Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamuka & Jazmine Simango.
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?
We created Water Your Plants because we wanted to make intentional spaces for people to connect and build community. Austin is a beautiful city with a lot going on, but sometimes that can lead to a lot of surface level interactions and we want to help change that narrative. We started off making shirts that said Water Your Plants to server as a reminder that the relationship you have with yourself and others is similar to plants. When you nurture, cultivate, and water your plants they flourish — and we want that for people. From the shirts, we started curating intentional events focused on experiences that take the weirdness out of meeting new people. From Vino & Vinyl, our expertly guided wine tasting paired with r&b and amapiano, to IYKYK, our re-occurring happy hour focused on showcasing hidden gems in Austin. Our goal is to help people connect meaningfully.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s a lot challenges, especially when you’re building something new and there’s no roadmap. Throwing events can feel like a roller-coaster, one day you’re on top of the world then next your wondering what exactly have we gotten ourselves into. One of the biggest challenges is getting buy-in from people with no context who we are and what we’re trying to do with our events. Sharing a new concept/vision can take a lot of convincing and negotiating.
Another challenge is communication, we’ve had some instances where we’ve had completely different communication styles with our partners and things get lost in translation. So we’ve been really trying to iron out our ideas and ensuring our partners are clear on our vision.
And the biggest challenge of all is building the community itself. A lot of times you see “overnight” success from people who grow their following from posting a clip that goes viral. But the truth of the matter is that good things take time and we’ve just been focused on being genuine and creating spaces for people to connect. Our goal is to continue scaling and expand our corporate events, a lot of times professional networking can feel stuffy and forced, we just want take the weirdness out of meeting new people.
We’ve been impressed with Water Your Plants, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After the pandemic, we really started to think about the people in our lives and our community in a different light. We didn’t just want to occupy the same space and have surface-level interactions; we wanted to deepen our connections and foster more meaningful relationships. Water Your Plants was born out of this desire to create genuine, impactful experiences that bring people together and celebrate diversity. We also wanted to make sure we were creating a brand, because a brand allows for us to explore different creative avenues. We currently operate in three lanes; community/ticketed events, merch sales, and curated corporate events. Our events are designed to build community and encourage authentic engagement, our merch serves as a reminder of our ethos to nurture yourself and those around us, and the corporate events focus on crafting ways to take the weirdness out of networking with strangers.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For us success goes beyond traditional metrics and is more deeply rooted in the sincere interactions we facilitate. To us, success means more than just achieving numbers or hitting targets; it’s about the genuine connections and new friendships that emerge from our events. We measure success by seeing attendees leave with more than just pleasant memories—they walk away with real, tangible connections and a sense of belonging. Our vision of success is fluid and evolving. While we acknowledge that our journey is just beginning, we are committed to nurturing growth, both for our brand and for the communities we serve. Our immediate goals include expanding organically, forming strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations, and enhancing our community both socially and professionally. Ultimately, we aspire for Water Your Plants to be a symbol of balance, well-being, and intentionality. Through our curated gatherings and initiatives, we strive to bridge the gap between what it means to truly connect with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wtryourplants.com
- Instagram: @wtr.your.plants
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/water-your-plants/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wtryourplants
Image Credits
Marcus Dodson
