Community Highlights: Meet Teresa Willis of Sparkle Adventures

Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Willis.

We’ve been impressed with Sparkle Adventures, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
Sparkle Adventures offers US Travel & RV Services for your next adventure. We want our customers to have the most epic experiences of their lives! From creating a trip exactly how you want it to help you find the right RV, we love helping people go on adventures! Our US travel planning services include researching ideas, plotting routes, reserving accommodations, crafting itineraries, booking activities, and even in-destination support. Our RV services include purchase and rental assistance, new owner training, driving and backing instruction, inspections, and maintenance.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I have been leading my family’s adventures since I was 20. My 2 sisters and I have 10 children and now 20 grands, so it was always a group adventure! We did a lot of camping and RVing. I lost my job in 2018. I had already been thinking about traveling more and how I might spend my retirement, so I decided to start a travel company offering custom US adventure travel planning. As I learned more about the industry and began building a network, it led me to 2 women who were RV inspectors. I was already teaching friends RV driving and backing. As an RV inspector, I could offer my customers a complete package of travel services. Sparkle Adventures offers travel and RV services to get you on your next adventure.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I had just paid off some debt from starting a not-for-profit – Missouri Women in Trades that I left in 2012 (still a successful organization supporting women in nontraditional employment). I was debt free, but I did not have any savings. I was working part-time while starting this company. I have borrowed money for training and marketing, and other start-up costs. Marketing is the hardest part of starting any business.

Sparkle Adventures is still a start-up company. We are beginning to build a customer base.