Back in 2012, when I was in my forties and just married, I went to visit Matt Damon at his house in Miami. As I was getting ready to leave, he asked if I wanted to spend the night. I told him I'd love to, but I was heading to Brazil the next day.
“Why?” Matt asked. “What’s in Brazil?”
I explained that I was starting a coconut water company and needed to do some research.
"You've got to be kidding. I have a coconut tree in my backyard. I love coconuts. I drink coconuts from the tree all the time." Then he added, "If anything happens with this company, keep me updated. This is something that I may want to get involved with."
Noted.
Fast forward a month, and I'm at the Coca-Cola office pitching them on my coconut water company, Coco Plus. The meeting wasn't going great, and I knew I needed to change up the vibe.
"Well, my partner Matt Damon and I..."
The president of Coke interrupted me. "What? Matt Damon is your partner. My daughter and I are the biggest Matt Damon fan. We love Matt Damon. We just watched Good Will Hunting. I can recite it."
I played it cool, like I couldn't believe I hadn't mentioned Matt was my partner.
The whole thing flipped.
I got to the one-yard line, and as soon as I left the meeting, I called Matt.
"Yo… I need a favor."
Matt told me sure, whatever I needed.
So…
The next day, I sent Coke a video of…
Matt climbed up his coconut tree, plucking a coconut, using a baseball bat to knock it down, a machete to open it (splashes everywhere), and finally putting a straw in it. He turned to the camera and said, "There's got to be a better way."
We got the deal.
