We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sherry LeFils a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sherry, appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My parents have never had an enormous amount of money. My mom stayed home with us and my dad owned his own mechanic business. They poured out love and we never lacked. They showed me who Jesus is, and by that, I learned how to treat people. They showed me compassion, work ethic, and that people are more important than money. My dad would pick up elderly ladies cars, fix the car, and then only charge them half price whenever he took the car back….because people were more important.
They raised me to see the importance of treating people with respect and love.
They stood up for justice, but would give you the shirt off of their back in times of trouble. I could not have asked for a better “training ground” on running a business. It is why I love people so much

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started this business as an idea. I love hippie vans, I love the 70’s. I love the Jesus Movement and I love people. I love them so much. A friend suggested that I buy a VW van and turn it into a Photo Booth. I thought it was crazy and far out of reach, but literally in a few months, an opportunity came up that allowed me to purchase the VW van that I have today.
I was able to convert the van, with the help of my Dad and my daughters, into the fantastic, fun photo opportunity that it is today.
We offer a little bit different experience than most photo booths, in the fact that we don’t have a stationary camera and backdrops. We have a photographer that will take the pictures from any angle inside or out of the van, and produce 4×6 photos, printed on the spot, for the guests of the event. We also allow them to take photos on their phones for social media. ( immediate digital pictures)
The most fun part of my job is not necessarily the photos, which are super fun, but it is meeting the people. Everyone is happy in a hippie van!!
Everyone has a story about a hippie van!
It is so much fun to hear the stories, hear older people reminisce, see teenagers get creative, and young children fall in love with the van for the first time .
We offer more than just photos, we offer a whole experience, and memories abound!
We call it the Hope Van because we want to show hope, love and joy when you step foot inside the van. It is a safe, fun experience that is full of laughter!

Have you ever had to pivot?

So we began this business in the fall of 2019. We were off to a good start, entering the wedding and corporate scene. We were booking “gigs” and enjoying life. And then 2020 came around, and with that, everything stopped. No events, no weddings, no contact with people…..very difficult in a business that thrives off of people. We knew that the future was unknown, and there would not be many opportunities to book events.
So, we just decided to improvise. We would take the van and drive around neighborhoods, staying distances away from people, but playing music out of the van, waving, talking to people from a distance and trying to bring hope and smiles. And we did! Social media began to slowly increase as did the sightings of the van. Eventually, the world began to open back up and bookings began to trickle in. It was a time to look at alternative ways to keep our names and faces in front of people while still respecting boundaries. It was fun and we got to bring joy, and that is what kept us mentally in the game.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

To be honest, our social media marketing was slow. I am a child of the 70’s and 80’s. We did everything in person, word of mouth, or referral based. Social media is a different kind of creative. Trying to find the right type of video, picture, click worthy ideas and trends. It was overwhelming. So I just decided to go slowly. Meet people, ask them to follow us. Feature people in our social media. Talk about events, get people involved. It is still not a huge following, but a very faithful following that trusts us, engages with us and refers us. It still feels a bit retro to me, which makes me happy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hopevanphotos
• Facebook: @hopevanphotos
• Other: TikTok @hopevanphotos