The Little Brand That Could…
These guys went to my university (UMass) and I’ve had a brand-crush on this business for some time. They were featured in my college magazine and thought I would do a short piece here because they represent a classic triple bottom line organization.
Life Is Good: Overview
Life Is Good is a philosophy that brothers John and Bert Jacobs have lived by and modeled their business after. Their glass-half-full attitudes and infectiously smiling Skinny Man (Jake) comprise the brand. The success they have managed over the last 10 years says a lot about what people are hungry for: optimism and affirmation of life.
The ever-evolving lifestyle brand of cheerful clothing and outdoor gear that began as a two-man mobile T-shirt business, has evolved into a 150+ person staff in Hudson, N.H. (pop. 7,814), and a 15-person design center on Boston’s tony Newbury Street.
About Bert & John
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Siblings Bert and John are from the Boston suburb of Needham, Mass., and are the youngest of six children. Both college-educated brothers dabbled in substitute teaching to help subsidize their fledgling brand in the early days. |
“The media are tremendously focused on what’s wrong with our world,” Bert says. “Nobody has an opportunity to focus on what’s right. You wouldn’t think our clothing would be so different than what’s out there, but it is. People are drawn to it.”
How They Give Back
Bert and John are less motivated by the sales of their T-shirts now, but by what the T-shirts enable: contributing to sustainable programs. Because going public or selling means that the charitable giving part of their business would decrease in emphasis, they agreed early to remain private. Impacting the lives of children has had more meaning to them.
“What gets us up in the morning is that someday we are going to have a fundraiser that raises a million dollars in one day!” Bert says. “If we can be a business for profit and turn that profit into helping people, that’s what has us revved up right now.”
Life is good® Festivals bring communities together to feel good and do good. Fully 100% of festival funds raised are donated to the Life is good Kids Foundation. The Foundation donates every penny received from festivals to extraordinary charities helping kids who face unfair challenges, including the trauma of violence and poverty.
In the past three years, Life is good Festivals have raised over $3 million for quality nonprofits benefiting kids in need. Money is raised through the sale of Life is good products, fundraising contests and events, personal donations, and Life is good donations. Over 250,000 people have come out to these homegrown Festivals to enjoy the good vibes and support a deserving cause.
Espresso Shot Insights what’s this?
- Plan Big, Have a Vision & Stick To It
- Be Yourself
- Think About Your (potential) Impact In Your Community
Plan Big, Have a Vision & Stick To It
What started out in the back of a van, has grown into a $50 million business with international reach. Like everyone, they’ve made mistakes along the way but they never waivered from their original goal: to develop a company that of creating something that has the greatest positive impact on American culture compared to any other brand in history.
Be Yourself
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“It hasn’t been hard to stay focused,” Bert says. “How can you preach this message and not live it? We’ve defined branding as knowing who we are and acting like it. We are such regular guys and we don’t know how not to be regular guys.” |
The most recognizable stickman in the world is Jake, a happy little stick figure with an infectious smile whose profile also sounds like “the perfect guy.” He loves to hike, play Frisbee, drink coffee and—you got it—enjoy life. He’s a regular guy who doesn’t know how not to be a regular guy.
Think About Your (potential) Impact In Your Community
Predictably, Bert, who handles business development, and John, who holds up the creative end, aren’t traditional corporate types. The result of their unorthodox beginning yielded a truly unique idea. What makes them even more unique is their commitment to giving back to the community. As soon as they were in the black, they established a charitable division to raise money for children’s causes. Instead of stuffy gala fundraisers, they opted for something more fun.
The company created two annual outdoor festivals that raise money for Project Joy and Camp Sunshine, charities that focus on children. At the June 2005 Backyard Festival in Boston, which consisted of a watermelon seed-spitting contest, Frisbee, crafts and music, more than $107,000 was raised for Project Joy.
Steve Gross, longtime friend of the Jacobs and founder of Project Joy, says the brand captures the spirit of Bert and John. “Those guys have a really powerful energy,” Gross says. “They are fun. Both of those guys are so positive, when you hang out with them, you feel like you are a part of something. Wearing their clothes makes you feel like you are a part of a movement to get as much out of life as you possibly can. ”
Filed under: Company Profiles, Espresso Shot Insights | 1 Comment
Tags: Life Is Good, Bert & John, Skinny Man Jake, Mission Driven Businesses, Social Venture, Doing Good, Community, Espresso Shot Insights, business wisdom, Company Profiles
Christine Haskell
I love these guys. In fact, I featured them in my success stories section, profiles of businesses that started small and got personal branding right in my e-book, “Personal Branding Kit for the Solopreneur.” And I suppose life is good is a role model for me because of their giving back philosophy, too. Great story.