which owns and operates the baseball team the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballpark and have been featured on MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO and ESPN. Jesse is an in-demand speaker and bestselling author of two books, Find Your Yellow Tux and his newest Fans First. Jesse joined host Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast to discuss how he and his wife built the Savannah Bananas from a bankrupt organization to a leading entertainment brand, and much more. Show Notes

We are talking with the owner of the Savannah Bananas, Jesse Cole! If you haven't seen or heard about the Savannah Bananas, you are in for a treat. 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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets. And if that wasn't enough, the Bananas have been awarded Organization of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year and won the CPL Championship in their first year. On top of all that Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot.

Episode Summary: In this episode of the L3 Leadership podcast, Doug has a conversation with Jesse Cole, the founder of Fans First Entertainment and The Savannah Bananas, about his new book, Fans First.About Jesse Cole: 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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine.The Bananas have been awarded 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 since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets.Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot.Cole has been featured on over 500 podcasts and is an in-demand keynote speaker all over the country sharing the Fans First Experience on how to stand out, be different and create raving fans of both customers and employees.Cole is the Host of the Business Done Differently Podcast and has interviewed over 100 of some of the world's leading entrepreneurs, authors and speakers.Fun Fact: Cole owns seven yellow tuxedos and proposed to his wife Emily in the yellow tux in front of a sold out crowd. She said Yes! The two later married at their stadium. In 2018, they welcomed their first baby banana, Maverick.5 Key Takeaways:1. Jesse catches up listeners on what has happened in his life in the past year and a half. 2. He shares what his main inspiration is  for trying out new ideas.3. Jesse talks about his new book, Fans First. 4. He gives advice to listeners about how to grow their confidence and be their biggest fans.5. He shares what the most rewarding part of owning The Bananas is for him. Quotes From the Episode:“How can you experiment with ideas faster?”“If you want to create fans of other people, you better be your biggest fan of what you do.”“How you do anything is how you do everything.”Resources Mentioned:Fans First by Jesse ColeBananaland on ESPNCameron HughesConnect with Jesse:Website | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube 

A fan is a supporter the same as a customer. But how do you make a customer a fan of your leadership? Let's talk about it

On this special episode, we are joined by Jesse Cole, Owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, author, and speaker. 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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Bananas have been awarded 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 since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets. Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot. Cole has been featured on over 500 podcasts and is an in-demand keynote speaker all over the country sharing the Fans First Experience on how to stand out, be different and create raving fans of both customers and employees. Topics of discussion: 1. ALWAYS BE caring, different, enthusiastic, fun, growing and hungry 2. C.A.R.E. - Communication, Accountability, Recognition, Empowerment 3. The 3 Ms - Moments, Matter and Meaning 4. Focus on being the O.N.L.Y. and most Fan (in our world couple or client) First company. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/weddingbusinessgrowth/message

On this special episode, we are joined by Jesse Cole, Owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, author, and speaker. 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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Bananas have been awarded 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 since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets. Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot. Cole has been featured on over 500 podcasts and is an in-demand keynote speaker all over the country sharing the Fans First Experience on how to stand out, be different and create raving fans of both customers and employees. Topics of discussion: 1. ALWAYS BE caring, different, enthusiastic, fun, growing and hungry 2. C.A.R.E. - Communication, Accountability, Recognition, Empowerment 3. The 3 Ms - Moments, Matter and Meaning 4. Focus on being the O.N.L.Y. and most Fan (in our world couple or client) First company. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/weddingbusinessgrowth/message

In the grand finale of our Inner Circle Retreat Sneak Peek, Jesse Cole hosts a Q&A all about standing out, creating attention, and cultivating an amazing customer experience.  Jesse is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, owner of the Savannah Bananas and author of Find Your Yellow Tux. He has welcomed more than 1 million fans to his ballpark and been featured on MSNBC, CNN and ESPN.

Fans First: Change The Game, Break The Rules & Create An Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole About the Book: The Savannah Bananas should not exist. You can't name any of their players. They play in a 1920s-era ballpark with no ads or billboards. They play in kilts, stilts, and stilettos. They even have an all-grandma dance team: the Banana Nanas. Everything the Bananas do is unconventional. It shouldn't work. And yet they sell out every game, have a waitlist in the thousands, ship merchandise around the globe, and entertain millions of followers on social media. ESPN calls the Bananas “the greatest show in baseball.” How is this even possible? Two words: Fans First. Packed with behind-the-peel stories, hard-earned lessons, and a few other surprises, Fans First teaches you how to stand out in your marketplace, drive explosive growth, and inspire fanatical loyalty. If this all sounds bananas, that's the point. Normal leaders read normal books and get normal results. But if you're ready to change the game, break the rules, and create your own unforgettable team, then it's time to go Fans First. About the Author: Jesse Cole is a fanatic about fandom. In 2016, he founded Fans First Entertainment and launched the Savannah Bananas baseball team with one mission: to spark a fan-focused movement. Whether at the ballpark, on social media, onstage delivering keynotes, in features for ESPN and Entrepreneur, or in his first book, Find Your Yellow Tux, Jesse continues to create fans all over the world. Jesse is the proud inventor of Banana Ball and Dolce & Banana underwear and not-so-proud promoter of the Human Horse Race and Flatulence Fun Night. He's a raving fan of his wife Emily, his kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney, PT Barnum, and Bill Veeck. Jesse owns seven yellow tuxedos. And, interesting facts – as a baseball player he pitched no-hitters, he hit three home runs, and he even got to pitch at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Click here for this episode's website page with the links mentioned during the interview... https://www.salesartillery.com/marketing-book-podcast/fans-first-jesse-cole

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. He is the proud inventor of Banana Ball and Dolce and Banana Underwear and not-so-proud promoter of the Human Horse Race and Flatulence Fun Night. How did he do it? By putting Fans First! Tune into a lively conversation with Jesse as we talked about how to change the game, break the rules and create an unforgettable experience for your customers.

In this episode, Bradley and Scott sit down with Jesse Cole, founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas, to talk about his newest book, "Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience." ESPN and Entrepreneur have featured Jesse and his team for reinventing American Baseball and "making baseball more fun," so listen close; Jesse shares his proven process for creating magical experiences for your customers and soon to be fans.   Buy Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole Buy Jesse's First Book: Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out  Check Out The Modern Insurance Payments Platform Book an Ascend demo at useascend.com/insuranceguys Want More Info On The 2022 One City World Tour?Visit onecityworldtour.com /////////////  Sponsor: GloveBox A seamless all-in-one platform connecting clients to your agency and their carriers. Maximize the client experience with both Agency and Carrier self-service features. Check them out here >>>  

Jesse Cole, Owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss how breaking the mold and rewriting the rules of social media often yields the best results. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Diehard baseball fans may be thinking, why fix something if it isn't broken? But Jesse Cole, Owner of Savannah Bananas and the Founder of Fans First Entertainment, saw a chance to stand out and endear himself to audiences by changing the game… a lot. Jesse's primary aim is to create content that serves his audience, and he's certainly shaken things up when it comes to content creation. To let us in on his secrets, Jesse shares some of his out-of-the-box ideas from his new book, Fans First: Change the Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience. Jesse breaks down the “five Es” needed to create raving fans and explains why the key to building a brand lies in something as simple as being different. In This Episode: 2:03 - Jesse gives some background insights on Savannah Bananas 4:21 - Jesse talks more about ‘expanding the baseball experience' 5:27 - How the Savannah Bananas world tour has evolved 6:17 - A breakdown of who, and what, makes up the Savannah Bananas team 8:11 - How Jesse identified and eliminated friction points from baseball 10:29 - The benefits of taking a fans-first approach 11:59 - How to identify hidden sources of friction 15:22 - How Jesse approaches experimentation for the Savannah Bananas brand 22:31 - How the Savannah Bananas shoot their footage 25:45 - What Jesse's social team looks like 28:00 - Why Jesse believes the Savannah Bananas would still be a sensation without social media 28:53 - Why it pays to be different 33:41 - What lies in the future for Savannah Bananas 35:34 - Jesse's advice to aspiring social pros Resources Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and is the owner of the Savannah Bananas. Jesse really enjoys talking about leadership, culture, and what it takes to build something special. And what he's built with the Savannah Bananas is just that. It's very unique, and what he's building is fascinating. His teams have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballparks, and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, and Entrepreneur Magazine. ESPN did a feature on what Jesse is creating in Savannah. The Bananas have been awarded with Organization of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year, and won the CPL Championship in their first year. While they emphasize fun and entertainment at their baseball games, they also win. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game since their first season, and have a waiting list in the thousands of tickets. In addition to that, Jesse discusses the wait list they have for players who want to come play for them, and for employees at a time when people are leaving companies in droves, Jesse points out that they are willing and able and wanting to come work for his organization. He released his first book, Find Your Yellow Tux: How to be Successful by Standing Out, in January of 2018 with a world book tour at Epcot. Jesse has been featured on over 500 podcasts and is an in-demand keynote speaker all over the country, sharing his fans-first experience on how to stand out, be different, and create raving fans, both customers and employees.   Jesse had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “Swing hard in case you hit it” (8:45). “Every day I see things from my kids that blows me away” (10:15). “I make sure I do things all day that give me energy” (11:50). “No matter what, we are hungry for entertainment. We're hungry for fun.” (14:30). “The best creators are often just creating something for themselves” (15:00). “I am hungry to use this platform too entertain millions with something they've never seen before” (15:30). “Success is happiness and freedom and fulfillment. The ability to do what you want, when you want, to give you purpose (16:20). “I'm mostly just doing something I love, and it gives me energy” (16:30) “Every decision we make, we ask ourselves is it fans first?” (18:05). “How do we create things people have never seen before on a baseball field” (18:30). “We're not focused on winning, we're focused on having fun. And what happens when you focus on having fun? The wins take care of themselves” (21:20). “I've really pushed the envelope on hiring my weaknesses and growing that way” (28:15). “Our hiring process is over 3 months long” (30:00). “Our mission is fans first, entertain always” (31:00). “We call every person that buys merchandise from us and thank them. We call every person that buys a ticket from us and thank them” (34:10). “Every single morning I do 10 ideas” (37:00). “My biggest fear is irrelevance” (37:15). “My idea book is always on me” (38:30). “We don't believe people want to be managed. They want to be led” (45:00). “Everyone plays a role in our show” (46:15). “We've done lots of things that didn't work, but it's led us to all the things that do work” (51:00). “I'm not focused on the next quarter, I'm focused on the next quarter century” (51:15). “You do what gives you energy, and my energy list is sharing, creating, and growing” (53:40). “If you want to be lifted up, lift others up” (55:00).   Additionally, make sure to search “Yellow Tux” anywhere to learn more about Jesse and the Bananas! Thank you so much to Jesse for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas Baseball Team. His teams have welcomed more than one million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Bananas have been awarded 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 since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets. Here's how to find me: Instagram: TikTok: Facebook: Website

The Pesci brothers talk with Jesse Cole, founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of two multimillion-dollar summer league baseball teams, the Gastonia Grizzlies, and the Savannah Bananas.  Listen in as Jesse talks about standing out and how he and his wife Emily, went from sleeping on an air mattress, to selling out all their team's games. They did this by creating a fan experience like no other.  Jesse was wearing his yellow tuxedo for the interview and talking with him was a blast!  Then, March Madness, Baseball and missiles landing near the Formula 1 Race in Saudi Arabia.

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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Bananas have been awarded 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 since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets. Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” Join this episode as he and Brandon go bananas about how to stand out and separate yourself from everyone in your field.

This week we're throwing it back to own of our favorite episodes this year with Jesse Cole. Jesse 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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Bananas have been awarded 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 views, information, or opinions expressed during this show are solely those of the participants involved and do not necessarily represent those of SouthState Bank and its employees.  SouthState Bank, N.A. - Member FDIC

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and famously known as the owner of The Savannah Bananas baseball team. He is a well sought-after business adviser and author of "Find Your Yellow Tux - How to Be Successful by Standing Out.”He started out by marketing his baseball team the traditional ways to sell tickets. Within a year, he was broke and his business was in trouble. Through this experience, he started to approach his business marketing in an out of the box way. He came up with something different and unique to make his business successful, and that is - Fans First, Entertain Always. Be Different. Be Remarkable. His great business practice is to have fun and do what you can to stand out in the world.   “Stop standing still. Start standing out.”“Be patient on what you want for yourself. But be impatient how much you give to others - you do that, everything else takes care of itself.”   Jesse had shared his experiences and tips on how he was able to build his baseball business back up again, and be loved by the fans. Takeaway points:  - Create unforgettable and special experiences for your fans.- Challenge the things that have been done.- Do and Learn. - Do it differently.- Be organic and make this happen fast. - Trust: How you make people feel, build their trust.- Invest in your customer's experience and turn them into loyal fans. Let your fans do the marketing for you.- Talk about Gratitude: Be thankful. - He mentioned about the book Fanocracy by David Meerman Scott. The author talks about the science around how close you are to the performer creates a lasting impression and achieves fandom.- Jesse shares how he was inspired by Walt Disney's vision to always improve and "plus" experiences for your customers.- Jessie's biggest AHA Moment  was during their One City world tour in Alabama. They sold 7K tickets in 24 hours. Fans didn't leave after the game had finished, instead they stayed to take player's autographs, players hanging out with the fans, and the fans sang Stand By Me. From then on, at the end of every game, we sing Stand By Me with the fans.- Use powerful concise words with your products.Jesse was also kind enough to share the 5 E's to have loyal fans:Eliminate FrictionEntertain AlwaysExperiment ConstantlyEngaged DeeplyEmpower ActionBooks mentioned in the show (will add links):Find Your Yellow Tux by Jesse ColeFanocracy - Turning Fans Into Customers and Customers Into Fans -  by David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott.

Jesse Cole is the owner of the Savannah Bananas, Fans First Entertainment and author of the book Find Your Yellow Tux.  Jesse was on his way to becoming a professional baseball player when he injured his shoulder.  It was this adversity that spurred him in the direction where he has made more positive impact than he ever could have made as a pro baseball player.    Enjoy the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here's how>> Join Overcomer's community today! Overcomer's Podcast Website Overcomer's Facebook Overcomer's YouTube Overcomer's Linkedin Journey333 Instagram   About the Author: Before Travis Barnes became a best-selling author, international presenter, founder and franchisor of Journey Fitness 333 he spent a decade of his life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. Upon returning home to his wife and daughter he worked hard to grow himself in the fitness industry so he could buy his family a home of their own. 2 months after buying their home Tropical Storm Lee caused it to be flooded to the second floor. Approximately 1 year after the flood while still rebuilding their home and during the Christmas holiday season Travis was let go from his employment as COO for a local fitness company. After he and his wife spent 6 months as traveling trainers and while still living on an unemployment check and in a FEMA trailer, they began what is now a fitness franchise . Most recently and with the rest of the industry Travis has overcome the obstacles of the pandemic by redesigning his business. Travis has used the pandemic as an opportunity to instead of returning to business as normal, he has returned to business as better than normal. Travis is an Overcomer.    

If you want to be successful, you have to get attention.  Our guest today is the guru of getting attention.    Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team.   The Bananas have been awarded Organization of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year and won the CPL Championship in their first year. Because of Jesse's ability to get attention, the Savannah Bananas have sold out every game since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets.   Jesse shared his ability to get attention and turn it into success when he released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot.      In this episode the man in the Yellow Tux, Jesse Cole brings us life gems:  Forget your passion, find things that give you energy In order to make a difference you must first get attention Challenge the status quo Don't talk about failures, talk about what's next…and when you've made it, reflect on the failures You are not for everybody. Know who you are NOT for.  Find who you are and AMPLIFY IT.    See more from Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas https://thesavannahbananas.com/staff-member/jesse-cole/ https://thesavannahbananas.com https://findyouryellowtux.com

This week we have the honor of learning from Jesse Cole, 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, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine. The Bananas have been awarded 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 since their first season and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets. Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot. Cole has been featured on over 500 podcasts and is an in-demand keynote speaker all over the country sharing the Fans First Experience on how to stand out, be different and create raving fans of both customers and employees. Cole is the Host of the Business Done Differently Podcast and has interviewed over 100 of some of the world's leading entrepreneurs, authors and speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The views, information, or opinions expressed during this show are solely those of the participants involved and do not necessarily represent those of SouthState Bank and its employees.  SouthState Bank, N.A. - Member FDIC

In this episode David sits down with Jesse Cole, Founder and CEO of Fans First Entertainment and Owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team. Jesse leads with Disruption, turning pain points upside-down into crazy awesome features. As the author of Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out, Jesse disrupts the concepts of authenticity and individuality with his commitment to wearing a yellow tuxedo everywhere he goes. This, along with all-you-can eat meal tickets and calling every fan to thank them for their support, is just a part of Jesse's conviction that normal marketing will only yield normal results. They way to thrive is to be different in ways that turn people's pain points into exciting solutions, which Jesse strives to do every day at Grayson Stadium when his team plays.

Logistics are important, but logistics can kill dreams. Focus on the dream and figure out the logistics as you go. One thing we have learned over the years, there is no one road map to leading an Uncommon Life. But if you stay on the sidelines, dreams will never come true. In this episode, we're talking with someone who has figured this out and is living his dreams with a “do and learn” approach that he wants to share. We're talking with Jesse Cole, who is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. He's here to talk with us about the huge impact a fans-first approach can have. Here's a taste of his story. The previous occupants of the Savanah baseball stadium where the Bananas play were lucky to have a few hundred fans in attendance. Jesse and his wife have built a brand that packs the stadium with a waiting list in the thousands. His teams have welcomed more than one million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Jesse released his first book “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out” in January of 2018 with a World Book Tour…at Epcot. Cole has been featured on over 500 podcasts and is an in-demand keynote speaker all over the country sharing the Fans First Experience on how to stand out, be different and create raving fans of both customers and employees. Cole is the host of the Business Done Differently Podcast and has interviewed over 100 of some of the world's leading entrepreneurs, authors, and speakers. what you will learn in this episode: Why a focus on attention beats a focus on marketing How to take a “do and learn” approach to business and life Learning the length of your risk-tolerance “runway” Building on capacity as a state of mind Focusing on what, not how How to build a fan-first business model

Jesse Cole brings 110% everywhere he goes, and this episode of Buff Nuggets is no exception! Jesse is the vibrant owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team in Savannah, GA, as well as Fans First Entertainment. In this episode, Jesse let's us know how to better stand out in crowded spaces. He gives some great advice for educators as they inspire students to think outside of the box. There's lots for everyone in this episode! https://thesavannahbananas.com/staff-member/jesse-cole/ https://findyouryellowtux.com/about/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brianbuffington/message

In this episode, I talk with Jesse Cole about how to stand out and be successful. Cole asks thought-provoking questions like, "What are you known for? What makes you different?" to help you see how you can achieve your own success by standing out. Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas minor league baseball team. He is the author of, "Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out." Cole's mission can be found in his mantra, "Whatever's normal, do the exact opposite." He is passionate about helping others find success by standing out. Check out Jesse Cole's book, here: https://www.amazon.com/Find-Your-Yellow-Tux-Successful/dp/161961846X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=je...

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, a member of the Coastal Plain League, which consists of 16 teams throughout North and South Carolina featuring the top college players from around the country. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game for two straight seasons and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets.