- Jason Rivers founded Oasis Energy Drink with his best friend, Wesley Fowler.
- The two met playing pee-wee football three decades ago.
- Rivers says their complementary strengths make the business successful.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jason Rivers, cofounder of Oasis Energy Drink. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Wesley Fowler and I have been friends since fourth grade. That’s when we met, playing football outside Atlanta, where we grew up. We played all together all through middle school and high school. Our families were intertwined, and we were best friends. I was even a groomsman at Wes’s wedding.
We have always had an interest in becoming entrepreneurs together. I’ve been a serial entrepreneur, with some ventures more successful than others. Wes has worked mostly in the corporate world, though he’s dabbled in entrepreneurship too.
A while back, we ran a promotional company in Atlanta together. It worked well, but Wes moved away about three months in. Since then, we have been always talking about possible collaborations. Two years ago, we found one we thought would really work: Oasis, a natural energy drink.
Our complimentary skills are our superpower
Working with Wes isn’t my first time starting a business with a friend. I had a company with a friend in the past, but it didn’t go well. I managed to save the friendship — I just recently attended an NFL game with him — but the company just wasn’t meant to be.
What makes things work well with Wes is that his strengths are my weaknesses, and vice versa. I came up with the idea for Oasis, but Wes is the market genius who brought my idea to life. I’m good with numbers and operations, while he has a creativity I envy. When we bring those strengths together, it feels like we have a super power.
One thing we have in common is that we like to do things with a sense of urgency. We never let problems pile up, and we’re constantly working on the company together, even when that means late-night phone calls after our families are asleep.
We keep our friendship at the forefront
Friendship is still the foundation of our relationship. We’ve been friends for 31 years now and business partners for two years. We relate to each other man to man first. Sometimes, that means understanding family obligations. My kids are older, but Wes has two small kids and is in a more intensive parenting stage. I make sure he has space for that.
Since we have such a long history, we’re not caught up in ego. We respect and trust each other, but we’re not trying to prove anything. Sometimes, I’ll get on a call thinking I know exactly what direction we should take. Wes will have a different idea. I’m humble enough that I can hear him out and change my mind if what he says makes sense.
We also give each other a lot of autonomy. Wes makes marketing decisions without needing my OK, and I do the same on the operations side. That frees us up to spend our time together talking about bigger decisions.
We’re used to solving problems together
Being an entrepreneur means constantly solving problems. We’ve had plenty over the past two years, but we’ve been able to work through them all because of our friendship. Wes and I both have high emotional intelligence and never lose our tempers. We can tell each other when we need more time to think over a decision, and we trust that we’re in this together. After 31 years, we wouldn’t know anything else.
