Metta World Peace has kept his independent approach to life as an entrepreneur. (AP Photo/Carlos ... [+]
The power of LinkedIn and its 875 million members has been touted for years as the go-to place for professional connections to take root and prosper. Alex Bayer, founder of Genius Juice, fashions himself as an active LinkedIn professional. Ever since he launched his company, Genius Juice, he has been thinking about how to advance brand awareness. Bayer had successfully navigated the waters of ABC’s Shark Tank, but after the proposed deal fell through, he got back to work.
Flipping open his laptop, he scoured LinkedIn for inspiration. The power and unknown nature of digital algorithms found a reason to integrate a name and a person into Bayer’s feed that felt foreign but incredibly intriguing.
Metta World Peace, formerly known as NBA player and World Champion Ron Artest, had transitioned from the hardwood of the professional sports world to the business world. Bayer noticed that Peace was active on LinkedIn, participating in business, the health and wellness industry, and entrepreneurship.
This reporter spent time with Bayer and Peace to learn more about their collaboration and friendship.
Rod Berger: Alex, talk about the power of observation and social networks in the advancement of Genius Juice.
Alex Bayer: I noticed that Metta was quickly becoming an influencer on LinkedIn. I saw that he was getting involved with brands, investing, and establishing a fund. It was clear that he was into health and wellness from his willingness to share his own experiences. I crossed my fingers, reached out to him, and he responded. He connected me to his business manager, and the rest is history.
Berger: Metta, you played basketball with a ferociousness that intimidated opponents and impacted the outcome of games with your hustle. The duality of your personality and the experiences others had with you on and off the court are well documented. Walk me through your experience as an athlete-turned-entrepreneur and the initial influences that shape your work today.
Metta World Peace: I learned how to play basketball on the rough and tough streets of New York City. My personality and playing style were carved out of those experiences, and I found success on and off the court using that tough, hard-nosed approach.
When I was 19 years old, I wanted to have my own signature shoe as I entered the NBA. The problem was that I didn’t have the right people around me. We didn’t know how to build a business. I was frustrated because I had ideas, and we couldn’t execute them. In basketball, I took pride in playing offense and defense, hustling on both ends of the court. I struggled to find people who could keep up with the pace I wanted to work at off the court.
Berger: What role did education play in your development of skills off the court?
Peace: I skipped many steps as a student and an early entrepreneur. Once I had a feeling that I was going to be drafted into the NBA, I skipped a lot of classes. I started out focusing on architecture, but I left school early for basketball, which impacted my understanding of business.
I just didn’t develop the necessary skills to be an entrepreneur, and I made a lot of mistakes early on.
Berger: I would imagine it can be a slippery slope when a former professional athlete becomes an entrepreneur. The number of inquiries from interested parties must be daunting to parse through. What was it about Alex that intrigued you enough to formally collaborate with Genius Juice?
Alex Bayer and Metta World Peace have formed an unlikely duo to bring consumer health and wellness ... [+]
Peace: Alex is a very patient partner. He knows his stuff as an entrepreneur, but I was looking to collaborate with someone who understood me and what I could bring to a venture. He understands my personality and my need to let off steam, vacation, and recharge.
Collaborating with Alex never feels like work, and I learn a lot about being an entrepreneur from him. It is a true partnership. I get to tag along, learn, and support the company.
Berger: Are athletes uniquely positioned to support the beverage industry?
Peace: Athletes are and have to be about health and wellness. The beverage industry aligns perfectly with athletes, and the connection is one of the main reasons I said yes to Alex and Genius Juice. I want to be a part of companies where it is clear that athletes positively affect outcomes.
Berger: Why Metta for you, Alex, and Genius Juice?
Bayer: I have always been a fan of Metta’s willingness to grow as a man. His commitment to health and wellness, his family, and helping others less fortunate drew me in. Once we committed to our collaboration, he [Peace] was all in.
The food and beverage industry requires that brands make noise in the market. You have to get your brand out to the consumer, and Metta has been incredible at opening influencer doors we didn’t previously have access. He is by my side at events we’re sponsoring and is a wonderful conduit to the customer through LinkedIn and social media. Metta talks about me being patient, but I think we both share the same measured approach to building a business, and that is key.
Some partnerships are clearly and overtly constructed based on similarities. Yet some collaborative efforts are forged from a common vision replete with obvious and shared experiences.
On the surface, Alex Bayer and Metta World Peace are completely different men who come from communities foreign to one another. While Peace was winning an NBA Championship with the late Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, Bayer was entering the insurance field.
The genius in Genius Juice could easily be documented by the $8 million in lifetime sales. It could also be reflected in the retail space occupied by the five products represented by the wily-haired logo adorning the brand across 2,200 stores. Or, maybe the genius is in the vision to accept what can be seen in clear sight.
For Bayer, the moment arrived when he decided to blend the meat of the coconut and the coconut water. It hadn’t been done before, and after eight years, the former insurance salesman can see the fruit of his efforts across name brands like Whole Foods, Albertsons, Target, Safeway, Amazon, and more.
On the other hand, Metta World Peace might look back at his 19-year-old self and reflect on a young man who desired to be in business but lacked the wherewithal at the time to navigate murky waters. The genius for this J. Walter Kennedy award recipient for citizenship by the NBA could lie in his ability to admit his shortcomings. Peace reiterated several times to this reporter that his approach to the unknown involved dropping everything and studying the desired skills needed to succeed.
Genius Juice’s tagline is ‘Palm to Palm,’ inferring the whole of the coconut makes it to the hand of the consumer. It isn’t a stretch to interpret that the mantra could also communicate the leadership approach of two unlikely partners.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
