We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alice Zealy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alice below.
Alice, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Our mission is to enhance your RV travel experience by blending comfort, functionality, and aesthetic appeal.
As full-time RVers in our own renovated 2003 5th wheel, our mission is to provide others with a similar alternative lifestyle. We breathe new life into used RVs by transforming our clients’ campers into functional and stylish living spaces that fit their unique lifestyle; bringing new meaning to “home is where you park it.”
We love helping others cut their cost of living in order to live a full life filled with adventures and endless memories. While there are people who are forced into this lifestyle for various reasons, we believe they deserve to have a happy home no matter the reason or circumstance.
The reasons we chose RV life and our motivator in encouraging others to do the same:
1. Cost of Living: 1/4 of our previous brick & mortar home
2. Travel: First and foremost, this lifestyle allows us to save money for traveling. We can go to more places and experience different cultures and scenery
3. Weather/Nature: Having a home on wheels means you can move to your desired climate and terrain anytime of the year
4. Minimalist Lifestyle: This means less cleaning and maintenance allowing extra time to “stop and smell the roses” for personal growth and adventures together
I’ve found so much joy, peace and comfort as a FT RVer and my hope is that I can help others on their camper journey.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I found a passion for interior design and architecture at an early age, studying art and design from grade school through high school. Architectural Digest was my favorite magazine as a child and I created vision/inspiration boards for years as I dreamt of the day I could join the industry.
While in high school, I attended “design camp” at North Carolina State University prior to attending the university after graduation. Later, I furthered my education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a well-known school for their interior design program.
After a decade of working in a variety of industries, including property management and retail, I embarked on my first business endeavor as a jewelry designer. This avenue led to design recognition and I was invited to showcase my jewelry at major awards shows (Emmys, Golden Globes, and American Music Awards) where celebrities were styled with my pieces on the red carpet. It was an amazing time in my life and business, but ultimately, my heart and creativity yearned for other alleys of art and design.
The decision to renovate RVs didn’t come on a whim. In fact, it was during my divorce in 2019, where I began to realize what was important to me and what I truly wanted in life. I knew the big house, full of “stuff” did not bring me happiness. This soul-searching led to a simplified life where I wouldn’t be tied down to a brick and mortar home. I wanted the ability to use my creativity and the flexibility to travel.
I spent months hunting for the perfect camper for renovating to live in full-time. One February morning in 2020, I found a 2003 Holiday Rambler Presidential 5th wheel with good bones and a great layout. I went to see it in-person and knew it was the one!
Once purchased, I began renovations quickly. Within a few months, my new tiny home on wheels was complete. I shared before and after photos of my 5th wheel on social media and friends and family were blown away. Before I knew it, word of my RV remodel spread.
People from all over the country were reaching out to see if I could also work my magic on their recreational vehicles–campers, vans, buses, you name it! And so, the business was born. Rain2shine ventures came to life through the near constant demand of folks wanting to update and personalize their campers throughout COVID.
My first clients came in March 2021 and I have since tackled more than a dozen renovations for clients. My eye for design and decor, and experience as a Full-Time RV-er sets me apart from other RV renovators. I think about functionality in a small space having lived in my own for over 4 years and I know how to take my client’s ideas and style and turn each project into an aesthetically pleasing space that is functional, safe and unique!
Small spaces have their own challenges, mainly finding space for everything the client needs. For those that don’t know, RVs can be even more difficult because there are very few (if any) straight angles, making renovations more time consuming and hard. Therefore, we love to provide custom multi-functional elements throughout our projects to tackle both of these obstacles. Additionally, working around original systems (plumbing, furnace, water heaters, electric, breaker boxes, tanks, etc) when changing layouts can be tough.
I’m most proud of being a female-owned small business within the construction and RV industries. Oftentimes, people are surprised I do the labor (building custom furniture, installing flooring, paint, electric, and more) and I’m proud to help shift perspectives and hopefully empower other women to follow their dreams, no matter the path.
It’s important to me for people to know the truth about the current RV industry. Unfortunately, people often reach out to me seeking advice on what to do with a brand new camper that is falling apart. Typically, they have trouble with warranty coverage due to the many loopholes that keep the manufacturer from being liable. This is quite common with many new campers as they’re just not made as well as they used to be. They’re stamped out with the cheapest materials to make fancy/cool look affordable. It’s not hard to find a seemingly great deal for a new camper, but please don’t be fooled—it’s likely that you’ll pay for it in different ways later.
There are a couple of newer RV brands that I think are trying to right this wrong within the RV industry, but the majority try to produce as many as possible, as quickly as possible, and as cheaply as possible. Leaving room for structural issues and neglecting safety.
Please do your research if you’re just starting your RV journey! I highly suggest finding an older camper without too much damage and hiring a professional (like ME) to renovate it for you. You can walk away with a structurally sound RV that’s bursting with personality and one that also meets your style and needs. I have a 2003 5th Wheel that brings me so much joy and comfort partly because I feel so secure and safe in it.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Let me start by saying that I don’t consider myself an “influencer.” I don’t have 100K+ followers but I am proud of the 20K followers that I have across various platforms. I’m a true believer in letting your core audience grow organically; I have an audience that is truly interested in RVing. They’re interested in my services/work, my advocacy for RV life, my experience as a FT RVer, my RV transformations that come to life for our clients, and/or learning best practices for RV life and RV renovating.
One thing I’ve learned about social media is that it’s always shifting with the algorithm constantly changing. Keeping up with those changes is almost impossible at times. I think it’s alright to hop on trends when they fit your niche but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to be authentically you (or your brand).
People appreciate those who are genuine and those they can relate to in some form or fashion. My recommendation is to start by sharing your own personal story or backstory and how it brought you into your niche. I tend to “overshare” sometimes but I’ve found it can lead to folks reaching out with their own stories/experiences, ultimately building relationships.
Maintaining social media platforms can be a full-time job and I was overwhelmed with how much time it took out of the day when I needed to focus on my clients’ projects. However, I believe social media is necessary to grow your brand. Recognizing I needed help, I invited my sister to join rain2shine ventures in December 2022 to be my “Content Creator Extraordinaire.” She focuses on capturing the work I put into each project; providing behind-the-scenes, progress/completion photos and videos as well as our clients’ “Big Reveals” for our website and social media. I honestly don’t know how I managed before and let’s just say that our content has gotten a thousand times better with her expertise.
I would also recommend networking and making connections with others in your industry and/or locally as you grow. I don’t think of them as competition…I view it as a community where we can support one another.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Before rain2shine ventures was born, I joined multiple RV groups and forums where I shared my own 5th wheel renovation and story of what led me to choose RV life. Ultimately, this helped me connect with other RVers and learn about a space within the industry that was lacking–professional RV renovating, thus the business was born.
In addition to being recognized for our renovations by RVers across multiple platforms, we have become even more known within our own industry as a whole. As one article from RV Inspiration puts it, “Prepare to be blown away by rain2shine ventures’ bold uses of color and impeccable decor!”
Not long after starting the business, (much larger) RVing accounts began sharing our work. This is something we have never taken for granted as it helps share our services with hundreds of thousands of people outside of our own audience and in turn also helps us grow and educate people on the possibilities of updating their outdated campers.
Because of these early connections, we have built relationships with many people in the industry from other RV renovators to some of the largest blogs/platforms for all things RV. We have been highlighted in news broadcasts and featured in several magazines (even on a cover). We’ve participated in podcasts, conventions and YouTube episodes. We also run our own blog and write RV-related articles for numerous magazines, blogs and newsletters across the industry.
Truthfully, we think that our work speaks for itself and hope that others recognize our attention to detail and aesthetic when they see our finished projects. Rain2Shine likes to say, “Fads Fade but Style is Eternal”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rain2shineventures.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rain2shineventures/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rain2shineventures/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rain2shine-ventures/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rain2shinervs
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rain2shineventures
Image Credits
Mary-Knox Zealy