From Tequila to Private Jets to now Watches, NYC’s Randy Brandoff is quite the entrepreneur. And add in a child, and life gets even more exciting! We had the pleasure to sit and chat with Randy (now CEO/Founder at Eleven James) in our Hip Daddy Spotlight #28. Please Enjoy.
Tell us about your kids. What’s it like being a Dad?
I have a daughter turning four in January. Everyone thinks their kid is amazing, but seriously, mine is pretty great. My wife refers to Eleven James as our 2nd child – an apt reference in many ways. And, my people are talking to her people about adding a 3rd child sometime in the next year or two. I love fatherhood. There is no joy like laughing with my wife and daughter. It is certainly challenging and sometimes emotionally conflicting balancing the massive time requirements of building a successful start-up with the comparable time requirements of being there for and with my family. I am admittedly only successful because I have a wonderful wife who assumes more than her fair share of parental responsibilities and is generally supportive of all my main endeavors.
Talk to us about your parenting style.
I make a conscious effort to be positive and thoughtful. In particular, I don’t like to raise my voice. I think it’s counter-productive. In the few instances I have no choice but to raise my voice, the contrast with my normal demeanor commands attention and produces the desired result. To the extent possible (depending on the development of the child) I believe in explaining why you can/cannot or should/should not do certain things – though sometimes it’s best to do this afterwards if it’s an emotionally charged moment.
What’s the one thing you cannot live without as a Dad?
Four things – tequila, dark spirits, red wine, and beer (ha.)
From Marquis Jet to Avion Tequila to NetJets and now to Eleven James, you are an entrepreneur Hip Daddy. What’s the latest and greatest at Eleven James?
Eleven James is an annual membership club for luxury watches. Whether new to luxury watches or a passionate collector, Eleven James allows you to enjoy an incredible variety of high-end watches along with a myriad of Member benefits, at a fraction of the price of purchasing a single watch and none of the hassles. December is our highly successful first-year anniversary. We are entering 2015 with great momentum, an exceptional product and team, an unprecedented watch collection, incredibly passionate Members, and many thousands of excited individual and corporate prospects in the pipeline we are excited to welcome in the years ahead.
Every Hip Daddy needs a great watch. What are you wearing these days on the wrist and what do you pair it with (outfit)?
Ah…that’s the thing! I’ve enjoyed over a dozen spectacular Eleven James watches this year selected from the thirty plus leading brands and hundreds of models we offer. For a variety seeker like me, that’s nirvana. I like to switch between hot new models, iconic and discovery brands and models, and vintage. My “uniform” is typically jeans, a shirt and/or sweater, a nice jacket, and stylish shoes. It’s nice when the clothes you’re most comfortable in are also what your expected to be wearing.
What do you think of a platform like Hip Daddy that attempts to inform, empower, entertain and connect Dads…in a Modern way?
In a world constantly reminding thirty and forty-something guys of our wild and free twenties or of our great future decades aided by the marvels of modern pharma, it’s very welcome and refreshing to enjoy a platform that celebrates our present. We are living relentless, endlessly challenging, and profoundly rewarding lives, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Cheers to all Hip Daddys!
Follow Randy on Twitter here and Eleven James here and Instagram here.