Providing Value For Single Fathers

[jjohns500]

Hey all,

I have some ideas that Im hoping with some help I can execute my plan. I see it all the time on this forum and I have also experienced it personally through addiction programs. Helping someone else by adding value to their life in turn helps you. I have some personal experience with addictions and sobriety and one of the main focuses on staying sober was helping someone else stay sober. When I first discovered this it sounded absurd to me, however when I began to practice it I was blown away by how effective it was in getting my own life on track. So for many years this was a daily practice for me and during this time I noticed a lack of help for fathers. Specifically single fathers.

It has now been many years since I have been apart of the recovery community, however I still see this void left for men with children inside and outside of that community. Being a single father for the majority of my daughters 14 years I have a passion for helping other men who may find themselves in this situation. I know that it's less common than a single mother but there are many single fathers, or even weekend dads struggling.

This past year my daughter and I purchased a Sprinter style van and set out to convert it into a camper van and travel the west coast and document everything. We completed the van build, however COVID put a huge damper on our travel plans. So that has unfortunately been put on hold. My intent was to use this as a means to not only spend time with my daughter and experience the country, but to also share this with other fathers in hopes that it might inspire them in some way.

Some other avenues I have considered are:

- Blogposts
- Email Newsletters
- Podcast
- Youtube Channel devoted to single dads

With all of this said I would ideally like to some how morph this into a subscription based model after some period of time adding value for free.

I have seen over the last few years a few guys I follow on youtube, launch books, start paid for coaching, monetize courses and subscriptions to their communities. How well do you think that this model will hold up long term?

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Josh

 

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[Milonfz]

You may want to start a FB group, or join an existing one devoted to single fathers. Start giving value and build your following. Also by engaging you will find the pain points of the group which will allow you to become a solution provider.

Long term it all depends on the value you provide to the audience...

 

[jjohns500]

You may want to start a FB group, or join an existing one devoted to single fathers. Start giving value and build your following. Also by engaging you will find the pain points of the group which will allow you to become a solution provider.

Long term it all depends on the value you provide to the audience...

Very Good suggestion. I had not even thought about that. Thanks

 

[Speed112]

You've already got the first step right: your desire to provide value.

Now all you need to do is get on it and stick with it.

You're right that single fathers are an underrepresented and important niche and there are thousands and upon thousands who're faced with seemingly simple challenges that make their life that much more stressful and get them struggling more and more.

Giving them a little hand can be the difference between being a quality caretaker, provider, and educator for their child... and succumbing to burnout and failure.

It's a scary thought for any parent, and that means there's great value in dealing with it.

I remember seeing a video with a guy who'd lost his wife and had to learn from scratch the things that came naturally to her which their daughter no longer experienced... things like braiding his daughter's hair... and how he taught those things to other single fathers as well!

Actually, if you search for "single dad teaching how to braid" you might find the business he's built off of this and use it as inspiration. It was quite mediatized.

The need is there and you can go elsewhere and further than just braids for little girls.

The avenues you've mentioned are all viable, as is doing everything on Facebook, but you can also go as far as holding group coaching sessions or webinars selling your unique experience and skills.

You can also do subscription services for goodies like loot boxes for boys or girls of different age groups with necessities and goodies that make supply runs no longer a hassle. Homeschooling is also growing now, especially with quarantines and stuff. Lots of opportunity there. You know best what recurring expenses a single father might have, and if you can take care of those needs, the sky is the limit.

People have built 6 figure businesses out of knitting scarves or kneading bread or kettlebell exercises...

You're uniquely positioned to provide value in YOUR niche.

So pick a road and carve your path.

You'll figure out the details on the way.

 

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[AppMan]

I did some research before on creating some men focused FB pages like men who dont have access to their children, etc , and it seem people in general feel ashamed following them, most of the pages didn't have a lot of member , put aside the engagement.
I see it a good idea even from business and prolificity POV. Try to start safe by not loudly talk about men issues or rights to not provoke hate against you. and once you have enough fans you can go more bold .

 

[jjohns500]

You've already got the first step right: your desire to provide value.

Now all you need to do is get on it and stick with it.

You're right that single fathers are an underrepresented and important niche and there are thousands and upon thousands who're faced with seemingly simple challenges that make their life that much more stressful and get them struggling more and more.

Giving them a little hand can be the difference between being a quality caretaker, provider, and educator for their child... and succumbing to burnout and failure.

It's a scary thought for any parent, and that means there's great value in dealing with it.

I remember seeing a video with a guy who'd lost his wife and had to learn from scratch the things that came naturally to her which their daughter no longer experienced... things like braiding his daughter's hair... and how he taught those things to other single fathers as well!

Actually, if you search for "single dad teaching how to braid" you might find the business he's built off of this and use it as inspiration. It was quite mediatized.

The need is there and you can go elsewhere and further than just braids for little girls.

The avenues you've mentioned are all viable, as is doing everything on Facebook, but you can also go as far as holding group coaching sessions or webinars selling your unique experience and skills.

You can also do subscription services for goodies like loot boxes for boys or girls of different age groups with necessities and goodies that make supply runs no longer a hassle. Homeschooling is also growing now, especially with quarantines and stuff. Lots of opportunity there. You know best what recurring expenses a single father might have, and if you can take care of those needs, the sky is the limit.

People have built 6 figure businesses out of knitting scarves or kneading bread or kettlebell exercises...

You're uniquely positioned to provide value in YOUR niche.

So pick a road and carve your path.

You'll figure out the details on the way.

@Speed112 I really appreciate your input. You have brought ip some really good points! I have not seen the single dad braiding hair but I'm going to find it now.

That is exactly the kind stuff that I am talking about. As fathers we aren't equipped with the same tools as mothers and when we have no help around us it is very difficult and frustrating. I remember when my daughter was 2 and her mother was gone for good, each night she would cry for hours on end for her mother. At the time I was alone living in CA trying to build a career and had no local support. Those nights where some of the hardest I had to deal with. A fathers reaction to tears is completely different than a mothers and no matter how hard I tried I could not fill that void in her. I had to learn to help her and cope myself.

Not to mention things like potty training lol. What a nightmare that was.

I really like your idea on subscription and loot boxes. For me personally my family would mail me a gift box once a month when my daughter and I were alone and I will tell you that small box of beef jerky for me, crayons, barbies, and games for her was such a boost of moral. Not to mention that was one less thing I had to buy or deal with.

 

[jjohns500]

I did some research before on creating some men focused FB pages like men who dont have access to their children, etc , and it seem people in general feel ashamed following them, most of the pages didn't have a lot of member , put aside the engagement.
I see it a good idea even from business and prolificity POV. Try to start safe by not loudly talk about men issues or rights to not provoke hate against you. and once you have enough fans you can go more bold .

@AppMan I def think that you are right. I would like to start out by just providing tips, tools, and techniques for how to do XYZ, or handle XYZ with your child. I do think at some point the issue of men and mens rights has to come up and should. I don't want it to be all about bashing the court systems or blaming women or anything like that. Rather I want to focus on helping guys with day to day things that can become overbearing at times.

 

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[Speed112]

I really like your idea on subscription and loot boxes. For me personally my family would mail me a gift box once a month when my daughter and I were alone and I will tell you that small box of beef jerky for me, crayons, barbies, and games for her was such a boost of moral. Not to mention that was one less thing I had to buy or deal with.

With economy of scale you can make those really affordable, and having direct experience with that is super valuable. That little snippet of your story is a great marketing angle for it, and there are many single fathers without the social network for something like that to naturally emerge.

Getting people together and coming up with ideas for a community-built goodie box once a month that you can source and ship can be a godsend to all the participants. And the kids can get involved, too.

A $10/month subscription to save hours of time a week worrying about this seems like a fair trade for me... and depending on your audience you can have different service tiers and other benefits as well.

And @AppMan's concern is something to note as well. There is generally a stigma on fathers raising kids due to generalized gender norms, and the added expectation and pressures in their careers... it's hard to cope with that and things like pride and shame can inhibit their willingness to ask for or even receive help.

Breaking through the stigma and pride can be challenging, and thus a valuable endeavor, so I hope you manage to build a community of support and understanding where that concern doesn't materialize.

The psychological service that you can provide has a lot of potential as well.

Good luck!