Life Is Good Company

The Life Is Good Company is an American apparel and accessories wholesaler, retailer, and lifestyle brand founded in 1994 and best known for its optimistic happy go lucky T-shirts and hats, many of which feature a smiling stick figure named Jake and the registered trademark "Life is good."

For the electronics company, see LG Corporation. For other uses, see Life Is Good (disambiguation).
Life Is Good Company
TypePrivate
Founded1994 (1994)
FounderBert Jacobs
John Jacobs
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Number of employees
200+[1]
Websitewww.lifeisgood.com

History

In 1989, brothers Bert and John Jacobs, who grew up in Needham, Massachusetts, designed their first T-shirts. They began selling their designs in the streets of Boston and out of an old van at colleges and street fairs along the East Coast of the United States.[2] In 1994, following a not-so-successful road trip, they returned to Boston, unsure of the future of their business. It was their common practice to gather friends at their apartment following such trips to share stories and to ask their friends to comment on drawings and sayings posted on their living room walls.[3] On this occasion, one drawing received considerable favorable attention from their friends — the head of a beret-wearing, smiling stick figure and the phrase "Life is good." The brothers named the character Jake and printed up 48 shirts bearing a smiling Jake and the words "Life is good." At a street fair in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the shirts sold out in less than an hour. The brothers began to sell T-shirts and hats featuring Jake in local stores. Sales grew quickly and they hit the $100 million sales mark by 2007.[2]

Life is Good Corporate Logo, 2011–2015

Life is Good expanded its product lines from T-shirts and caps in the early years to a full line of apparel for men, women, and children, as well as an increasing number of accessories categories. They created their motto, "Do what you like, like what you do."[4] They offer over 900 different items in 14 categories.[1] Products are sold online via the company's website, in approximately 4,500 retail stores in the United States,[5][6] and in 30 countries.[7] Life is Good donates 10% of its profits to improving children's lives through their Life is Good Kids Foundation.[8]

Life is Good Corporate Logo, 1994–2011

Retail

Life is Good products are sold in approximately 4,500 retail stores[5] throughout the United States and Canada. The brand is distributed through multiple customer channels.

Philanthropy

Life is Good is founded on the belief in spreading optimism. So how does the Life is Good company handle the times when life is not so good? After the tragic day of 9/11, people were claiming they no longer believed life was good anymore. After so many deaths and so many injuries it is hard to keep up the "good vibes". The Jacob's brothers designed a T-shirt that displayed an American flag proudly on the front.[9] The sales of the particular T-shirt went to charity, this gesture widened their customer support. Another historical tragedy, the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, bringing on a hard time for the people of Boston. The Jacob's brothers company base was located in Boston, so they decided to do something. They created a T-shirt with the city's name on the front, a heart replacing the O, and the legend, "There's nothing stronger than love" on the back of the shirt.[9] All of the profits from this sale went to charity, and it was one of Life is Good's bestselling item at the time. When the corona virus struck the country, Life is Good was uncertain of how to take action, or even if they should take action. After a meeting with all of their employees they came to a group decision to continue working. Work stations were set up 10 feet apart, and their employees got right back to work. The Life is Good company only grew during the pandemic, and of course...they made a T-shirt. For the graduating classes they created a T-shirt that said, "Class of 2020: 'virtually' the greatest class of all time", which was a big hit among the students. Another shirt they created displayed "Covid, be gone!" on the front. When Life's not good, the Jacob brother's think that makes their brand even more relevant.[9]

During the annual Life is Good Festival they have raised over 1 million dollars for the Life is Good Kids Foundation.[10]

Life is Good donates 10% of its net profits to the Life is Good Kids Foundation to support the Life is Good Playmakers foundation, which works to mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences.[11]

To this day the Life is Good Foundation inspires optimism, and receives emails and letters from customers who were inspired by them. Their website shares stories about some of these individuals who found hope and joy through the Life is Good company.[12]

References
  1. Buchanan, Leigh (2009-10-01). "Life Lessons". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  2. Lo, Andrea (5 June 2018). "How a positive statement made millions for this T-shirt company". Money CNN. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  3. "Bert and John's Open Road". Roadtrip Nation. August 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  4. Berman, John; Janik, Kinga (January 31, 2012). "For Brothers Behind Life Is Good, the Logo Is the Message". ABC News.
  5. Wilson, Eric (2008-07-24). "Everything's Fine! My T-Shirt Says So". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  6. Anderman, Joan (2009-03-17). "A positive outlook? Apparel company says bad times make its message more vital". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  7. "Discussing the "good Life" with Jim Laughlin, Director of Communications at Life is good". FeaturedBiz.com. 2010-11-03. Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  8. "The fascinating story of how 2 brothers went from running a failing business out of a van to building a $100 million company". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  9. Catron, Derek. "Life is (still) good: T-shirt company finds not even coronavirus can kill optimism". Taunton Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  10. "For Brothers Behind Life Is Good, the Logo Is the Message". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  11. "Life is Good®: Shop the Official Company Website". www.lifeisgood.com. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  12. "Life is Good®: Shop the Official Company Website". www.lifeisgood.com. Retrieved 2022-10-05.

Sources

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