These fathers not only support their families financially, but also serve as positive examples for their children and exert great effort into securing their family’s well-being. Interestingly, many of these fathers have discovered means to harmonize their job responsibilities with their family duties from the comfort of their own homes. These individuals are commonly known as stay-at-home dads or Dadpreneurs, and are akin to Mompreneurs who manage both family and work responsibilities with exceptional skill.
Although work holds significance, family is equally essential. This collection of fathers demonstrates this notion by pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors that liberate them from the 9 to 5 routine and permit them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The outcome has proved to be advantageous for them, with some deriving inspiration from their families for their ventures and others finding it worthwhile to be in close proximity to their loved ones.
Discover how 10 American Dadpreneurs balance parenting with operating prosperous home-based businesses, ranging from tech startup owners to businessmen and stand-up comedians.
1. Pat Flynn
Pat Flynn, a proud father of two and owner of an online podcast, acknowledges that his children have brought about changes both in his personal life and his business. As a stay-at-home dad, he had a realization that instead of spending precious time at a job he disliked, he could be spending it with his kids. This revelation led him to leave his career at an architectural firm and create Smart Passive Income, an online business dedicated to helping other fathers in similar situations become successful through the sharing of techniques.
2. Chris Brogan
Every Dad featured on this roster left the typical workday routine of 9 to 5 behind in favor of establishing their personal enterprises, all with the common goal of being able to spend more meaningful time with their children. Chris Brogan is among them. When he is not actively engaged in discovering new hobbies and pastimes with his family, this father of three operates as the CEO as well as proprietor of the Owner Media Group. Chris is renowned for being an in-demand expert speaker, having delivered talks for some of the largest corporations in existence, including but not limited to GM, Google, Disney, and Coca-Cola.
3. Dave Delaney
Dave Delaney is a digital marketing consultant, speaker, and author who takes pride in being a devoted husband and father. He runs his own entrepreneurial endeavor, called Dave Delaney Dot Me, which includes a popular blog about entrepreneurship, as well as the Tennessee-based newspaper Futureforth. According to Dave, he encourages his two children to pursue their true passions, believing that everyone harbors great ideas as they mature.
4. Marc Gorlin
Whenever his colleagues at Roadie are faced with a decision, CEO Mark Gorlin inquires about what matters most. However, when it comes to selecting between work and family, Gorlin always selects the latter. His father, who created multiple small businesses while Gorlin was growing up, instilled in him the drive to become a serial entrepreneur. As a result, Gorlin ultimately established Roadie, a one-of-a-kind delivery system that uses local individuals who happen to be in your area. He is also the founder of Kabbage, a start-up investment enterprise.
5. Jon Sumroy
The founder of ‘mifold’, Jon Sumroy, conceived the Grab-and-Go Booster Seat as a means of prioritizing car safety for his children. As a father of four, he discovered that booster seats were not readily available in every carpool his children were a part of, which spurred the idea for a portable booster seat. His commitment to the cause led to a breakthrough innovation that not only benefited his own kids, but also helped other parents facing similar challenges.
Apart from being an entrepreneur, this committed father also boasts of other accomplishments such as previously holding high-level positions at corporations like Unilever, serving as a digital coach, and being an entrepreneur.
6. Marc Mawhinney
Marc Mawhinney, a thriving entrepreneur, manages to balance his career and his role as a father. He has been an entrepreneur his entire life and his coaching business is just one of the many companies he has launched. His motivation to start this venture was his son. As a single parent, he wanted to impart his knowledge on the connection between being a father and entrepreneurship to other husbands and fathers. His podcast, Natural Born Coaches, is widely renowned in the coaching community and even received recognition by iTunes by placing in the New & Noteworthy category during its first week of release.
7. Kevin Gebert
The struggles of Dadpreneur-ship are not unfamiliar to the President of Greenrock Financial Group. His love and commitment to his family were the driving force that led him to leave his job in financial institutions and begin his own home-based business. Having two children, Kevin strives to devote his entire life to their well-being, although his busy work schedule sometimes keeps him from accomplishing certain tasks. Nevertheless, he considers his greatest accomplishment to be imparting the importance of money management to his children, which he discusses in his successful book “Financial Fotographs: How to Talk to your Family about Money.” Kevin encourages other work-at-home fathers to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives.
8. Dan Fields
Dan Fields, the VP of Operations at Aarra, appreciates the flexibility of being able to work from home, which allows him to spend time with his kids. His professional experience spans over thirteen years in interactive design and advertising. Moreover, Dan also hosts a triumphant unscripted comedy podcast called “Save it for the Show” that showcases genuine and comical tales from his life and home.
9. Justin Worsham
Justin Worsham, a standup comedian, broadcaster, podcaster, and voice actor, understands the difficulties of balancing work and personal life. Along with other Dadpreneurs, he openly acknowledges the challenges of being a parent and manages them gracefully. He is at ease working from home, which made it easy for him to adapt when his children arrived. He praises his wife for supporting him and emphasizes the importance of flexible schedules so that either parent can attend to their children. His suggestion for home office dads is to adhere to set schedules to maintain order and prevent them from missing crucial events.
10. Joshua Latimer
Instead of pursuing a career at a reputable firm, Joshua Latimer made the decision to prioritize his family. When his wife was expecting their first child, Joshua left his stable job as a JP Morgan banker and founded a local cleaning business at the young age of 25. His intention was to have more time with his family and he only worked for 5 hours per week during the latter years of owning the company. Eventually, he sold the business and relocated to Costa Rica, where he manages two online businesses with a team of professionals from various countries.
How to start an online business
Owning an internet-based enterprise provides the chance for a greater work-life balance, allowing for more quality family time as well as simpler management of personal and professional commitments. Additionally, it broadens the possibility of working remotely from home.
Small business owners nowadays have benefitted greatly from the internet, as it has eliminated many of the barriers they previously faced. Starting an online business is less complex and expensive compared to opening a traditional one. Nevertheless, just because it is simpler does not imply that anyone can go ahead and establish a business without proper planning. Like any other business, it is crucial to establish a solid base for your online enterprise.
1. Assess the viability of your new business idea
Although commencing an online business is simpler, it does not imply that there are no expenses involved. Similar to setting up a brick-and-mortar enterprise, the initial move for your online venture is to evaluate the viability of your concept.
Your product or service’s success hinges on its market demand. An ingenious business idea might not prosper if the problem it addresses doesn’t resonate with many. You’ll waste resources if people aren’t invested enough in it to dedicate money or time towards its resolution.
2. Develop a business plan
After determining the feasibility of your idea, it is necessary to create a detailed business plan. Even if securing funds for your business is not part of your initial plan, having a business plan is beneficial as it helps you identify possible challenges in the future and strategize for future expansion and profitability.
Your progress in the initial stage lays a strong foundation for crafting a business strategy, and there are various online resources that can assist you in assembling the key components of a robust plan.
A well-designed strategy can aid you in better recognizing your target audience, defining your goals, offering a marketing itinerary, and supporting you in making crucial choices that could determine your triumph or failure.
3. Choose a business name
Picking the name of your business is a crucial aspect of starting up. Since your business will mostly operate on the internet, the name you select should be open for enrollment as a business name in your state and in the digital sphere.
It is necessary for you to verify the availability of your desired name in the following categories:
- Business name in your state
- Domain name
- Username on each of the social media platforms you plan to use
4. Decide on your business structure
Selecting a business structure will determine the legal and tax obligations you must fulfill. The majority of small business proprietors opt for one of the following frameworks:
- Sole proprietorship. This is the simplest form of business structure, but its lack of limited liability offsets its simplicity.
- Partnership. While this form of business structure might appeal to you if you are embarking on your venture with a partner, your liability is unlimited like a sole proprietorship.
- Limited liability company (LLC). An LLC offers limited liability without the additional complexity of incorporation, making it one of the most popular small business structures.
- Corporation. Like an LLC, a corporation provides limited liability, and while it’s more complicated to both setup and maintain, it may be a good choice depending on your circumstances.
To select the suitable business framework for your new venture, it’s advisable to seek guidance from a lawyer. Since each structure entails distinct taxation obligations, it may be beneficial to seek advice from a tax expert as well.
5. Take care of all the legal tasks
To establish a strong legal foundation for your new business, you must complete all necessary business formation documents and paperwork, just like you would for a physical business. This entails:
- Registering your business with the appropriate government authorities
- Obtaining all the required permits and licenses
- Meeting all federal and state tax requirements, such as applying for state and federal tax ID numbers
6. Build your website and choose your sourcing and fulfillment methods
The website of an online enterprise holds an equal significance compared to the physical store of a traditional enterprise, and one should give equivalent attention to this aspect as they do when searching for an ideal location and lease.
It is wise to take into account the payment processors that are accessible when determining how to construct your website. For numerous internet-based enterprises, it is an advisable business practice to engage a website developer for assistance in building your website.
Selecting the right web host is crucial. Even if you have a high-quality website, it will be of no use if your host experiences excessive downtime or your site’s browsing speed is sluggish.
7. Develop and implement your prelaunch marketing strategies
As you progress through the prior stages, it is crucial to promote your online business. Your business plan should have equipped you with the knowledge to devise compelling marketing tactics for your intended audience. Regardless of the approach you choose, it is vital to ensure proper execution and not cut corners.
If you create excitement for your launch among your intended audience via social media and a range of promotional techniques, you will lay the groundwork for a prosperous debut.
8. Launch your new business
Though you won’t physically cut a ribbon, launching your website and announcing your business’s opening to the world amounts to a metaphorical ribbon cutting ceremony.
There are several ways to make this announcement, such as:
- Social media platforms
- Your email list
- Online ads
- Traditional ads
You will enjoy the fruits of your prelaunch marketing efforts during the launch phase.
By laying the groundwork in this way, you can focus on managing and promoting your new business instead of addressing potential issues that may surface had you disregarded these crucial steps.
