Episode 110 | How Optimism Turned $200 Into $100 Million
with Life Is Good CEO Bert Jacobs
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Life isn’t easy. Life isn’t perfect. But life is good.
That’s the motto that has propelled Life Is Good – the lifestyle clothing brand that celebrates optimism – from a $200 initial investment in 1989 to a $100M company today.
This week our guest is Life Is Good co-founder and CEO Bert Jacobs. In the interview, Bert shares how he and his co-founder/brother John conceived of the company, and why placing optimism at the core of the brand has helped it reach millions of people.
As Bert tells it, before it was ever a company or a t-shirt, “Life Is Good” was a spirit personified by Bert and John’s mother, Joan, an eternal optimist who taught her children to turn the music up, enjoy the moment, and always remember to focus on the good things in life.
Ultimately, the pair took her message to heart, and made the spread of positive energy their lives work. In addition to the brand’s uplifting message, Life Is Good achieves spreads good vibes by donating 10% of net profits to the Life Is Good Kids Foundation, and by holding events like the Life Is Good music festival.
Bert was an incredibly honest, good-natured, and fascinating guest. He told us why he believes our disposition determines our happiness, why employee engagement is so important to his organization, why work/life balance is an inherently flawed concept, and why the people who have the hardest road ahead of them tend to gravitate toward the Life Is Good brand the most.
Speaking to Bert put us in a great mood and taught us a lot about leadership and business, and we think listening to him will have the same effect.
Recommended Reading
- Life Is Good: The Book by Bert & John Jacobs
Links
- Lifeisgood.com
- Life Is Good on LinkedIn
- @LifeIsGood on Twitter
- @LifeIsGoodCo on Instagram
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