The Right Way Isn't Always the Easiest: How Tad Varga Built a Business on Patient Leadership

Tad Varga drives a nearly 20-year-old car. He could afford something newer—his luxury patio furniture company, Three Birds Casual, ships products all over the world. But he doesn't need to. That's the kind of decision he talks about with his team: the right way isn't always the easiest way, and the comfortable choice isn't always the wise one.

It's a principle that shapes everything at Three Birds Casual, from how Varga manages resources to how he responds when someone makes a mistake. And it didn't come naturally. Before Varga became a Christian around age 30, he was, by his own admission, very different. People who knew him back then still mention the change.

From Antique Bird Cages to Global Business

Twenty-seven years ago, Varga was working in television advertising and marketing. His brother-in-law Victor was a financial analyst living in Hong Kong. Together with Varga's wife, they started importing antique bird cages from Asia and selling them on eBay out of a spare bedroom. The venture was a hobby, something to do on the side. They called it Three Birds Casual—one bird for each of them.

Today, Three Birds Casual designs, manufactures, and distributes luxury patio furniture for residential and commercial clients worldwide. The company has grown from a spare-bedroom side project into a thriving business, but Varga's approach to leadership has remained grounded in the transformation he experienced three decades ago.

If you would have known me before I became a Christian, I was very different. People who knew me back then still mention that.

Varga had dabbled in church before his conversion, thinking that simply attending made him a Christian. But around age 30, he fully committed his life to Christ at Community of Hope in Columbia City, Indiana—the same church he still attends today. That decision reshaped not just his personal life, but the way he would eventually lead his company.

Bible Study During Work Hours

Walk into Three Birds Casual during certain hours and you might find the team gathered together, reading through the Book of Daniel. It's not a church service—it's an open discussion. Varga describes it as a place where people at different stages of faith can ask questions and talk through what they're reading.

The company rotates who leads the study. Sometimes it's Varga. Sometimes it's someone else. Everyone takes turns praying and leading the conversation. For Varga, it's about more than Bible knowledge—it's about helping people develop skills they'll use outside of work, in their homes and families.

They don't always stick to Scripture, either. The team has read books like The Alchemist and The Greatest Salesman in the World. Varga wants his employees to be well-rounded, not just good at their jobs. And he's learning alongside them.

One employee, a pastor who started her own church, gets a day off each week to prepare and lead her congregation. For Varga, that's non-negotiable. The company shouldn't consume someone's entire life. People need space to pursue what matters most.

Rewarding Employees Before Himself

Varga has been doing this a long time. He lives comfortably. He doesn't need a lot. So when people do a good job, he wants to recognize it. He rewards employees before rewarding himself.

But when something goes wrong, he doesn't yell. He corrects and teaches. Managing emotions, he says, is part of leading by example. If this is how he acts, that's the expectation for everyone else.

The right way to do things isn't always the easiest way. That's something I talk about a lot.

It would be easy as a leader to move on when someone makes a mistake, to avoid the difficult conversation or just replace the person. But Varga believes people deserve the opportunity to grow. We all make mistakes. You have to give people the chance to make things right.

He tries to guide younger employees the way a father would. If he's made a mistake in the past, he wants them to learn from it instead of repeating it. He shares stories—especially the bad ones—and talks through what he learned looking back. Sometimes the lessons are practical, like not overspending or thinking long-term with finances. Other times they're bigger: there are things he could do that would benefit him personally or financially, but wouldn't be right for others. In those moments, he chooses to correct and teach instead of reacting harshly.

The Long View

Varga’s three sons all graduated from Grace College, just down the road from Three Birds Casual. Two earned their MBAs there. Today, all three work in the business.

It’s not something he forced—it’s something they chose. And it reflects the way he’s built both his company and his life: steadily, intentionally, and with a long horizon in mind.

It’s simple, but it’s consistent with what he teaches his team:
don’t chase what’s immediate—build toward what lasts.

That shows up in small decisions—drive the older car, save instead of spend—but also in bigger ones: invest in people, correct instead of replace, and choose what’s right even when it costs.

Because over time, those decisions compound.

And eventually, they don’t just build a business.
They build people.