How do you start a new brand when you’re up against deep-pocketed competitors? That’s what Jaylen Brown is thinking. In September, the reigning NBA Finals MVP launched his own clothing brand, 741, with plans to sign other athletes. While starting out, Brown met Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor, a man with extensive marketing experience—his platform has helped founders raise more than $8 billion to launch products. The meeting was part of a new series called The Playbook, created by entrepreneur and Sports Illustrated, where we pair entrepreneurial athletes with business leaders to discuss their shared passion for new ventures. Below is an edited excerpt from their full conversation, which you can watch here.
Taylor: I’m impressed by how you understand that no matter how successful you are now, you have a long life and the NBA is only one part of your career. Where did this recognition come from?
Coffee: I got this from growing up playing chess. Because there are three components to a chess game: an opening game, a middle game, and an end game. As you approach your strategy, you need to know all three at the same time. Your opening act determines how you end the game.
So when I translate that to life, I’m positioning my pieces. That’s why I started thinking about the end of my career in the beginning. I know this is a game.
Taylor: Yes, I have it constantly in my head. I was homeless in high school and would go to the local library for shelter. That’s where I learned about people like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, and I was like, WOW. I wasn’t talented enough to be an NBA player, but this technology thing seemed like something I could do. It was a platform to build a career.
So to your point of seeing the whole game at once, I have the vision I want for my life, and I’m basically working backwards from that. It’s about, “This is what I want my life to look like.” Every move I make, every work I do, everything I do is intentional to get on that path.
Coffee: And this is the battle of humanity! Because, yes, you have a mission, you have a purpose that drives you every day, but you still have emotions, you have vices, you have things you want to do. This is why you need discipline and discernment. At 27, I’m still figuring it out. But I have a clear vision for my future.
Taylor: So let’s talk about one of those things you’re building—
your shoe brand. What prompted you to launch it?
Coffee: Honestly, I got the idea from Kobe [Bryant]rest in peace. Before he died, he was planning to launch his own shoe brand, sign athletes and give them better deals and percentages. I remember reading an article about it and thinking it was dope.
I have gone through my own experiences, dealing with big corporations and how they value your creativity and how they value you. I came across every brand and none of them stood out. They all approach things the same. I was looking for the brand of the future, not the brand of the past. And I couldn’t find it, so I had to start over.
Taylor: This is something that many people do not do because they are only willing to take the scraps that other people give them. What do you think sets your brand apart from others?
Coffee: The design. I designed everything myself. I was just in the factory in South Korea, on the line, making sure things were done the way I saw fit. I passed almost $50 million worth of deals [from other brands] in order to start something myself. And not because I didn’t like the money. That’s because those arrangements pigeon-holed me and didn’t allow for creativity.
Taylor: Man, it lit up when you started talking about design. You are creative. I know sometimes it’s hard to use this word for ourselves, but I think a true creator doesn’t want to be forced by anything. So yes, money matters and we want to be able to take care of our families, but when someone truly embodies being creative, they should be able to put their art form out into the world as they see it reasonable.
Coffee: Yes, and the story is so key here. There’s a lot of meaning and purpose and intent that I’ve put into every aspect of the brand, and I want to let things breathe and spread that out as people start asking more questions. I don’t want to force anything. It doesn’t have to be the hottest brand on the street by tomorrow.
Taylor: I’m glad you have the marathon mentality, because none of the big shoe companies or clothing companies started with big growth. This happened over time. I think your brand will personify authenticity and people want to see and feel that – especially with Gen Z and new types of consumers. They are buying things in a completely different way. They want to feel like that brand cares about people and is aligned with their interest and on the right side of good.
When you look at some of the big corporations in the space, I feel like they’ve lost that vision. Not to call anyone out, but many larger corporations have built their companies on the back of great branding and great storytelling, then thrown billions of dollars into performance marketing instead of creativity, storytelling and authenticity. .
Coffee: This is the cycle of life. Once you get so big and so successful, you’re trying to maintain. You’re just trying to protect what you’ve already built. Then you lose the ability to move forward and keep breaking barriers.
Taylor: That’s why my biggest advice to you is to constantly obsess over growth, innovation and design. The moment you get comfortable—and you don’t look like the type of person to get comfortable—that’s when growth stops. I think about that all the time with Kickstarter. I think you have the right mindset. I’m excited to see what you do.
Coffee: I hope so. Good luck, man.
