Inspo

2 SAN DIEGANS MAKE 'FORBES 30 UNDER 30' LIST

Jan 7, 2015 — by Griffin Thall

By Nancy Aziz Story Published: Jan 6, 2015 at 11:09 PM PST Story Updated: Jan 7, 2015 at 9:42 AM PST "Two San Diego men just made the "Forbes 30 under 30" annual list of young innovators and entrepreneurs. The idea that landed them there a simple one ... selling bracelets handmade in Costa Rica and giving a portion of the money to charity. Paul Goodman and Griffin Thall came up with the idea on a surf trip to Costa Rica after graduating from San Diego State University. They met two homeless men who were selling the bracelets on the beach. They bought 400 to sell to friends and family. "Within two weeks, we sold 400 bracelets," said Goodman, so they decided to buy 1,000 more. "We sold those and kept going with it," he said. Puravida was launched. The name means "pure life" in Costa Rica. From an initial investment of $100 each, the four-year-old La Jolla based company made $9 million in revenue last year. On Monday, the two found out they'd made the "Forbes 30 under 30 list.' "We were pretty blown away, Forbes has always been a magazine I looked up to," said Thall. Twenty percent of the sale price of many of the bracelets goes to charity. The company gave more than $300,000 to charity groups last year and even the non-charity bracelets help out. "Every bracelet purchased helps provides jobs for people in Costa Rica," said Thall. Those two homeless men Goodman and Thall first hired, well they're not homeless anymore and 80 other Costa Ricans now have full time jobs. A growing company started with such a simple idea. "When you pass along a string bracelet, tie it on someone's wrist," Thall said. "That's the basis of our brand. There's no instruction manual, no sizing, it's just a handmade bracelet. That's our story." The bracelets can be purchased on the company's website at puravidabracelets.com or in their La Jolla store. They run $5 to $20." (Source) Thanks for watching and supporting Pura Vida thus far. Click the link below to share our story with your friends + family!

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