According to Fortune, billionaire Mike Repole, who co-founded and sold beverage companies Glaceau and BodyArmor to Coca-Cola for a combined $9.7 billion, actively tries to convince people not to become entrepreneurs. The 56-year-old, whose net worth is estimated at $1.6 billion, calls the first five years of a startup the “survival years,” stating “Every single day, you could go bankrupt.” He co-founded Glaceau, maker of Vitaminwater and Smartwater, in 1999, growing it from $1 million in first-year sales to over $1 billion in revenue by 2007, when Coke bought it for $4.1 billion. He then co-founded BodyArmor in 2011, which attracted a $5 million investment from Kobe Bryant in 2014, before Coca-Cola purchased the remaining 85% stake for $5.6 billion in November 2021.
The unvarnished truth
Here’s the thing: Repole’s advice is brutally refreshing. In a world where social media feeds are clogged with “day in the life of a CEO” glamor reels and get-rich-quick guru nonsense, a guy who’s actually done it—twice, at a massive scale—is telling you the opposite of what you’d expect. He’s not selling a course. He’s basically giving you the anti-pitch. And it carries weight because he admits his own journey was filled with days he didn’t think they’d make it and multiple failures. This isn’t theoretical for him. It’s a visceral memory.
Why this message matters now
So why is this perspective gaining traction among the ultra-successful? Look, entrepreneurship has been dangerously romanticized. The narrative is all about the unicorn exit, the viral launch, the disruptive innovation. What gets buried is the sheer, grinding statistical probability of failure. Most startups fail. Repole’s warning is a necessary counterbalance. It filters for the people who might be in it for the wrong reasons. If you hear “every single day, you can go bankrupt” and it doesn’t deter you, but instead clarifies your resolve, then maybe you’ve got the right temperament. If it scares you off? That’s probably a good thing, too.
The crazy that changes the world
Now, the delicious contradiction—and the most telling part—is Repole’s own self-assessment. When asked if he’s “a little crazy” like other billionaires, he said, “I started crazy,” adding that “crazy people change the world.” That’s the real insight, isn’t it? The warning isn’t meant to stop everyone. It’s meant to find the people who, despite that terrifying daily risk of ruin, are compelled to build something anyway. It’s about separating the dreamers from the doers. The ones who hear the warning and think, “I know. And I’m going to do it regardless.” That’s the profile. It’s not for the faint of heart, and maybe that’s the most valuable business lesson of all.
