Savannah Bananas Owner Jesse Cole: The $0 Marketing Strategy That Built a 35-Million-Follower Brand

Savannah Bananas Owner Jesse Cole: The $0 Marketing Strategy That Built a 35-Million-Follower Brand

From THRIVE, a Paychex Business Podcast by Paychex, Inc.

June 2, 2026 · 27 min · Season 6 · Episode 30

About this episode

Jesse Cole discusses how he built the Savannah Bananas brand without spending on marketing by focusing on creating memorable experiences.

Jesse Cole built the Savannah Bananas into a 35-million-follower brand without spending a single dollar on marketing. His secret? Stop marketing. Start creating experiences people can't stop talking about. In this episode, the founder of Fans First Entertainment joins host Gene Marks to share the business philosophy behind one of the most unconventional success stories in sports. From how he hires to how he thinks about growth, Jesse's approach to business is as unorthodox as his team’s on-field antics. Simplify your business operations. Learn how Paychex can handle your HR and payroll so you can focus on what counts: https://bit.ly/3VtM6bs Have a topic idea? Share it at https://payx.me/thrivetopics Topics include:00:00 – Episode preview and guest introduction01:13 – The mind behind the Savannah Bananas05:13 – Why Jesse doesn't believe in work-life balance06:44 – Working with your spouse08:52 – The secret to a 15,000-person hiring waitlist14:26 – Who inspires Jesse17:05 – The importance of controlling the experience20:35 – How the Savannah Bananas spend $0 on marketing24:05 – Building something that outlasts you26:21 – Wrap up and thank you #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship…

People in this episode

Host: Gene Marks

Guest: Jesse Cole

Topics covered

  • marketing strategy
  • business philosophy
  • sports
  • entrepreneurship
  • experience creation

Keywords

  • Savannah Bananas
  • marketing
  • business growth
  • work-life balance
  • hiring strategy

Sponsors

Paychex

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fans First Entertainment

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