Lindsey Maxwell ’14 embarks in the adventure that is ultimate [ad_1]
Lindsey Maxwell ’14 launched van-conversion company Featherbuilt in 2020 and hasn’t looked back since. She hopes to inspire others to take the leap into entrepreneurship and experience adventures that are new
The rise of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020 brought a lot of things – masks, social distancing and hours upon hours of binge-watching television, but the one that had the possibility to stay around longer than others was quarantine projects.
Many people started them, hardly any finished as well as fewer have continued to steadfastly keep up the work that is good. Lindsey Maxwell ’14 falls into that category that is final turning her quarantine project as a fully-fledged business.
Maxwell along with her partner launched Featherbuilt within their driveway in Denver, Colorado, in 2020. The team that is two-person in enhancing the travel experience for adventurers across America, refurbishing vans into custom living spaces and providing customers with products to do it themselves. In a right time when road travel was exploding, Maxwell jumped during the possiblity to grow within an industry she already felt in the home in.
Following her 2014 graduation, Maxwell relocated to Charlotte to show preschool, a task completely different from what she actually is doing now. A and a half later, Maxwell left her life in the U.S. behind and moved to Italy to be an au pair, an opportunity that she could not pass up year. It was during this stage of her life that she really fell in love with traveling, and the passion that would fuel Featherbuilt started soon to develop.
“While I happened to be living and dealing in Italy, my job was about 75% travel and I also completely fell deeply in love with incorporating travel right into a part that is regular of life,” said Maxwell. “In 2018 I stumbled across a blog from a woman who had converted a van into a tiny home and was traveling around the country and living out of it as I was finishing up my time in Italy. I knew this is something I necessary to do.”
Upon her return towards the U.S., Maxwell bought a Sprinter van and started the help to her conversion career of her dad. Little did she know that that van would change her life forever as she met her partner and co-owner of Featherbuilt after a couple of months on the road in her home that is new on. During the early stages of starting his van that is own conversion, it was a match made in heaven just in time for COVID-19 to hit and quarantine projects to take over. For Maxwell and her partner, their quarantine project was on a larger scale than most they joined forces to make it a home.
“There as she bought a second van and Was absolutely no hesitation starting this continuing business because there was pretty much no other choice at that time,” explained Maxwell. “My partner, Patrick, had quit his job officially back in 2019 to get Featherbuilt going, and I had been working seasonally while traveling in the van so we had nothing to lose. Jumpstarting Featherbuilt was perfect during COVID because we could still work together in isolation and try to make money while staying safe.”
Since that first project together, Featherbuilt has taken many shapes and forms, from remodeling for an Instagram-famous wolfdog, Loki, to customizing more of their own vans, to developing a conversion system that can be sold as a” kit that is“Do-It-Yourself. But no matter what stage Featherbuilt has been around, there is something that happens to be vital that you them: sustainability.
“Once A sunrise is experienced by you in Rocky Mountain National Park or the changing of the seasons in Yosemite, you want to protect it at all costs,” explained Maxwell. “Being a part of the manufacturing business, we see firsthand how packaging that is much is out in the field (and in the end our landfills) each day and then we attempt to reduce that.”
Although very happy with their commitment to building sustainably, Maxwell is most happy with how she’s got made something away from nothing. Without any business or construction background, she’s got resulted in an extremely entrepreneur that is successful is a power tool pro. Despite learning most of these skills post-graduation, she attributes much of her life success to her Elon experience.
“People complain about the “Elon bubble” but I actually think that was a very factor that is important preparing me for a lifetime after graduation,” Maxwell said. “I felt a stronger feeling of community than a lot of my buddies that attended other universities and I also have sought to carry on establishing strong connections in my own communities that are post-grad. I feel that has led to a complete large amount of my success and happiness.”
Maxwell also credits Elon’s study abroad programs for igniting her passion for travel and showing her the countless ways that are different could live. As a member that is loyal of Signatures, she learned just how to run events, giving her both the feeling and courage necessary to become a business owner. She encourages all students that are elon take advantage of the time they have while at Elon and make the most of it.
“Take Advantage of the plain things Elon is offering you,” said Maxwell. “I was thinking I happened to be too busy in college to follow other hobbies or higher meaningful relationships and therefore was the least i’ve that is busy in my life ever since. These years are a gift – don’t blow it.”
Elon was a place of community and peer interaction for Maxwell, and she truly feels that that culture is what has inspired so alums that are many herself included, to follow along with their passion and succeed.https://featherbuilt.com/The future of Featherbuilt, additionally the adventure vehicle world, looks bright it themselves as they continue to develop their van build system so more people can do. Maxwell hopes to provide women with the resources and confidence to try things that are new her entrepreneurial story. Learn more about Featherbuilt at @Feather_built or see them on Instagram
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