Wife: Lauren
Child: Lincoln, 20 months
Occupation: Gulf Coast Sales Director for Happy Dad Hard Seltzer and Co-Owner of Wander On Marketing and Events
Hobbies: Droning and gardening
If you happen to spot a drone buzzing above a local festival or catch a dad in the grocery store juggling a toddler and a hard seltzer pitch at the same time, odds are you’ve just encountered Jon Gusanders. Equal parts family man, marketing guru, and drone enthusiast, Jon wears more hats than most. As Gulf Coast Sales Director for Happy Dad Hard Seltzer and co-owner of Wander on Marketing, he somehow still finds time to find peace in his garden, chase down rain barrels, and share Disney movie nights with his toddler, Lincoln, and loving wife, Lauren. Friendly, thoughtful, and full of contagious positive energy, Jon is the kind of dad who makes the chaos of New Orleans parenting look like a party, and somehow always brings the good vibes with him.
WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
JON: That’s a very tough question because no day is normal. And that’s the nature of my industry, too, where we have to be very flexible. There’s a lot of moving parts in what I do. A typical day, you know, I’m waking up between six and seven, right alongside Lincoln. Lauren and I kind of tag team in the morning. In the alcohol industry, I can’t sell directly to, [for example,] Rouse’s or Fred’s in Tigerland in Baton Rouge. I have to work through a distributor, so [I make] a lot of phone calls throughout the day, and then I’m actually out in the market too, which is what I enjoy the most. Within the industry, the one nice thing that I do have is simply flexibility. That’s been very helpful, especially having a family and also working from home.
My days are all over the place, but it keeps it fun [and] keeps it interesting for me. I never get complacent because there’s always something to do, something to be done. Usually, it’s something positive, [like helping] someone out with an account [or] with their product needs. I really enjoy (and Lauren would say the same thing) love helping businesses: thinking outside the box, being creative, taking my Happy Dad hat off for a second and putting on the Wander On Marketing hat. That’s what keeps us going: those positive interactions that we have with our clients and helping them create marketing strategies and interesting content. We like to keep busy, that is for sure.
WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST FULFILLING ABOUT THE WORK YOU DO?
JON: Helping people. When it comes to Happy Dad, my term is always, “mutually beneficial.” I’m a sales guy, whether it’s with Happy Dad [or] even with our company, we’re selling a service. But I never want to sell something that’s not good for the customer. I want it to be beneficial for all. Ultimately, when we can create that mutually beneficial program or sale, everybody wins. Everybody’s happy. Everybody’s making money. And ultimately, the customer’s getting what they want, whether it’s in terms of the seltzer or our personal business helping them with marketing strategies, social media, photography, event creation, [or] event production.
HOW DO YOU JUGGLE CAREER AND FAMILY LIFE?
JON: Being flexible. I am a flexible person in general. A common phrase that I use is, “controlling your controllables.” Whether it’s business or home life, we’ve had some challenges with things that were out of our control. So that’s really how I go about my day-to-day: Control what we can, and do it in a positive way. Try to be humble, be kind, [and] be positive. And ultimately, good things will come from that. I’m fortunate to have the personality where I can do that and still be successful. Sometimes, it is hard to maintain that positive spirit, but that’s something that Lauren and I focus on regularly. It’s so easy to be negative, but why be negative? If you’re positive, good things come from that, and you feel better.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO UNWIND AFTER A LONG DAY WITH WORK AND FAMILY?
JON: I spend some time out in my garden. We almost always do dinner at 5/6 p.m. Lincoln usually goes to bed [at] 7:30/8 o’clock, and we do go to a lot of festivals and concerts. If it’s not one of those nights where we’re out doing things or out to dinner, we like watching movies with Lincoln. Both Lauren and I have gone back to our inner Disney days, and it’s fun watching all the things that we used to watch: The Lion King, Aladdin, Sesame Street… just spending that last hour or so with our son before he goes to bed. Once Lincoln’s asleep, then Lauren and I can actually unwind for the day. We found that over the years, we always tried watching shows together. Then we go to bed, and we start it all over again the next day.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT BECOMING A DAD?
JON: I knew my life would be full of joy having a child, watching him grow, and being alongside him. But I had no clue how truly joyous it is. That smile in the morning… Kids can pull you out of the deepest, darkest trends. You could have the worst day, and you walk in, and he runs up to us, grabs our legs, and gives us hugs, and that can quickly flip your day. It also puts life in perspective. When you’re coming home to something like that, and I’m waking up to something like that, it definitely helps bring more joy into all of our lives.
WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOUR PARENTING STYLE THE MOST?
JON: My family. I’m the fifth of five in my family, so I have four older siblings. My oldest sibling is 17 years older than I am, so there’s quite a spread. My parents would probably never admit it, but I know they had to have been tired. I only have one child, and I’m already tired! They had five over the course of a 17-year span; They had to be exhausted by the time I came into the picture. So there was definitely some casual parenting. I already know that when and if we have a second child, we’ll do things just a little bit differently. I effectively had six parents growing up because [my siblings] were all looking after me—all of it in a good way. I just had a lot of positivity growing up. I’m very fortunate to have really supportive parents who have supported us and me in everything that I’ve done. That’s just the way to go about doing it: being positive and supportive. I’m hoping that over the course of time, that’s what I am to Lincoln.
WHAT LESSONS DO YOU HOPE LINCOLN LEARNS FROM YOU?
JON: Control the controllables. Be humble and kind. It’s a lot easier to love than it is to hate. I’m hoping that we can instill that in him, he appreciates that, and he lives his life that way.
TELL US ABOUT A RECENT “PROUD DAD” MOMENT.
JON: Recently, we went to a wedding in New York. Lincoln was just at the cusp of walking. Of course, he was the ring bearer. My wife, Lauren, was also in the wedding. We couldn’t get Lincoln walking [by himself], which was fine, but at that point, he could walk as long as you were holding his hand. Now, he’s running everywhere. He’s doing the stairs up and down. He’s doing it all. But basically, the day before [the wedding] was when he really started getting that rhythm of walking (at least being handheld). He walked down the aisle with Lauren, stole the show for the wedding, and people were laughing and crying. I was crying as [I was] videoing them coming down the aisle! It was definitely a proud moment to see. I feel like every day I’m proud. Whether it’s a simple walk or saying, “Hi, daddy,” which he started a few weeks ago, and now he says it all the time. Everything’s new to him, too, which is great, seeing that through our eyes, just kind of experiencing this wonderment of life when you’re that age. All you know is positivity. Your needs are basic. You just want to eat and have fun and be around your parents and people that you’re familiar with. That’s been one of the most exciting and fun parts of parenthood, just those daily proud moments.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE LINCOLN REMEMBERS MOST ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD WITH YOU?
JON: Having a lot of fun and experiences. Lauren and I are a lot more about experiences. We’re not really materialistic; We’re all about experiences. So we love including him in everything that we can. And we, of course, do it safely. Going to festivals, we’ll put him in the big headphones, and he loves those things. He’s enjoying the concerts, he’s smiling, he’s laughing. I’m fortunate to have a great partner. Lauren is amazing in every way, whether it’s the business or seeing her grow as a mom, it blows my brain just how amazing that she is with it. I want Lincoln to look back and know that we had a lot of fun together, we brought him places, we had great experiences, and we met great people, and hopefully, that all builds with his personality. When he does look back at it as an adult, hopefully he’ll think, “That was amazing. I’m fortunate that my parents were cool.”
Quick Q’s
- Dream vacation destination… Iceland
- Current obsession… AI
- Hobby I wish I had more time for… Piano
- One thing I can’t leave the house without.. My drone
- Something I’m excited about… The future