Lexi Smith and Cody Cheng have been living the van life for almost two years now. Since starting their journey in 2016, they’ve traveled all over the U.S. and are now helping others start their own online businesses and travel full-time. We caught up with Lexi to learn about their business and hear the highlights of their life on the road so far. Check out more of their adventures @dynamoultima.
Year, make, and model?
Lexi: “2018 Mercedes Sprinter. It’s the 3500XD model with a high roof and 170-inch wheelbase.”
Where are you based?
L: “You could say Portland, but we’re full-time in the van.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on Oct 6, 2017 at 12:18am PDT
You’re currently re-renovating your van. Why?
L: “We sold our first van and bought the longer van so that we could add a ‘garage’ under the bed and a bathroom and shower. We like to do a lot of outdoor sports and activities, so those were necessary for us. It has overhead cabinets, a queen-sized bed, kitchen, fridge, sink, and we’ll have an induction cook-top and a little bench area that also works as our office space and dining area. It also has a dog kennel under the bench—like a little house.”
When did your desire to live vanlife start?
L: “We were graduating from college and didn’t want to pay rent anymore. We felt like getting out of the ‘rat race’—we didn’t want to do these traditional things in life, and wanted to pursue something different. We really love road trips, and it just kind of made sense for us.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on Sep 17, 2018 at 4:38pm PDT
What do you do for work?
L: “We do many different things. We call ourselves ‘digital nomads.’ Those are people who are not only nomadic in the way they live their life, but the different ways they earn income and things they add to their business. We help people start their own business through branding and website design, and also business strategy and business coaching.
We have lots of other sources, too, like affiliate links for sharing on social media and our blog. And we work as influencers for different brands—they send us content to share.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on May 13, 2018 at 9:03am PDT
What’s your favorite place you’ve seen on the road?
L: “Death Valley National Park was one of my favorite places we visited. We were there in December, so there weren’t many people and it wasn’t too hot. At night, you could see all the stars because there’s no light pollution.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on May 9, 2018 at 11:22am PDT
Is it easy to balance work and travel?
L: “Everyone talks about a work-life balance, but I feel like I love what I do so much that it blends together as one piece. I don’t feel like I have to balance them because I like what I do, and it’s only stressful if your mindset is in the wrong place.”
How did your business start, and can you tell us what it entails?
L: “We first started our business while we were in college. Our dream was to start our own design agency at first, and then as soon as we moved into the van, it went in a different direction. Van life led the way for our business. Now, our main focus is inspiring people to start their own business and helping them live a nomadic lifestyle like we do. It’s definitely evolved, and we didn’t expect it to go this way, but we really like it.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on Oct 20, 2017 at 8:38am PDT
Can you walk us through how you help your clients?
L: “The first thing is to figure out what business idea you should pursue, and what niche you want to be in. It starts with defining your brand from the very beginning. From there, we help develop a business plan and think of different income sources. We figure out how to market your business—start a blog or Instagram and dive into it. It’s a matter of trying things until you see what works, and going from there.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on Jan 23, 2018 at 7:05pm PST
What’s your biggest piece of advice for someone looking to do what you are?
L: “Figure out how you’re going to make an income while you live in a van and plan that out ahead of time. When we first built our van, it costed way more than we thought—people don’t realize that gas and parking and campsites add up. We didn’t have a plan for how we would make money in our business; we just thought we would find some clients. We were living in the van as our only option and not as a choice. Now that we’ve developed our business and diversified our income sources, we can now live how we want to. So, be realistic with how much things will actually cost, and budget accordingly.”
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A post shared by VanLife | Cody & Lexi (@dynamoultima) on Feb 8, 2017 at 9:19pm PST
Rapid fire Q&A
Favorite day of the week?
“Wednesday”
Favorite social media platform?
“Instagram—stories specifically”
Hot or cold?
“Cold”
Breakfast or dinner?
“Dinner”
Favorite piece of outdoor gear?
“My mountain bike and snowboard”
