344: Jesse Cole - How To Create 'You Wouldn't Believe' Moments

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Jesse Cole argues that sustainable excellence comes from hunger, curiosity, and radical intentionality. By putting employees first, obsessing over experience design, and creating “you wouldn’t believe” moments, the Savannah Bananas turned a failing baseball operation into a sold-out entertainment brand powered by word-of-mouth, gratitude, and constant experimentation.

Main Topics: Sustaining excellence through hunger and curiosity: Cole says top leaders avoid complacency by staying hungry, constantly learning, and trying new things rather than settling into status quo habits. Energy, rituals, and personal performance: He explains that leadership requires deliberate energy management through morning routines, knowing your energy-giving activities, and treating work like showtime. Fans first and employee-first culture: Fans First Entertainment is built on the belief that loving and caring for employees first leads them to care for customers, which ultimately drives business results. Experiential design and “you wouldn’t believe” moments: Cole details how the Bananas design every touchpoint—from voicemail to parking to post-purchase calls—to surprise guests and create memorable stories people share. Gratitude, thank-you letters, and relationship-building: He describes a discipline of writing thank-you letters, building one-fan-a-day habits, and making personal gestures that deepen loyalty and reinforce culture. Hiring for culture and adaptability: Cole emphasizes cultural fit, core beliefs, and red flags in hiring, using essays, video cover letters, and internships to test whether candidates fit the organization. Idea generation and experimentation: He frames idea creation as a muscle that must be trained through daily ideation, themed brainstorms, and a culture that values doing and learning over fear of failure.

Key Arguments: Leaders who sustain excellence are hungry and curious, not satisfied with what already works. Energy is contagious; leaders should deliberately bring energy and use routines to replenish it. Employee experience should precede customer experience because cared-for employees create cared-for customers. Most businesses can differentiate by changing small touchpoints that are usually ignored, such as voicemail, hold music, or follow-up communication. Word-of-mouth marketing is strongest when customers leave with a remarkable story to tell. Gratitude is a strategic leadership practice, not just a personal virtue; handwritten notes and thank-yous build loyalty and relationships. Hiring should prioritize culture and future growth over just skills, and red flags should be taken seriously early. Ideas become valuable only when organizations create systems to generate, test, and implement them consistently.

Data Points: Podcast interviews referenced: More than 350 leaders - Ryan Hawk cites the breadth of leadership lessons informing his book and interview work. Savannah Bananas attendance: More than 1 million fans - Cole’s teams have welcomed over a million fans to their ballparks. Championships: 3 CPL championships - The Savannah Bananas’ competitive success is mentioned alongside their entertainment success. Sold-out streak: 3 straight seasons - The Bananas have sold out every game for three consecutive seasons. Waitlist size: In the thousands - Demand for Savannah Bananas tickets exceeds supply. Initial cash on hand: $268 - Cole describes taking over a struggling team in Gastonia with only $268 in the bank account. Starting financial hardship: $30 a week - He and his wife lived extremely frugally after selling their house and emptying savings. Debt taken on: Almost $1.8 million - Cole and his wife took on significant debt while building the Savannah operation. Thank-you letters written: Over 1,000 - Cole’s “thank you experiment” evolved into a long-running practice of handwritten gratitude letters. Annual idea goal: 10 ideas every morning - He trains the idea muscle by generating 10 ideas daily, mostly bad, to reach good ones. Year-round staff size: About 15 full-time - Cole describes the full-time year-round team size. Seasonal staff size: About 200 part-time - He notes the larger summer staff supporting game-day operations. Online ticket buyers thanked: 100,000+ tickets sold - The team calls many online ticket buyers personally to thank them. Core beliefs: 6 values - The organization’s core beliefs follow the alphabet: caring, different, enthusiastic, fun, growing, hungry. Content cadence: Every day since September 18, 2017 - Cole says he committed to posting online daily from that date onward. Blog drafts before first post: 159 blogs - He wrote 159 blog posts before publishing the first one. Yellow tuxedos owned: 7 - Cole says he owns seven yellow tuxedos. Idea sessions: Monthly idea palooza - The organization hosts regular themed brainstorm sessions to generate and evaluate ideas.

Pivotal Quotes: "Be patient in what you want for yourself, but be impatient in how much you give to others." — Jesse Cole: Cole frames his leadership philosophy around service and generosity before self-interest. "Love your employees more than you love your customers." — Jesse Cole: He explains that employee care is the foundation of customer experience and business performance. "You wouldn’t believe what happened at the stadium tonight." — Jesse Cole: Cole describes the standard he wants every guest to leave with after a Savannah Bananas experience.

Implications: Leaders can differentiate by obsessing over people, details, and storyworthy moments. Culture, gratitude, and experimentation can create loyal advocates and reduce reliance on traditional marketing.