We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful ROB OWENS. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with ROB below.

ROB, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The inspiration for Dope Dads emerged from three fundamental experiences:

1. My personal journey as a son.
2. My role and responsibilities as a father to my daughter.
3. A deep empathy for the connections between parents and children.

Reflecting on my own childhood, my predominant memories involve feeling like a burden to my father. I was often belittled, and my experiences seemed trivial compared to his. This left me feeling unimportant, as if my voice didn’t matter. Growing up, expressions of love were absent—I don’t recall saying “I love you” or even sharing a hug. Sharing this isn’t easy, but it’s crucial for understanding why, as a father, I am determined to ensure my daughter never feels this way. I want her to always feel loved, appreciated, seen, heard, and valued. Moreover, fatherhood also means being a supportive partner and effectively co-parenting, which is a continuous journey of growth and mutual understanding.

From these insights, I was motivated to establish a community—a safe space where men can realize they are not alone in their fatherhood journey. The word “dope” in Dope Dads, stands for “Doing Our Part Everyday,” is not meant to just be catchy but to serve as a mantra that underscores our daily commitment to growth and excellence. This community aims to equip men with the tools and support needed to excel every day, becoming the best versions of ourselves as individuals, leaders, caregivers, and mentors.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Dope Dads is an organization dedicated to transforming fatherhood into a journey that positively impacts not only the fathers themselves but also their children, loved ones, and communities. It operates under the belief that fatherhood is a pivotal experience that can reshape society.

The core reason for Dope Dads’ existence is encapsulated in their motto “Doing Our Part Everyday.” This mantra drives their mission to empower fathers to fully embrace their roles as individuals, leaders, caregivers, and mentors. The organization achieves this through a variety of innovative programs, resources, and support networks designed to equip fathers with the necessary tools to prioritize their well-being, engage deeply with their families, and contribute positively to society. By investing in fathers, Dope Dads is investing in the future, aiming to create a world where every child has the opportunity to thrive and every father is empowered to make a meaningful difference.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Reflecting on times I’ve shown resilience, three character traits come to mind that embody not only great people but also what it means to be a Dope Dad: commitment, courage, and character.

Commitment: My journey of servant leadership has been long and transformational. I remember an early job as a personal financial advisor, where one morning, overwhelmed by sadness and a feeling of misalignment, I broke down at my desk. Despite being on an impressive career path, it wasn’t fulfilling my higher purpose. Resigning that day was tough but necessary. Dope Dads is my third nonprofit venture, and though I haven’t figured everything out, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

Courage: Facing oneself in the mirror can be daunting—we are always evolving, and self-mastery feels like chasing a moving target. For me, as a man and father, much introspective work and healing were required. As an entrepreneur, betting on myself often felt like a lonely path, and learning to ask for help was a challenge due to ingrained self-reliance and trust issues. More importantly, as a father, it’s crucial to confront my own traumas to ensure I’m not passing them onto my daughter but instead transforming them into positive lessons.

Character: How we show up for ourselves and others defines our character. A defining moment for me occurred when my daughter was two. I scolded her out of frustration, not because she did anything wrong but because I couldn’t understand her needs. That incident made me realize the importance of meeting her where she is and providing the tools for effective communication. It also taught me to respond with empathy, not anger, to foster open expression rather than fear of judgment. Reflecting on this, I understood the profound influence of my actions on the type of relationships she will form in the future. This isn’t the character I want to model; it was a pivotal moment of growth for me.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I began my journey at a startup called Better Walk as the second employee. I started as the executive assistant but was later promoted to COO and eventually became one of the co-founders. At Better Walk, we initially sold a specialized crutch exclusively on Amazon, targeting the hospital system. However, we quickly realized we had no consumer data and our customer lifecycle was controlled by Amazon’s return policy. Most customers only needed crutches for a short time, often returning them within the return period, which resulted in significant financial losses due to advertising costs and returns.

We decided to pivot from a reactive to a proactive product, leveraging our experience with ads on Amazon and other channels. Our new product was an FDA-approved performance compression sock. Despite the crowded market, we understood that the best marketer wins. Instead of focusing on physical store placements, we invested in digital real estate. This included progressive marketing strategies, 3D digital renderings, explainer videos, influencer marketing, and a fully custom website designed for conversion and community growth.

We formed niche market partnerships, becoming the official sock of the Ultimate Frisbee Association and the National Pickleball League. Through these efforts, we became a category leader and achieved $1M ARR in just over a year. The key lesson we learned is that people are drawn to meaningful brands and that effective marketing often determines success.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dopedads.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/teamdopedads
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/teamdopedads
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/dope-dads
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/teamdopedads
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@teamdopedads

Image Credits
@aricjaye @platgamma