Brett Roper: The Cannabis Medicine Man
Brett Roper: Founder and COO of Medicine Man Technologies
Brett Roper is the founder and COO of Medicine Man Technologies, a premier consulting and advisory services company in the cannabis industry. He would be the first to tell you that while he has never indulged in cannabis use (mainly due to his ongoing lifelong battle with asthma) he has always supported an adult individual’s right to decide on cannabis use for themselves. In 2012, his future partners exposed him to an outstanding business opportunity within the cannabis industry. Brett did his due diligence and used his business savvy to craft an entrance plan into the market that has directly led to the current success of Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. (currently 19 clients in 12 states; winning licenses for clients in both Illinois and Nevada having an active S1 filing with the SEC for public company status). Brett’s favorite job within MMT are his duties as associated with being the Licensing Services Director where he has his hand in many different pots ranging from national marketing coordination (he is amassing a substantial number of cannabis event lanyards) to prospect management (just to name a few). An experienced business professional like this can certainly be difficult to track down but fortunately for both of us, Mr. Roper recently took some time to share his journey as a cannabis medicine man.
What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?
I envisioned an opportunity to assist Medicine Man Production Corporation in furthering their industry presence through an intelligent deployment of their experience and technology that could assist others in similar efforts that would minimize ramp up time as well as mistakes that are commonly a part of any start up experience.
What were you doing before?
Since 2002 I have been and continue to work in the public market space as COO of a nano-cap OTC markets QB status company providing guidance and second opinion advisory services to pre-public as well as public companies. Prior to 2002 I had amassed a substantial experience base in business as well as industrial real estate development. I have also had gainful (paid) employment as a rock and roll musician, gymnastics and swimming coach, design draftsman, marketing director for a regional industrial real estate developer, etc.
Experience is the toughest teacher as it often gives the test well ahead of the lesson.
Tell me about the point in the time you realized the coming of the ‘green rush’?
My first meeting with Andy and Pete Williams was in late 2012 and after touring their facilities as well as conducting some modest due diligence on the local industry I was left with a rather distinct feeling that the industry was fleeing the ‘stoner sport’ mentality (complete with ‘couch olympics’) to metamorphize into a real business providing health related benefits in addition to the recreational use aspects of the cannabis plant.
Right now, where are you guiding your passion and energy towards?
Providing frank and thoughtful advice to others wishing to enter the space as well as insight and second opinion based perspectives to those desiring to become public in addition to those having already become listed in the OTC markets exchange.
Describe your work ethic to me in one word.
Passionate.
Who is a person that you consider as a role model? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?
I once worked ten years for a gentlemen whom most people thought was greedy and all about himself; but soon discovered that money was just another scorecard element he used in his interpretation of success. He was a negotiator supreme and I found, over time, that most people who did not care for him were, in my opinion, jealous of his success. Over time I was able to identify most of the elements of his ‘scorecard’ and discovered a simple fact, that I could pick what scorecard elements I thought best fit me and not adopt those that did not suit me.
His work ethic was phenomenal and over time I found the lessons he provided gave me a greatly improved business awareness and technical foundation. This person showed me that I could respectfully disagree with a person in authority if I had the skills to show my disagreement as respectful, backing that opinion up with facts. When doing this he would often say … “Brett, while I am set on doing this my way, bring this up again in six months and if your approach seems best I will reconsider my position.” By the way, I won many of those six month contests over that ten year period. That person’s name was Joe Hollingsworth Jr.
What book have you read that you’ve been inspired by? Any particular read we should put on our list?
“The Art of the Explanation” by Lee LeFever (Business) and “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi (Science Fiction).
Tell me about an esteemed achievement of yours.
Gaining the respect of my peers.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
“Experience is the toughest teacher as it often gives the test well ahead of the lesson.
This country has and will always be about the freedoms we enjoy and not about the dislikings or out of touch perceptions of the minority.
What is the most important thing for us to know now about the legal marijuana industry?
Once the banking issue is resolved; legalization at the federal level will not be far behind.
If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ be going?
We will very likely be talking about the next great thing in the evolution of the industry … whatever that may be.
What scares you most about this industry?
Ignorance and an unwillingness by opposition to evaluate the industry on its comparative merits.
If you could tell a skeptic one thing about this industry to make them change their mind, what would it be?
This country has and will always be about the freedoms we enjoy and not about the dislikings or out of touch perceptions of the minority. As an uniformed cannabis basher you are now in the minority.
Tell us something that you wish you had known before becoming a cannabis entrepreneur.
That I did not discover this unique as well as nascent business channel earlier.
What is the one thing you want to know about the cannabis industry? What do you think is the biggest misconception? Join the conversation and comment below!