Join Jason Pinsky, cannabis influencer and producer of VICELAND’s hit show Bong Appétit, and Bill White, Business Development Consultant at Xylem Robotics and Director of Strategy at Beard Bros Media, for a raw, in-depth conversation about Bill’s unconventional path into cannabis.
You’ve probably seen him around at one of the countless cannabis tradeshows, or maybe you’ve even had a chance to share one of his top-tier, hand-rolled joints during one of the Beard Bros’ Live Sesh events.
He is a well-known figure in the cannabis space and has played a role in connecting some of the cannabis industry’s biggest movers and shakers. From advising brands on how to scale smarter with automation to building an extensive network throughout the industry, Bill has an intuition and deep understanding of how people operate in this sector.
What you may not know about Bill is the extent of his experiences. From a Mormon mission in South Korea, a detour through law school and nightclub security, and years in executive recruiting, this unique blend of life events gave him the professional resources and networking acumen to make his big break into the cannabis industry.
Bill began researching how to get into the industry and came across the Beard Bros, who quickly became his primary source of information. Once he eventually made his break into cannabis, he made it a point to track them down.
He attended an event where Jeff and Bill Levers were speaking and cornered them after their presentation to express his gratitude for their instrumental role in his entry into the industry. Many years later, Bill is an integral part of the Beard Bros team, highlighting his resilience and dedication to networking.
He shares the lessons he learned working in various industries prior to cannabis, and how he eventually connected with Xylem Robotics founder Jeff Wu over a mutual philosophy that would shape their partnership. As Bill recalls, “Jeff told me, ‘I don’t do transactional relationships,’ and that clicked. That’s exactly how I’ve always operated. It’s about real partnerships.”
Bill’s core lesson to those wanting to break into cannabis is that to succeed, you must escape your comfort zone and seek out industry leaders. He recently shared some strategies he used that were key to his own breakthrough:
Before an initial meeting, research your new contact on social media platforms to learn more about who they are and what they’ve achieved. This allows you to tailor the conversation in a natural way, uncovering common interests and experiences, and they will respect that you did your research.
Show up early and be prepared to stay late. Respect any time or schedule limitations.
Pay attention to the social media accounts of people you would like to meet or connect with; this will give you insight as to what they’re working on and what events they will be attending.
Get creative. If you can’t afford to attend an event yourself, there will be people in the lobby or outside the show to strike up a conversation with. People tend to hang out outside of shows to grab a quick smoke, making it a perfect opportunity for quick and meaningful chats.
Dress appropriately and come with plenty of business cards.
And lastly, show up to anything and everything.
Bill White’s story is proof that there’s no singular path into cannabis. It requires persistence, curiosity, and the ability to build real relationships.
