Dad Gang grows from a $750 hat idea into a $35 million fatherhood brand

Dad Gang, a hat brand started by three fathers with $750, has sold more than 1 million hats and generated more than $35 million in revenue, Fortune reported. The company’s growth points to a market for products tied to fatherhood, community and the pressures many new dads say they face.

Fortune reported that Bart Szaniewski, Grant Eastey and Ejay O’Donnell began discussing the idea in 2022 after comparing notes on new parenthood. The three men had been dealing with sleepless nights, tighter household budgets and a sense that fathers had fewer support networks than mothers.

Szaniewski told Fortune that social media often reduced dads to beer and lawn-care stereotypes at a time when many were looking for reassurance. He said fathers wanted to see that other parents were also struggling and did not have everything figured out.

The phrase “Dad Gang” first circulated in a group text among the three friends, according to Fortune. Szaniewski and Eastey had met at Washington State University, while Szaniewski later met O’Donnell through a business deal. The group had previously discussed business ideas and decided to test whether the phrase could become a brand.

From a garage to national retail

Each founder put in $250, Fortune reported. O’Donnell, who had a design background, created the logo; Eastey made an Instagram video; and Szaniewski, who had worked in direct-to-consumer marketing for more than a decade, handled fulfillment from his garage.

The first run of hats sold out within 36 hours, according to Fortune. The founders initially thought friends and relatives drove the orders, but strangers began buying from later releases. They concluded that the brand was connecting with fathers who wanted a visible sign of belonging.

Dad Gang’s early operations remained informal for years, Fortune reported. Szaniewski shipped from home until the company’s first Black Friday, when the arrival of his son led O’Donnell to take over fulfillment. Boxes and pallets then filled O’Donnell’s home, with relatives helping process orders.

The company later moved distribution to a facility in Tennessee, according to Fortune. The founders also shifted away from their prior jobs over time, with O’Donnell becoming the last of the three to join Dad Gang full time earlier this year.

Fortune reported that Dad Gang recently reached a deal with Lids and added entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, known as Gary Vee, as a partner and strategic adviser. The brand’s Instagram account has more than 350,000 followers, and Fortune said Post Malone and Teddy Swims have been seen wearing its hats.

A brand built around fathers’ stories

The founders told Fortune they focused their marketing on everyday fatherhood rather than polished product campaigns. Szaniewski said the company posts stories, experiences and other dads, often using iPhone-shot content rather than high-production advertising.

The company also kept paid promotion limited in its early days, Fortune reported. Szaniewski said most revenue went back into new hat orders, with small amounts used to boost Instagram posts that were already performing well.

Dad Gang has also built a Facebook “VIP Group” with nearly 15,000 members, according to Fortune. The group gives fathers a place to discuss parenting and share photos of the hats.

The founders told Fortune that some customer messages have shaped how they view the company. Szaniewski described sending a hat to a father who said he had been evicted after a breakup and was dealing with custody issues. Nearly four years later, the same man wrote back to say he had found work, rebuilt his life and treated the hat as a reminder to keep going, Fortune reported.

Eastey told Fortune about another family that asked for a replacement hat after a father and his one-year-old son were killed while crossing a street in Jacksonville, Florida. The father’s original Dad Gang hat had been destroyed in the crash, and the family wanted him buried in his favorite hat.

Each of the three founders has two children, Fortune reported. Szaniewski told the magazine that the sales figures matter to the company, but the founders view the impact on families as the point of the business.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.