Mike Repole, the billionaire entrepreneur who cofounded and bought beverage giants Glaceau and BodyArmor to Coca-Cola for a mixed $9.7 billion, has an sudden message for aspiring enterprise house owners: Don’t do it.
In an interview with the Faculty of Onerous Knocks, a preferred social-media channel identified for interviewing rich entrepreneurs, Repole shared his contrarian view on entrepreneurship, emphasizing the brutal realities that almost all success tales gloss over.
“I spend more time talking people out of being an entrepreneur,” Repole stated. “The first five years for an entrepreneur, I call the survival years. Every single day, you could go bankrupt.”
Repole’s cautionary recommendation carries vital weight given his spectacular enterprise monitor file. The 56-year-old Queens, N.Y., native first made his fortune when he cofounded Glaceau with J. Darius Bikoff in 1999. The corporate, which produced Smartwater and Vitaminwater, grew from $1 million in first-year gross sales to over $1 billion in income by 2007, when Coca-Cola acquired it for $4.1 billion.
Forbes at the moment estimates Repole’s internet price is $1.6 billion, largely stemming from these two profitable exits. Between the ventures, he additionally served as chairman of snack firm Pirate’s Booty, serving to develop the model by 300% earlier than it bought to B&G Meals for $195 million in 2013.
Betting on your self vs. enjoying it protected
Regardless of his multibillion-dollar monitor file, Repole emphasised within the interview that entrepreneurial success is much from assured. “There were days that I didn’t think we could make it,” he stated, including that he “failed” a number of instances all through his journey.
The billionaire’s recommendation displays a rising development amongst profitable entrepreneurs who’re more and more candid concerning the challenges of constructing companies. Not like the standard success narratives that dominate social media, Repole’s message acknowledges the statistical actuality that almost all startups—over two-thirds of them—fail, and that even profitable entrepreneurs face fixed uncertainty.
True to type for profitable entrepreneurs, Repole embraces what others would possibly see as character flaws. When requested if he’s “a little crazy” like different billionaires, Repole responded: “I started crazy,” including, “Crazy people change the world.”
You may watch the interview with Repole beneath:
@theschoolofhardknocks He’s a multi-BILLIONAIRE 🤯 he bought his corporations BODYARMOR and Vitaminwater to Coca-Cola for $12 BILLION! I interviewed Mike Repole in Florida and I requested him if he thinks everyone seems to be constructed for entrepreneurship. I additionally requested him whether or not or not he failed on his strategy to turning into a billionaire. Since he bought two beverage giants for billions of {dollars} I requested him whether or not he thinks product or distribution is extra necessary in enterprise. Lastly, I requested him if he would take into account himself to be loopy. #wealth #entrepreneur #financialfreedom #motivation ♬ authentic sound – The Faculty of Onerous Knocks
A model of this story was printed at Fortune.com on Sept. 12, 2025.
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