The Opportunity Behind Every Closed Door

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We’ve all been there. A door closes. An opportunity fades. A part of our identity — tethered to that dream, that goal, that role, that relationship, that version of ourselves — suddenly feels at risk. And when we ask, “What’s next?” it can unleash a wave of emotions: uncertainty, doubt, fear, sadness, and maybe even grief.

Yet sometimes, a closed door isn’t the end — it’s preparation. It’s life making room for a bigger door to swing wide open. The question becomes: Can we keep showing up, stacking small wins, and trusting that maybe, just maybe — it’s all working out for us?

Few embody this spirit better than Jesse Cole, the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the visionary behind the world-famous Savannah Bananas, as well as the Party Animals and the Firefighters of the viral phenomenon known as Banana Ball.

You might ask: What is Banana Ball?

It’s Jesse’s reimagination of America’s pastime — baseball, turned into a full-blown show. Jesse Cole, who has long idolized Walt Disney and showman P.T. Barnum, created Banana Ball to blend sport with spectacle. Think trick plays, lip-syncing players, choreographed dance numbers, costumes, fans joining the action — even players on stilts — and so much more.

Banana Ball doesn’t just sell baseball. It sells joy, creativity, human connection, and a human experience.

Today, Jesse’s Savannah Bananas — along with their rival teams — are selling out ballparks nationwide, attracting a two-million-person waitlist and recently drawing a record-breaking crowd of 81,000 fans to Clemson’s football stadium. What began as a humble dream, selling just a handful of tickets in a small town, has grown into a full-blown movement — and they’re only just getting started.

"I believe if you are not getting criticized you are playing it too safe," Cole recently told 60 Minutes on CBS News.

Jesse Cole and Banana Ball have been featured on ESPN and every major media outlet, gone viral countless times on social media, and are transforming the fan experience at the ballpark.

But it all started with a setback. Jesse grew up loving baseball, dreaming of one day playing for his hometown Boston Red Sox. He played at Wofford College, was recruited professionally… and then, an injury to his shoulder ended it all.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me," Cole now says.

Through that disappointment, he discovered a different passion — not just for baseball, but for performance, for theater, for entertaining people.

His lesson is powerful for any leader, executive, coach, or high performer. Sometimes, losing the dream you thought you wanted clears the way for the work you were truly meant to do.

And Jesse didn’t stop at founding a viral sensation. He became a best-selling author with Find Your Yellow Tux, a keynote speaker for some of the world’s largest organizations, and a living blueprint for how transformational leadership puts people at the center.

His philosophy? He’s not trying to build a billion-dollar company. He’s trying to build a billion fans — one person at a time. And his leadership framework for doing it is simple but profound.

Cole calls it the 5 E’s of Fans First:

1. Eliminate friction. Make the experience easy, joyful, and welcoming.

2. Entertain always. Don’t just meet expectations — delight people and find unique ways to exceed expectations.

3. Engage deeply. Make every interaction meaningful and personal.

4. Experiment constantly. Stay curious. Stay playful. Stay courageous. Don't take yourself too seriously. Being who you are makes you special.

5. Empower action. Give your people, customers, and team real ownership and agency to the vision, the mission, the standard and the movement.

In Jesse Cole’s words: “Every game is someone’s first game. Every fan deserves to feel like they matter."

Whether you lead a company, a team, a classroom, a locker room, or your own family — if you focus on eliminating friction, entertaining, engaging, experimenting, and empowering — you’ll not only create deeper connections with customers, teammates, players, and loved ones — you’ll create true believers. You’ll create transformation — and a ripple effect of raving supporters who’ll never forget how the experience made them feel. If we focus on making just one person feel truly seen, heard, and valued today, we’re already winning.

Let us remember—wisely and earnestly—that the doors that close in our lives aren’t setbacks. They’re invitations. They’re divine realignments. And that next breakthrough, that new season of purpose, may be waiting just beyond the very thing we’re hesitating to say yes to. Only when we summon the courage to trust and walk through the door that’s opening, can a new dream take shape—and become possible.

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