Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Glowinski.
Hi Alison, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always loved playing outdoors as a child, but as I got older was more focused on school and work. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a business degree and continued on to open a real estate brokerage in Grand Rapids, MI. My love for the outdoors was rekindled in my late 20s as I started camping with friends and exploring the National Parks. I realized though traveling and hiking how much I loved being outdoors and how important it was for my physical and mental health. I realized as a whole, our society is lacking that connection with nature, and many folks feel intimidated to get started hiking. It became my mission to show the benefits of getting outside and to find ways to make it accessible to everyone.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Like the best trails out there, it’s been a very bumpy ride. There was never a real intention with the company when we first started. We made a fun sicker and a few shirts and it started taking off from there. We played around with various iterations of what it should be, always knowing we wanted to do more than just sell shirts. We’ve had some projects that worked and many that didn’t but all along have stayed true to our most basic mission. Connecting people with the outdoors.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Happy People Hike is a mission-based online retail store and lifestyle brand. We make fun, outdoor-inspired gear to help support our mission of brining the outdoors to everyone and sharing the benefits of getting outside. We team up with non-profits and community organizations that align with our mission to help support them financially, with volunteers, and with promotion of what they do. Instead of creating our own programs we find groups who are already making a difference and try to amplify the work they do. A few examples include programs aimed at bringing at-risk youth outside and hiking groups for PTSD. Our goal is to show that you don’t have to climb a mountain with expensive gear to reap the rewards of hiking. Hiking can be walking around a city block or wheeling your chair to the mailbox for some fresh air. We aim to remove the barriers to the outdoors and show how anyone of any ability from any background can enjoy the outdoors. I am most proud of the community we’ve created through social media and in-person events. People from all backgrounds who have the same goal in mind of protecting the outdoors and making it more accessible to everyone. Our company is not about products, we’re about people.
How do you define success?
To me, success is about impact and freedom. Making an impact on the people and the world around is most important but also having the freedom to live a life in alignment with my personal values. Doing what I want to do, how I want to do it, and improving the lives of others and the health of our community and planet along the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://happypeoplehike.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happypeoplehike/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happypeoplehike/
