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From Changing Diapers to Board Meetings:Tips from a CEO Dad
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
When most people picture a CEO managing patents, investors, stock price and board meetings, they don’t typically imagine one simultaneously triple-masking to survive a diaper change. But Josh Sodaitis has never cared much for outdated expectations. As the head of
When most people picture a CEO managing patents, investors, stock price and board meetings, they don’t typically imagine one simultaneously triple-masking to survive a diaper change. But Josh Sodaitis has never cared much for outdated expectations. As the head of Peer To Peer Network (OTC: PTOP), he runs a publicly traded digital business card (MobiCard Apps) company, while raising two young sons, juggling baby bottles, bedtime routines, and business calls with the same precision he brings to shareholder strategy.
His boys are now ages three and almost two, and raising them alongside the business has been a unique experience. “As a ‘CEO Dad,’ even though I was home, I was still running the company,” he says. “Patent attorneys were still on the line. Investor calls still had to be made. Software development still needed oversight. The only difference: sometimes, there was a crib within arm’s reach.”
Before becoming a father, Sodaitis had already secured multiple utility patents for PTOP. During one of his wife’s pregnancies, the company announced a new patent. He expected investors to react to the patent as an asset. Instead, the stock dropped 20 percent because he said he would only be out for two weeks following the birth of his first son. The share holders predicted right, he was out for longer than that. As Sodaitis found his balance between parenting and being a CEO, the stock has regained its value and exceeded the expectations as previously planned.
Being fully present at home forced him to rethink how to lead. One afternoon, while trying to close an $80,000 deal on the phone, his newborn started crying with hunger. Hanging up was not an option, and he couldn’t hold both the baby and the bottle. So he improvised, fashioning a makeshift solution from a towel so the bottle would angle perfectly without his hands. The baby drank himself to sleep; the investor never knew the difference. That moment, he says, “taught me more about multitasking than any corporate seminar.”
Not everything came naturally. Even he admits diapers were his kryptonite. “I would almost vomit,” he says, recalling the first few times changing the baby. The solution? Pandemic leftovers: three face masks stacked, with fragrance ointment rubbed on the inner one, plus plastic gloves. “That’s a tip I would give any dad, triple mask, no gagging.”
He took every parenting class the hospital offered, keeping notes on everything from temperature signs to laundry protocol. His childhood had given him some confidence, his mother ran a daycare, and he had helped care for younger siblings. However, he still approached fatherhood like he approaches business: thoroughly and proactively.
One of his biggest realizations was how much time infants actually sleep. “You can structure your day around their naps,” he says. That meant arranging developer meetings after 5:30 p.m. when his wife came home from teaching preschool. It also meant not obsessing over PTOP’s stock price during the day. “If something pops up, you don’t have to respond that minute. You can schedule shareholder calls after hours,” Sodaitis says. A baby on speakerphone, he says, is usually less disruptive than a barking dog.
Raising children is a world that has many lessons each day. Becoming a parent can bring many emotions. But the main one is “am I going to be a good parent for my children”. As Josh was entering parenthood, he was prepared and ready to go especially from the courses he took and his childhood experiences, but most importantly learning patience from being a CEO, working with many different people and organizations. Patience was key, and he was able to implement this into parenthood.
But alongside the humor and improvisation, there’s a serious appreciation for the opportunity he had. “Time is the only asset you can’t buy more of,” he says. He knows PTOP could make him millions, or more, but in ten years, he doubts he will be wishing he had taken one extra meeting. He will wish for more mornings with his boys.
He credits his wife for pushing him into the role. “She wanted to go back to work as soon as she could, and I was okay with it. It turned out to be a blessing,” Sodaitis shares. He believes more fathers are open to being hands-on now, but many still feel unsure. His message is, if you can take the chance, take it.
As the boys grow and head off to preschool, he’s leaning back into the rhythm of day-to-day corporate life. PTOP remains, as he says, “a stock to watch.” The company holds multiple utility patents and is scaling back up, but this time with a leadership style forged in midnight feedings and afternoon nap schedules.
He’s not trying to prove anything except that being a CEO Dad doesn’t dilute ambition; it redefines it. Business milestones can coexist with baby milestones, and sometimes the most valuable asset is not a patent or a press release, but a memory one doesn’t miss.
Leadership is the act of guiding and directing a group or organization. It involves making decisions, inspiring others, and managing resources effectively to achieve goals.
Innovation is the process of creating new ideas, products, or methods that improve efficiency or effectiveness. It is essential for growth and adaptation in any business.
Parenting is the process of raising and nurturing children. It involves providing emotional support, education, and guidance to help them develop into responsible adults.
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