Transitioning from software to hardware

In this episode of Startup Dad, Adam Fishman sits down with Chet Kittleson, serial founder and co-founder of Tin Can, an analog phone for kids that helps families stay connected without screens. He’s also a dad of three, building a hardware company from his kitchen table while raising a young family in Seattle.

Chet opens up about the inspiration behind Tin Can, how his childhood landline shaped the idea, and why he believes kids need more analog connections in a digital world. He talks candidly about the challenge of being “distracted dad” while building something he’s intensely passionate about, how he and his wife run their household like a startup, and why learning to unplug is still a daily work in progress. We discussed: 

• Creating balance at home: The systems, boundaries, and frameworks that help Chet stay grounded as a founder and father.
• Lessons from failure and obsession: What Chet’s learned about being present when work and family both demand everything.
• The art of analog parenting: How Chet and his wife teach their kids healthy relationships with technology and boredom.
• Raising kids is like running a business: From household “OKRs” to making space for unstructured family time.
• Hope for the next generation: Why Chet believes we’re entering an analog revival and what it means for parents raising digital natives.

Where to find Chet Kittleson:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckittleson/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tincan.kids/
• Tin Can: https://tincan.kids/  

Where to find Adam Fishman

• FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ 
• X: https://x.com/fishmanaf
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ 

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introducing Chet Kittleson
(02:31) The childhood inspiration that sparked the idea for Tin Can
(11:13) Finding balance between family life and startup life
(13:38) Lessons learned from building, failing, and trying again
(16:21) Partnering in parenting and business with his wife
(21:34) Building Tin Can from an idea to a real product
(35:22) How parenting priorities shift as kids grow
(36:16) What team dynamics look like inside a family-led startup
(37:14) Early prototypes and how the family helped shape Tin Can
(38:50) Seeing kids’ real reactions to the analog phone
(40:02) Teaching kids to balance tech time and real-world connection
(46:38) Finding optimism and practical solutions for modern parenting challenges
(50:11) How to support Tin Can’s mission to connect families
(53:10) Lightning round: paper calendars, dad hacks, and dishwasher rules

Resources From This Episode:

Tin Can: https://tincan.kids/ 

Paper calendar: https://a.co/d/dbPXEsG 

Brooks: https://www.brooksrunning.com/ 

The Anxious Generation (book): https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/ 

Brick (app): https://getbrick.app/ 

The Hundred-Foot Journey: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980648/ 

Chef: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2883512/ 

Toy Story: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/ 

The Mighty Ducks: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104868/ 

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097523/ 

Freaky Friday: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322330/ 

Freakier Friday: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31956415/ 

The Parent Trap: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120783/ 

Little Big League: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110363/ 

Rookie of the Year: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107985/ 

The Green Mile: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120689/ 

Rewind & Play: ABC The Millennial Way (book): https://a.co/d/6GI6tdC 

Tween Magazine: https://tweenmag.com/ 

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