12 Great Businesses That Were Started By Fathers & Sons [2024]

Updated: May 18th, 2022

12 Great Businesses That Were Started By Fathers & Sons [2024]

Looking for a business partner?

Maybe, your next co-founder has been right in front of you all along.

There are many advantages to working with your family. While it can be difficult at times, there's no doubt the emotional and financial benefits make it worth the risk to begin a business with your father.

If you are interested in starting a business with your dad or a father-like figure in your life, we provide you with 12 successful father-son-duos that made this possible.

Here they are:

1. Jon & Harvey (Founders of Blue Coffee Box) ($780K/year)

Jon & Harvey from Canterbury, UK started Blue Coffee Box over 6 years ago, a Coffee Subscription Box.

  • Revenue: $65,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 3
  • Location: Canterbury, UK

Case Study

My name is Jon Butt and, with my son, Harvey, we own Blue Coffee Box in the UK.

It’s a specialty coffee subscription that creates a voyage of discovery of specialty coffee for our members.

Our customers range from coffee lovers who want to see which flavours and roaster they love rather than diving right in with a single roaster to those that just want to experience truly great coffee. There’s also the gift buyer who want to give the gift that keeps giving. After all, who doesn’t love gourmet coffee?

this-father-and-son-created-a-coffee-subscription-business

2. Patrick Sullivan Jr. & His Father (Founders of Jigsaw Health) ($12M/year)

Patrick Sullivan Jr. and his Dad from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA started Jigsaw Health about 19 years ago, a supplements company.

  • Revenue: $1,000,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 24
  • Location: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Case Study

My name is Patrick Sullivan Jr. I’m the Chief Entertainment Officer (CEO) and co-founder of Jigsaw Health, a dietary supplement company that my dad and I started together in 2005, and then “re-booted” in 2015.

Jigsaw Health is bridging the gap between health and entertainment by providing the highest quality dietary supplements that money can buy, while providing “edu-tainment” — educating consumers on how they can improve their health, in a fun and entertaining way.

Since 2005, we’ve been developing science-based dietary supplements, including MagSRT®, America’s #1 Time Release Magnesium Supplement. (With over 1,300 reviews on Amazon, MagSRT® has 6 times more 5-star reviews on Amazon than the next brand of time-release magnesium.)

how-this-father-son-combo-built-a-9m-year-dietary-supplement

3. Marc Schneider, MD and Bennett T. Schneider (Founders of Dioxyme) ($840K/year)

Marc Schneider, MD and Bennett T. Schneider from Fort Myers, FL started Dioxyme over 8 years ago, a nutrition supplements business.

  • Revenue: $70,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 4
  • Location: Fort Myers, FL

Case Study

Hi guys, we are Marc and Bennett Schneider, father and son co-founders of Dioxyme (btw it is pronounced Dye-Oh-Zyme) and we manufacture and distribute DTC and B2B, small-batch, craft, nutritional supplements.

The Dioxyme story began with a son’s dream to play pro hockey, and his father’s unrelenting desire to help make that dream a reality. Bennett began each day knowing he had to work harder than the next guy. He understood he was not gifted with innate special talents other than hard work and a dream. He worked day in and day out on his speed, size, strength, and skills.

All the while, Marc watched, motivated, and helped. He learned about the game, sports training, nutrition, and how to make his son the best athlete possible.

my-son-i-started-a-840k-year-supplements-brand

4. Borja Eraso & His Dad (Founders of tutiendaenergetica.es) ($1.32M/year)

Borja Eraso and his dad from Pamplona, Navarre, Spain started tutiendaenergetica.es over 14 years ago, a eBikes business.

  • Revenue: $110,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 11
  • Location: Pamplona, Navarre, Spain

Case Study

My name is Borja. I am a 36-year-old father-of-three from Spain that runs a retail business called tutiendaenergetica.es (it translates as “yourenergyshop” in Spanish). We have a shop in Pamplona - yes, that’s where the Running of the Bulls happens! - and an ecommerce site aimed at the Spanish market. We sell - mainly to end users - 2 types of “green tech” products, as I call them:

  1. Solar PV components , such as solar modules, inverters, charge controllers, batteries… We also provide ad-hoc technical proposals - based on each client’s energy consumption patterns - and professional installation services across Spain.
  2. Electric Mobility vehicles , such as e-scooters, electric bikes, e-kits, motorcycles, mobility scooters, e-skateboards…. We have our brand, Fotona Mobility, that has recently started offering for distribution to other retail businesses on a B2B basis. Also, we have specialized in manufacturing/renewing lithium-ion batteries which allows us to offer our electric vehicles with different range options depending on the user’s needs (and pocket!). Finally, but not least important, we have a repair workshop to provide an excellent after-sale service to both our clients and users from other brands.

What’s so unique about our business is that we offer a rather large catalog of these 2 types of products that, although they are obviously different, they “make sense” together to our eco-friendly audience. This reinforces our image as a one-stop-shop that you must visit if you want to go green in your life.

how-i-started-a-110-000-month-business-with-my-father-selling-green-tech-products

5. Harris Derner & Jules Derner (Founders of Brine Brothers) ($120K/year)

Harris Derner and his father from New York, New York, USA started Brine Brothers about 7 years ago, a hangover cure product.

  • Revenue: $10,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0
  • Location: New York, New York, USA

Case Study

Hello, my name is Harris Derner and I am the co-founder of Brine Brothers, an All-Natural Premium Brine company. I started Brine Brothers in 2016 with my friend of 25+ years, Michael Belicose. Our current products are all-natural, drinkable pickle brines; ‘Darn Good Dill’ - the classic for pickle lovers and ‘Chili Cherry Fire’ - for those who like it hot. Pickle ‘brine’ (also referred to as pickle ‘juice’) is the liquid solution that transforms cucumbers into pickles.

What makes us unique and distinguishes us from thousands of pickle companies is that we do NOT sell pickles…..just the Brine. Our product is the only all-natural pickle juice on the market. We designed our 750ml bottles to fit specifically with a shot pour making it very easy and clean to serve. Most people think they can drink the leftover juice in pickle jars, but what they don't know is that brine is not meant for drinking. It contains a lot of preservatives and chemicals to keep the pickles fresh and can be dangerous to consume.

Our customers at home as well as bars and restaurants use our brines for Pickle Back shots, Martini Mixers, Bloody Marys, Cramp Relief, Hangover Cure, and creating their own fun pickled food creations (pickle back chicken wings).

how-we-launched-a-viral-pickle-juice-to-cure-our-hangovers

6. This Father-Son Duo Created A Patented Heelless Running Shoe ($150K/year)

Olguy Songolo and his dad from Leominster, MA, USA started the DIFFERENCE almost 8 years ago, a athletic footwear business.

  • Revenue: $12,500/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 6
  • Location: Leominster, MA, USA

Case Study

Hello everyone! My name is Olguy Songolo. I am the co-founder and CEO of the DIFFERENCE, the very first heelless running shoe brand. Why heelless? Extensive research by the original designer, Etienne Penka, has determined that heel strikes are one of the leading causes of injury for runners, causing a host of negative health consequences in the heels, back, knees, and other impact absorption points. We discovered a simple and elegant solution: remove the heel.

At this time we have one product line, the Heelless Technology Runners. These unisex shoes are designed with the modern runner in mind, with 5 different color schemes and all adult sizes for men and women. You won’t be surprised to hear that our target audience consists primarily of runners, especially runners with an interest in avoiding heelstrikes through barefoot running techniques.

As a Black-owned business, we’ve also seen a great deal of interest from the Black community. Another large segment of customers includes medical professionals such as nurses, who have found that wearing our shoes prevents the pain they are accustomed to the feeling after spending all day on their feet. Over the last two months, we’ve seen our revenue dramatically increase, grossing an average of $12,500 each month.

how-i-created-a-12-5k-month-patented-heelless-running-shoe

7. Amit Singha & His Father (Founders of Anuprerna) ($180K/year)

Amit Singha and his dad from Kolkata, West Bengal, India started Anuprerna about 39 years ago, a textile manufacturing business.

  • Revenue: $15,000/ month
  • Employees: 15
  • Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Case Study

In 1983, inspired by the artisan community around, this small endeavor started out of a small village of West Bengal, India.

My name is Amit Singha and I am the founder and torchbearer of Anuprerna, an artisanal sustainable textile brand taking this 35+ years old small endeavor to the global market with the mission to support and empower the rural artisans, promote and preserve East India's traditional crafts & textile, use of natural and sustainable fabric and share this incredible tradition with the world.

We are engaged in offering exclusive Textiles Scarves, Stoles, Garments, and natural fabrics such as cotton, Khadi, linen, and East India’s indigenous Handloom silk fabrics such as Matka, Tussar, Mulberry, Ketya, Eri (Peace Silk), etc. We also specialize in a variety of indigenous hand weaving and printing techniques like Jamdani, Batik, Block, and Screen Printing. The story of our products lies around hand-spun, hand-woven crafts produced in an eco-friendly manner.

how-i-started-a-15k-month-platform-to-sell-ethical-sustainable-artisanal-textiles

8. Dean & Al Logan (Founders of Labor Sync) ($2.22M/year)

Dean Logan and his dad from New Jersey, USA started Labor Sync over 14 years ago, a time tracking app.

  • Revenue: $185,000/ month
  • Founders: 3
  • Employees: 12
  • Location: New Jersey, USA

Case Study

My name is Dean Logan, the co-founder, and CEO of Labor Sync. Labor Sync was founded in 2009 along with my father and CFO Al Logan and CTO Joe Burger.

Labor Sync is a mobile application that provides business owners with the ability to track the time and GPS location of their mobile workforce. After extensive testing, our product officially launched in 2011.

The amazing thing about Labor Sync is our expansive global presence for such a small company, only 12 employees! Our product is available in over 17 languages and used in over 100 countries.

how-i-launched-a-185k-month-employee-time-gps-tracking-app

9. Andrei Calinescu (Founder of One Life Meals) ($1.56M/year)

Andrei Calinescu and his dad from Toronto, Ontario, Canada started One Life Meals over 11 years ago, a meal prep business.

  • Revenue: $130,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 29
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Case Study

Hi, I’m Andrei Calinescu and I am the Founder and CEO of One Life Meals.

One Life Meals is a healthy meal delivery service located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We handle the complete process from ingredient sourcing, cooking and delivery. We also work with our clients on a one-on-one basis to understand their requirements and help them select the right plan.

We cook and deliver twice per week to keep the meals fresh. The plan is for 6 days per week, with Sunday as a day off or a “cheat day”.

starting-a-1-5m-healthy-meals-delivery-business

10. Ethan, Jacob, & Richard Sweet (Founders of Panther RV Products) ($4.8M/year)

Ethan, Jacob, and their dad Richard Sweet from Washougal, WA, USA started Panther RV Products over 13 years ago, a RV accessories store.

  • Revenue: $400,000/ month
  • Founders: 3
  • Employees: 12
  • Location: Washougal, WA, USA

Case Study

Hello, our names are Ethan and Jacob Sweet and we started Panther RV Products. Today we sell a variety of campervan parts to outdoor enthusiasts and small businesses outfitting cargo vans. We started the business ten years ago, our father Richard Sweet was already running his own business at the time and provided the financing and guidance necessary for us to start Panther RV Products as a sister company to his business.

We currently generate an average monthly revenue of $400K. After 10 years of business, our company direction has changed from parts for motorhomes, to the harder to find parts for campervans. The choices that led to where we are have provided less competition and made it easier for us to grow.

how-we-started-a-400k-month-rv-products-e-commerce-store

11. Kent Wilson & Gordon Wilson (Founders of Origen RV Accessories LTD.) ($3.6M/year)

Kent Wilson and his father from Alberta, Canada started Origen RV Accessories LTD. over 8 years ago, a RV accessories store.

  • Revenue: $300,000/ month
  • Founders: 3
  • Employees: 16
  • Location: Alberta, Canada

Case Study

Origen RV Accessories makes and sells the world’s only permanent jack pad, a new product category in the RV industry. We began by selling SnapPads exclusively to the luxury end segment of RVs (Class A Motorhomes and Fifth Wheels), but have gradually added new versions across other segments, including Class C, Class B, and smaller towables.

In our first year of operation, we grossed over USD 130,000 and have grown by an average of 124% year-over-year since then. Our catalog now includes over 40 SKUs and our product lines are carried by six major distributors, numerous online resellers, and more than 300 RV dealerships. During our last consumer survey, our company recorded a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 88.

how-we-created-the-world-s-only-rv-permanent-jack-pad

12. Manuel Mas & His Dad (Founders of Mundoalfombra.com) ($480K/year)

Manuel Mas and his dad from Crevillent, Valencian Community, Spain started Mundoalfombra.com over 23 years ago, a online rug store.

  • Revenue: $40,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 5
  • Location: Crevillent, Valencian Community, Spain

Case Study

I ́m Manuel Mas and I run with my family Mundoalfombra.com since the year 2001, where we sell rugs and carpets, most of them created in our town in Spain: Crevillent (near Alicante). My brother Antonio is our CEO.

We sell mostly in Spain, but sometimes some international orders arrive and we are happy to serve them. :)

We sell all types of rugs and carpets for home and professional use. Think in all forms and sizes, also materials: natural fibers, leather, wool, acrylics, etc… and you ́ll have the perfect rug for your needs available in our store. Also, we are specialists in doormats and custom-sized rugs. The lack of specialized online stores in custom-sized rugs made our web reference in Spain for these needs.

how-we-started-selling-rugs-and-carpets-online-in-the-early-2000s

meet the author
Samantha Walls

I'm Sam Walls, COO of Starter Story - a platform and community for entrepreneurs and future founders to learn what it takes to build a great business. I joined the Starter Story team approximately 3 years ago, with the goal of providing our readers with the best, most valuable, and inspirational content on the internet.