Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Carroll.
Hi Jacob, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Pike County, Georgia, and raised by wonderfully old-fashioned parents. They taught me to hunt and fish, work in the garden, build things to last, and most importantly to tell the truth. I’ve had a pencil or a tool in my hand for as long as I can remember. Before I could drive, I was framing houses with my dad during the summer and selling my own oil paintings. After this, I worked in the specialty coffee industry by day and spent my weekends in the Appalachian mountains—climbing the forty tallest peaks on the East Coast and painting them in the open air.
Shortly after this time I got married, we had kids, and real life showed up fast. I became a land surveyor—and I took it very seriously. I’ve trekked and measured hundreds of miles in the Appalachians and waded chest-deep through the Okefenokee Swamp to find property corners or set benchmarks. I led three-man crews through the roughest terrain in Georgia for about 5 years, while learning to draft and write legal documentation along the way.
Adventuring across Georgia for most of my life, I started to notice something simple and strange. Nobody takes their mailbox very seriously. Even multimillion-dollar homes let them rot with duct tape, leaning posts and no pride. Yet it’s the first thing to see when you get home and the last thing to see when you leave. It’s the only thing most neighbors will ever notice. The mailbox is a sign for your home, it’s like your home’s handshake, whether you meant for it to be or not.
So I left surveying, built a mailbox, tossed it into the back of my truck, and went door-to-door. My first buyer was an older woman who told me her house had been robbed and that the thieves even took her Christmas decorations. I promised myself I’d make her place shine next Christmas. When I went back to deliver some Easter decorations, she had unfortunately passed away. That has always stuck with me.
Part of why this work matters to me goes back to my grandfather, a mailman. As a kid I could always walk to his house, and every year we’d go all-out on Christmas lights. I would hang the lights and he would design where they would go. Eventually I started creating my own designs. That mix of care and celebration, making a place tell a story and shine bright, is what I’m building into my own business.
All of this turned into a very exciting mission: Fix the first thing that people notice. I design entryways – mailboxes, signs, seasonal lighting. So that your home or business tells the right story even at a glance. In Georgia, where porches matter and neighbors notice, your entrance is your handshake. I make sure it’s firm, beautiful, and true to who you are.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A smooth ride? More like falling down a mountain while hitting every rock on the way down. My wife and I have struggled and sacrificed for many years in order to find freedom with our own business. It has been hard, slow, and filled with many sleepless nights. All of this while raising three children under the age of three has proved to be a very busy, blessed, sometimes stressful, but always fulfilling way to live life.
Neither me nor my wife come from wealth, but we have diligently remained debt-free and saved every penny that we could afford to save. Not having the constraints of monthly credit payments, and by living on less than we make, has allowed us to be free with my work, career and business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What I do:
I design first impressions. I shape the way people feel when they walk through your front door. I build custom mailboxes, storefront signage, seasonal lighting, oil painting collections, window art and anything else that makes your home or business tell your story.
What I specialize in:
Luxury mailbox posts & package delivery boxes, farm & business signage, and Christmas / holiday light displays. I am a lifelong artist with many years of experience across different mediums such as oil paint, charcoal, graphite, music production, film & photography, woodworking, landscaping, and more.
What I’m known for:
Creating art rooted in labor, faith, and honest work. Whether it’s a mailbox, a portrait, or a landscape, I treat everyday materials like cedar, lights, and paint as storytelling tools. Each piece carries a story.
What I’m most proud of:
Being married to a beautiful, strong, hardworking woman and helping her raise 3 little children who love God. And also bootstrapping Better First Impressions from a single mailbox in the back of my truck.
What sets me apart:
I’m a rare blend of fine artist, woodworker, land surveyor and nerd. That means sharp eyes, strong hands, a quick wit and precise work.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I only cut my hair once per year – sometimes I let it grow for two. I let it grow long then just shave it bald. I haven’t used shampoo for years either. I also prefer to be barefoot everywhere.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://betterfirstimpressions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterfirstimpressions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576679543743
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-first-impressions-llc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterFirstImpressions
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-119959807-600021099
Image Credits
All of the photography and editing was done by myself. – Jacob Hugh Carroll
