Today we’d like to introduce you to Britt Parrish.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story starts as a little girl who had the honor to tend to her grandmother’s “magical garden” every day. Little did I know how much she was teaching me and the skill sets that would come back full circle in my adult life. Growing up in Michigan, we had the best weather to grow many things. My grandmother grew everything in her backyard. From squash, tomatoes, and string beans, to two HUGE Granny Smith apple trees, a peach tree, and even a grapevine. She had the magic touch, or green thumb as society calls it, and that’s where my love for plants began.
It wasn’t until the 2020 when the pandemic changed the world, and I needed an outlet to get through the days of not having any social opportunities and needing something positive to focus my energy towards. I decided to start buying houseplants and document my journey through plant parenthood on Instagram. Not having any major intentions but to show my love for plants to others that were also collecting to cope with the pandemic, I started getting questions about care tips and tricks for other people’s houseplants and where they could source them.
As I started to turn my journey of caring for my own plants with more intention to educate others who were also beginners, I was approached by brands to do collaborations and partnerships to showcase products and services that aligned with my love for plants to share with my followers. This is when I really started to see the potential of something bigger than myself.
In 2021, I moved to Tulsa to start a new chapter. By this time, my collection of houseplants had grown from a few to over 100 in a year, and I made the decision to purge majority of my plants and start new in Tulsa. I found my dream apartment that inspired me to start collecting plants again, and even made a room into my dedicated plant space. Through my time in Tulsa, my plants and I developed a symbiotic relationship. While I cared for them and helped them grow, they helped me grow as well in many areas of my life. On a personal level, I got to reflect and heal from a lot of things I had swept under the rug for years, and on a business level, they inspired me to start new venture.
The first thing I did when I moved to Tulsa was look for plant shops in the area and opportunities for plant parents to do things together. When I saw there wasn’t much offered for plant parents to meet up and do “planty things,” my mind started thinking of what I could do about it. With encouragement from my mom and friends, I put on my first Plant and Sip event in Tulsa- “where our love for plants, wine, and good vibes came together.” I really just wanted to create a unique experience that would bring planty people together but got so much more out of it. This was the first of many events put on by my now company. Plant.Sip.Vibe.
While this was happening, I was challenged to join TikTok, a platform I always shied away from and swore I would never get on. By taking on this challenge, it stripped me of everything I thought I knew about social media and allowed me to be my authentic self and just share my passion for plants. It was well received in the first few weeks of being on, and my following grew to a community of over 5K “plant besties” in that short time. This was the first full circle moment for me, and when I started to see how my passion was starting to meet my purpose with all the opportunities that had presented themselves. Since then, in less than a year, my TikTok community named the BoCo, (Botanical Community), has grown to over 68K besties, I’ve gotten numerous partnerships with dream brands, I was accepted into 4 business accelerators, including the Eventbrite ReCONVENE Accelerator and TikTok Support Black Business Accelerator, for Plant.Sip.Vibe and started more ventures to offer to the plant community with plant services such as Consulting, Plant Sitting, and even Interior Design, to name a few.
Plants really have changed my life in ways I would have never imagined. It’s been pure alignment and a full-circle realization the gift my grandmother gave me as a child with her love for gardening. My mission is to show the world, “There’s A Plant For Everyone,” one plant at a time.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Through all of my success, I’ve been told no many times, I have had to sacrifice a lot and also purge and shed the old version of myself to even reach new levels. Growth can be ugly and beautiful at the same time. I call all of the challenges I have faced “character-building moments,” and I appreciate them in retrospect. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate all the things I have been able to accomplish.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Founder of Plant.Sip.Vibe, an event company that simplifies houseplant education by creating fun, engaging and affordable in-person events that leaves plant parents feeling inspired and empowered in their journey through plant parenthood.
I am also the creative behind BotanicallyBe, which is an all encompass plant lifestyle brand. I am known for my love and expertise when it come to houseplants, and wanted to create a one-stop place to offer different services to help not only plant parents but businesses/brands as well.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I feel GROWTH is the most important part of my success. I think growth is necessary because in order to get to any new level of whatever your definition of success is, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable. Doing things out of your comfort zone, humbling yourself to continue to be the student, stretching yourself past your current capacity, and not being afraid to fail forward is all part of growth. Not to mention the personal growth you will endure and have to be intentional about as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.botanicallybe.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/botanicallybe
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/britt.parrish.90
- Other: www.plantsipvibe.info
Image Credits
Miranda Due
