When it comes to parenting, it seems like there is never a right answer. It feels good to join a group of people who are all going through the same challenge of parenthood. Unlike the thousands of mom groups, as a dad, it’s hard to find an active community group to support fathers.
One dad thought this needed to change. Thus Lonestar Dads was born and is now the largest and most interactive community of Dads within the state of Texas. Completely free to join, they provide a community where Dads can meet each other, attend events like poker nights and fishing trips, and most importantly provide support to any Dad who needs it. We sat down with the creator of Lonestar Dads to learn their background and what they have in store for 2023.
Tell us a little about Lonestar Dads
Lonestar Dads started out in Austin in May of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, and was founded by a local entrepreneur and father of 5.
How did you come up with the idea for Lonestar Dads?
The idea of Lonestar Dads started when everyone was forced to work from home. Many fathers, including the original founder of Lonestar Dads, realized how much quality time and life, in general, they had been missing out on with their kids. So we started a community for dads to be able to have a social life with other dads and also get more quality time with their little ones who won’t stay little forever.
Your group is pretty supportive. How did you build such a supportive community?
We were able to build such a supportive community by focusing on two core rules:
A. No discussions around politics or religion. It’s a topic that causes too much tension and is not what this community is about.
B. Give, give, give. There are plenty of mom groups and blogs, but we don’t believe enough energy is focused on the community as a whole and not just “content”. So we give away vacations, we have contests to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences, we don’t just make our events free… we even cover their meals or the bar tab. Everything we do is completely free for our members. There are no membership fees or dues. There are no costs associated with entering a contest or applying to receive a giveaway. No event ticket fees.
Were you surprised by the growth in the group? And all the press you have received?
We were extremely surprised by the growth of the community. Dads are an extremely underserved market so we had no way of knowing or comparing to other local groups on what type of growth we should expect. When you build a community that focuses on the community first and profit margin second… it’s amazing how fast it grows.
If you could go back to your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give yourself?
I always love this question because my answer is always different than most. I would not give the 20-year-old me any advice. Every mistake I’ve made has led me to where I am today, so I wouldn’t want to risk changing that.
What is the best “Dad” advice you have ever received?
The best Dad advice I was ever given is “no one is doing it right”. We always worry about how bad we’re messing up with our kids but we forget that there’s not a single dad in this world that’s doing everything right, because “right” fully depends on the house they are growing up in, beliefs they have and core values they follow.
Did you ever think you would become an influencer?
The founder of Lonestar Dads is not an influencer, he simply is just a guy who built a community to fulfill something he wanted himself…. more quality time with his kids and some form of social life past work, sleep, repeat.
What is on the horizon for Lonestar Dads in 2023?
2023 is a huge year for Lonestar Dads. We will be expanding into San Antonio and Houston in late Spring, early Summer. The goal is to grow like wildfire in the 4 main metropolitan cities of Texas and then let all the other cities fall in place over time.
If someone is ready to become a member, how do they sign up?
To become a member all you have to do is create a free account on LonestarDads.com. No costs to any of it.
Last thoughts
Any and all father figures are welcome. Dads, grandpas, stepdads, uncles who took in or are raising their nieces or nephews… anyone who holds the “Father figure” role.
Even dads need a night off. Find and easily book a neighborhood sitter on Bambino.