Brother Entrepreneurship: How To Build A T-Shirt Company Worth 100 Million?

How can Jacob build up a company worth $100 million with a little courage and persistent optimism?

If you have just graduated from University, but you don't want to do nine to five jobs, what will you do? To Bert Jacob (Bert Jacobs, 49 years old) and John Jacob (John Jacobs, 46 years old) brothers, the answer is to drive second-hand goods vehicles on the east coast and peddle their T-shirts with their art works.

After 5 years of hard work, the bank account was only $78, so they decided to do that for them.

Shirt brings some optimistic information.

This seemingly modest adjustment is a $100 million operating income.

The establishment of the curtain opened the curtain.

Today, there are 4500 retail outlets in the United States distributing T-shirts, hats and other products that are "Life Is Good" brands. In addition, the company has launched a joint brand of greeting cards and stationery with Hallmark, launched a series of beauty food coffee Smucker with J.M. Smucker, and launched pet dog accessories with Planet Dog, all of which are aimed at promoting positive energy.

John Jacob: we grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. We grew up in Nidem.

My brother Bert and I are the youngest of the 6 children.

My father works in a machinery factory, and my mother works full-time.

Bert Jacob: under the influence of our parents, our minds are very open, and we accept the ideas and ideas from all sides with open mind.

When I was 8 years old, I started a small business of selling seeds. During my college years, I started a house painting company, Positive Painting, which was regarded as the predecessor of a beautiful company.

I have always wanted to do business. In 1987, I graduated from Villanova University University in Vera and got a bachelor's degree in communication.

John: in 1990, I obtained a bachelor's degree in English literature and a minor in art from University of Massachusetts at Amherst University of Massachusetts.

Bert: after graduation, I drove to Colorado and got a job in a ski town.

During the day, I skiing instructors and delivering pizza at night.

John went to school in northern California. He took part in an exchange program, so we decided to take a road trip across the country and return.

。

During the trip, we discussed and co founded a company.

John: Bert and I both like painting, and have been looking for ways to combine art with business, so that we can not find jobs.

We realize that T-shirts can be a medium for artistic expression.

So we began selling t-shirts in the streets of Boston, Harvard Square and Faneuil Hall in 1989.

In the first year of the company's establishment, we have been relying on substitute courses to make up for our income.

Bert: it's pretty good to sell 12 to 15 T-shirts in the afternoon.

If luck is bad, one can not sell.

John: after one or two years of work, we bought a used truck and started selling road.

We have made a six or seven week College District road trip.

Bert: we started selling in college dormitories, where the success rate is higher than in the street.

The target audience there is very clear.

We found that if you find a girl that everyone likes, and she likes your T-shirt, she will promote your T-shirt.

This is the role of queen bee.

We found male friends to do the same promotion in boys' dormitories.

Our sales volume is enough to enable us to fight for our dreams and not to worry about finding a job.

After selling a T-shirt for 5 and a half years, we had a deposit of 78 dollars in the bank.

John: in 1994, we talked about the fact that the media was always concerned about negative information. This seems to have made people feel very tired.

For this reason, we opened a barrel party in our apartment, and we could draw on the wall.

We have many designs inspired by music. They are very simple and very good.

But when we asked our friends to draw a picture beside the painting, we found a picture with a lot of comments (that is a simple brush of a smiling little person).

We decided to use the Life Is Good as the distribution of the picture, and printed 48 T-shirts on this map.

We sold them to the street stalls and sold them in less than an hour.

It can be seen that people yearn for things that focus on good things and positive things, rather than the dark side of the world.

The price of this T-shirt is 15 dollars, if we buy 3 pieces, only 40 dollars, so we start selling these products in stores.

Bert: the retailer suddenly asked, "is this smiling guy eating ice cream? Is he slippery? Do you have any other styles?" we work for everyone's needs and start drawing things that make life better.

John: we named this character with our nickname, Jack (Jake).

My friend called me Jack, and Bert's friends also called him Jack, but when we were together, they would call us John and Bert.

Our design is quite different from the fashionable, conceited and gimmick slogans popular on T-shirts.

Bert: our idea is that optimism is boundless.

John: in the end, we hired a sales representative to take our products back and forth along the coastline.

For a period of 70 days, we opened an account every day.

During that period, we were in command in the apartment.

We drove to the screen printing plant to print T-shirts, and then we packed and mailed them ourselves.

At the end of 1990s, we rented a 18 wheeled lorry as our storehouse, and we could park it alongside the printing plant.

At that time, our lifestyle was to eat cereal, peanut butter and jam sandwiches and spaghetti every night.

We started with grocery stores and then entered a chain store like REI and Dick's Sporting Goods.

By 1996, our annual revenue reached US $260 thousand.

Bert: Kerrie Gross, who lives in our upstairs, helps us deal with orders.

In 1998, we asked her to manage offices and sales representatives.

John: Kerry is now a partner in the company.

At the end of 1990s, we founded our first office in n.

For the first time, having a real warehouse is exciting.

In 1998, when our income exceeded US $1 million, investors found us and wanted to buy our shares.

But we still like to make our own decisions, so we decided not to go for the wind, but to seek bank loans.

Bert: that is the first time that we have worked out a business plan.

We got a loan of US $500 thousand to produce our own brand T-shirts.

At that time, our T-shirts came from the local screen printing factory, and we printed our works on Hanes shirts.

In order to register "good life" as a trademark, we must hang labels on clothing, have our own brand and complete other tasks.

John: we have no marketing strategy. When people advise us to advertise, we feel that the time is not yet ripe.

At the same time, those who are in adversity, such as those who receive chemotherapy or those who have lost loved ones, begin to write to us, send e-mails, and tell us how our T-shirts that are very good in life help them.

We got inspiration from these people and decided to start a foundation.

Now, we do not advertise. Instead, we organize festivals to benefit children who are free from violence, poverty and disease, and through this way to promote and promote good life brands.

Bert: at first, we claimed to be the Jacobs Gallery, but finally decided to change to a wonderful life, because we like the information contained in it, Gallery.

John: at that time, our team members were much smarter than many of us on business matters.

They let Bert and I concentrate on what we are good at.

In 2012, we formed a partnership with Herman company to produce greeting cards and stationery, and to use our words and works of art on products.

We also form partners with Smucker's and Planet Dog.

We are eager to enter other fields, such as publishing and film production.

Bert: we plan to pform into a media and communication company.

Clothing is our starting point.

We can become a multi billion dollar company that promotes positive social change and education, and strengthens those values that we consider to be the most important.

John: customers are looking for companies that have a reason to exist. Transparency and authenticity are essential factors in today's social media.

If people trust you, they will help consolidate and develop your company. If they do not trust you, your company will collapse in a flash.

Bert: my brother and I often disagree about the short-term development of the company.

But our views on long-term strategies and brand values are exactly the same.

We will make fun of each other and even irritate each other, but in 10 minutes we will sit together to drink beer.

It is not only for us that life is good.

It is to let everyone know how to get out of the haze of life.

John: most of us want to be happy, laugh, help others, and be thankful for everything we have.

Those who suffer hardships can clearly know what is the most important thing in life.

The spirit of optimism helps us to strengthen our confidence.

Life is not easy.

But life is wonderful.