Meet Justin Viens | Entrepreneur & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Viens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The most important lesson that starting On A Limb Apparel (and selling my photography) has taught me is that Growth Takes Time.

The most important part of the whole process is simply starting. Once you’ve started, just focus on that very next step and celebrate the small victories along the way. It’s ok to not have all of the answers when you start – as long as you’re doing your best with the knowledge and ability that you have in this moment, then you’re moving in the right direction.

It has taken me four years to get to a point where I’m starting to feel comfortable and confident with everything related to my business. It has been a huge learning curve, but I’ve focused on taking the process one step at a time instead of getting overwhelmed by the ultimate end goal. There’s a lot involved when starting a business / side gig / or passion project that you may not consider when starting (accounting, finance, marketing, logistics, sales, product design, selecting a vendor, shipping, sales tax, product photography, search engine optimization, paid ads, and more) so don’t get too overwhelmed about figuring it all out when you start.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have found that it can be difficult to take the path that you believe was made for you. Since middle school I knew that I had zero desire to work a 9-5 desk job. I told my high school counselor that I wanted to drive monster trucks, become a private pilot, or compete on American Ninja Warrior.

Society and influential figures in my life encouraged going to college, graduating, and getting a good job. I went to Virginia Tech and graduated with a B.S. in Marketing. During college I joined a co-ed business fraternity. Most of our career fairs and companies that visited were Fortune 500 corporations. I never felt excited about following the same path as everyone else – I honestly felt trapped when we had company visits.

When I graduated from college, I moved to Colorado with no job and no place to live so that I could start fresh and figure out what I wanted to do. I lived with a stranger for two months while I applied to jobs, made friends, and figured out what I wanted from life. I got a job in the mobile app space, found a roommate my age on Craigslist, and adventured every chance I got. It felt closer to the life I had always felt was for me – even though it was a desk job, the company was a startup and had a great energy and I was able to adventure in the evenings and on weekends. I switched jobs two years ago to do performance marketing. I got laid off 5 months ago. There’s been uncertainty over the past 5 months as I’ve been unemployed, but this time has also been the most fulfilling, motivating, exciting, and joyous months of my life as I’ve been able to focus on my passions and creating the life I’ve always dreamt of.

When asked what my Ted Talk would be about I would always respond with “the power of trying new things.” I grew up going on adventure vacations with my family instead of going to amusement parks. We went to Moab, Utah for a mountain biking trip, went skydiving on my 18th birthday, drove race cars for my 19th birthday, and ziplined and whitewater rafted through the jungle of Panama as a teenager. The wildest adventure by far was bull riding. My dad, brother, and I went to a 3-day bull riding rodeo school when I was 15 and rode real bulls over Spring Break, while all my other friends went to the beach.

I learned about myself, the world, and my abilities from each of these adventures. Skydiving showed me how beautiful the world is from above. Bull riding taught me that no matter how scary something is, odds are you can survive for 8 seconds. Traveling instilled a desire to see more places and people of the world, and that you can find beauty amongst the diversity the world offers.

All of my hobbies and passions revolve around showing others how great the world can be once they let go of fear and try something they’ve always dreamt of doing. I started my apparel brand, On A Limb Apparel, with the ultimate goal of creating a non-profit organization from the revenue. The purpose has always been to give back to others – give kids and adults chances they wouldn’t otherwise have. For someone who wants to try rock climbing, I want to give them a harness, shoes, and a 6 month pass to a climbing gym; for someone excited to try hiking, I want to connect them with a hiking group and some boots or an Alltrails membership; for someone looking to ski, I’d love to give them lessons and rental gear for a season; for someone dreaming of travel, I hope to be able to provide trips with travel guides.

My focus for On A Limb Apparel is to help others experience more of the world and grow by “going out on a limb.” To go out on a limb, means that you are doing something that has inherent risk, but that you believe in. I value growth through trying. I don’t think everyone should go ride bulls or whitewater raft for the benefit of growth, but I feel that each person should try what’s on their mind and bucket list. If you have a story to tell – write a book; if you like art – draw or paint; if you like food – make a new dish; if you want to fly – jump out of a plane; if you want to see the stars – find a dark night sky; if you have a goal – go after it.

I finally feel as though I’m finally discovering what my purpose is. There’s still a lot to figure out but it’s been a wild journey and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. I don’t yet have the funds to start the non-profit (I’m currently focusing on scaling the company to eventually offer those services), so instead I’m exploring partnering with other non-profits that support the same mission. I’m also seeing how I can achieve this goal both in and outside of a day job. At the end of the day, both for On A Limb Apparel and personally, the only reason I want money is to help people do cool things, experience more of the world, and grow while doing it.

There is nothing that is too big for anybody. Don’t let your mind or others tell you other wise. Go Out On A Limb.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friend is coming into town for a week – I would make sure they enjoyed the following places / experiences:

To hang out – Paddleboarding at Chatfield Lake / pickleball anywhere / First Fridays on Broadway – go explore live music, art, and enjoy a good atmosphere / Washington Park park day on Saturday or Sunday (play volleyball and have a good time)

To drink – Improper City / Breckenridge Brewery (in Littleton)

To eat – El Taco de Mexico (off Broadway) / Southside Pizzeria (in Littleton) / Crosscut Pizzeria (in Nederland)

To explore – Roxborough Park / Red Rocks (a must see) / Garden of the Gods / Mohawk Lake (in Breckenridge) / Camp or hike at Twin Lakes

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Huge shoutout to my parents – they have always supported whatever wild new hobby I wanted to try – which has taught me that it’s ok to fail or dislike something, but you should at least give it your best effort. They also supported me moving to Colorado on a whim, I gave them two week’s notice that I was moving halfway across the country and they encouraged me to do it and have been my biggest fans every step of the way.

My twin brother, Nick, has been a huge motivator since we were young. Every day was a good idea day – we would constantly come up with new video game ideas, book concepts, business plans, shirt designs, and even write music. No idea was ever too dumb or too hard with him in the same room!

My childhood best friend, CJ, deserves some love. He was usually included in those brainstorming days that Nick and I had, providing additional good ideas. In fact, it was a good idea Friday at CJ’s apartment when we came up with the first design and the name for the apparel company (On A Limb Apparel).

Website: https://onalimbapparel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onalimbapparel/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinviens/

Other: email: justindviens@gmail.com

photography: justinviens.myportfolio.com