Startup Dad Peter Kazanjy on Fatherhood, Entrepreneurship, and IVF | Dad of 1, Finding Sales
Peter Kazanjy is the best-selling author of Founding Sales and co-founder of Atrium. He’s also a dad to a seven-year-old son, Michael, and husband to Tracy, a designer and entrepreneur.
In this episode, Pete reflects on building companies, building capabilities, and building a family. He talks about the grit and perseverance behind their seven-round IVF journey, delivery room chaos, and how he now teaches his son to embrace responsibility, reduce entropy, and take pride in doing things well. We talked about:
- The road to parenthood: Pete shares his seven-round IVF journey, what he wishes he’d known sooner, and why he champions fertility education.
- Making time on purpose: Pete breaks down his calendar philosophy and how he builds in quality time, from Muni rides to museum visits.
- Raising with purpose: He talks about teaching values like grit and responsibility—whether it’s cleaning up after others or training for soccer.
- Tiger Light parenting: Pete models excellence without pressure, helping his son stick with hard things and celebrate progress.
- Why sound matters: He reflects on recording audio memories—and how a child’s voice can bring back moments photos can’t.
Where to find Peter Kazanjy
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://ww.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introducing Pete Kazanjy
(02:13) Pete’s family and personal life
(06:20) The IVF journey to parenthood
(13:00) Michael’s birth story
(17:38) Balancing fatherhood and entrepreneurship
(23:53) Instilling values and duty in children
(27:02) The importance of grit and a growth mindset
(34:53) Capturing memories: the power of audio
(37:00) Balancing professional and personal life
(41:52) Technology and parenting
(55:05) Lightning round: silly stories and smart solutions
Show references:
Founding Sales (book by Pete!): https://www.foundingsales.com/
Atrium: https://www.atriumhq.com/
UCSF Center for Reproductive Health: https://fertility.ucsf.edu/
Modern Fertility: https://modernfertility.com/
23andMe: https://www.23andme.com/
Exploratorium: https://www.exploratorium.edu/
California Academy of Sciences: https://www.calacademy.org/
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt: https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement/dp/0884271951/
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/product/the-five-dysfunctions-of-a-team/
The Phoenix Project: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/
Use of Knowledge in Society by Friedrich Hayek: https://fee.org/articles/the-use-of-knowledge-in-society/
Brain Flakes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N8GWZ4M
Lego: https://www.lego.com/
Blippi: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5PYHgAzJ1wLEidB58SK6Xw
Avatar: The Last Airbender: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299/
Ghostbusters: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087332/
—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com