Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

The youngest of six children, Jacobs grew up in Boston and in 1989 after college started selling t-shirts out of a used van with his brother John. The mission? "To go where no t-shirt has gone before." With a combined sum of $78, the brothers created "Jake," the character at the center of the Life is Good brand, that is paired with sayings like "These are the good old days," and "Take your sweet time." The brand celebrates life and reminds people to take pleasure in the simplest things. "It's something we don't do enough of," Jacobs said.

The Jacobs brothers have succeeded in that mission. Operating on a single philosophy of "optimism," Bert lives up to his title. By helping humanity through hosting "Life is Good" festivals for charity, letting customers "own the business," and keeping all employees through the recent recession even though revenue was down 15 percent last year, I think executives everywhere could take a lesson or two from Jacobs.

Dressed in a "Life is Good" t-shirt and jeans, on Monday Jacobs used some of his t-shirt slogans as a springboard to dispense his wisdom about life and business. Here is a sampling:

Not all who wander are lost: Jacobs said that it's ok to ask questions and it's ok to have employees who have worked for only six months lead. "The business isn't about me...The business should be about who has the best ideas," he said. "My brother and I are successful today because we didn't have all the answers.... Stick with your people."

Simplify: Once a day for an hour, unplug everything and reboot your system.

Don't knock something; build something: "Anyone can complain--that's contagious. Instead think about what's right rather than what's wrong," he said.
Take your sweet time: "Wouldn't you like to take your time with a project and do it better? Take one thing off your desk today."

Consider yourself a lucky dog: "If you have a roof over your head and a job, you're a lucky dog. If you feel like a victim, you will be traumatized," he said.

Take your love everywhere you go: "Those people have the most influence."

Celebrate: "You are so much more capable as a leader when you feel you're the product of what you've done."

Write on: Bert and John wrote down all their ideas in the beginning and followed through. "Everyone has had ideas to change this industry. Write them down."

Blur the line between work and play: "You have to have fun at work."

The Jacobs see simplicity, humility, and a sense of humor as the three keys to the success of Life is Good. What are the keys to your success?