Alaska

Barnacle Foods, founded by Matt and Lia Kern and Max Stanley in Juneau, Alaska, turned a remote coastal location into a competitive advantage. Starting with kelp salsa at a local holiday market in 2016, the trio sold out on day one. After launching on Amazon in 2019, they transitioned from self-fulfillment to FBA, then added Amazon Warehousing and Distribution to manage peak-season demand. Today, Amazon accounts for 10–20% of revenue, and Barnacle offers more than 30 kelp-based products. The company employs 15 full-time Juneau workers, is partly owned by indigenous corporation Sealaska, and donates to more than 50 Alaskan organizations annually.

Dimitri Shein spends much of his week shuttling his kids to appointments and after-school activities. He’s a small business owner and a working father of six children ranging from 10 to 20 years old—some of whom require special care. Four are adopted.

“My small business has allowed me to provide for my kids, even when their needs are high and the time commitment is extensive,” said Shein, “I’m able to have the freedom to bounce around and take care of things that my family needs.”

In some ways, his kids were the impetus for what has become a family business: Nice Planter.