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

Hi Drea, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Aloha Plant Life all started with a new house, empty flowerbeds, and a turbulent end to an almost 16-year-long relationship. In an effort to distract me during the hardest days of my divorce, I threw myself into landscaping the bare flowerbeds at my new house, and from there I continued on to greening up the interior of my home with numerous houseplants. Yet it didn’t just stop at buying plants and bringing them home. As always, I dove 100% into learning everything there was to learn about plants, especially houseplants. During this time my therapist was continually asking me what my life worth living looked like moving forward post-divorce, and all I really knew at the time was that tending to and learning about plants was the biggest thing bringing joy back into my life. So I started thinking to myself, “How can I bring the joy and help that plants have provided me to others?”. The next thing I knew, I was propagating plants to sell for charity, starting a YouTube channel dedicated to all things plants, and developing my own plant-related products to sell.

What should our readers know about your business?
Aloha Plant Life is officially 1-1/2 years old now and has been growing at a faster rate than I had predicted which is pretty exciting. And there have definitely been challenges to overcome. For starters, when I first started the Aloha Plant Life YouTube channel I didn’t have the first clue about producing, filming, and editing videos. I’ve had to teach myself along the way. I actually cringe going back and watching some of the earliest videos on my YouTube channel, but I always set a different improvement goal for my next 5-10 videos so that I’m constantly getting better at what I’m doing. My efforts have definitely paid off and the business continues to grow. I just recently launched www.alohaplantlife.com where I sell plants, plant related products, and plant services such as plant sitting and plant doctor help. I have also started doing local rare plant popup shops around the area a few times a month. Additionally, I donate a portion of all plant sales to the local nonprofit organization My Possibilities.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Downtown McKinney for sure. I love the vibe down there and there are a ton of great shops and restaurants including Habitat Plants + Coffee which combines two of my favorite things, lol. If they’re visiting when it’s NOT triple-digit heat, then definitely would take them to Klyde Warren Park on a Saturday, and while we were down there hit up either the DMA or the Perot museum (or maybe both!). Once again, depending on the weather, perhaps a little SUP on one of the local lakes. And we definitely would be hitting up Reverie Bakeshop in Richardson at least once for breakfast.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to all my friends and family who didn’t look at me like I’d completely lost my mind when I turned 40 and told them I was going to start a YouTube channel dedicated to all things plants and develop it into a full-time business, lol. Everyone has been super supportive throughout this entire journey.

Website: www.alohaplantlife.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alohaplantlife

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlohaPlantLife

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