Episode 191 How the Savannah Bananas Changed Baseball (and Culture) with Jesse Cole

Today’s guest is Jesse Cole – the owner of the Savannah Bananas minor league baseball team, author of Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out, Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience, and Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas, husband and dad.

John and Jesse discuss how Jesse turned around a struggling team through creativity and putting fans first into one of the most unique and successful franchises in sports entertainment. Under Jesse’s leadership, the Savannah Bananas have gained wide recognition and are featured on various platforms, including MSNBC, CBS Sunday Morning, Access Hollywood, HBO Real Sports, CNN, and ESPN. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s a regular on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube who hasn’t seen the wildly entertaining smooth dancing moves of the Savannah Bananas.

Listen to this episode to learn more:

[00:00] - Welcome notes and Jesse’s intro

[02:00] - Creation of the Savannah Bananas

[03:27] - Jesse’s decision to buy a minor-league baseball team

[06:00] - How Jesse drew a crowd to the game

[08:18] - Learning from setbacks

[10:05] - Retention rate and company culture

[12:37] - Surrounding himself with energy-giving activities 

[13:54] - How Jesse nurtures his significant relationships

[17:07] - How Jesse defines success

[17:52] - Top daily habit

[19:07] - Jesse’s process for writing books

[22:27] - Jesse’s decision to foster & adopt kids

[24:48] - Jesse inspires John to remove limitations and imagine greater possibilities

[26:29] - Connect with Jesse

[27:32] - Book recommendation

NOTABLE QUOTES:

“Failing is how you learn. It’s how you get to the next level. You can’t get better by doing it right; you got to do it by doing it wrong, though.”

“People are never going to enjoy your success until they understand your setbacks.”

“We learn faster than anybody else because we try more, we experiment more, and we test more than any other sports team will do because we’re not afraid of what most people call failure.”

“So many people are afraid of sharing their story because they think it’s about them. You sharing your story, it’s not necessarily about you; that story can inspire others.”

“I surround my days with things that give me unbelievable energy. I’m my best when I’m full of energy. My goal is to be the highest level of energy when I pick up my kids from school.”

BOOK MENTIONED:

The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All by Jon Gordon (https://a.co/d/8onvsrg)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

https://thesavannahbananas.com

https://findyouryellowtux.com

https://www.instagram.com/yellowtuxjesse/

https://www.instagram.com/thesavbananas/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yellowtuxjesse/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/savannah-bananas/

https://www.facebook.com/jesse.cole.129

https://www.facebook.com/YellowTuxJesse/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSavBananas

https://twitter.com/YellowTuxJesse

https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasNOOUN7FbQXBUsfZD4Y_Q

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSavannahBananas

Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out (https://a.co/d/dvsezov)

Fans First: Change the Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience (https://a.co/d/98x11fY) 

Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas (https://a.co/d/68LO9w5)

CONNECT WITH JOHN

Website - https://thejohnhulen.com    

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen    

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen    

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/johnhulen    

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen    

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLX_NchE8lisC4NL2GciIWA    

EPISODE CREDITS

Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/