Introduction
Jesse Itzler is an American entrepreneur, author, speaker and former recording artist. He is best known for co-founding Marquis Jet, investing in ZICO Coconut Water, joining the Atlanta Hawks ownership group and writing Living with a SEAL.
His career is unusual because it does not belong to one industry. He started in music, moved into sports entertainment, helped develop a private-aviation company and later created businesses connected to fitness, planning and personal development.
As of July 2026, his current work includes public speaking, business coaching, 29029 endurance events, Runningman Festival and other experience-based projects. His career shows how curiosity, strong sales skills and a willingness to enter unfamiliar industries can create unexpected opportunities.
Jesse Itzler Quick Facts
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jesse Itzler |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, author, speaker and former recording artist |
| Education | American University |
| Best known for | Co-founding Marquis Jet and writing Living with a SEAL |
| Major business interests | Private aviation, consumer products, sports and endurance events |
| Books | Living with a SEAL and Living with the Monks |
| Sports connection | Member of the Atlanta Hawks ownership group |
| Spouse | Sara Blakely |
| Children | Four |
| Current projects | 29029, coaching, speaking and experience-based businesses |
Who Is Jesse Itzler?
Jesse Itzler is a business founder who has built companies and projects across several very different industries.
Many entrepreneurs spend their full careers working in one field. Itzler followed a different path. He moved from music into professional sports marketing, private aviation, consumer drinks, publishing and endurance events.
He is also known for turning personal challenges into business and publishing ideas. His experiences training with endurance athlete David Goggins and staying in a monastic community became the subjects of his two best-known books.
This combination of business, fitness and storytelling has helped him develop a large public audience.
Early Life and Education
Itzler grew up in Roslyn on Long Island, New York.
He later attended American University in Washington, D.C., where he studied at the School of Public Affairs. He graduated in 1990.
During his university years, he became interested in music and entertainment. He worked on a recording demo while completing his studies and received a recording contract soon after graduating.
His education also gave him practical communication skills. Public speaking, advertising and presentation skills later became important when he started pitching business ideas to customers, investors and partners.
His Early Music Career
Before becoming widely known as an entrepreneur, Itzler worked as a recording artist under the professional name Jesse Jaymes.
He signed with the record label Delicious Vinyl and released music during the early 1990s. One of his recognised tracks was “Shake It Like a White Girl.”
His performing career did not become the main source of his long-term public success. However, the music industry taught him how to promote an idea, understand an audience and create attention.
He later began producing songs for sports teams. His work included versions of “Go New York Go,” which became closely connected with the New York Knicks during the team’s 1990s playoff campaigns.
This move from performing music to creating commercial sports content became an important turning point.
Building Alphabet City Sports Records
Itzler co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records with entrepreneur Kenny Dichter.
The company created customised music for professional sports teams. Instead of selling ordinary albums, it combined music with famous commentary, team history and memorable sporting moments.
The business worked with dozens of professional teams. It helped Itzler understand that music could be used as a commercial product rather than only as entertainment.
Alphabet City Sports Records was eventually sold to SFX in 1998.
The experience gave him an early business exit and prepared him for a much larger project.
How Jesse Itzler Started Marquis Jet
In 2001, Itzler co-founded Marquis Jet with Kenny Dichter and other partners.
Marquis Jet was built around a simple problem. Private flights were useful for wealthy travellers and business leaders, but owning an aircraft required a large financial and management commitment.
The company offered prepaid jet cards that gave customers access to flights operated through NetJets. Customers could purchase flight time without owning an entire aircraft.
The model made private aviation more flexible and understandable for people who travelled regularly.
Marquis Jet became one of the best-known private-jet card companies in the United States. NetJets, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, agreed to acquire the business in 2010.
The sale became one of the most important achievements of Itzler’s business career.
His journey has similarities with other founders who recognised a simple customer problem and turned it into a clear commercial product. FOR Magazine readers can see another example in Rob Law’s entrepreneurship journey, which explains how the Trunki founder transformed a university product idea into an international brand.
Jesse Itzler and ZICO Coconut Water
After his work with Marquis Jet, Itzler became involved with ZICO Coconut Water.
He was not the original founder of ZICO. The company was established by Mark Rampolla. Itzler later joined as a partner and investor, helping with promotion and business growth.
At the time, coconut water was still developing as a major consumer-drinks category in the United States.
The Coca-Cola Company invested in ZICO and completed its purchase of the remaining ownership stake in 2013.
Itzler’s involvement demonstrated another part of his business approach. He did not always need to create a company from the beginning. He was also willing to support an existing founder when he believed a product had room to grow.
Atlanta Hawks Ownership
In 2015, Jesse Itzler and his wife, Sara Blakely, joined the investment group led by Tony Ressler that purchased the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association, commonly known as the NBA.
Itzler’s involvement connected his earlier experience in sports music and marketing with professional team ownership.
His exact individual ownership percentage was not disclosed in the NBA’s public announcement. However, the league officially identified Itzler and Blakely as members of the purchasing group.
What Is Living with a SEAL About?
Itzler published Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet in 2015.
The book describes a month during which David Goggins lived with Itzler and guided him through an intense physical-training programme.
Goggins is a former Navy SEAL and an endurance athlete known for completing difficult races and physical challenges.
Itzler invited him into his home because he wanted to improve his mental and physical limits. The training did not follow a comfortable or predictable routine.
The experience became both a personal challenge and a popular book. Its simple message is that people often discover new abilities when they move beyond familiar habits.
The book became a major bestseller and introduced Itzler to readers who had not previously followed his business career.
What Is Living with the Monks About?
His second major book, Living with the Monks, was published in 2018.
For this project, he stayed at a monastic community in upstate New York.
The experience was very different from training with David Goggins. Instead of focusing on physical pressure, it explored silence, attention, routine, gratitude and reduced use of technology.
Itzler used the experience to think about how constant communication and busy schedules can affect personal focus.
Together, the two books present opposite kinds of challenges. One involves extreme physical effort, while the other involves quiet reflection and disconnection.
What Is 29029?
In 2017, Itzler co-founded 29029 with Marc Hodulich and Colin O’Brady.
The name represents 29,029 feet, the commonly stated elevation of Mount Everest.
During a 29029 event, participants repeatedly climb a mountain. They travel down by gondola and then begin another climb. The goal is to complete enough climbs to equal the height of Everest.
It is not a traditional running race. Participants move at their own speed and receive support throughout the event.
The business combines endurance, travel, coaching and community. It is designed for people who want a difficult goal without taking part in a normal competitive race.
Fitness company iFIT acquired 29029 in 2021. Itzler’s official career history says the original founders later bought the company back.
As of July 2026, he remains publicly connected with the company as a co-founder.
What Does Jesse Itzler Do Now?
Itzler’s current career is divided between several projects rather than one normal corporate position.
His work includes:
- 29029 endurance events
- Business and personal coaching
- Public speaking
- Runningman Festival
- Large-format planning products
- Wellness and sauna-related products
- Adventure and leadership programmes
- Digital courses
- His Free Swim newsletter
His official website describes him as an entrepreneur, author, speaker and coach.
A major part of his current work is based on experiences. Rather than selling only information, his businesses often ask participants to complete a difficult activity, meet other people and test their normal routines.
This approach is different from many technology founders, but it still depends on understanding a clear audience. A related FOR Magazine profile about Erik Allebest and the creation of Chess.com shows another way an entrepreneur can build a large community around a shared interest.
Jesse Itzler and Sara Blakely
Jesse Itzler is married to Sara Blakely, the entrepreneur who founded Spanx.
They married in 2008 and have four children.
Both have built independent business careers. Blakely became known for developing Spanx into a major clothing and shapewear company, while Itzler created businesses across music, aviation and endurance experiences.
They later became members of the Atlanta Hawks ownership group together.
Itzler has publicly discussed organising his work schedule around family time. He often presents planning as a way to protect important experiences rather than simply completing more business tasks.
His Endurance Challenges
Physical challenges have become an important part of Itzler’s public identity.
He has completed long-distance running events, including 100-mile races. His official career history also documents challenges involving swimming, cycling, mountain climbing and travel.
In 2022, he completed an Ultraman-distance event. This type of event includes a long open-water swim, an extended cycling distance and a double-marathon run across several days.
These activities are not separate from his business work. They help shape the stories, programmes and events he creates.
However, his main public profession remains entrepreneurship. He is not primarily known as a professional athlete.
Why Is Jesse Itzler Famous?
Jesse Itzler is famous because he has built a career across industries that rarely connect.
He first attracted attention through music. He later co-founded Marquis Jet, became involved with ZICO, joined an NBA ownership group and wrote bestselling books.
He is also recognised for creating unusual endurance experiences and speaking about planning, discomfort and personal growth.
His story appeals to readers because it is not based on one job or one business. It shows how skills learned in one industry can sometimes be applied in a completely different field.
What Can Entrepreneurs Learn From Jesse Itzler?
Communication is a business skill
His early work in music helped him learn how to attract attention and explain ideas. These skills later supported his business pitches.
A simple model can change an industry
Marquis Jet made private-flight access easier to purchase by packaging it through prepaid cards.
Experience can become a product
His books and endurance businesses grew from real challenges rather than general motivational ideas.
Partners can provide missing skills
Many of his major projects were created with co-founders, investors or experienced business partners.
Planning should include personal goals
Itzler regularly discusses placing family activities, travel and major challenges on a calendar before everyday work takes all available time.
A career does not need one straight path
Music, aviation, coconut water, professional basketball and endurance events appear unrelated. His career connects them through sales, marketing, storytelling and community building.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jesse Itzler?
Jesse Itzler is an American entrepreneur, author, speaker and former recording artist. He is best known for co-founding Marquis Jet, writing Living with a SEAL and creating endurance-based businesses.
What company did Jesse Itzler start?
His best-known company is Marquis Jet, which he co-founded in 2001. He also co-founded Alphabet City Sports Records and 29029.
Did Jesse Itzler sell Marquis Jet?
NetJets agreed to acquire Marquis Jet in 2010. NetJets is owned by Berkshire Hathaway.
Did Jesse Itzler create ZICO?
No. Mark Rampolla founded ZICO. Itzler later became a business partner and investor in the coconut-water company.
Is Jesse Itzler an owner of the Atlanta Hawks?
He and Sara Blakely were officially named as members of the ownership group that purchased the Atlanta Hawks in 2015.
What books has Jesse Itzler written?
His two best-known books are Living with a SEAL and Living with the Monks.
Who trained Jesse Itzler in Living with a SEAL?
David Goggins lived with and trained Itzler during the experience described in the book.
What is Jesse Itzler doing now?
As of July 2026, his work includes 29029, coaching, public speaking, Runningman Festival, planning products and experience-based leadership programmes.
Who is Jesse Itzler married to?
He is married to Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. They have four children.
Conclusion
Jesse Itzler has developed one of the most varied careers in modern American entrepreneurship.
He moved from recording music to producing content for sports teams. He then helped build Marquis Jet, supported ZICO’s growth, became part of the Atlanta Hawks ownership group and created bestselling books from unusual personal challenges.
His current work combines business, coaching, fitness, planning and live experiences.
The main lesson from his career is not that every person should complete an extreme endurance event. It is that useful communication skills, strong partnerships and a willingness to learn can allow one idea to lead toward an entirely new opportunity.
