Two Brothers Who Built a Brand Based On The Concept of Living Life to the Fullest
Updated: Jul 7, 2022
The millenial mantra is that you only live once (YOLO). Though a noble idea, it has become little more than a meme. But Holstee is a brand that takes this concept seriously. In fact, their entire mission is based off of the idea of enabling people to live fuller and more mindful lives.
Holstee was co-founded by the brother duo, David and Mike Radparvar. They were united by their desire to create a positive impact through good design. With the help of their community, they’ve spent the last 10 years learning what it means to live to the fullest and pursuing one's ambitions as well as mindfully being aware of the impact those actions.
The brothers came up with a manifesto by which they would live their lives and build their business on. Holstee’s journey began in 2009 with the viral popularity of their company manifesto which was a call to arms based on their personal definition of success. The Holstee Manifesto was the first thing that the brothers created as a company. It has since become the foundation for their work.
Holstee's journey has been heavily influenced by the people and thinkers they surround themselves with including classic philosophers like Aristotle, Seneca and Nietzsche to modern thinkers like Martin Seligman, Carol Dweck, Tal Ben-Shahar, and Brené Brown. Combined with the values they first shared in the Holstee Manifesto, they have identified 12 themes that are core to living both fully and mindfully. These themes can be found in everything from Holstee’s Reflection Cards to their membership program where each month one theme is explored in depth.
How did you come up with the idea to make reflection cards?
Several years ago, we decided to do something we hadn’t really ever done before. We sat down with our parents and decided to reflect on the past year. We had a guided set of questions and took turns sharing our answers. After an hour we had learned more about each other than we had in the past two years. At that moment, we knew we wanted a way to make this experience more accessible. Several years later the Reflection Cards were born.
What do you hope people gain from your products?
If we can help others remember and keep in the front of their minds what is truly important for them, then we’ve done our job.
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