The Best Vocation You Already Have

You family needs you to do it well.

Cornelius Vanderbilt came from a family where business was a regular part of life.

His father saved every penny he could, eventually building a boat that he cleverly used to build a business from, where he’d take regular trips to New York on behalf of other farmers.

This meant not only could he sell his produce regularly (and at better prices) but he increased the income of his neighbors (for a small fee).

On their farm, his children would often help out, under the watchful eye of their Mother, Phebe, who largely helped run the farm they worked so hard to own.

Phebe was entrusted with managing the money earned through both their boat operations and family farm.

Not only would she stretch every dollar as far as it would go, she took a portion of their savings and built a small lending business out of it, leveraging the reputation she’d built in the community.

Thus their entire family was involved with the wellbeing of one another, and this served as a springboard, both intellectually and financially for Cornelius Vanderbilt to build the transportation empire that would shape America forever.

In this time not long passed, most work was a vocation, and deeply ingrained in a family’s identity.

“Jobs” in the modern sense of the word were more related to a general station in the world.

While we still ask “What do you do?” with the implication of employment, this question used to have a very different meaning.

I’ve always been tempted in recent years to say something like “Raise my kids, run my land, operate a couple of businesses, build various things around my property.” among the list of other tasks that are part of my identity.

Instead I will usually respond with “I run an ecommerce store.” or, if the guy seems cool, “I run a group for legacy building dads.”

Either of these answers alone can be broken down into many components, but the reality of building a strong family is that all you do becomes family focused. And in all I do my family is involved, be it on the land, work, or play.

Work and family are not supposed to be separated, if your goal is to build something great for your descendants. Everything, even your day job, is a component of your true vocation (more on that later).

A Family Affair

Not long ago, work and family were one and the same. A father’s vocation was implicit in the way of life for a family.

The farmer would work in fields not far from his front door, often spying his children playing nearby, or even having them involved in parts of the day to day.

Likewise his goodwife, contrary to the 1950’s idealism around the semi-idle housewife, would play a large role in the operations of the farm.

This applied to all manner of life - from tailors, to merchants, musicians, cobblers, blacksmiths.

There was more to it than go to work, then come home and unplug. Work was a topic of discussion, trade skill were passed down, in off seasons other work was procured or side businesses were pursued.

An entire family would be involved, and benefit from the work of the collective.

In the modern world we’ve compartmentalized this and called it progress.

Men and women alike work in jobs that they unplug from when they get home, almost like they ‘change hats’.

Kids are isolated from both the value of the work and involvement in it, and are instead plopped in another compartment - schools.

For a time this became economically profitable at least. Families were able to amass more wealth and generally better standard of living, which unfortunately was largely squandered as we lost the familial cohesion of legacy mentality.

But, perhaps most ironically, lost too are those economic benefits. A bag packer at a supermarket could once provide for a family of 5 while owning a decent home and land. Now, not only have the tight family bonds of the vocation focused family been lost, so too have the purchasing power of the (unconscious) sacrifice.

And somewhere along the way, we as fathers, lost sight of the true vocation we’re meant to possess, regardless of how we earn a living.

Bringing it Home

The world has, in some ways, moved on from the average man being in a vocation in which his entire family is involved.

Trades are far more specialized, commercial farming has taken the place of the smallholding, and so forth.

But there is one vocation a man must take up if he wants to build a great family.

The vocation of Patriarch.

This is a role you already have, but how you play it is entirely up to you.

Regardless of what actions you take, they will impact generations of your descendants..

So why not do it to the best of your potential?

When you adopt this moniker, your job becomes an income stream for your family empire. Your savings becomes your family treasury. Your children are your heirs. Every dollar is a worker for your family name when you invest it.

Develop a vision for your family and discuss it. Choose family colors and symbols to represent you. Come up with a motto to inspire your kids. Create plans and put them in action. Lay the foundation for you kids to build upon.

Talk about your work, what you’re doing to start your kids out, the moves you’re making in your business/investments/side work. Tell them stories to strengthen your culture. Make connection that will be advantageous to them later.

When you become a true patriarch, a generational father, one who rights the course of his family for generations, ALL you do, even if ‘compartmentalized’ now, will become for your family.

And this is how you turn your family into a lasting legacy, a dynasty.

If this resonates with you, then come and join us inside The Foundry.

The Foundry is where fathers become legacy-builders.

Most men drift through life—disconnected from their kids, overwhelmed by work, and unsure what they’re really building.

Inside The Foundry, you’ll join a brotherhood of high-standard patriarchs forging unbreakable families, clear leadership, and generational culture.

✅ Reclaim time, energy, and purpose
✅ Lead your home with clarity, not chaos
✅ Build habits, vision, and structure your kids will thank you for
✅ Raise children who admire you, and carry your legacy with pride
✅ Tap into frameworks, feedback, and a network that calls you higher

Get off the “dad advice treadmill” and become a Patriarch by vocation.

They say you’re the product of those you spend time with..

So join us and become the generational father your family remembers for generations.

Thanks for reading.

Yours,
Ben Black