Bert and john jacobs biography

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Bert and john jacobs biography: Bert Jacobs, co-founder and CEO—chief

View More Featured Videos. What For-Profits can Learn from Nonprofits The smartest capitalists of today and in the future will integrate social work into their businesses—their customers demand it. Harnessing the Power of Optimism to Innovate and Thrive in Times of Change Now more than ever, business leaders foresee significant change ahead for their companies.

View More Featured Keynote Programs. Optimism from the Inside Out. Cynthia Germanotta, President. Life is still good: T-shirt company finds not even coronavirus can kill optimism. Peter Sheahan. David Ricketts. They describe their childhood as "perfectly imperfect" in their new book, " Life Is Good. After playing outside all day, they would run to the dinner table, where their mother would say something that later inspired their business: " Tell me something good that happened today.

This optimism was especially important for the boys in elementary school, when their parents were in a near-death car accident from which their mother managed to escape with just a few broken bones — but their father lost the use of his right hand. The stress and frustration from his physical therapy caused him to develop a harsh temper.

But even when difficult things were happening around the house, their mother would still be singing, telling stories, and acting out children's books for them. Inthe adventurous brothers decided to take a seven-week road trip from California, where John was in school on an exchange program, back to Boston. The purpose: to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives.

Bert and john jacobs biography: John and Bert Jacobs grew

Not only did they spend their days swimming in beautiful Southern California, meeting amazing friends, and playing pickup basketball in Venice Beach — they also discovered what to do with their lives: start a business together that let them be creative. When they got home, the brothers moved back in with their parents and started selling a variety of T-shirt designs under the name "Jacob's Gallery" in college dorms and at street fairs around Boston.

The brothers knew college students could be a good audience to target, but they weren't connecting with them. It was nicknamed "The Enterprise" because it literally contained their entire enterprise: their T-shirts and them. It really wasn't. They tried to figure out if it was because the designs were bad, students had no money, or they were waking them up at 1 a.

In both, you win," they write. Soon the brothers transitioned into their late 20s and were still living paycheck to paycheck. Bert's girlfriend broke up with him after her mom gave her a quick dose of reality. You need to get real," she told her. But the brothers knew that if they listened to the doubters, they would also have to come back down to reality, take the safe route, and miss out on realizing their full potential.

This mindset gave the brothers the motivation to host an old-fashioned keg party after they returned from each road trip — no matter how discouraging the sales were. The parties were a win-win because the brothers would provide free beer and entertaining stories from their trips and friends would provide honest feedback on new T-shirt ideas.

They shared a design they had come up with on their way home while discussing how much they disliked the negative news cycle. They talked about how difficult it was to stay positive in such a negative world. So John drew that person, who ended up looking like a bohemian guy with a beret and sunglasses and a big smile. The design was the hit of the party.

One comment on the wall next to the happy-face design captured why: "This guy's got life figured out. So the brothers shortened that phrase to "Life Is Good," printed out 48 T-shirts, and brought them to a street fair in in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The T-shirts were sold out within an hour — even the two prints off their own backs. The brothers were ecstatic — they had finally found the message they wanted to share and people loved it.

The brothers knew that this could be their big break if they got their design in front of more eyes. So they loaded up The Enterprise with high spirits and shopped the design all around Boston with no takers — until they came to a small flip-flop shop on Cape Cod. Nancy, the owner, bought 24 shirts and asked, "What's the smiley guy's name?

Thinking on the spot, they said, "Jake" because it was short for Jacobs. Later, they discovered that this was a stroke of genius because "jake" is an old term for "everything's all right. More than ever, consumers are demanding brands they buy from are socially responsible. Jacobs shares the LiG story and inspires audiences to integrate a deeper meaning into their work… the authentic way.

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Bert and john jacobs biography: Needham-born brothers John and Bert

The brothers began to sell T-shirts and hats featuring Jake in local stores. Life is Good expanded its product lines from T-shirts and caps in the early years to a full line of apparel for men, women, and children, as well as an increasing number of accessories categories. They offer over different items. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk.

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