Jimmy Butler, a standout player for the Miami Heat, is motivated to be the best in whatever he does, whether it be playing basketball or working as a barista. Because of this, he has actively participated in each stage of the creation of his own coffee firm, which he refers to as Bigface Brand.
“I want to be in every Zoom call, every meeting, and on every sourcing trip, no matter where it is, anywhere around the world,” Butler said during the CNBC Small Business Playbook on December 14th. “I want to be in every Zoom call, every meeting, and on every sourcing trip.” “Just because I want to let people know, yes, my name is in it, on it, and it’s a part of it, but I’m actually in it, I’m actually with it, I’m going to these places, and I’m learning more and more every single day.” “Just because I want to let people know, yes, my name is in it, on it, and it’s a part of it.”
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At the height of the Covid-19 quarantine, the six-time NBA All Star reported feeling bored, which was a sentiment shared by many others. Because he suddenly had more free time on his hands, Butler made the executive decision to launch his own coffee business, which would allow him to merge his two passions for competitiveness and coffee.
When the NBA was obliged to shift its operations and games to Orlando for the “bubble” season, where Butler found the coffee selections to be unacceptable, the brand started getting support, and it has continued to gain traction ever since. Butler, taking matters into his own hands, began selling cups of coffee to other NBA players for the price of twenty dollars each. The coffee was prepared by Butler himself in his hotel room in Orlando using an espresso machine that he had brought with him, and the beans came from El Salvador.
According to Butler, “from the moment the [NBA] bubble started, I wanted to be the best barista.” “Now Bigface Brand, Bigface coffee is a real thing, and I’m just trying to get the best coffee and the best experience out to the world,” Bigface said about his coffee business. “Bigface coffee is a real thing.”
In October of 2021, Butler formally introduced Bigface to the world by partnering with the e-commerce platform Shopify and utilizing the platform’s creator initiative. As part of the agreement, Butler is entitled to collect all of the proceeds, and Shopify is provided with the opportunity to capitalize on the athlete’s name, image, and likeness.Shopify made the announcement earlier this year that it has struck arrangements with six high school basketball players to assist them in developing their own direct-to-consumer businesses.
At the moment, Bigface provides a total of four unique coffee blends, in addition to their partnership with the coffee brand Onyx Coffee. The company sells a variety of other products in addition to coffee beans on its website. These include clothing items such as hoodies, crewnecks, and t-shirts, as well as accessories such as coffee mugs and tumblers.
“Shopify really made my idea as an ecommerce [platform] make sense,” Butler stated. “I had a lot of different ideas, but I didn’t know how to truly make any of them come to life…. They carried out the change in a manner that is truly faultless, and everything looks wonderful. I felt so at ease with the way that our company concept was progressing, and I believe that they assisted me in bringing this notion for an entrepreneurial venture to reality.
Butler stated that he got the concept for Bigface when he realized how powerful it was for people to connect with one another over a cup of coffee. He has expressed the expectation that, as the company expands, Bigface cafes will become available in locations all over the world.
“That’s what this whole thing was built off of, is trying to bring individuals together, laughing and having a good time, no matter if you’re getting an iced coffee, hot coffee, cold coffee, or cold brew, and sitting down and having a conversation and realizing how similar you are as individuals,” said Butler. “That’s what this whole thing was built off of, is trying to bring individuals together, laughing and having a good time.”
Do not compare yourself to others, and surround yourself with a team that will push you to be the best that you can be. This is the piece of advice that Butler has for anyone who is interested in establishing their own business.
“Just do what you do, remember why you’re doing it, and stick to that,” Butler said. “Success is literally on the other side of very, very hard, because it has been very, very hard,” he emphasized. “But that’s the fun part of it, because nothing worth having is easy,” said the speaker. “Nothing worth having is easy.”