Co-Founder & Chief Executive Optimist, Life is Good
Bert Jacobs is the co-founder and CEO of the $250 million positive lifestyle brand Life is Good.
In 1994, Bert and his brother John were sleeping in their van and selling their t-shirt designs up and down the East Coast. Equipped only with their mother Joan’s resilient optimism and their last $78, the brothers designed the first Life is Good t-shirt – and struck a chord that’s still resonating over thirty years later. Today, Life is Good has grown into a powerhouse of positivity, inspiring a worldwide community of optimists and donating more than 10% of all net profits toward helping kids in need through their integrated nonprofit partner, the Life is Good Playmaker Project.
Because of his unique perspective that ties rational optimism to business, Bert has received honorary degrees from 5 major universities or colleges. He has shared his transformative message at a wide range of gatherings and leadership conferences including Inc 5000, Morgan Stanley, SAP Sapphire, Discover, and more. He and John have been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Men’s Health Magazine, and on television programs such as NPR’s How I Built This, CNNMoney, CNBC’s Business Nation, ABC News’ Nightline, NBC’s The Today Show, and many others.
