Over the years, I’ve been building cityHUNT while learning how to be the kind of dad my kids actually need. It hasn’t always been graceful.
In fact, it’s often been messy, uncertain, and full of learning. But in between work trips, high school art shows, hardcore punk concerts, and quiet conversations over dinner, I’ve found something worth reflecting on: the way entrepreneurship and fatherhood constantly inform each other.
This series is about that intersection. It’s about navigating the pressure to produce while still showing up as a present parent. It’s about learning from my kids as much as I try to guide them. And most of all, it’s about connection — how we build it, how we protect it, and how we let it evolve.
Table of Contents
A Father’s Pride
As I sit here on the eve of my oldest son Ziggy’s high school graduation, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we’ve shared. Tomorrow, he’ll walk across that stage, adorned with honors cords and AP recognition – achievements he kept quiet about even as he complained daily about school. In a few months, he’ll head to Georgia State University on a full scholarship. The path that led us here has been anything but traditional, and it’s taught me more about parenting, presence, and letting go than I ever imagined.
Figuring Himself Out
Ziggy’s educational journey defied convention from the start. For most of his early years, he was homeschooled and unschooled, spending his tweens traveling the south east of the country training horses and competing in Olympic-level riding. I even started a horse training business to support his passion. When he finally entered traditional school, it was first at a small high school where he learned to navigate the social dynamics, then his final two years at a large public school where he discovered a true passion: art.
What makes his story remarkable isn’t just the accolades – though watching someone who constantly complained about school receive honor after honor has been surreal. It’s how he found his path through adversity.
During his junior year, a series of concussions from wrestling, and, ironically, from moshing at hardcore shows forced him to step back from physical activities. During that difficult recovery period when he couldn’t attend school, he picked up a guitar and discovered his artistic side.
What could have been devastating became transformative. He moved from being in the mosh pit to photographing shows (reasoning that no one would knock down the person with the big camera), then to managing bands, and eventually to forming his own band, Sacred Hum.
His group has gained real momentum in Atlanta’s hardcore scene – they even went viral on TikTok after being kicked out of Denny’s and convincing a Taco Bell manager to let them perform in the parking lot to hundreds of kids.
Art of Stepping Back
One of my greatest lessons as a father has been learning to support without scripting, to be present without projecting.
I’ve always been inquisitive, asking questions and letting Ziggy flow into whatever interested him. But the key has been not being attached to his choices or needing his success to validate my parenting.
A perfect example: when someone else at cityHUNT offered him an opportunity to help guide an event – completely separate from me – he was far more interested than when I had suggested it.
That taught me something valuable about giving him space to be discovered and valued on his own merits.
This approach has allowed him to develop an incredible sense of initiative. When he was just 11 or 12, he watched “The Big Short” and decided he wanted to be like the Ryan Gosling character.
Without any prompting, he found someone in our community who worked in finance and took them to coffee to learn about building a career in that field. That’s who he is – someone who sees what he wants and goes after it.
Sage on Stage to Social Media
Our relationship has evolved in unexpected ways. We’ve always been close – when he was young, I took him to concerts where he was the youngest person there. Now the roles have reversed, and I’m the oldest person at his hardcore shows.
But it goes deeper than just attending. At his request, I’ve become part of his performances, coming on stage before shows to burn sage and lead meditation, creating a moment of calm before the chaos.
In a humorous twist, I recently discovered that Ziggy has been using my dormant Facebook account to promote his band and the Atlanta music scene. My friends think I’m the world’s most supportive “hardcore dad,” constantly posting about shows and his band’s achievements.
While I wasn’t thrilled at first – you know how I feel about social media – I’ve come to appreciate that he’s using technology exactly as I’ve always intended with cityHUNT: as a tool to bring people together for real-life experiences.
He’s never been one for phones or empty digital connection. As a kid, he called peers who were always on their devices “phonies” – not to be mean, but because he wanted real interaction. Now he uses these platforms strategically, purely to get people to come out and experience live music together.
Framework for Authentic Parenting
This journey with Ziggy has paralleled my own personal evolution. For years, I had what I now call my “Life Pyramid” completely inverted.
The company was the foundation, and I believed that if the business succeeded, then I could take care of my family, then the community, and finally myself. This approach led to periods where I was consumed by cityHUNT, driven by the pressure to provide, but not truly present.
Over the past six years, I’ve worked intensively to flip that pyramid. Now I understand that I must take care of myself first – my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Only then can I truly show up for my family, contribute meaningfully to my company, and serve my community. This shift has been transformative for my parenting.
When I’m centered and healthy, I can love my children in a non-needy way. I’m not using their achievements or happiness as a measure of my worth as a parent.
The most important message I’ve conveyed to both Ziggy and my 13-year-old daughter is this: I don’t love them for what they do. I love them because I love them. Nothing they achieve can make me love them more; nothing they fail at can make me love them less.
Balancing Passion and Presence
Being an entrepreneur and a father creates unique challenges. There’s immense pressure to produce, to succeed, to provide – especially as men; this weight can feel overwhelming.
I’ll be honest: I haven’t always gotten the balance right. There were times when financial pressures made me believe that success in business was the only way to be a good provider.
But I’ve learned that presence is worth more than any financial success.
Now, whether it’s driving an hour each way to his shows, planning our upcoming trip to Japan together (which he’s organizing entirely as a learning experience), or simply making pad thai together (he recently declared with complete sincerity that he makes the best pad thai of any 18-year-old in the world), I prioritize these moments of connection.
The integration has become beautiful. Ziggy now runs his band like a business, along with a production company and photography brand.
He’s watched me build cityHUNT for 25 years, and while he’s learned from my successes, he’s also learned from watching my struggles with work-life balance. We’re heading to Japan soon, partly for CityHunt and partly for celebration – the lines between work, family, and shared passion have blurred in the best possible way.
Lessons Beyond the Classroom
As Ziggy prepares for college, I’ve been working with him on practical life skills that schools rarely teach. Using AI to research, I discovered that about 70% of income in America goes to taxes and interest – a sobering reality for any young person entering adulthood.
We’re having frank conversations about financial literacy, decision-making, and how to avoid the traps that ensnare so many.
But beyond the practical, I’m watching him develop his own philosophy of life. He’s been essentially vegan since age 12 after watching a documentary, maintaining a disciplined approach to diet and fitness. He’s built an authentic community through his music.
He uses his creativity not for fame but for connection. These aren’t things I taught him directly – they emerged from having the space to explore and discover his own values.
Practice of Imperfect Parenting
If there’s one piece of wisdom I’d share with other dads, especially entrepreneur dads, it’s this: be patient with yourself first. There is no perfect way to parent – there’s only practice. The goal isn’t to avoid all mistakes or to have all the answers. It’s to show up, stay open, ask questions, and love without conditions.
My relationship with Ziggy has taught me that children don’t need us to fix or mold them into who we think they should be. They need us to create space for them to discover who they are. They need to know that our love isn’t transactional, that it doesn’t depend on their achievements or choices.
As I prepare to watch him graduate tomorrow, I’m not just proud of his accomplishments – the scholarships, the art awards, and the successful band.
I’m proud of the person he’s become: someone who takes initiative, builds community, stays curious, and isn’t afraid to forge his own path. He’s taught me as much as I’ve taught him, maybe more.
Conclusion
This might be the first in a series of reflections on entrepreneurship and fatherhood. There’s so much more to explore – about financial pressure, identity, the challenge of modeling success while allowing failure, and the ongoing practice of presence. But for now, this chapter is about celebration and gratitude.
Tomorrow, Ziggy walks across that stage. In June, we’ll explore Japan together. His band will play more shows, possibly in more Taco Bell parking lots. And through it all, I’ll keep practicing the art of being his dad – present without controlling, proud without attachment, loving without conditions. It’s the most important work I’ll ever do.
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