Bert Jacobs is the co-founder and CEO of the $160 million lifestyle brand Life is Good. When he and his brother John started the company in 1994, they had $78 in their pockets, lived out of their van, and sold t-shirts on the streets of Boston. Was this their way of avoiding the "real world"? You bet. Did it turn into something much bigger? Absolutely.

It has been 30 years since they sold their first t-shirt, but Bert and John champion the same mission to this day: to spread the power of optimism. On their journey, they've been inspired by a vibrant community of resilient optimists who consistently demonstrate the depth and meaning behind the three simple words "Life is Good."

While Bert and John believe life is good, they also know life isn't easy, which is why Life is Good donates 10% of its annual net profits to the Life is Good Playmaker Project. This organization helps over 1 million kids overcome the impact of poverty, violence, and illness each year. In making their organization a fully integrated for-profit/non-profit model, the brothers are using their business as a vehicle to help as many people as possible.

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.