Allie turned to me and mentioned, “I want to start a small business.” We had been sitting on the shallow grey couch collectively, after solely about two months of studying easy methods to stay full-time in our new RV. Videos and blogs can solely let you know a lot with regards to the day-to-day duties of residing in a tiny rolling dwelling and we had been nonetheless catching our stride!
Before she even completed her sentence, I shortly jumped to my toes and received a pocket book from our small desk drawer. We started writing down ideas and concepts about how we may start a small enterprise whereas touring full-time. We don’t have any previous training, background or expertise in enterprise, however we had some stable goals we needed to pursue. We knew we may study to do absolutely anything, particularly since we had been navigating the challenges of residing and touring in an RV collectively!
When we started Wander Free and Queer, we knew we needed our enterprise to signify who we’re and what we had been doing. We take into account ourselves a artful, queer couple who’re touring the nation in our RV, visiting completely different landscapes and getting outdoors to discover nature by way of climbing trails, taking scenic drives, and rafting rivers. When we aren’t out adventuring, we’re lounging in our dwelling on wheels, crocheting all the things from rainbow keychains to cozy cowls.
How may we convey all of those components of ourselves collectively?
We figured we may combine our love for RV residing, ardour for visibility and illustration within the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, in addition to handcrafting crochet merchandise which can be travel-inspired. We began our Etsy store in 2018.
We went to a couple native farmers markets throughout that yr and offered our unique Wanderer Headband in over 20 colours. We spent our first winter studying easy methods to {photograph}, market, and bundle gadgets that will ship everywhere in the nation!
We left the east coast in late 2018 and traveled to Florida for our first heat winter in our RV. We attended a couple of native markets and festivals whereas increasing our crochet gadgets and placing collectively a couple of casual get togethers for LGBTQ+ RVers. We started creating our first little rainbow that will develop into one in every of our staple gadgets through the years. We needed an merchandise that would offer LGBTQ+ illustration, however would even be sufficiently small to suit into vans, campers and RVs. This little rainbow is offered as a keychain, decoration, and automobile allure to indicate your pleasure or ally-ship to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
We had intentions of increasing our enterprise to contain extra neighborhood occasions in 2020, however COVID had different concepts. We put all plans for in-person occasions on maintain and refocused on easy methods to construct and develop our Etsy and Instagram communities. Allie has been in control of our social media from the very starting, and he or she does an unbelievable job showcasing our travels, RV life, crochet, canine content material and our queer love (@Wander.Free.and.Queer)! We started working with a couple of choose firms that align with our mission and worth bringing variety and inclusion to the RV and journey neighborhood.
With a rising viewers got here a rising product line and our first huge pleasure occasion in Denver, Colorado. We received a tent, tables, chairs and show gadgets to arrange for a bigger arrange than we had been used to and we crocheted until our fingers damage! We additionally commissioned a fellow traveler to design a brand for us throughout this time that we placed on stickers, magnets and keychains for the Denver pleasure occasion. Having a brand was an enormous deal for us and we couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.
With all this development got here some challenges. We realized that residing in beneath 250 sq. toes whereas working a small enterprise meant we had been always looking for house saving and organizational choices for storing all of our yarn, show gadgets, and merchandise! We shortly crammed our cupboards within the RV, after which moved to the surface bays for storage. We started through the use of bins, however realized that vacuum-sealed baggage saved room and saved our yarn contemporary and new. We started labeling all of our bins and baggage of merchandise in order that we may simply open a bay and know what was inside. These methods have continued to avoid wasting us a lot time through the years.
Beyond studying about easy methods to logistically run our small enterprise from our small house, we additionally needed to study to work collectively. As we developed our line of physique care merchandise, we bickered over colours and patterns. We received on one another’s nerves when contemplating easy methods to go about storing our chunky cowls. We needed to learn to talk about working our small enterprise in our small house, however this took some apply. Many RV {couples} will let you know that residing along with your accomplice in shut quarters means you study to take care of points shortly and effectively, however that could be a ability that we nonetheless should apply commonly.
Over the previous couple of years, now we have settled into our small enterprise roles. We work collectively, take turns, or use a divide-and-conquer methodology with others. Allie is the creator, the visionary, and the eagerness behind Wander Free and Queer. She develops all of our merchandise from scratch and works diligently to good them earlier than educating me easy methods to make them on the market. Allie can also be the voice of our social media. She spends hours every single day creating content material, chatting on-line, and providing details about journey, LGBTQ+ neighborhood and RV residing. She additionally has develop into a part-time photographer, crochet teacher, and advertiser. I, Danella, work extra on behind-the-scenes duties reminiscent of taking good care of authorized and monetary duties, making use of to markets and festivals, and dealing with logistics of brief and long run enterprise planning. I additionally make the merchandise Allie has created for on-line orders and upcoming occasions.
We hope to continue to grow our small enterprise over time. Last yr we started providing RV consultations for individuals who needed to talk about RV residing or life on the street. We love any alternative to share our expertise and supply training and sources to our journey neighborhood. This yr now we have simply begun providing on-line crochet workshops so as to study the abilities your self to make the coaster or cowl of your goals! We hope the following couple of years will embrace extra neighborhood occasions and alternatives to convey collectively our love for journey, RV residing, and crochet particularly to our LGBTQ+ family and friends.
Our mission states, “Visibility, representation, and inclusion are at the heart of our mission and brand. We do not see the LGBTQ+ community adequately represented in outdoor and travel spaces. We are trying to change that. We see you.” Our merchandise and handmade items are a reminder to everybody to wander with pleasure or to sign your allyship to our neighborhood!
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Want to study extra from Allie and Danella? Here are a few of their Road Diaries:
Finding a Homebase Campground with Wander Free and Queer
Decorating in Small Spaces with Wander Free and Queer
Traveling with Two Dogs in a Fifth-Wheel RV: Wander Free and Queer