Originally from McLean, Va., Zawwar Khan studied engineering at Ohio State University but fell in love with the world of marketing in the process. After getting hired by PepsiCo, Zawwar moved to Plano in 2018. Before beginning his career though, he went on a trip around the world to celebrate the end of college. Countries like Sri Lanka and Indonesia opened his eyes to the joy that comes from being surrounded by nature, and he began thinking of how he could channel that here at home.
“When I came to Dallas, I was yearning for that experience, being surrounded by nature,” Zawwar said. “So, I started doing some research. I like to travel. I’m out of town often. What kind of plants can I put in my home that are easy to care for? My list grew long and longer. I was like, ‘The world needs to know about this.’”
Early last year, Zawwar found a way to share his newfound extensive knowledge of plant care. He started Sol Planted as a B2B company, offering services to businesses in the area. Zawwar and his associates began going into office buildings, hotels or restaurants to help companies refresh their spaces. In Sol Planted’s work with businesses, it offers plant recommendations, weekly plant check-ups, plant maintenance and a free plant replacement if anything goes wrong with the plant.
Early this year, Sol Planted began serving plant enthusiasts at home as well. Zawwar wanted to make the plant-buying experience as enjoyable and simple as possible, and wanted to ensure that each plant owner knew how to properly care for their plants.
“I picked the worst month in terms of business,” Zawwar said when thinking back on starting this branch of Sol Planted in March. “But it ended up being the best month for plant purchases. Last time I checked on Google trends, plant ownership was two times the search volume as the year before. When COVID hit, everyone was looking for ways to refresh their home, and new hobbies, and for more of a connection to nature.”
Every Saturday, Sol Planted launches new plant collections. By the following Saturday, the team makes all the contactless deliveries. Every plant received comes with a care card that details exactly how to care for the plant.
Though Sol Planted is primarily an online shop, it does have a physical location here at 200 Coit Road, Suite 112. Customers can grab curbside pickup orders if preferred, but most utilize the delivery service.
Not only does Sol Planted provide customers with the opportunity to breathe new life into their homes, but it also gives them the chance to do good with their purchases.
“With every plant sold, we donate one tree planted through a nonprofit in Vermont called One Tree Planted,” Zawwar said. One Tree Planted’s mission is to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees.
On top of its partnership with One Tree Planted, Sol Planted also ensures that all of its farms are meeting the best standards in terms of water conservation, land use and fertilizer use.
“I don’t take success in 2020 lightly. There are a lot of people who are going through difficult times, so I take this year with a lot of humility,” Zawwar shared.
Sol Planted >
