Foster a Fans First Team Culture with Emily Cole of The Savannah Bananas

Today, we're diving into the world of creating unforgettable experiences, both for customers and employees. The Savannah Bananas, led by Jesse Cole, known as the Yellow Tux guy, have pioneered a fan-first approach that has garnered widespread acclaim. However, Shana has gleaned a crucial lesson from their success: to cultivate exceptional customer experiences, you must first foster an amazing community among your employees. 

Join us as we welcome Emily Cole, co-founder of the Savannah Bananas and the mastermind behind the team's culture. Emily shares insights into crafting a fan-first environment within your team, empowering them to extend that same principles to your customers. 

Get ready to learn how to transform your organization into a beacon of community-driven excellence.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Emily’s favorite community (03:08)

How has Emily managed to articulate this bold and unconventional vision for her team? (06:44)

What does it look like for you all to take what you do for the people attending the games and turn around and make that tangible for your employees? (08:28)

How does Emily encourage her employees to consider those types of friction points? (14:55)

How does Emily balance adhering to scripting and providing opportunities for adding flair while empowering her team with the authority to do so? (18:10)

How does Emily create this culture within the team of being willing to try and pivot and change and not needing that everyday structure? (23:05)

What insights did Emily gain during that period about supporting her employees that continue to influence her approach today? (27:29)

What preparations and activities are underway behind the scenes as Emily leads up to this significant inaugural event they are all testing? (32:57)

How does Emily effectively convey the vision in a manner that inspires her team to embrace it and become enthusiastic about innovating around it? (36:17)

Onboarding process into the Banana family (46:02)

All about Bananas Foster (49:43)

Episode wrap-up (55:27)

Additional Resources:

The Savannah Bananas: https://thesavannahbananas.com/

Bananas Foster: https://bananasfoster.org/

Banana Land at Sea: https://www.bananalandatsea.com/

Instagram: 

Emily’s Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/EmCole3/

The Savannah Bananas - https://www.instagram.com/thesavbananas/

Bananas Foster - https://www.instagram.com/Bananasfosterinc/

Learn how to work with Shana: https://www.shanalynn.com/

FREE 7-minute Community Training: https://connect.communitycultivated.com/training

FREE Community Creators Hub: https://connect.communitycultivated.com/hub

Learn more about Shana’s Community Training Program: https://www.shanalynn.com/cultivate

Connect with Shana: https://www.instagram.com/shanaspeaks

Community Creators is a podcast for online entrepreneurs looking to learn more about creating thriving communities and empowering their community teams.

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