From Rags to Riches: A Story of Two of the Biggest Names in Business

• Every once in a while, a small idea grows into a multi-million dollar enterprise. These small business owners stumble upon an idea so simple that it is marketing genius. These owners enjoy the fruits of their labor, growing their humble ideas into profit powerhouses. Two such brands are Life is Good and Super Soaker.

• 2 Brothers Bert & Jacob printed up a few dozen t-shirts with their likeness and dragged them out to sell at a local street fair. They sold out within a few hours.

• From there the brand “Life is Good” was born. Its simple message of enjoying life and all it has to offer has resonated across the globe.

• Today the “Life is Good” line is a multi-billion dollar company, producing a full line of tees, mugs and other printed materials. Jake has graced the covers of magazine as the company’s founders have enjoyed worldwide recognition.

• Lonnie Johnson loved to play around with inventions. One evening while perfecting his heat pump idea, he discovered that his pump-action gadget would make a fantastic water gun.

• He marketed his idea around to several companies and found the door shut in his face time and again.

• He persisted, and after seven years of trying, he finally sold his product, now called the Super Soaker, to the Laramie company in 1989. The Super Soaker was an instant hit and hat sales of over $1,000,000 in just a few months. Today, his company, Johnson Research and Development and has invented several other successful products.

• There are plenty of other entrepreneurs with success stories as well.

• Some motivational quotes may get you going but find something to trigger that inner success.