Jimmy Butler’s $20 coffee hustle is the best business in the NBA bubble

Take any Econ 101 class and you’ll be told that the commodities world is based on supply and demand. Jimmy Butler gets it.

While many NBA players used their precious personal item slots to bring memories of home, or their favorite video game console — Butler decided to bring a French press into the NBA bubble, and is now running his own coffee business out of his room.

First of all, I absolutely love this scam. I don’t know what the coffee game is like inside the Disney resort, but considering Butler’s burgeoning business I have to imagine it’s a little lackluster. Everything about this sign is genius.

1. Everything being $20. This lulls the consumer into a false sense of security by setting a ridiculous bottom line. Naturally most people are going to get a $20 large, because it seems like a deal compared to the small. Before they even think about the fact they’re paying $20 for a coffee they’ve already been bamboozled.
2. No IOUs. This is just smart entrepreneurship. Not only does it keep the free cash flow running effectively, but it means no messy debt collecting on the back end.
3. Lots of options. Giving the customer choice is key. I don’t really know how Butler is making a pour over, macchiato or cappuccino in a French press — but I suppose that’s for his customers to grapple with.
4. Smiley faces. Ingratiates you to the business, even while being robbed blind for $20 coffee.

I think the reason I respect this so much is that I too ran a hustle much like Butler’s when I was in the fourth grade. I turned myself into a human Uber and gave kids piggy back rides around school for 20 cents a ride. Business was booming too, until my mom began to question why I was coming home from school with a pound of candy every day.

In hindsight if my child came home from school with an abundance of unknown candy I’d probably be a little concerned too. Good looking out, mom.