About Stéphane Boss
My name is Stéphane Boss, I am the owner and founder of BYDFAULT. Husband of Nathalie, we have three wonderful boys Matt, Alex and Ben. I was born in the mid 60’s and raised in France. I relocated to the United States in 2007 to continue a career in sales and marketing with corporate America.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn on left, my grandfather
on the far right behind.
My grandfather was a printer in Paris. A pretty well-known one actually. He was the very first to secretly print Russian author Alexandre Soljenitsyne in 1973 and against USSR’s will (but that’s another story*). At a young age, I was hanging around these huge linotype machines. He taught me how they worked, taught me the different type of papers... But maybe the biggest lesson in life I will keep from him is this: never take things for granted and forge your own opinion after you do your research.
My grandfather also passed down my ability to follow my gut and do what I think is the right thing to do.
My father was a graphic designer. As an entrepreneur, he had his own studio in Paris and specialized in direct mail ads. Growing up, I was in his office every day, and learned how to create brochures and ads; and check for typos. As a teenager and young adult I swore I would never do what he does. So ironic isn’t it? The lessons I learned from being at his side during all those years include:
My dad, me, Matt, Alex and Ben.
My dad in the middle with his team at the office.
I started to run in 2015 literally with zero experience. I was hooked and started to run on trails. Tiger Mountain and Squak Mountain in Issaquah, WA rapidly became my playground. I now run Ultra distances (50k, 50 miles, 100miles…) and currently, I am training for the very big one in September 2019: Lake Tahoe 200 (miles)! After two self-supported 6-day races in the Atacama desert and Mongolia I think I am mentally (and physically?) ready to tackle something harder.
The more I run, the more I am eager to learn what the human mind/body is capable of. Probably my perseverance, curiosity and fascination about how I can trick my brain so my legs keep moving is what makes this possible.
I use the same passion and dedication when working with clients. Always going the “ultra” distance for my clients’ satisfaction!
Though I said I will never do what my dad did I later edited my saying adding: “If I think I can make a difference doing something different then maybe I will reconsider”.
In 2010 I went to Guatemala with two of my sons to volunteer at a rural school. It was my first volunteering experience. This trip overwhelmed me emotionally. When I came back I was transformed. Obsessed about how I could give back to the community at a larger scale I called for a family meeting. And the outcome was BYDFAULT. I wanted to create a company that will give back by default and from day one. And that’s what I did. In August 2012, BYDFAULT was launched.
Volunteering at a rescue center for street children in Tanzania.
