Vita Coco founder: This mindset grew my company from $0 to $1.5 billion

This is a snippet from the weekly CNBC Make It Work newsletter, written by Ashton Jackson.

Michael Kirban’s formula for success is simple: Bring me some fierce competition, and challenge me to beat it.

Turning competitive threats into motivational fuel helped drive Kirban, 48, and his coconut water company Vita Coco from a brand-new startup in 2004 to an industry-leading giant with a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, as of November 7.

“Bet against us, and we’re going to do everything we can to kick your ass,” Kirban, Vita Coco’s co-founder and executive chairman, tells CNBC Make It.?

That mindset isn’t just casual advice from a successful entrepreneur. It’s baked into Vita Coco’s DNA after nearly 20 years of tussling with a near-identical direct competitor called Zico.?

Both companies were founded the same year, but their rivalry intensified in 2009 when beverage behemoth Coca-Cola bought a 20% stake in Zico, giving it the support of a global business with billions of dollars in revenue. “Quite a few people” told Kirban that Vita Coco was in trouble, but that only pushed him to work harder.

Kirban says you can use competition to your advantage by embracing the fight and training yourself to thrive under the pressure it creates.?

“If I think about every wall we’ve hit in this business, it’s always that that keeps me going,” he says. “It’s like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to give up, and we’re going to prove everybody wrong.’”

For more details on how to use your competition to your advantage, according to Kirban, check out the full story.

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