Jesse Itzler turned a New York Knicks anthem into a multimillion-dollar business.
Here at Money Grades, we’re all about the hustle. And nothing says hustle quite like turning a raw deal into a business that eventually earns you an eight-figure payday.
That’s exactly what Jesse Itzler did.
You may know Jesse as the entrepreneur behind a coconut water empire. Personally, I think coconut water tastes like bad dreams and wet denim. But there’s no denying the man’s business genius.
That’s why Jesse earns the first A+ from Money Grades.
If you didn’t know, Jesse Itzler is the voice behind “Go New York Go,” the anthem that has echoed through Madison Square Garden for more than 30 years. As the Knicks make their deepest playoff run in decades, the song is still blasting after every big win.
Recently, Jesse took to Instagram to share the story behind the song and how it changed his life.
“It was 1993,” he wrote. “I wrote and sang the theme song called ‘GO NY GO’ for the Knicks.
“They paid me $4,000 to own it outright. That was 10 months of rent for me… LITERALLY. Done deal!”
At the time, $4,000 seemed like a great payday. No one could have predicted that the Knicks would continue using the song after wins for the next 33 years.
On paper, Jesse got the short end of the stick.
In reality, he got something much more valuable.
The entrepreneur and minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks explained what happened next:
“Next thing I know, Budweiser is using the song. Foot Locker. The Wiz. It’s in every Knicks commercial, on T-shirts, on towels… and I got zero. BUT, in reality, I would have paid the Knicks $10,000 for the opportunity. It gave me credibility and a story.”
That’s the moment many people miss.
Jesse wasn’t focused on what he didn’t get. He focused on what the opportunity gave him.
The song became his calling card.
Armed with that credibility, he started contacting professional sports teams across the country.
“I then called every NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB team and told them I do custom team songs and did this for the Knicks,” Jesse said. “Game over. Sold that company for $16 million total two years later.”
Read that again.
A $4,000 gig became a $16 million business sale in just two years.
That’s legendary.
The lesson isn’t about music. It’s about opportunity.
Too many people focus on the immediate payday. Jesse focused on the doors that payday could open.
As he put it:
“Sometimes it’s the deal that leads to the DEAL that matters most.”
That’s a lesson every entrepreneur, freelancer, creator, and side hustler should remember.
The question is: What opportunity are you sitting on right now?
And how can you turn today’s gig into tomorrow’s bigger deal?