NBA Star Jimmy Butler Made This Business Mistake. Here's What He Learned
It took over a decade, some rough lessons along the way, and a controversial decision to splurge on expensive coffee beans from El Salvador. But when it comes to business, perhaps six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler has finally figured out what works.
'Be quiet,' Butler tells Forbes. 'You don't have all the answers. Listen because people know so much more.'
Butler, 32, joined Forbes at the Nasdaq MarketSite on March 5 to discuss his business portfolio away from the basketball court. The Golden State Warriors forward was also the inaugural guest on The Enterprise Zone, a spin-off of the Forbes Talks news series. The weekly show will explore engaging, fireside chat-style business conversations with influential figures, including top athletes, prominent CEOs, entertainers, and visionary entrepreneurs. Each episode will feature guests sharing their unique journeys, triumphs, challenges and setbacks.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler discusses his Bigface coffee brand on The Enterprise Zone.
With a valuation of $8.8 billion, the Warriors are the NBA's most valuable franchise. The team is chasing its eighth NBA title and, after trading for him from the Miami Heat on Feb. 6, counting on Butler's experience to help. He immediately signed a two-year contract extension with the Warriors worth more than $110 million that, according to Sportrac, puts him on pace to surpass more than $400 million in career earnings.
Butler provided a glimpse inside his portfolio on The Enterprise Zone. Some of his investments include:
The Enterprise Zone is a spin-off of the Forbes Talks news series and available on platforms including Apple Podcasts.
But his primary focus is coffee brand, Bigface. Butler developed the coffee concept in 2020 while in the NBA's Covid bubble. During that time, Butler sold cups of coffee to fellow players for $20 each. Later, he joined Shopify's creator program to launch Bigface as an e-commerce venture. Butler became so passionate about the coffee business that he even purchased premium El Salvador beans to blend with Bigface. At the time, he was advised against it. Today, Butler confesses he did pay too much for the beans.
The lesson: Shut up and listen to experts.
'You would think my ideas would be genius all the time,' Butler says. 'I've come to find out that my ideas aren't actually the best ideas yet. I learned to listen. I learned that other people know more about this particular thing than you do. So, you need to ask all the right questions.'
Watch the Jimmy Butler conversation on The Enterprise Zone.
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