Our Story: We Started in a Fast Food Restaurant

The Very Beginning.

Sharing the story of where you came from can feel a little vulnerable. Not simply due to the fact that our business is so personal to us, but also due to the fact that not everything is as pretty as we may want it to be. Our humble beginning was at a fast-food restaurant in our small hometown in Canada. It wasn’t glamorous, it wasn’t Instagram-worthy (though we have seen some pretty cool photo session in burger joints). It was just two twenty-somethings with hopes & dreams and a spiral-bound notebook. As we sat at A & W, sipping root beers, we were noticeably the youngest people there by at least 50 years. We didn’t seem to notice, as we scribbled down every dream we had for what the possibility of having our own business looked like.

Europe

At the time, we had just returned from a year-long adventure in Europe. As cliché as it is, our time abroad had given us the freedom to dream and discover who we wanted to be. Looking back, our moments spent on planes, trains, and out in the wild world, were some of the first moments we ever thought a business could be possible. We loved the feeling of being wild and free and wanted to keep that alive in the daily mundane. Wilder Heart Co was born through this concept.

Business Beginnings.

We started with photography, taking any job for any price. Victoria’s Dad would graciously let us borrow his camera for sessions, because at the time all we had was one starter DSLR. We both worked full time jobs (Levi worked way more than 40 hours / week), yet during all our spare moments we would work on editing photos, building our first website & creating a sustanable business model. This season was so full, especially because we were also planning our wedding, yet we still manged to start building up clients, social media and a brand.

Once we got married, this was the season where we really start to focus on running our business as a full-time thing, not just a side hobby. This meant we spent every bit of spare time pouring into our brand. We were still both working full time & Victoria was also attending school. There were many nights where we would stay up late working away, and they finally started to pay off. This was a season when we started actuallly booking clients & weddings. It was so exciting!

The Full Time Jump.

In fall 2018, we made some big life changes in our personal life like deciding to move to Kelowna, Levi starting school, and Victoria quitting school (more on that later). With everything that was changing, we knew that if we were going to go full time with our business, now was the time. January 2019 marks the start of Victoria being full-time with Wilder Heart Co. It has been a crazy year, with so much learning, but we are so thankful for every moment.

Where are we now? Well, let’s just say that our life is still very real. We live & operate our business from a small basement suite in Kelowna. We are on a strict budget, and still try to make the most of the everyday adventures. We now photograph brands & couples, make youtube videos, and sell hand drawn maps. Our story started from a small town fast food joint, and we are thankful for every step along the way.

xo Victoria & Levi