Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Cleesattel.
Hi Linda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It’s been an interesting journey to get to where I am today. From working in call centers to starting my own sewing business to working on RVs, I wish I could remember more of the details but it’s been such a long time. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t remember how, when, or why I started Chaotic Expressions (sewing business), but I remember that my first “logo” was created by the help of a gentleman that I worked with at a call center. Back then it was just small occasional weekend forays into local pop up shops and city events. I wasn’t limited to sewing back then, hand made greeting cards, jewelry, and alternative decor. As time went by my mom joined in and the next thing I knew we had all but fully shifted into creating alternative pop-culture kitchen ephemera and costumes. Before too long it was every weekend, whether locally in San Antonio, or farther off like Houston, Dallas, Austin, Corpus or any town in between. It had become a full-time job; sewing non-stop through the week and doing the events on the weekends and travelling all over the state and eventually into New Mexico. Then Covid came; that changed everything.
See, in the industry I was in, there were people -everywhere-. thousands of people in close range and what we made wasn’t hands-off. To truly appreciate and admire for purchase, our items were touched. I wasn’t comfortable cramming into a room with a thousand plus other people let alone having everything be touched in the middle of this pandemic. So we put doing shows on the backburner. Tried building an online presence but that wasn’t really anything any of us were good at or wanted to delve into .
One day my mom came across an advertisement for a school in Texas for RV inspections. We had an RV and I’m a tinkering type. It was an opportunity to get into an industry where keeping distance was doable. So off I went to the school and got my certifications. The school I went to also had technician classes. To be honest I was way more interested in the tech division than the inspection divisions. “Touch and fix” as opposed to “look and report”. It actually drove me nuts to see something wrong (especially if it was an easy quick fix) and not be allowed to touch it. I’m a fixer and a do-er. After just a few months of doing the inspections I decided I wanted to go back for the tech school side of things. So I did. I’ve been working on RVs since then and I love it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
What adventure isn’t an adventure if there aren’t a few bumps in the road? Money is always a struggle (unless you’re one of the lucky few that inherently doesn’t have to worry about it). Whether it’s car trouble in the middle of nowhere with little to no resources or simply coming across a new problem, there’s always some kind of a hitch or another. But that’s what makes the best stories, isn’t it?
Being a woman in a male-dominated field has been interesting to say the least, but I’m proud that I’m one of the ones that gets to help shed the light on the capabilities of women. Are there somethings I can’t do? Sure. But the same can be said for everyone about something and I’ve never let that hold me back. I am glad to say that I’ve never faced any adversary regarding it though – some surprised clients, sure but nothing ever negative.
There are some things that I get calls for that are just outside of my wheel-house. But I’m always upfront with my clients and still try my best to help find suitable fixes for them even if I’m not the one to do it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a registered Mobile RV Technician. I travel out to clients that don’t have the option or time to take their RVs and Campers in to a repair facility somewhere. The wait times and the costs can be horrific from what I hear. Being in South Texas, I specialize in Air Conditioners first and foremost, but beyond that I work on a variety of appliances, electrical issues, and plumbing concerns. I don’t really work on structural or engine mechanics, I save that for the bigger guys out there with crews and shops. ( I gotta give a shout out to my mom, she’s my business partner and helps me out a lot behind the scenes. Hi Mom!!)
Maintaining an RV is a hobby in an of itself. That’s something the dealerships don’t tell you. It takes a lot of work, time, and effort to keep your rig running smoothly and efficiently. Most of my calls are maintenance calls that my clients either can’t do or don’t have the time to do. Cleaning and maintaining Air Conditioners, Water Heaters, and other systems keep me pretty busy. ACs and Water Heaters should be cleaned and maintained at least once a year (if not more pending on your situation). If you’re reading this, are in south Texas, and need help getting yours done, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
I’d say the thing that I’m still the most proud of is my humanity factor. Even though this is my career, I’m still a human and I understand that my clients are human. I try to keep my pricing fair and my availability flowing. I even try to make room for… I hate to call it charity cases but I can’t think of a better term at the moment. For example I’ll have someone reach out, and they’ll tell be about what’s going wrong with their camper. As I talk with them for a little bit I might find out their on a pretty limited budget. Every once in a while I’ll come across a client in need that would not be able to afford to get something repaired and I’ll waive my fees. I can’t cover parts costs most of the time, but I can volunteer my services. I remember this one older gentleman, it was just him, he didn’t have any family or anyone to help but he was having major issues with his air conditioner. This is south Texas. It was summer. I couldn’t let that man just cook in his RV. We got pretty lucky, it was a cheap part that I actually had a spare of and we managed to get his AC working again and fix another pretty major electrical issue. I feel kind of weird like I’m bragging about it, but I’m not. I’m just proud and happy that I have the ability to be able to help someone like that and really make a difference.
I don’t know if I’m set apart from the others or not; I really hope I’m not. I feel like it’s everyone’s responsibility as a moderately decent human to try and do the right thing when you can.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up living the country life. Camping, horseback riding, doing playdays (barrel-racing), playing D&D with my family and friends, active in theater and other “nerd” things, I was in the girl scouts for a long time, too.
I wanted to be so many things when I was younger – a photographer, a marine biologist, a dolphin trainer, an actor, heck I think even an astronaut at one point. If you were to ask my mom, she’d tell you that I “had the biggest kindest heart” because I always insisted we pull over so I could get turtles out of the road and I’d hold the door open for people.
Pricing:
- Service Call: $150 (Travel up to 50 miles & Diagnostics)
- AC or Water Heater Cleaning/Maintenance: $150 per unit (discounts available)
- Labor: Varies, call or text for pricing!
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlyByRVTexas/
