proclaim the reasons it will work. When that idea or project
is successful, you have to go out of your way to recognize the
person or people who saw it first. Making examples from
successes and rewarding open-mindedness is critical.
P: Where do you go when you need a good laugh?
BJ: Fortunately, there are a lot of funny people here at Life is
good, so we usually don’t have to travel very far. We actually
look for a sense of humor in our hiring process.
P: What positive statement do you live by?
BJ: I try to find victories in every morning, afternoon and
night rather than heap pressure on milestones or big occasions.
P: How do you live the spa lifestyle?
P: Jake is the face of the brand. How was grinning Jake
discovered?
BJ: One day, while we were traveling in the van, we talked
about the fact that there isn’t enough good news in the
world. We talked about the negative psychological impact
that comes from always being told what’s wrong with the
world, and rarely being told what’s right. We wondered if we
could create a hero whose power was his optimistic disposition. My brother, John, translated that conversation into Jake.
BJ: After a good day surfing or mountain-biking, I enjoy a
good deep tissue massage. ■
Bert Jacobs with brother and business partner John.
P: At what point in the business where you able to say,
“Life is good”?
BJ: When we were sleeping in the van, life was good.
P: From a business perspective, how can entrepreneurs
profit from positivity?
BJ: We believe that optimism is truly powerful, and a positive attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether a person
believes his business will work or not, he is almost always
right.
P: How do you build an optimistic workforce?
BJ: The majority of people in any given situation will be
quick to announce the reasons why an idea or a project won’t
work. But eventually, someone will get behind the idea and
Be inspired from Life is good’s story of humble
beginnings and get real insights on how to use
positivity to build and grow your business. Catch
Jacobs at the Opening General Session from
9 – 10:30 am on Monday, Nov. 7 at the 2011
ISPA Conference & Expo. Check out the January/
February post-Conference issue of Pulse to read
highlights of Jacobs' General Session.
TO READ PAST CONVERSATIONS
of Envirosell CEO Paco Underhill, The Container Store President Melissa
Reiff, Wolf Means Business CEO Julie Gilbert and many other business
leaders, access past issues of digital Pulse on experienceispa.com.
How do you spread positivity at work? Visit digital
Pulse at experienceispa.com to read Jacobs’ advice.
November 2011
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