Andy Molinsky: [00:00:00] So, today's guest is Jim DeCicco. Jim's the oldest brother and CEO at Kitu Life Inc., makers of Super Coffee and Super Creamer. I was just telling Jim that I was at my local Whole Foods this morning, and I saw it right there. So, it's right there near you.

Andy Molinsky: [00:00:21] Jim served as captain of the football team at Colgate University. And upon graduating in 2015, he joined his two younger brothers to create the world's first Super Coffee. Since then, Jim and his brothers have raised $18 million in venture capital. They've pitched on ABC's Shark Tank, which we definitely need to hear about and were featured in the 2019 Class of Forbes' 30 Under 30. Jim, thanks so much for being with us.

Jim DeCicco: [00:00:48] Andy, thanks for having me. It's great to be here.

Andy Molinsky: [00:00:50] Cool. So, let's hear about -- Tell us about the company. Tell us about what you do now. And so, what I'll do is I'd love to hear about that, and then we'll kind of go back to college, and, sort of, you'll tell us the story of where you were then and how you got from there to now. But let's start with now. Tell us about the company, your job, your role. What are you up to?

Jim DeCicco: [00:01:10] Yeah, absolutely. So, today, we have 20 full-time employees. Our headquarters is in downtown Manhattan, New York City, right near the World Trade Center. And my role has evolved from, sort of, working in the company to working on the company, I like to say; whereas, three years ago, when we were just kids, started out my little brother's dorm room, we were making deliveries, stocking shelves, sending invoices, doing all of that. And now, we're in a position fortunate enough to surround ourselves with a team of people who can do it better than we can.

Jim DeCicco: [00:01:41] So, I'm, sort of, gauging. My day-to-day is gauging, checking in with sales, checking in with marketing and finance, and making sure we have what we need. In a high-growth startup, our business needs evolve every single day. So, really, taking the temperature for different opportunities, what type of support it's going to require, those opportunities are going to require, whether it's a new distributor or a new retailer in a new region.

Jim DeCicco: [00:02:06] For instance, we recently launched some stop-and-shop up by you guys, and that required us to move one of our sales reps from New Jersey to Boston. So, those are the high-level decisions that I'm making. And I'm also in charge of investor relations, making sure we have enough money and keeping our investors happy while we grow.

Andy Molinsky: [00:02:23] So, just tell us about the product quickly because I, sort of, alluded to it but just give us a quick sense of the product.

Jim DeCicco: [00:02:28] Yeah. We started with a line of ready-to-drink bottled coffee, 12-ounce coffees that come in a plastic bottle, organic Colombian coffee with protein and MCT oil, which is a healthy fat from coconut oil, and zero sugar. So, as tired athletes, we just wanted something better for us than Starbucks Frappuccino or the Dunkin' Donuts bottled coffee and something that actually gave us energy. So, the three tenets that we were looking for as tired athletes was it's got to taste good, it's got to be good for us, and it's got to be effective. It's got to give us energy.

Andy Molinsky: [00:03:00] Got it. So, you went to Colgate, it sounds like. Tell us a bit about that, about what you majored in, what, sort of, was happening at the tail end of college as you transferred into the professional world. Tell us a bit about your college experience.

Jim DeCicco: [00:03:12] My brothers and I, we were all college athletes. And that's a huge part of our identity. And part of the reason I chose Colgate was because it was a liberal arts education. It allowed me to play football and get a good education. I used football as a means to an end. I was a good student in high school, but I didn't have the grades to get in to Colgate. So, I used football to help with that.

Jim DeCicco: [00:03:30] I ended up majoring in Philosophy. I really didn't know what I wanted to do, but I was fascinated by the way people think and solve problems. And Philosophy seemed pretty transferable with critical thinking and the ability to analyze arguments and communicate. So, Philosophy major, Writing minor. Football was perhaps the biggest, I guess, transferable skills that I had. Like the lessons I learned as an athlete, whether it's competing or enduring adversity in trying times has really got me ready for entrepreneurship.

Jim DeCicco: [00:04:00] But after Colgate, I went to work for a Colgate graduate. He was on a retail real estate team for the Blackstone Group. I was actually a financial analyst for my first three months after college before my youngest brother, Jordan, called me and told me he was dropping out of school to start a coffee.

Andy Molinsky: [00:04:17] Wow, lots in there. So, first of all, I have to say you're probably the first official Philosophy major we've had on the podcast, which is cool. You know, most people, I think, majored in Business, or Economics, or something directly related. So, did you choose Philosophy because -- You said, you know, of course, for critical thinking and all that. Say more about that. You could have chosen maybe what? Economics, I imagine. Does Colgate have a business school?

Jim DeCicco: [00:04:42] That was -- Again, I didn't know what I wanted to do as an 18-year-old kid who needed to declare a major. So, I did not want to be pigeonholed to Medicine, or Pre-law, or Math, or things like that. So, Philosophy, to me, was interesting. I was naturally intrigued by arguments, the logic, those different skills that we studied, and it was transferable across many different industries. So, it was something that I was interested in but also got me ready for life beyond college because I did not know what was next.

Andy Molinsky: [00:05:14] Cool. So, you got the call from your brother. Now, what's that all about? Where'd your brother go to college? How did he start this? And how did you get kind of hooked into it?

Jim DeCicco: [00:05:22] Yeah. So, two younger brothers. Middle brother, Jake, was heading into his senior year at Georgetown where he played football. And the youngest brother, Jordan, was heading into his sophomore year at Philadelphia University where he played basketball. And Jordan, they had 5:00 a.m. basketball practice, so he was falling asleep in class. He was tired. The school store only offered Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

Jim DeCicco: [00:05:42] So, he never intended to become a beverage entrepreneur, but he made a drink for himself that came out to be the first Super Coffee, protein coffee, everything I just described. And it worked so well for him that he started selling it to his teammates, and his classmates, and his coaches. And he was a full-scholarship kid, starting point guard on the basketball team, had a bright career ahead of him, all-conference player his freshman year.

Jim DeCicco: [00:06:04] And he called me up and said, "Hey, man. School's about to start. Jake and I had been working on this coffee idea all summer. I know if I go back to school, it's never going to work. I can't be a full-time student athlete and an entrepreneur. So, as your older brother, I just want your blessing. I'm dropping out of school to pursue this. Here's the opportunity."

Jim DeCicco: [00:06:22] And I heard his passion and his conviction for this. So, I decided to leave my job. And we called mom, and she was like, "What are you talking about?" She was like, "You guys have-" She's like, "Jim, you have a great career. Jordan, you have a full-time scholarship. Like this is madness," because as our parents, I mean, their job was done. Their youngest child was in school with a full ride. I had a good job. They're like, "We did it. We did it." And now, it was a shocking call for them to get, but they're our biggest supporters now, and they've been there every step of the way.

Andy Molinsky: [00:06:51] Wow. So, that's pretty cool. So, you know, I'm a parent. I don't have kids that are that old, and I'm not that -- I'm kind of old but not that old. But I can imagine that. It's like that's really interesting. So, I mean, was it simply that, like, you know, "Hey, I support you guys," or was it like, you know, "No way are you doing that," and then, eventually, some convincing? How did that go down?

Jim DeCicco: [00:07:10] Yeah, it wasn't as polite as, "No way." There was some expletives in there. And it was this shocking thing, right. Our mom used to work at the YMCA growing up. Our dad worked for the county in engineering. So, nobody in our family comes from entrepreneurship. I've never heard of the term startup, or pitch deck, or any of these things, business plan. I didn't know this. So, it was just this very foreign concept to my parents, which I think freaked them out even more, but it was pretty intuitive.

Jim DeCicco: [00:07:40] And when I say that football got us ready for this or our background in sports got us ready for this, I mean, we sort of willed this thing into existence. It was just effort, you know. We just worked hard and, sort of, made it happen. It wasn't really a complicated thing selling coffee. It just required a lot. And once our parents saw that we were full in in making it happen, I mean, my mom used to be in the factory with us mopping the floor when we'd spill coffee. So, they are our biggest supporters.

Andy Molinsky: [00:08:07] It's awesome. So then, what? So, you left your job, your brother dropped out of college. How about your other brother? What did he do? Did he leave college as well?

Jim DeCicco: [00:08:18] He was in his senior football season in the Georgetown Business School. He was like, "Screw you, guys. I'm two semesters away from a Georgetown degree," but he helped in all his spare time. He really sacrificed a lot of his senior year for the business, but he stayed in school and got his degree.

Jim DeCicco: [00:08:35] So, Jordan and I, we moved in together in Maryland, just north of DC. That summer before he dropped out, they worked in the Georgetown Startup Program to develop the business plan, and the concept, and all that. So, our first market was Washington DC.

Jim DeCicco: [00:08:50] And rather than having like a minimum viable product, or an MVP, and a well-thought-out research business plan, we just made a product in Jordan's blender. It's the same product he was drinking all summer, great recipe. And we brought it to the local Whole Foods, and we said, "Hey, guys. We're Super Coffee, and you carry nothing like this." And they brought us into their store. And I was like, "This is great." And he placed an order for eight cases and part of their local program.

Jim DeCicco: [00:09:15] We had to hustle to find a facility to make it. And we didn't find a contract manufacturer, which we have now, but we found an old Domino Sugar Factory up in Baltimore, Maryland, and they had a bottling line in the back of it, and the guy said, "Look, my last shift is at 8:00 p.m. You guys can come in at 8:00 p.m. Just be out by 8:00 a.m." So, we would make the coffee overnight, and we'd make all these deliveries to colleges and local grocery stores from DC to Baltimore. And we did that for about 18 months. And with that sales and traction, we were able to raise some money and keep this thing going.

Andy Molinsky: [00:09:53] And tell us about Shark Tank. I'm sure everyone listening to this knows about or probably has watched it. I've watched it a lot. So, tell us what that was like.

Jim DeCicco: [00:10:03] Yeah. So, we had pitched Sharks in June of 2017. That was exactly 18 months after we launched the company. And during those 18 months, everybody was like, "You should go on Shark Tank. It's a great story. Go on Shark Tank. Go on Shark Tank." And we didn't like the odds, right. 40,000 companies apply every season for a hundred different spots. So, we're like, "That's a distraction. We're not going to do that."

Jim DeCicco: [00:10:23] And then, one day, I was just surfing on LinkedIn, and I saw one of my second-degree connections commented on another man's post, and he said, "Hey, guys. You've got to go on Shark Tank." And, for me, I sort of slid in there, and I was like, "What's this you know about Shark Tank?" And he introduced us to one of the producers. So, that was like -- The producer put our application on the top of the pile. And that was our way in.

Jim DeCicco: [00:10:45] So, that's how we got on Shark Tank. Fast forward. So, we go out, we pitch the Sharks. I guess that that was a really cool experience in the sense that we didn't know what to expect, but it was a very real business meeting. You know, the doors opened, like the famous Shark Tank doors open. We walked down the runway. There's a cameraman in front of us, like backing up as we're walking down. And we get to our mark on the floor. And what a lot of people don't know is for the first 45 seconds we get to our mark, we can't say anything because the big camera needs to come in and get a swooping shot, and like the producers need to get set of where we are.

Jim DeCicco: [00:11:19] And then, 45 seconds later, which seems like an eternity, the producer yells from the back, "Begin." And we did our pitch. The first 90 seconds are scripted. So, we wrote the script. We had to memorize it. Jordan did 30 seconds, Jake did 30 seconds, I did 30 seconds. And then, we poured samples for the Sharks. And at that point, we were settled in. It just became a very real business meeting. And the Sharks, yes, it's intimidating on TV, but they're humans. It was a very human conversation.

Jim DeCicco: [00:11:49] And the thing that sort of settled our nerves was the fact that we are the three foremost experts on our business. You know, nobody in the world knows more than we do about what we do and just specific to our company. So, that gave us the confidence to really get up there and have a full hour-long conversation with the Sharks and what you guys see on TV. So, our episode aired seven months later in February of this year, 2018. And what you guys don't see is like how they edit it. So, all you guys saw on television was just the 10 minutes that the producers thought made good TV.

Andy Molinsky: [00:12:20] Right. And so, what happened by the way? I haven't seen it.

Jim DeCicco: [00:12:24] Oh yeah. So, check it out. It's Season 9, Episode 22. So, they loved the concept. They loved us. They liked the hard work and the traction we've made, sort of, in the first couple of years of doing business, but they thought our valuation was too high. So, basically, we're asking for a million dollars for 10% of the company, which valued us at $10 million, and they thought that was too high. It was a rich valuation at the time.

Jim DeCicco: [00:12:48] What happened was they counter-offered with like double. They want to double the equity for what we were asking for, basically, a $5 million valuation, and we couldn't do it. So, we just elected not to do a deal.

Andy Molinsky: [00:13:01] Wow. But you got good publicity.

Jim DeCicco: [00:13:03] Yeah, yeah. No, it's been good, and it's validating, you know. It's one of those things where our buyers at grocery stores or our new private investors hear that, and they'll take a meeting, they'll take a call. We've really leveraged it from the sales side saying, "Hey, your customers already know about us because we were on national television. It would make sense for you to take a big order of Super Coffee, and we promise it'll sell well."

Andy Molinsky: [00:13:23] Wow, cool. So, let's step back for a minute. I want to speak to college students of today or maybe recent grads too, but what misconceptions. Now, you've had an experience of being in college. You've had experienced very recently of being out of college, just from college. What misconceptions do you think college students have when, kind of, entering the workplace, taking that leap from the dorm room to the professional world?

Jim DeCicco: [00:13:49] I think 99% of college students have every misconception of what the workplace is going to be just because you have in your head what you think it's going to be. Whether you want to work in finance on Wall Street, or in real estate, or in science, whatever, you have this idea of what you think it's going to be like. And then, as soon as you start, it's totally different, or everything changes.

Jim DeCicco: [00:14:10] And what we like to say, it's a Mike Tyson quote, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." And for us, and I tell this to college students all the time, is don't wait. Jump right in. Don't wait till you're qualified. Don't wait till you're ready. Just get in and get going because the real world is going to validate your idea. It's going to validate your concerns.

Jim DeCicco: [00:14:31] And for us, we didn't want to wait and test this amongst our friends or test this at local farmers markets. We went to Whole Foods, which was the largest retailer in our category in the country, one of the most prestigious grocery stores in the country. And that was our first account. So, we jumped right in. As soon as we started pouring samples to customers, and making deliveries, and sending invoices, we got a lot smarter about our business.

Jim DeCicco: [00:14:53] And things change. The original business plan changed, the pitch deck changed based on reality. So, whether it's a career that you're after or starting a company, don't wait, really jump in, be exposed, jump into the deep end because, really, the only way you learn and grow is by doing hard things, hard, uncomfortable things.

Andy Molinsky: [00:15:11] So, you -- I can't help but ask about your brothers because you're not doing this alone. I was just imagining like doing what you're doing. You're not doing this alone, you're doing this with two people with you, sort of, in the trenches. And not only two people but two people that you grew up with, and that you trust, and that you know, and so on. Tell us about that and how has that affected things.

Jim DeCicco: [00:15:33] Yeah. So, my situation is definitely unique because I've known my business partners for 23 years. We trust each other. We know how we work together. We know what we're good at, what we're not good at. So, we've had that benefit. Obviously, there's like the brotherly love arguments on little subjective things, but it'd be impossible to do this alone. Totally impossible. It'd be impossible to do this with one partner, you know. If Jake and Jordan were the partners, or me and Jake, or me and Jordan were the partners, I don't think it would work. We each bring a diverse third of experience, and effort, and talent to the business, and we balance each other out nicely.

Jim DeCicco: [00:16:08] And, by the way, I am by no means an entrepreneur. This was my brother's idea. It was his vision. And I am more of -- I like to say, I am the how to Jake and Jordan's why. They're like, "Here's why we're going to start a company. Here's what we believe in. Here's our vision." Don't get me wrong, they execute great. But, for me, it's like, "Okay, here's how we're going to make that happen.".

Jim DeCicco: [00:16:28] So, I'm more of like that analytical, sort of, realist of, "Let's make this thing happen. Let's build out a team. Let's execute." And those are the guys that have the belief and the vision to make this thing work. And I mean, we live together, we work out together, we go on vacations together. It's really nonstop. And that's what's made this thing successful is our ability to be so immersed in the business 24/7.

Andy Molinsky: [00:16:53] What position did you play in football?

Jim DeCicco: [00:16:55] I got recruited as a quarterback, but my first game, I was a kick returner. And then, I ended up playing running back for four years.

Andy Molinsky: [00:17:01] Interesting. I was just thinking about like your role in the way that you talked about that you're really good at analyzing, and organizing, and executing. I was guessing a quarterback, but that's interesting. Let's hear from a student. So, I'm going to play a student question, and we'll see what they have to say, and then see what you have to say about that. So, here we go.

Marie: [00:17:20] Hi. My name is Marie, and I'm from Brooklyn, New York. My question is, what characteristics do you look for when hiring an intern?

Andy Molinsky: [00:17:28] Huh. Well, first of all, do you hire interns? And then, second of all, what would you look for?

Jim DeCicco: [00:17:34] Absolutely. So, the first question is we hired an intern this summer. I gave a presentation at Loyola University of Maryland in, I think, April of 2018. A student came up to me after class and was going, "Mr. DeCicco, I love your presentation. This is awesome." Ended up hiring him as a customer experience intern over the summer. He did such a good job that we hired him full-time. And he and I spend 14 hours a day together. He's my right-hand man. So, that was an internship that turned into a career. And the kid's got a very bright future. So, yes, we hire interns.

Jim DeCicco: [00:18:07] What we look for and what made this particular student successful is he works hard. He's super loyal. He's thirsty for knowledge and experience. And I think that the thing with a startup that's specific to us is versatility, right. You need to come in with an open mind because we don't offer finance internships. We don't offer marketing internships. If you come here, you're going to touch every piece of the business. And that's not for everybody, but it really throws you into a diverse versatile experience where you learn what you like, you learn what you don't like, you get good at being uncomfortable at not really knowing.

Jim DeCicco: [00:18:44] And that's the key to the startup world because even if you are really good at digital marketing, or design, or something like that, when you start full time here, you're going to touch many pieces of the business despite -- many pieces outside of your expertise. So, I think, the ability to work hard and have an open mind. You don't need to be smart. You don't need to be qualified. Those are all things we can teach you. But if you're not going to put in the work and if you're not going to be open to new opportunities, I don't think the startup world is for you.

Andy Molinsky: [00:19:16] That makes sense. We're nearing the end of our chat. This has been awesome. Let me just ask you a couple of quick questions. Can you share with us a productivity tip? It sounds like you kind of need to have them, I imagine. Is there anything that you do or you've learned to do that you can, kind of, share some wisdom about productivity?

Jim DeCicco: [00:19:35] Yeah, yeah. So, a couple of things. So, there's phases to productivity. So, right out of school when we started this, there's always been stress. There's always been levels of stress. I think, back then, it was like, "Geez, are we going to be able to make enough bottles to deliver?" And now, it's like, "Geez, do we have enough money to make payroll?" So, that the stress changes and evolves.

Jim DeCicco: [00:19:53] But for productivity, back in the early days, it requires a lot of effort, right. This is not a 9:00 to 5:00. So, for me, I would wake up early. I'm like a 4:30 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. kind of guy. And that's not for everybody, but it allows me to be super productive, really get to clear out my inbox, set up my day. And by 9:00 a.m, I have a four-hour jumpstart on the rest of the world. And, now, in my role, my day is filled with meetings, and phone calls, and stuff like that. So, I don't really get to do work from 9:00 to 5:00. So, first is waking up early.

Jim DeCicco: [00:20:24] Little practical tips and tricks is I make my bed. I make my bed now, which I was always a messy kid growing up. But the first thing I do is I make my bed in the morning. That's a quick way to get a win or an achievement under your belt and set your day up for success.

Jim DeCicco: [00:20:38] And I'm not a religious guy, but I do hit the floor. I get on my knees. And for two minutes, I just expressed gratitude. Whether I'm talking to God or to some spirit in the sky, I just say what I'm thankful for, and I set an intention for the day. Meaning like, today, I want to be focused and not distracted when I'm talking to people, right.

Jim DeCicco: [00:20:58] So, those two things right there. I think anybody can do them whether you're an entrepreneur, or a student, or an athlete is make your bed and express gratitude because it really is the best way to start your day.

Andy Molinsky: [00:21:09] Wow, great tips. I was actually wondering if you're going to talk about drinking coffee.

Jim DeCicco: [00:21:14] Oh, man, avoid it if you can. I'm addicted right now. I would say Super Coffee, drink that stuff.

Andy Molinsky: [00:21:20] That's what I was going to say. What makes for a good mentor do you think for young professionals? Have you had a mentor in this process?

Jim DeCicco: [00:21:26] Yeah. One of my mentors and close friends is a gentleman named Strauss Zelnick. He is 61 years old. He's just named the Chairman of CBS. And I met him through the fitness scene here in New York City. He's super fit. He's been on the cover of Men's Health Magazine. So, like, we used to work out together. And he's been through an amazing business career and really at all levels.

Jim DeCicco: [00:21:49] So, I think the thing that made this particular relationship successful is, one, we became friends, we had a lot in common. So, that's number one is find somebody who you can get along with, or somebody who shares similar interests to you because it's not going to work if you're like, "Hey, you have a cool resumé. Will you be my mentor?" You know, you don't know if that's going to be a good fit. It's like dating. You guys need to be compatible, and you need to understand each other.

Jim DeCicco: [00:22:12] And then, the second piece to successful or effective mentorship relationships is being vulnerable, right. You don't need to be tough. You don't need to put on a facade or pretend like you know more than you do. Really express your fears and your anxiety to your mentor once you, obviously, get to that point in your relationship with him or her. And if you're not being fully honest with him or her, you're not going to get the most out of that relationship. So, I found with my mentors who I trust and have good relationships with, I lay it out all on the table, and the advice is practical from them because they've been through it as well.

Andy Molinsky: [00:22:50] Right, got it. That's great. All right. One last question for you. You've been out of college for a couple of years now, but you've done a ton of stuff since then, and everything is transformed for you. If you could sort of leap back and step back in time to sort of, I don't know, junior or senior year, whenever it was before you got that phone call from your brother, what piece of advice would you give to that sort of, you know, I don't know, 19 or 20-year-old college version of you? And, really, the question is a question I ask everyone, sort of, like stepping back from where they are now to where they were in college, which I think is a lot of the people listening to this are probably around that college time, what advice would you give?

Jim DeCicco: [00:23:28] Yeah, that's a great question. And it's a tough one to answer, but I do think that, for me, it is commit to something and go all in with it. Whether it's a job, it's 9:00 to 5:00, or if it's graduate school, or if it's a startup, once you're committed, go all in. Don't go through the motions. Don't do something to get a couple years of sales experience, and then move on to something you really want to do because you're only going to learn, and you're only going to get the most out of something if you're putting everything into it.

Jim DeCicco: [00:23:57] And that cliche of you want to get out of it what you put into it is so true. So, even if it's something that you're not that passionate about, or it's not your your life's work, or your calling, really commit to it, really make sacrifices, work harder than everybody else there because you're going to learn a lot about yourself, and those experiences are going to shape who you become.

Jim DeCicco: [00:24:18] Great advice. So, thank you so much for coming on and taking the time out of your day for this. I really appreciate it. How can people learn more about you and your company if they're interested? I know they can go to a lot of supermarkets and find it, but if they want to go online, for instance, what can they do?

Jim DeCicco: [00:24:35] Yeah. So, my brothers and I are on LinkedIn and Instagram. Our last name is DeCicco, D-E-C-I-C-C-O. My name's Jim, Jake is the middle brother, and Jordan is the youngest brother. So, hit us up with direct messages, with questions, with LinkedIn comments. We're responsive to all of that.

Jim DeCicco: [00:24:52] Our company website is kitulife.com, K-I-T-U-L-I-F-E dot com. And then, we're on Instagram as @drinksupercoffee. So, follow along. We're always doing giveaways and promotions. That's where we post our job descriptions and our internship opportunities as well. But please reach out. We're happy to answer any questions you guys have.

Andy Molinsky: [00:25:11] Awesome. Thanks so much.

Jim DeCicco: [00:25:12] Andy, you are the man. Thank you for this. This was fun.