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DISPOSITION: In 1994, Bert and John Jacobs were just two brothers peddling T-shirts. Today, they head up a $100-million-dollar business. Bert (left), Life is good’s self- described Chief Executive Optimist, travels the worldas a motivational speaker.
Bert Jacobs
Bert Jacobs is quick to say that while Life is good—the wildly successful company he and his brother, John, founded in 1994—makes “great-quality” apparel and accessories, they serve as “a vehicle for a message.” And while spreading the Life is good philoso- phy is key to the Jacobs brothers’ mission, doing good is equally important. The company,
known for its charitable work, has established the Life is good Kids Foundation,which has raised millions to help children fac- ing illness, violence, and poverty.Because business, Bert Jacobs says, really should be “a tool for doing something greater.” Recently he spoke to Convene about his and his brother’s
improbable start in retailing,what they’ve learned along theway, and what he expects Convening Leaders attendees to get out of his closing general-session presentation next month.
130 pcma convene December 2011
Tell us about your early years selling T-shirts. What kinds of graphics did they originally have? Well, a lot of it was sort of abstract—music-related, about art itself.It was about open-mindedness.All the things that are good about life.We didn’t have any [other] common thread. It was a bit haphazard.One of us would draw something that we liked and say, “Let’s go out and try that.” For example, at one point, I did a drawing of a stick figurewhose headwasmade up of con-