This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Darren Litt, cofounder and CEO of Hiya. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Like many parents, I gave my daughters multivitamins when they were young. But I worried that the vitamins were just candy in disguise, packed with sugar, dyes, and ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce. When the girls were 5 and 6, I decided to create a better product for them, and all kids.
This wasn’t my first foray into entrepreneurship. I had started tech companies in the past, beginning with a tutoring company when I was in college. I knew a lot about business and marketing, but this was my first foray into consumer packaged goods.
We launched Hiya in March 2020 — a unique time to launch any business, let alone a wellness brand. My family was essential to growing the business, which was acquired in 2024 for more than $205 million.
My girls were involved in every step of the process
My daughters were my target customers, and they were involved with creating and shaping Hiya from the beginning. Rylan and Remi would taste-test formulations of the vitamins and give the team their honest feedback.
We weren’t just focused on taste, however. We wanted to create a whole experience. Hiya vitamins come with a refillable bottle that kids can decorate. The girls helped pick everything from bottle colors to the type of stickers. At one point, Rylan suggested getting her favorite Disney Princess — Moana — onto the bottles. Eventually, that led to a partnership with Disney.
I chose to meld family and business
Because we launched the business during COVID, my whole family was at home. It was natural that the girls would sit in on Zoom meetings, so they were always immersed in decision-making at the company. We also had lots of conversations about Hiya over the dinner table.
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For some people, there’s value in having clear boundaries between work and family. But I believe that integrating my personal and professional lives was the best way to grow this business. Ultimately, I was doing this for my daughter and other kids, and I knew the best business would be born from melding my family and business.
My girls were sad at first about selling
As the girls got older and returned to in-person learning, they weren’t always around when I had important meetings. Still, I took an approach of radical transparency. They’ve always been curious about the business, and I followed that curiosity, showing them everything from our Slack channels to employee numbers to financials.
I didn’t have to get on a soapbox and teach the girls lessons about business because they were seeing it firsthand. They saw how hard I worked, and they cared about the business in the same way I do.
Since I was so open, the girls understood that I was considering selling the company. That made them a bit sad, since Hiya has become part of our family culture. They thought I would sell the company and not be involved. They were relieved to learn I’m still the CEO of the business — I’ve just sold the majority stake.
My daughters want to be entrepreneurs one day
Today, my daughters are 13 and 14. If you ask them what they want to be, they’ll tell you they want to be entrepreneurs.
I love that they saw their father identify a problem, then gather a team to solve it. I didn’t know anything about the vitamin space except that I wanted better for my kids, and yet I was able to enter that space and disrupt it. That’s really exciting for my daughters.
