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There’s just something so special about a good dad. Despite corny jokes and unsolicited advice, we love them and are thankful for their guidance in our lives. For this Father’s Day, we sat down with a few of our favorite founders that are also dads to chat about how they balance it all – and of course, their favorite product picks from their own brands. Lace up those New Balances, folks. You’re in for a treat, courtesy of these dads!
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Caleb Wang, Co-Founder of MiLa
For Caleb Wang, business is personal. From negotiating extra sheng jian boas with his grandpa to now being a father of one, Caleb says his brand’s ethos is “motivated by teaching our family about our heritage and how to continue to transcend the faith through future generations.” As a father, he strives to balance being an entrepreneur and his family by setting dedicated time apart for his family, so that his son knows “he has my attention 100%.” We asked Caleb his three favorite MiLa products, all three of which I, myself, love:
Sean Busch, Co-Founder of Puracy
One of my most recent brand favorites is Puracy, which made total sense after I learned it was co-founded by Sean Busch, a father of two young kids himself. In his words, his family is “fast-paced, busy, active, and chaotic like most young families” – and his brand set out to address those needs. To balance parenthood with a thriving brand, he shared that there will always be tradeoffs that you have to make; his tradeoffs being hobbies and social events in favor of his kiddos. He shared his top 3 favorite products with us from Puracy, all of which are thoroughly-engineered – and used by his family:
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Michael Wieder, Co-Founder of Lalo
Michael Wieder worked tirelessly to create baby & toddler products for the long-haul – all while navigating infertility and IVF with his wife. Michael told us that while it was at times painful for him, it was also an incredibly hopeful time as he waited “for the day where my family could use the products, too.” Now a father of two (plus Maizey the labradoodle), Michael has “two amazing product testers at home,” which is just downright adorable to picture. Though he admitted it “felt like picking his favorite child,” he shared his favorite 3 products from Lalo he’s loving right now (all of which I am immediately throwing on my baby registry):
Daniel Schwartz, Founder & CEO of CHUZA
Like many of our favorite brands, CHUZA was born in the strangest year of many people’s lives – you guessed it, 2020. But CHUZA wasn’t the only thing born in 2020 for founder Daniel Schwartz; he also welcomed his second child that year. Now a family of 5, he enjoys the chaos that comes with having little kids and works to stay present with his kids as much as possible. They’re a big board game family (Trouble, Candyland, and Memory are the current faves we’re told) and love to spend time playing fútbol outside together. When asked for his favorite product picks, he sweetly deferred to his family’s favorites:
- Spicy Strawberry (The Oldest Son’s Choice)
- Spicy Nopal (Middle Daughter’s Pick)
- Spicy Mango (Daniel’s Wife’s Favorite)
Rafael de Campo and Alex Matthew, Co-Founders of De La Calle
What’s better than one dad? How about two! De La Calle, a brand that makes Tepache, a fermented probiotic beverage from Mexico, has two dads at the helm. Alex has two kids and makes it a priority to be home for bedtime and make time for “solo hangs with each of them.” He says “work will always be there, but your kids will eventually grow up and out of the house.” Preach! His counterpart, Rafael, is actually out on paternity leave with his first baby girl right now. He’s learning the art of balance, especially taking advantage of nap times for emails!
Rafael’s Flavor Picks:
Alex’s Flavor Picks:
Ibraheem Basir, Founder of A Dozen Cousins
As you might have guessed by the name, family is near and dear to A Dozen Cousins founder Ibraheem Basir. When his first daughter was born, he had 11 nieces and nephews, so he decided on the brand name “a dozen cousins,” as she made 12! He was pretty real with us that the most challenging part of starting the brand “has been managing the ups and downs of a growing business while raising two young children.” To fight against this challenge, he has gotten much more efficient with his time. He and his wife like to spend their free time on stuff that truly energizes them both. He shared with us his favorites from A Dozen Cousins:
Ian Wishingrad, Co-Founder and CMO of Three Wishes
The story of Three Wishes is absolutely adorable. The Wishingrad family felt that there were no healthy options for their first baby in the cereal aisle – so they decided to make their own. Co-founder and CMO Ian describes the story best: “When we started Three Wishes, it was just the three of us: myself, my wife (and CEO) Margaret, and our first son, Ellis. My last name is Wishingrad, so we were the Three Wishes, get it?” He shared his favorite three products, which in good taste, are his three favorite flavors from childhood:
Aaron Luo, CEO and Co-Founder of Mercado Famous
Aaron Luo, co-founder of Mercado Famous, describes his household as “often feeling like the UN,” because his children have both Spanish and American nationality, his wife’s Eastern European ethnicity, and his Chinese ethnicity. They regularly have meaningful conversations about what it means to be an international citizen living in the U.S. and how to respect all facets of their backgrounds and ethnicities. Food, as you might’ve guessed, has allowed them to explore this. Mercado Famous features the best charcuterie from Spain right to your door – and it tastes just as good as it sounds. His three product picks for your Father’s Day (or any day) spread are:
David Gaucher, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Wholly Veggie
David Gaucher’s two sweet daughters both entered the world “at times where [his] career was at a crossroads.” His second daughter was born the same week he got his first loan for Wholly Veggie, so he likes to joke that he “had twins that fateful week.” Now ages 6 and 9, David continually works to prioritize his kids in his ventures, even as both he and his wife work and share the load as caregivers, though he admits this came with years of practice to compartmentalize family and business. He’s been loving Wholly Veggie’s entree lineup recently, called the Good Lunch, especially in light of ghastly takeout prices these days.
Gary Lenett, Founder of Duer
Gary Lenett, founder of Duer, is a father of 3 adult children and has been married for over 30 years! He’s enjoying the adult phase with his kids, especially because they all are creatives, too. In terms of founding a tactical clothing brand and being a present father, he doesn’t see things as a “work-life balance” per se. Rather, he looks at life in terms of what he loves and seeks to do more of the stuff he loves – and less of the stuff that he doesn’t. We asked him to pick his favorite 3 Duer products, and we subsequently laughed about how it felt like choosing a favorite child, especially because he wouldn’t put a product out there that he doesn’t love. His choices now, though, are:
Andy Hunter, CEO of Bookshop.org
Andy Hunter, CEO of Bookshop.org, wasn’t always interested in building things. In fact, he notes that “before we had kids, I figured, life was a series of experiences… We were rich in memories but poor otherwise. When my wife got pregnant, my brain changed – suddenly, I wanted to build things… I had a reason to care.” This was when he started his first business! He’s since learned to prioritize time with his family, asking himself regularly “When I’m an old man, how much would I give to be back here with my kids when they were young?” For those looking for their next read, he recommends:
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann (Historial Non-Fiction)
- Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Fiction)
- Bargaining for Advantage by G Richard Shell (Business)
Phil Covitz, Co-Founder of andSons Chocolatiers
Started by his mother, AndSons Chocolatiers is a family business that is booming – and true to the name, run by two brothers. With luxury chocolates and other treats, they ship mouth-wateringly good chocolates right to your door. Phil Covitz, “Son #1,” has 3 boys himself with his wife, which he calls a “non-stop learning experience.” To balance life as a business owner and a parent, he strives to get away for a day or a weekend to ensure quality time, noting “a hike always works!” As for his product picks, he’s loving:
Here’s to You, Dads
We’re thankful for all of the great dads out there – especially those that have created such fantastic brands and continue to take care of their families while taking care of us. (Kidding… only kinda.) So, here’s to you, dads. We hope you enjoy a day to celebrate you and all that you do for your family!
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