In the niche industry of RV renovations, Alice Zealy brings inspiration and empowerment to female entrepreneurs. As the founder of rain2shine ventures, Alice has transformed her personal journey into a thriving business specializing in creating customized, functional, and beautiful mobile living spaces.
Named after the childhood nicknames given to Alice (“Rainbow”) and her sister Knox (“Sunshine”), rain2shine ventures reflects their colorful and bright personalities. In an exclusive interview with Modern Campground, Alice shared the story of rain2shine ventures, highlighting her journey as a female entrepreneur and RV innovator in a traditionally male-dominated field.
“Although I started the company in early 2021, Knox joined the team as head of marketing and photography in December 2022. We are a team of two sisters who pride themselves on being a woman-owned business filled with integrity and honesty,” Alice shared.
“At our core, we’re innovators in the RV community, passionate about providing our clients with breathtaking mobile spaces and setting them up for success on the open road,” she added.
The company offers customized RV renovations tailored to individual needs, creating functional and beautiful spaces. Their process includes an online RV remodel form, consultations, and detailed project estimates.
Clients can choose from various options for interior design elements, ensuring a space that matches their style and lifestyle. Whether transforming an RV into a tiny home or a mobile business, rain2shine ventures handles it all with “expertise and creativity.”
Following the consultation, Alice breaks down each major project into an itemized list with estimates, allowing clients to prioritize their must-haves and wants while discussing how everything fits into their budget.
“During the renovation, we offer our clients options to fit their space—wallpaper, tile, lighting, furniture, etc. Some clients give us free [rein] to use our creativity and expertise for their RV design while others are more particular about their specific functional needs, layout, and floor plan,” Alice told Modern Campground.
The entrepreneur’s full-time RV lifestyle influences her approach to renovations. With nearly four years of living in a tiny home on wheels, she understands the importance of functionality in small spaces. Her personal modifications, like pop-up countertop extensions, inspire her designs, ensuring each client’s RV meets their unique needs and daily routines.
“I pay attention to my daily activities and what makes my life easier. I’ve upgraded and modified my own camper over the last few years as needed,” Alice shared.
Alice explained that she pays close attention to her clients’ lifestyles, putting herself in their shoes and visualizing their daily routines to understand what will work best for them when designing their camper.
Memorable Projects
A particularly memorable project for rain2shine ventures was transforming a Class C RV for a dog rescue group in North Carolina. The rebuild included features like a grooming station with a tub, a fridge, a pull-out pantry, and a kitchen area for dog food and medications.
“As someone who loves animals, has two rescue dogs of her own, and has worked with dog rescues in the past through fostering and transportation, I was beyond excited to take on their project,” Alice explained.
She described the project as a true labor of love and one of their most substantial and challenging transformations. The Class C RV required an entire rebuild due to water damage.
By the time the project was complete, the only original parts left were the suspension, brakes, engine, cab, and most of the exterior siding and windows.
Overcoming Obstacles
The success of rain2shine ventures did not come without its share of challenges. One of the hurdles Alice faced was raising awareness about professional RV renovation services. “Sharing the work I did on my own camper is the reason I started rain2shine ventures. I shared my 2003 5th wheel on social media for friends and family and to inspire others. This is when people started to request I renovate their campers,” she said.
Alice noted that instead of being an easy journey, building rain2shine ventures has been a worthwhile challenge. While many people have been DIYing and modifying their campers for years, and while professional RV renovators already existed, RVers were unaware that they could hire someone to transform a used camper into “a beautiful tiny home on wheels or a mobile business.”
She added that this challenge became “tougher,” with public forums shutting down the ability to share these services due to concerns about “self-promotion.” Alice explained, “We’ve definitely had to shift our marketing efforts due to those parameters and get more creative.”
Another challenge she faces is being a solo female RV renovator. According to Alice, while there are quite a few female renovators, most work in teams, often as couples. Despite the amazing work they all do, there are always people who question whether she does the actual labor herself.
“The truth is we all need help or a second hand from time to time, and I did have quite a bit of guidance in the beginning from my spouse. I’ve gotten stronger and more confident with every project and am completely self-sufficient in my profession. At the end of the day, I believe my work speaks for itself and that will prevail,” Alice told Modern Campground.
Balancing Creativity and Running the Business
Balancing creativity with business practicalities is a crucial aspect of Alice’s work. She analyzes clients’ wish lists to prioritize functionality within budget constraints. While she enjoys making spaces aesthetically pleasing, Alice believes in the empowering freedom that RV life offers.
Her approach focuses on creating functional, multi-purpose furniture and spaces that cater to clients’ specific lifestyles, leveraging her full-time RV experience to provide trusted advice and informed decisions.
With the support of her sister Knox, Alice can now focus more on client projects. Knox manages various tasks, including social media, client follow-ups, marketing, inventory, and billing.
Alice also continues to handle writing for her blog and other RV publications, conducting consultations and meetings, participating in podcasts and conventions, networking, and bookkeeping.
Another aspect of the business is building and maintaining a loyal client base. According to Alice, providing a warranty on her projects keeps customers happy, which she hopes will spread the news about rain2shine ventures around campgrounds and campfires near and far.
Sustainable Practices
Eco-friendly and sustainable practices are also important, though they come with higher costs. She incorporates clients’ desires for eco-friendly options within budget. These practices align with her respect for nature and the simple life.
“As a full-time RVer who loves the simple life and respects mother nature, I am an advocate for using eco-friendly and sustainable products and practices. However, as a client-based company, I can only offer suggestions towards such options. And, unfortunately, these products typically tend to be more expensive,” Alice said.
Despite the higher costs, there are clients who have stretched their budgets to achieve eco-friendly goals, allowing rain2shine ventures to install solar panels on their roofs and hoods or create minimal, environmentally friendly setups.
Lessons for Female Entrepreneurs
Alice’s journey offers lessons for female entrepreneurs. She emphasizes knowing one’s worth, maintaining confidence, and celebrating small victories. Physical fitness is also essential for her labor-intensive work, and she continually seeks advice and learns from others.
“As a woman in construction, it’s easy for people to underestimate me; this is a great opportunity to pleasantly surprise them. If you stay focused, driven and consistently put in the work, it will pay off,” she said.
Charting the Future
Looking ahead, Alice has goals for rain2shine ventures. Her current project, a 1973 Minnie Winnebago, serves as a creative showcase. She sees Minnie Winnie as a blank canvas—completely gutted and ready for her creative touch.
Alice plans to introduce innovative ideas with this project, aiming to take the renovated RV on the road and share it at various venues. She has also considered renting it out to non-RVing friends, giving them a chance to experience the RV lifestyle.
She is also committed to helping people achieve their RV dreams, whether it’s enhancing recreational camping conditions to be more functional and aesthetically appealing or setting others up for a successful life as full-timers in a beautiful tiny home on wheels.
“RV life is a great option for starting over and/or getting out of a bad situation. Stories such as these tug at my heartstrings and motivate me to keep pushing forward so other women may feel inspired to overcome their circumstances,” Alice advised.
Additionally, rain2shine ventures’ owner plans to expand her portfolio with more commercial RVs, viewing mobile businesses as an opportunity for the future. She is currently writing an article on this topic for her blog, exploring how mobile businesses could shape the future.
Media recognition has boosted rain2shine ventures’ growth. Each feature reaches new audiences, spreading awareness of their services and Alice’s story. Her active social media presence also shares diverse content, from RV life inspiration to renovation process clips, empowering others, particularly women, to pursue their dreams.
“I truly believe that if my story can help someone, I want them to hear it and see that they can overcome obstacles and be successful if they’re willing to put in the work,” Alice noted.
For more information about rain2shine ventures, visit rain2shineventures.com
Featured image by rain2shine ventures via facebook.com/rain2shineventures
