About Atlas Kicks
A note from Dad:
Atlas kicks was founded in 2025 as the brainchild of a father-son team. Since the Dad is writing this bio, let’s go ahead and stick to first-person…
What started out as a fun experiment with my son, Atlas, has now evolved into the store you see today. Ever since becoming a Dad, I dreamed of one day having a business I could work on with Atlas – and one day pass off to him when he got older; serving as an ‘active MBA’ that he wouldn’t have to take out student loans to pay for…
With over 20 years of experience in the digital/web world, I’d often create fun characters, storybooks or even clothing for Atlas as a unique way of saying “I love you.”
How it Began
How did our story begin? Well, it happened one afternoon when I was playing with Atlas at my desk; showing him a project I was working on at the time, which involved designing custom shoes. Out of curiosity, I asked Atlas if he wanted to design his own pair.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. A few minutes later, the first pair of Atlas Kicks was born; an adorable recreation of our hamster, Peaches. After that, Atlas was hooked.
He’d often ask me if we could make shoes together – “Dad, let’s make shoes!” and we’d whip up whimsical creations together.
Our First “Business Meeting”
After making shoes for lots of his friends, I asked Atlas if he’d like to start his own business and sell shoes to lots of other kids. He was pretty excited at the idea of having his own business, and so we sat down to have our first ‘business meeting’, where Atlas was thrilled to wear a suit since he was now an ‘executive’.
During that meeting, we talked about how selling shoes could help other kids in need. I showed him photos of my Opa’s orphanage in Indonesia and asked him if he’d like to help the kids there. He was thrilled at the idea, and I explained to him how we’d give money to the orphanage every time a pair was sold.
Giving Back
In 2009, I lived in Indonesia for a year; retracing the footsteps of my Opa (Grandfather) who was raised in an orphanage from the age of four. While I was there, I made a mental vow that someday I would find a way to help support the orphanage and better the lives of the children who are still there.
With an annual operating budget of less than $100,000 to care for 100+ children, the orphanage is in desperate need of funds to help educate, house and provide medical care for the precious souls they care for. To date, the orphanage still doesn’t have hot water in their bathrooms – something I hope Atlas Kicks can one day help provide.
To help the orphanage, $5 from every pair of shoes will be donated. This will be used to provide books, clothing, facility repair and assist with a long list of necessities the orphanage currently lacks as they raise hundreds of children.
Building The Future – Together
When I was younger, I had a great example to look up to in my parents; my Dad provided an income for our family as an IT consultant while my Mom stayed at home to parent their six children. I remember going to his client offices with him, late at night, and learning the tricks of the trade to the IT business.
When I became a Father, I inherently knew the value of setting an example for your kid(s) to follow after. Giving your child an example to follow offers children an invaluable asset; a blueprint of what works.
That’s exactly what I hope that Atlas Kicks becomes for Atlas; a guide, asset and fun experience that he can learn from while putting a smile on the faces of kids all over the world – one sole at a time.