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

Hi Luke, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I started Radica I did it out of a passion for manufacturing and the spirit of taking risk to make a living. I have always wanted to own my own business and I have been preparing most of my life to do so. I never went to college and always found creative ways to make money. Side hustles, restraints, and overall just working hard to learn and grow my understanding of how money works. Before Radica I had a small landscaping business. While I was running that solo venture successfully, I was presented an opportunity. I joined a startup company as the first employee. I was hired on to help build an assembly line with a family friend that had successful entrepreneurial efforts in the past, and I wanted to learn. Fast forward 7 years and I was running the operations of the factory and understood how to build stuff. When I built my prototype and knew that I had something, I decided to take the leap starting my own manufacturing business.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always had an endless pursuit of improving myself and learning how to do things that maybe seem impossible at first. I like a challenge, but it needs to be a challenge of my choosing. I had a hard time staying focused at school and usually got C grades. I knew I wanted to do something entrepreneurial and make physical things, I liked to build stuff with my hands. My entrepreneurial spirt started in middle school when I started a neighborhood landscaping business. This helped me make enough money to buy a car and pay for gas. I liked the freedom and reward that hard work gave, and I got hooked. I then took my car and sold it for more than I bough it for by cleaning it up and posting a really good ad on craigslist. I did this with about 3 cars before leaving high school. When I turned 18 in 2011 I moved out of my parent’s house in Wisconsin and moved to Colorado. Huge shoutout to my older brother Joe for getting me to move across the country and showing me the state he lived in. I lived in Boulder, CO, getting different entry level jobs over the years. I went to community college for one semester to try it out, and immediately knew it wasn’t for me. Once I was settled into my new state I called home, I started my landscaping business up again. This time I was making a full living on it. Still trading up cars and motorcycles along the way for extra cash. Then in 2015 I had an amazing opportunity fall into my lap. I quit my landscaping business to work for a startup as the first employee at a billboard manufacturing company. This job went from a help around the empty warehouse position, to learning engineering and eventually running the operations of the factory. 6 years later and I had learned a lot. I was working on a truck bed camper idea in my garage for myself and when I took the prototype to Yellowstone, that weekend changed everything. I had tons of people asking me at gas stations and parking lots where I got it, they were very interested. At this moment everything aligned. I had the idea, I had the background to manufacture, and I had enough experience running a business that I decided to take the leap. I posted an ad on craigslist to get a sale, and within two days I had 3 sales. Now in 2025, I have a 20,000 SF warehouse and 21 employees. Risk taking, calculated judgment, and relentless problem solving spun together with a little luck, and I was able to create Radica.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my friend to the city for food like Hops and Pie, Ginger Pig, and Lucy’s Burger Bar. We would probably go to Red Rocks to see a show, and then we would head into the mountains. The mountains in Colorado are a sacred place in my opinion, and they offer something for everyone. We would go up old 4×4 mining trials to see the mountain range in places most people do not go, we would go to Nederland for some awesome pizza and to see the rock shop, and then we would probably go camping in the MoonLanders around the area.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I would not be where I am without my friend, mentor, and old boss Evan Brooks. Evan taught me how manufacturing works, problem solving, critical thinking, and a whole new meaning to work ethic. If it wasn’t for him I would not be where I am today. I would also like to give a big thanks to my parents Patrick and Charlene, for always being there to support me in my various ventures and my questionable path of not going to college. They always had faith I would figure it out if I put my mind to it. And lastly I would like to thank my beautiful wife Madi, for always being there to support me in the tough times, and help keep me balanced. She is my rock and I don’t think I could handle the stress of running a business without her.

Website: https://www.radicaproducts.com

Instagram: @radicaproducts

Facebook: Radica Products

Youtube: @radicaproducts

Other: TikTok: @radicaproducts

Image Credits
RADICA

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