We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angela Bowman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angela , appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Jungle AF Indy started during Covid. We had amassed so many plants and there was no space for them. We’re in the Midwest, so bringing plants indoors during our cold winters is an absolute must. It had reached the end of fall, and there were some plants that, although beautiful and healthy, just didn’t make the cut with our limited space. Wracking our brains for a solution, we started listing them in an online local group on social media. It really blew up. People loved the plants and appreciated how healthy and beautiful they are. I also included general guidelines on how to care for them, because no one likes buying a plant and it dying weeks after bringing it home. Eventually, people started reaching out with specific requests, and I started selling the clippings I’d rooted. I decided to make it official and get a retail business license and a wholesale dealer’s license. That way, I could maximize my inventory by going to wholesale distributors and getting more product. First, I started selling strictly plants in nursery (plastic) pots, then I went to a mixture of both ceramic and plastic potted plants. Shortly thereafter, my dream eventually developed into a vision, mixing beautiful vintage vessels with gorgeous plants. I get the thrill of the hunt when searching for amazing, classic pieces and matching them with thriving plants to create the beautiful looks clients love and know us for. This is my art.

Angela, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Angela Bowman. I am from Indianapolis, Indiana and I’m the owner/operator of Jungle AF Indy, we hand-curate plants and vintage plant goods. Originally, I had gotten into plants because they just give everything amazing energy. I’ve always been surrounded by gardens and outdoors living in the Midwest. During Covid, I gave my hand at caring for houseplants and they very graciously accepted me. When I got into plants, I, like anyone went through a lot of trial and error. Long story short, a lot of plants didn’t make it. This made me want to make certain I could help others not feel the defeat that losing a plant can bring. I like to try to keep my clients realistic about their capabilities, and we focus on their plant strengths. It’s not usually too difficult to figure out which family of plants they can start with successfully, and I try to help them develop that collection while bulking up on other skills they never knew they had. Eventually, this opens them up to other varieties of exciting rare or unique plants that they quickly develop the ability to care for. We also offer follow-up care and directions for any plant that we rehome too. So, it’s an all-around win for our clients and the plants they bring home. It also allows us to build really rewarding relationships with our clients and their collections through the months and years to come because they know we are here to support and guide them as they grow.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Pop-ups and in-person vending events are my favorite way to meet and connect with new clients. During these events, I’m able to have one on one conversations and rap about plants and vintage. It always feels amazing to talk about my passion for vintage and to share plant tips and pointers anywhere I can. It also gives people the chance to touch things, and see the sparkle from the vintage vessels the plants live in.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I am still very actively building social media presence. It’s not always easy to come up with content, but the content is always there! Just be creative and consistent. The people are going to notice eventually if you don’t give up. Check out any hashtags that are popular in your audience of interest. Reels. They’re BIG. Above all, just keep posting!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jungle_af_indy
• Facebook: Jungle AF Indy

Image Credits
JungleAFIndy