Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Groth and Billy Swezey.
Sierra and Billy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After saying goodbye to a promising teaching career on Long Island in hopes of finding a more fulfilling and adventurous way to live Billy bought an old sailboat fixed her up and started sailing her south to escape the cold winters of the North East. His engine broke down in my home town Jupiter, Florida. He asked if I wanted to come to dinner on his “yacht”…(a tiny 26-foot sailboat named Tula) and the rest is history. At the time, I was still going to school at FAU and we were both working seasonal jobs. Any time we had a break, we would gear up and head off on a new adventure (camping, sailing, fishing, surfing, diving, you name it). During these adventures, we would film exactly what it was like to live, fix up, and travel on old boats. We would then compile the footage, edit it, and post the videos on Youtube.
Video by video we gained more subscribers and eventually, we came to realize that sharing our adventures through videos on youtube could be a full-time gig for us. We worked one final season lifeguarding and then went full force creating our own business based on our Youtube videos. We now have posted close to 500 videos on Youtube, have over 137,000 subscribers, and run an online retail shop. We make money by selling products in our online store, the ads that play on our youtube videos, Patreon (a membership platform where rockstar viewers pledge to support our videos), and every once in a while we have sponsors jump on board. Starting a business from scratch and putting our entire lives on the internet is by no means easy but it is totally worth it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It is not easy sharing our entire life for the world to see. People can be cruel, hateful, judgmental, and a plethora of other negative things but there are so many more positive people out there that cheer us on, support us, and give us the courage to keep sharing.
Living full time on a project boat is also not always easy. The majority of the time, our boat is at anchor, not on a dock. That means we have to take a small dinghy to shore. If it starts to rain you better hope you brought a rain jacket. Freshwater and electricity are also not things to take for granted on a boat. We have a rainwater collection system to add to our freshwater supply but all of our electricity comes from collecting solar power. So sometimes you only get one or the other. 🤷♀️
I could go on about the “struggles” of boat life but I would prefer to tell you about the unbelievable experiences we have had BECAUSE we live on a boat and the fact that every experience is documented because that is our job. We got the chance to swim with a whale shark in Florida, saw sperm whales in Dominica, happened upon a flock of wild Flamingos in the Bahamas and so many more breathtaking experiences along the way. Every storm, break down, and struggle along the way has made us stronger and smarter.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
We create videos about living, traveling and working on boats. Our goal is to inspire, educate, and entertain our viewers and show them that you don’t have to live a “normal” life. Our videos help some prepare for their retirement dream of buying a boat and sailing away and for others, our videos are a way to escape from the time and place they are currently in.
Unlike a typical T.V. show or movie, we are not actors reading from a script, we take our viewers through the triumphs and troubles of this crazy and unusual life we are living.
Last year we created a fundraiser to raise money for the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian caused absolute destruction to one of our favorite places on earth. Our viewers came together to raise over $30,000 in just a few days. We were absolutely blown away by the success of the campaign. This fundraiser showed us that we have a voice in the boating community and we can use that voice to make a positive impact on the things and people we care about. It also confirmed that our community of subscribers are amazing people and that is definitely something to be proud of!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our parents definitely deserve a world of credit. They have always taught us to work hard, follow our dreams, and never give up. They never handed us anything but rather taught us how to work towards what we wanted and having that drive has enabled us to get where we are today. They are also the kind of people that are ALWAYS willing to lend a hand no matter what it may be. We are beyond lucky to have them.
Our amazing patrons have also been a HUGE part of our success. They are the ones that pledge a certain dollar amount towards every video we upload. We have not personally met most of them but we consider them friends. They are the first ones to step up if we need help, have questions, or want opinions on new editing techniques, t-shirt designs, and many other things. They are the backbone of Tula’s Endless Summer.
Last but certainly not least, every single person who has ever watched a video, liked a photo, or shared a post because that is how we continue to grow:)
Contact Info:
- Website: tulasendlesssummer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tulasendlesssummer https://www.instagram.com/tulasendlesssummer_sierra https://www.instagram.com/jettythegypsy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tulasendlesssummer/
- Other: patreon.com/tulasendlesssummer
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