UMass Amherst Alumni Association

Optimism Can Take You Anywhere

If there is one message that John Jacobs ’90 wants to get across it's this: do what you like and like what you do.  The motto represents a core belief for the Chief Creative Optimist of Life is good®, a $100 million apparel and accessory business based in Boston, MA. According to Jacobs, “It represents the importance of discovering your true passion and translating that passion for a greater good.”

Jacobs spoke before a UMass crowd assembled at the Student Union Ballroom on October 6. The visit was a part of the Alumni Association’s Eleanor Bateman Alumni Scholar in Residence program, which brings alumni role models that exemplify professional accomplishments and public service, back to campus.

Jacobs created his first crudely-drawn book at the age of five and has been writing and drawing ever since. An art and English major while at UMass Amherst, he began selling t-shirts after college with his brother Bert. “We looked for a way to combine art with business and t-shirts seemed like an accessible way to do that. We put together some graphics and ran around the streets of Boston and up and down the east coast selling t-shirts. The key thing is that we were trying something and when you try, you either succeed or you learn, and those are both positive things.”

At a street fair in 1994, the brothers introduced a new line featuring Jake, a simple, smiling face beaming with optimism and a positive message. Within the first hour, they sold out of all 48 shirts. “It was kind of scary, because we knew that we now had to learn how to run a business,” said Jacobs, “but it confirmed what we had hoped; that people are drawn to something positive. Good vibes are contagious.”

The company continued to grow and develop its products until a turning point came on September 11, 2001. “When you have a company called Life is good, you don’t really know how to react or what to do after such a horrific event,” said Jacobs. “We didn’t really know if it was appropriate to send Life is good t-shirts out.” At a company meeting, employees suggested a fundraiser to benefit the families affected by the terrorist attacks. The result was a t-shirt with a stylized American flag that raised $207,000 in five weeks.

The overwhelming response from this effort led Jacobs to further weave philanthropy into the company's culture. The Life is good Kids Foundation was started to help young children overcome life-threatening challenges, including violence, illness, and extreme poverty. For the last seven years, the company has coordinated an outdoor fundraising festival to “rally good people around a great cause.” Since the first Life is good festival in 2003, the event has raised over $4 million.

So where does John Jacobs go from here? “We’re going to continue spreading optimism through Life is good,” he says “The company has three pillars that will keep our business strong: simplicity, humility, and a sense of humor. Optimism isn’t an American message—it’s a human message.”