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What’s the biggest challenge facing the cannabis industry right now, and how are you and/or your company addressing it?
There are so many. Where to start?
The explosion of the hemp beverage market has laid bare how much overregulation and taxation has crippled the licensed cannabis industry.
That said, some companies still excel in this most challenging market, and branding is a key differentiator. Great brands make money. Brand is also something completely within a company’s control. Regulations and taxes are not.
So, my focus is on helping companies build and market strong brands that can succeed in these market conditions.
Where do you see the most exciting opportunity for growth and innovation in cannabis?
Descheduling, federal legalization, and sensible regulations and taxes for interstate cannabis commerce would result in the greatest growth and innovation.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to break into the cannabis industry?
Start at the bottom in a job that touches the plant. Get to know the plant. Get to know the culture. Crawl, walk, run. The last thing this industry needs is another pharma, booze, or CPG refugee that thinks they have game without paying dues.
What is the most important thing you have learned from your experiences in the cannabis industry?
Everything changes all the time. The resilient will win.
What do you want your legacy to be as it relates to the cannabis industry?
I created the Tropicanna brand, one of the most successful retailers in the OC. That brand had a serious impact on changing the retail game from medical to rec. So, I’m already on the board.
That said, I want to bring the same creative mind and branding chops that built Tropicanna to as many companies as I can. We shape the industry every day, and the brands we build today will be the Coca-Cola and Kleenexes of tomorrow.
That’s the game I’m playing, and I’m all in.