i do things that give me energy

How often do you come home exhausted from work, as if all the energy has been drained right out of you? How do you feel about performing the rest of your day? Do you have enough energy to give to your spouse, your kids, or your hobbies? 

Probably not. When you're feeling drained, it's hard to muster up the energy even to do the things that you love. I know because I talk to people like this every time I deliver a keynote. Afterward, a few people will always come up to me and say they wish they had my energy. Then they'll ask where it all comes from.

My answer is simple: I do things that give me energy.

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

what would make it special?

Back in 2016, when Berry Aldridge was still just an intern and making thank-you calls to ticket purchasers, he was having trouble reaching a family, the Nunn family, who had bought eight tickets to the show. Finally, Berry got in touch with the father. He learned that the wife and mother had bought tickets for their seven kids to go to a game - and then she had tragically died.

Shocked and speechless, Berry managed to get out, "I'm so sorry to hear that," before ending the conversation. 

Then he walked into my office and told me the story. "What do we do?" he said.

Channeling Ken Silver, I replied, "What do you think?"

"Well, I'd really love to get the kids and dad out here and create something special for them," he said.

I agreed. "What ideas do you have? What would make it special?"

As it turned out, Berry had plenty of ideas - and he was ready to put them into action, planning the whole night for the Nunn family all on his own. When the family arrived on the night of the game, Berry seated them in the front row and had all the players come and deliver autographed bats and balls and hang out with the family for about a half hour before the game. Then Berry presented the dad with a jersey with his wife's name. Its number was the number of years they'd been married.

After the game, Berry and the father were chatting a little more, and the father shared that these Bananas tickets were the last gift his wife had given their kids - and he couldn't have imagined a better gift! Without Berry, the family might never have come to the game. Thanks to Berry's effort, the family was able to make that last gift - the last story of their wife and mother - special.

Imagine what your business would look like if your interns or new hires brought the same level of care and agency to their work - all because they were empowered to think for themselves. What amazing things would you be able to do for your fans?

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

fans first, right?

It's the end of a game and people are going home. It's pouring. Like, biblically pouring. That happens in the South: sometimes the sky just opens up and dumps buckets without warning.

Since our first rain delay, we've learned a few things. We line up our staff with umbrellas, and they take turns walking fans to their cars in the parking lot. They always hold the umbrella directly over the fans, getting wet in the process. Then, it's a race back to the gate to pick up another fan. 

Laura, an intern just two weeks in, is approached by an older gentleman, and the amble away. After thirty minutes, I suddenly realize she's still gone and think, Whoa, where is she? Just as I'm about to rally the troops, Laura walks up. 

She's drenched.

Where have you been?" I ask, grateful she's okay (if a little wet). 

"I walked a guy all the way home to his doorstep," Laura says. "He told me he lived right down the road and had walked to the game." As it turned out, "right down the road" translated to a mile down the road. Suffice to say, Laura got her steps in for the day. 

I'm speechless, which is rare for me. Then Laura looks up at me. "Fans first, right?"

Right. Now that's going the extra mile to keep Fans First.

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

i believe in discovery

I don't believe in failure. I believe in discovery. The quickest path to innovation is through discovery. The only way to discover is to constantly try new things. The more you try, the more you discover.

In other words, eliminate the word failure from your vocabulary. Failure is negative. It yells at you and tells you never to try again.

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

free popsicle hotline

Darren Ross is the COO of Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood. Built in 1957, Magic Castle isn't exactly the modern, amenity-filled experience that modern travelers are used to. As Darren says, "We don't have an elevator. We don't have a bar. We don't have a restaurant. We don't have room service. We don't have a gym. We don't have a spa. There are a lot of things we don't have that are part of our story."

There is one thing they do have: Darren. And he knows that even with all these limitations, he can still find ways to entertain his guests. 

To make Magic Castle a one-of-a-kind experience, Darren drew from his own childhood traveling experiences. He couldn't control what they didn't have, but he could create a happy, nostalgic experience full of 1950s charm.

First, they added a free snack bar filled with every kid's dream: potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, granola bars, and full-size candy bars. Then, they added a free DVDs menu, a free laundry service, a free beverage bar, and a free soft-serve ice-cream machine - where visiting kids get to choose the flavor for the day.

For me, thought, the best part of the Magic Castle experience was the free popsicle hotline. 

This ingenious idea started with poolside service on silver trays a few times a day and grew into a red phone mounted on the wall right by the pool that calls directly to the front desk. If someone picks up that phone, they receive an array of delicious popsicles, stat. Guests take their pictures with them. Kids search for the phone on check-in. As Darren says, "It's playful. It's fun. It's inexpensive for us. It's a conversation piece, and people are talking about it."

This is how scripting can help control the context. With fun waiting around every corner, guests don't focus on the facility. They focus on the value and uniqueness of the experience. 

Also, it saves Magic Castle tons in marketing costs. Darren doesn't need to spend a lot to advertise. His guests do it for him through tons of repeat business and referrals. That's how Magic Castle can keep its occupancy rate in the nineties - something unheard of for a small, independent hotel from another era.

If you want that Magic Castle magic, look at what assets you have, and ask how you can use them to entertain your future fans and create a better experience. It doesn't have to be big - just thoughtful.

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.