Transcript
Jesse Itzler (0:00)
You got to believe it, man. You don't have to know. Clearly, everyone's like, oh, you have to visualize. I didn't visualize what the product was or what the service was, but I visualized and knew that I was going to do something on my own. I didn't know how big it was going to be. I didn't know I would end up, you know, where I am in my life right now. But I knew, like, all right, strike one, strike two. You know what happened? You know what's interesting about entrepreneurship that's different than baseball? Three strikes and you're not out. Three strikes and you're learning and rolling. So like those failures, I'm like, I'm killing it.
Randall Kaplan (0:42)
Welcome to In Search of Excellence, where we meet entrepreneurs, CEOs, entertainers, athletes, motivational speakers, and trailblazers of excellence with incredible stories from all walks of life. My name is Randall Kaplan. I'm a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and a host of In Search of Excellence, which I started to motivate and inspire us to achieve excellence in all areas of our lives. My guest today is Jesse Itzler. Jesse is a serial entrepreneur who's built and sold five companies including Marquis Jet and Zico Coconut Water. He is an Emmy award winner, a former rapper and former manager of Run dmc, a globally recognized keynote speaker, and a part owner of the Atlanta Hawks NBA basketball team. He's also an endurance, passionate endurance athlete who has run more than 35,000 miles over the last 25 years, including 50 plus marathons. Jesse is also the author of two awesome best selling books. Living with the 31 Days, Training with the toughest man on the planet, and Living with the monks. What turning off my phone taught me about happiness, gratitude and focus. Jesse, I'm super pumped to have you on my show. Welcome to In Search of Excellence.
Jesse Itzler (1:50)
Yeah, thanks for having me. Absolutely.
Randall Kaplan (1:54)
You were born in Rosslyn, New York and grew up on Long Island. Your dad Dan was an entrepreneur, known a plumbing supply company. He also patented drains and faucets and had plans for a flying car. Your mama Lee set the rules of the house. No swearing was one of them. And was the president of the Roslyn Board of Education. Can you tell us about the influence your parents had on you when you were growing up? And as part of that, can you tell us about your dad's checker skills?
Jesse Itzler (2:19)
And.
Randall Kaplan (2:19)
And how old were you when they first taught you the value of hard work?
Jesse Itzler (2:24)
