Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Courtney Weis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Courtney, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I tell the same story every time someone asks me this question, but it really is the reason behind my mission and drove me to where I am today. When I was 18, I was involved in a rollover car accident and was ejected. I flew to the other side of the highway and landed on my side in the middle of all the lanes. Miraculously a guy driving an 18 wheeled semi on that side of the highway saw my body land, and he slammed on his brakes and cut off all the traffic coming directly for me. I was taken by flight for life to the nearest hospital which I spent 18 days at. I suffered numerous injuries so severe, forcing me to eventually having to relearn how to walk. I questioned the accident for years, and I still do to this day. I wondered not only how I survived, but why I was given a second chance at life. Once I healed and was able to get back to “normal life” my whole perspective changed. It made me realize how short life can be and I vowed to myself from there on out to try all the new things and take any opportunities that came my way. I started traveling and even moved to a couple different states, ultimately ending up in Colorado where I have been for almost 10 years now. Soon after planting my feet in this beautiful state I started trying to find a way to get people to live their lives how I do. I wanted to express my love for life in hopes of other people riding that same wave. I always had an obsession with the word “rad” and after all the adventures I had I combined the two words to create “RADventure.” I wanted to create a collective of rad people doing rad things, which is when The RADventure Collective was created. It started out small and I was just making stickers and spreading the word. Not long after I started buying blank apparel, bought a heat press, and started creating my own handmade apparel! It grew decently and I started connecting via internet and real life with fellow human beings who had the same lust for life. The goal was never to get rich, the goal was to just connect with these people and showcase the rad things they do in life. Business is slow moving currently, but the small moments where I can tell people my story or even simply hand out a sticker mean more to me than anything.

Courtney, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The RADventure Collective is more than a brand, it’s a lifestyle. The RAD Co showcases rad people doing rad things. I believe that you can create your own reality and live by your own standards. I design all of the logos for stickers and apparel. I also hand-make all the apparel as well using a heat press. It takes quite some time to do as an individual but there’s something so satisfying about having a vision and seeing it come to life in the palm of your hands. That is something I take a lot of pride in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means a professional as I’ve only been doing this for 3-4 years, but there’s also satisfaction in growing and progressing and getting better at your craft. I have a lot of room for improvement but it’s also important to remember the love that goes into each individual product. I’m always striving to come up with fresh new designs or finding better quality products. Not only do I create apparel but I also provide photography and videography services as well. I have a certificate in Professional Photography which I received from The New York Institute of Photography. It is my biggest passion in life and it’s so rewarding to be able to combine all of my hobbies into one bigger dream.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started this brand literally a couple weeks before Covid happened. I was spreading the word via social media and was very excited to officially launch. I had been preparing for weeks and immediately after I launched, we were hit with Covid. People began losing their jobs, which resulted in losing their incomes, and generally people had bigger things to worry about than me launching my start up brand. I had a bunch of stickers and my first round of apparel I created all ready to go. Once I realized there were bigger fish to fry, I truthfully just kinda pushed it to the side. It was a good 3-4 months before I started promoting my brand again, and when I finally decided to do that I was very nervous. At first I thought the universe was trying to tell me not to try this. I figured I wasn’t too deep into it and hadn’t invested too much money into it, maybe I should just forget about it. I had all kinds of doubts. I decided to just go for it, and with the support of my family and friends, it didn’t do as bad as I thought it would! I’m still not where I want to be in this journey, and have a long ways to go. All I know is I am thankful I didn’t give up because I have made some amazing connections and experiences along the way. It has only been about 4 years now, and there’s times where I will go months without doing a thing. Life gets crazy and sometimes you have to take care of other stuff. The moral is – don’t quit! Nothing great happened overnight and the worst thing you can do is give up. You have to trust the process and see it through. It doesn’t matter if people don’t support or see your vision – YOU have to believe in your vision.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I was fortunate to have a decent social media following on a couple of other instagram pages I already had. While it definitely helped gain some traction towards my business page, it definitely took a few other key components. CONSISTENCY is the main one. Staying active on social media will make a huge difference. I still slack when it comes to this because as I’ve said before, life gets crazy and sometimes social media isn’t a priority. Engaging as often as you can is still better than nothing. Another factor that goes into building an audience is to post high quality content. Taking the time to capture high quality photos of your products goes a long way. It’s also important to follow and support other like minded businesses in your niche. Support those who support you! Social media can feel like a game most times, but all it takes is one catchy reel or one unique photo to help you rocket your social media to a higher level! It’s just like I said with starting a business, have patience and don’t give up because it will come to you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @theradventurecollective
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
@courtneys.cameras