Today we’d like to introduce you to Drea Williams.
Hi Drea, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Aloha Plant Life all started with a new house, empty flowerbeds, and a turbulent end to an almost 15-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. Aloha Plant Life is still in the early phases of business, but it’s been growing at a faster rate than I had predicted which is pretty exciting. One of my favorite parts so far is actually getting to engage with my viewers in the video comments and hear about their plant journeys and also help them out with any plant issues they are experiencing. Of course, any of my viewers would probably tell you the real star of the show is resident jungle cat Toby, lol. Everyone loves it when he makes surprise guest appearances in the videos.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
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. Hopefully, my efforts pay off and the business continues to grow.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve always wanted to own my own business. There’s something very freeing about having a vision and being able to execute it without having to go through all the bureaucracy you often experience in the corporate world. I’m very much a “Here’s what should/needs be done and now I’m going to go do it” person. Unfortunately, in the corporate world, I find myself getting held back a lot from executing ideas and plans. However, when you own your own business the only person who can really hold you back is you. So, starting Aloha Plant Life was achieving a life goal. I currently produce two videos a week on YouTube with a focus on educating viewers on houseplants in a fun and entertaining way. While most plant YouTubers create videos that are more of a ‘show and tell’ style, I try to include more about the science of plants but in an easy-to-understand and relatable way.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I wish I could do more outside COMFORTABLY during the Summertime, but no one has control over Texas weather. That’s why I like that there’s a good mix of both fun indoor and outdoor activities so that when triple-digit heat hits you aren’t stuck just sitting at home. I can hit up either the DMA or the Perot Museum when it’s too hot outside, and when the weather is nice, I can head over to Klyde Warren Park or perhaps engage in a little SUP on one of the local lakes. And I absolutely love the current vegan restaurant scene here.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AlohaPlantLife
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlohaPlantLife
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlohaPlantLife
