Angie Smith, owner of VIVA! Villas and now Sunshine Jeep Rental, poses with a few of the company’s new vehicles.
When Angie Smith ran into trouble hunting down Jeep rentals for her villa clients, she decided to open her own rental business.
With little to no parking on St. John, however, the V.I. government had stopped issuing rental license plates for new agencies.
Not one to take no for an answer, Smith, who owns VIVA! Villas, kept her dream alive, filing applications each year.
That was a decade ago and Smith, with her recently issued business license in hand, has opened the island’s newest Jeep rental — Sunshine Jeep Rental.
“With the villa rentals we also book activities and Jeep rentals for our customers and we just found that we weren’t always able to locate vehicles,” said Smith. “We wanted to keep the business on St. John and we found there was a need for another rental agency on the island. So about 10 years we put in for a Jeep rental license plate request.”
“At that time the government was not issuing any Jeep rental plates due to the inadequate parking,” she said. “I basically stalked them. Every year I wrote a letter to the director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.”
“Finally with the new parking lot, I put more pressure on them and they finally issued more rental plates,” said Smith.
While Sunshine Jeep Rental, located across from the Islandia Building in Cruz Bay, mostly rents to VIVA! Villas customers, the company is open to the public, Smith explained.
As she continues to acquire Jeeps, Smith plans to maintain a fleet of 10 vehicles, she added.
“We basically want to give personalized service to our customers,” said Smith. “We primarily rent to our villa renters, but anyone can book a Jeep with us. We’ve had great service, but sometimes there has not been quite as much attention to detail as we’d like.”
“We’ll be keeping our Jeeps in top shape and we’ll meet you at the ferry or park the vehicle for you where you would like,” she said.
While Smith is not 100 percent certain, she believes she is the lone, solo female Jeep rental owner on island, she added.
“There are people who run their companies as a family or with a partner, but I think I’m the only female-owned Jeep rental on St. John,” said Smith.
The business owner points this fact out not to tip her own hat, but to serve as a role model for other women on St. John.
“I really want to encourage other females to open businesses on St. John,” said Smith. “I’ve had so many women approach me and ask my opinion on things because they’re unsure of taking that step on their own.”
Smith, whose company recently turned 14 years old and manages 17 villas while booking for a total of 40, is a living testament to taking measured chances and believing in oneself, she added.
“I started VIVA! Villas as a single mother in college and on food stamps,” said the business owner. “I was working and going to school and I did it. I want to encourage other women to start their own businesses and to put that effort in and to ask for help if they need it.”
Flexibility to be there for her children is one of the big reasons Smith loves owning her own company, she explained.
“My family is really important to me and I have more flexibility with my schedule as my own boss,” said Smith. “I also remember having not the best bosses all the time so having my own business allows me to be the better boss that I always wanted. I try to empower the women and men who work for us to be involved with our decision making.”
“I’m living proof that you can make it work if you work hard and believe in what you do,” Smith said. “I’d love to encourage other women to do the same.”
For more information on VIVA! Villas or Sunshine Jeep Rental call (340) 779-4250 or check out www.vivacations.com.