Digital advertising is a go-to solution with many ad networks and options to choose from. While the top players in display advertising may deter cannabis product marketing due to federal trade restrictions, there are strategies that provide a solution for Main Street digital display. What follows are tactical tools to help you penetrate the market and get your share of voice.

Positioning – Google has donated advertising credits to cannabis-related non-profits in the past, but the official Google policy classifies cannabis as “adult” content and therefore, marketing sales of cannabis or paraphernalia is prohibited for the product suite.

Major social media platforms also prohibit ads marketing marijuana products or accessories such as herb grinders. That means that you can’t promote your posts and they might also disable your company profile page if it doesn’t meet specified guidelines.

Positioning your brand in support of the industry is a great route to take. Promote positive scientific research for example or support pro cannabis legislation as a workaround. Use an image to share the message and add a watermark, logo, or your account handle (@your_ID_here) to any imagery. This will provide the necessary brand exposure or account recognition to promote your trademark and you can feel good about the educational content that you are sharing.

Engaging audiences can be far more effective than bulk impressions. Consider a more discreet social media presence by posting in private Facebook groups. Even better, tap into your right-brained thinking and get more creative with your content to boost shares. Vine is a great option for product or logo placement in video content if you use the aforementioned positioning strategy to avoid violations.

Targeting

Consider your target audience and then match those qualities to media outlets specifically geared toward your desired demographic.

MassRoots is a marijuana social media app with a strong millennial following, and they offer endorsed posts as well as featured placement of sponsored profiles. The media kit starts at $300 and lists a $5000 media buy with a 2.5 million reach as of October 2015.

HighTimes is a tried and true veteran publisher with print and digital media packages to choose from. Like the HighTimes Cannabis Cup, there are several cannabis events around the country that offer sponsorship opportunities. If you offer medical cannabis, sponsor cancer research fundraisers. Once you sponsor, your logo will potentially be promoted on the event website, emails, and display ads leveraging your brand recognition (and corporate social responsibility).

For more diverse media reach, consider the Mantis ad network. They boast 180 sites on the network as of December 2015 in addition to their flagship site MedicalJane. There is a minimum spend of $1000 monthly, and they have both PPC and CPM plans. 15-second pre-roll video is an exciting new offering currently in beta for 2016.

Search Engine Optimization

For dispensaries, store fronts, or those cannabis businesses with a physical address to promote, dispensary SEO can be a quick time investment. Start by registering your business with the relevant directories: Google Maps, WeedMaps, and Leafly.

Next, make sure you incorporate Schema.org markup in your website code for your address. When used properly, this will notify all the search engines of your location, hours, and other types of directory information that your users will want to access easily. Include relevant keywords in your domain name and on other pages of your site.

Add a blog to your digital presence to provide an easy interface for content publishing and be sure to include relevant keywords there as well.

Use Caution

This is a good rule of thumb for social media hyperlinks: any websites you link out to with cannabis content should have an age-restricted gate to exclude minors. Regular recreational (defined as once per week or more) use of cannabis by those 25 and under is tied to cognitive damage and can be dangerous.

State regulations may also limit exposure of marijuana marketing. Colorado digital advertising guidelines, for example, require that mobile website audiences be 21 or over by a margin of 70% which limits advertising to installed apps. Surprisingly, pop-ups are illegal by the Colorado mandates as well.

The IRS code section 280E restricts business deductions for businesses selling or distributing cannabis. Consult an accountant with knowledge of cannabis industry considerations for your particular business before deducting marketing expenses.

As with any cannabis business, maintaining legitimacy is key and important to the growth of the industry as a whole. You may not have considered the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when building your website, but here’s one more legal issue that you might want to add to your checklist. If you are providing medical marijuana or related education, be considerate of your users who may be accessing your site with special tools designed for disabilities. You’ll want to consult an ADA compliance professional for technical details.

Return On Investment – Your success is measurable, measure it. With the high federal taxes in this industry and the possibility that you may not be able to write off your advertising expenses, measuring ROI is of utmost importance. Evaluate your conversion rate, amplification rate, and applause rate periodically then recalibrate as needed.

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Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

One thing that certainly was unprecedented was the major sweep that occured, with one up-and-coming technology company taking the Laurels in five different categories, including the top-level awards. This company had a small team of employees to vote, but hundreds of supporters, customers and fans throughout the cannabis community.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Flowhub

Winner of the 2015 Laurels for:

Most Disruptive Technology

Best Enterprise Technology

Cannabis Product of the Year

Cannabis Company of the Year

AND

Kyle Sherman

CEO & Co-Founder of Flowhub

Winner of the Laurel Award for Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year

Sweeping both the Disruptive and Enterprise technology categories, as well as ALL THREE of the top-level 2015 Laurel Awards, Denver-based Flowhub was the software that made the biggest splash during 2015, and a great example of growth and success as a cannabis company.

Essential Technology

Flowhub is a seed-to-sale software solution, meaning it helps growers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers accurately track the complete life cycle of a cannabis plant, from the day its seed is planted to the day it is plucked off the shelf and sold to a patient or recreational customer.

The entire solution runs on a system of bar codes, which can then be scanned by Flowhub’s signature NUG device. It snaps onto a smartphone for easy scanning and uploading into the corresponding mobile app, creating a giant database of cannabis plants that can be updated in real time.

Using the personalized bar code, a plant’s growth and flowering progress can be easily tracked via mobile app – every time the barcode is scanned, it updates that plant’s profile. Then, once it’s harvested, its bar code will follow it through transportation, manufacturing, and retail process, making it easy for all parties to stay compliant and track inventory much better than with paper and pen.

Fully integrated and compliant wherever medical or recreational cannabis is legal, Flowhub is the community favorite for streamlined, high-tech seed to sale tracking. It’s loved by cultivators and retailers alike and has saved countless hours of needless work.

Good People = Good Times

Started just under two years ago, Flowhub is a young company that has already made a huge imprint on the history of cannabis.

Its CEO and co-founder, Kyle Sherman, was inspired to create Flowhub after experiencing life on a grow, and struggling with the capabilities of existing technologies.

A tech-savvy problem solver, Kyle searched everywhere for a software that could handle the demands of a large grow operation. When he didn’t find it, he set out to create it himself – the ultimate startup entrepreneur move.

Together with co-founder Chase Wiseman, Kyle built Flowhub up from the ground, and they now boast a downtown Denver office and a stellar team of 18 employees.

When it comes to a great company, the culture and employees are huge factors. Flowhub’s entire team worked diligently to nominate, vote, and tell their friends to support their company over the course of these awards.

Flowhub was also recently covered in CNN Money’s fun feature on companies that allow toke breaks during the workday.

His words: “Our philosophy at Flowhub is to get s*** done. If it helps our employees get work done, then we don’t care if they consume at work.”

With this policy in place, they’ve seen top results. Clearly, it pays to have a little fun in this industry.

Congratulations to Kyle and the entire Flowhub team – an outstanding example of a cannabis company moving toward the future.

The post Laurel Awards: Flowhub is the Ultimate Cannabis Company Entering 2016 appeared first on .

A legalization advocate and entrepreneur with roots in the entertainment and promotions space, Kyle Sherman is now finding unique ways to mesh technology and cannabis while driving legalization forward in the United States as the co-founder and CEO of Flowhub, serving on the board of managers and executive staff.

Kyle continually redefines the company’s vision, strategy, and growth as the Flowhub cannabis seed-to-sale software solution continues to innovate the process by which cannabis businesses manage their compliance and supply chain. His goal is to make compliance simple, keep government transparent, and keep product off the black market. This inherent motivation keeps Kyle and the Flowhub team passionate about compliance, eliminating inefficiencies, and introducing the cannabis industry to the 21st century.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

While living in California for almost a decade, I saw the medical industry go from mom-and-pop to a much more commercialized industry. At the same time I found cannabis to be surprisingly useful in helping me wind down at the end of the day and rid me of daily anxieties. I also saw how it positively impacted my life. At this time I became consumed with the plant and its benefits. I watched a TV series called WEED on CNN, covering a story of a little girl named Charlotte Figi who suffers from epilepsy. The entire story brought me to tears. I desperately wanted to bring this plant to other people, but at that time I just wasn’t sure how I would accomplish that.

I decided at that time I wanted to be a part of this movement. My wife and I chose to move from Los Angeles to Denver to raise our family. While in Denver I connected with industry leaders and helped a friend set up his commercial grow facility and dispensary. While working in the grow and dealing with regulations I learned about a slew of issues that stem from not having a rock solid platform to track plants from seed-to-sale. I found my calling! If I could make compliance easy and transparent for businesses, as well as state governments, then I would inevitably impact the legalization of cannabis across the country. That’s how Flowhub came to be.

What were you doing before?

I skipped the traditional college route and dove head first into the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. At the age of 18, I was editing national commercials for the US and Mexico. I then worked my way up from a PA to an Associate Producer. Years later, I produced a movie on America’s School Lunch Program and ended up starting an advertising agency making movie posters. I sold my share in the agency before moving to Denver. I just wasn’t passionate about that particular industry anymore, and couldn’t see myself being in advertising the rest of my life.

I had done some marketing help for Weedmaps and some other companies in the space, but wanted to do more and have a more defined role in pushing the movement forward. I have experience going over regulations and compliance with dispensary owners and cultivators. The idea for Flowhub came to me when I tried a seed-to-sale software, and found it expensive and inefficient.

Tell me about the point in the time you realized the coming of the ‘green rush’?

Like I mentioned earlier, I realized pretty fast that this industry was becoming legitimate. What was most surprising upon arriving in Denver was the infancy of the legal cannabis industry. Mainstream media makes it out to be this crazy cash grab when in reality you have really hard working entrepreneurs running medium sized businesses. While some operations are large, this industry is still small.

What types of hardships has your business faced as a reult of being associated with cannabis?

State Farm dropped us as soon as they discovered we were involved with the cannabis industry, and it took a few months to find a new insurance agency to cover us. Other than that, we’ve been lucky so far that we haven’t experienced a lot of discrimination. Some things were tough, for example, finding an office space, but we were upfront about being a software company for the cannabis space and eventually got what we were looking for.

I’ve found it’s a good strategy to be very open about what we do early on, so that those working with us won’t cut us off because we were unclear from the beginning.

Right now, where are you guiding your passion and energy towards?

I’m really focused on connecting with people who are looking at the long term. I’m always surprised at how many people in this business are in it for a quick buck and are not actually thinking about how good ideas can grow into something much bigger. A lot of my focus has been connecting with our customers, learning about their needs, hustling to solve their issues and leading our team to fix these problems. Our number one goal is to support our customers through and through. They typically don’t have the time or the money to go off and build software that would substantially help their operations, but we do. We are here to help our customers achieve greatness and I want people to know we are only trying to better their businesses and push this industry forward.

Describe your work ethic to me in one word.

#cantstopwontstop

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’ll never forget the things I learned from a producer named Jeff Balis. I begged to work for him early on in my career and he gave me an opportunity to intern with him and help him make two movies.

He taught me the fundamentals of operating a business. He pushed me to my limits and was critical in honest and constructive ways. While shadowing him in important meetings, he taught me the importance of taking solid notes and writing great script coverage. He also directed me on how to tell effective stories, meet deadlines, and to always exceed expectations. When I earned it he awarded me with associate producer credit. He opened a lot of doors for me, I owe Balis a lot and I’m currently paying it forward.

What book have you read that you’ve been inspired by? Any particular read we should put on our list?

I love the book Zero to One by Peter Thiel. It gives a great framework on what makes companies successful. There is definitely a little bit of formula there and I think the book does a good job of breaking things down. I also love the book The Hard Things About Hard Things. I’m constantly trying to become a better CEO.

Tell me about an esteemed achievement of yours.

I built a tech company in about six months and put together a team of 14. I told myself I could do it, and then I executed. This is probably my best achievement to date.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Always take notes, always follow your word, and always deliver.

What is the most important thing for us to know now about the legal marijuana industry?

The legal marijuana industry is still in it’s infancy. There is a lot of room for disrupters. There are real problems that need to be solved.

If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ be going?

Many existing companies will fold, and many new ones will spring up. I think with laws quickly changing we’ll start to see smoking lounges in certain states. With smoking lounges we have a whole aspect to the industry that we haven’t even really explored yet. Like lounges, I think we’ll start to see more innovative products that drive legalization forward.

What scares you most about this industry?

Until the federal government reschedules cannabis, I’ll be wary of the feds coming down hard on the legal industry. I’d like to think we’ve made enough progress to keep this ball rolling but you never know. There’s huge money in prohibition. We’re not going to be stopped, but I’m sure someone might be able to slow us down.

If you could tell a skeptic one thing about this industry to make them change their mind, what would it be?

As it stands right now, it’s ridiculously easy to buy the plant on the black market. Why do we want our kids to have such easy access? Show me the story of someone overdosing and dying on cannabis. The stories don’t exist. We need to legalize and regulate the distribution of cannabis – there is nothing more to it. I’d tell them to watch WEED on CNN or The Union on Netflix.

Tell us something that you wish you had known before becoming a cannabis entrepreneur.

Nobody knows what’s going on. We’re all humans trying to figure out this legalization thing, regulations, laws etc. There is no right or wrong way to do this. We the people get to shape the industry. It’s just about getting involved.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

There is also no better time to fight politically than now. Get out and change minds, share the facts, and don’t be afraid to share your love for cannabis.

The post Kyle Sherman: The Inspiration Behind Flowhub Cannabis Seed to Sale Software appeared first on .

Joshua Mezher, Founder of Hydrogarden Industry Innovations (Hii Inc.), has always had an interest in cannabis cultivation. However, when he finished college and began working as a bookkeeper, that’s when the proverbial light bulb went on over his head. Joshua realized that the majority of his growing time was dedicated to trimming plants, so he set out to create a product that could help people all over the world spend less time trimming and more time enjoying the fruits of their labor.

The result of Joshua’s efforts is Hii Inc., a company that invents and markets technologically advanced equipment for precision horticulture. The company’s first invention, Turbo Trimmerz, is a power tool that improves upon the functionality of hand-activated scissors by allowing the user to cut at a faster rate and reduced physical stress: while still allowing for the same dexterity and control as traditional scissors. Joshua’s patent-pending technology is one of the first inventions directly out of the cannabis industry to provide this many direct horticultural applications.

What was the deciding factor for you to join the cannabis industry?

When I moved from the UK to California in order attend college at UC Santa Cruz, I immediately became aware of the very friendly cannabis laws – so friendly that, in Santa Cruz, recreational cannabis offenses committed by adults are given the lowest priority by local law enforcement, and the city clerk sends annual letters to federal and state legislators petitioning for cannabis law reform.

For me, the decision stemmed from being a lover of the plant and the need to make some money in order to help pay for college. Like a lot of other people who were getting into growing at the time, I quickly went from a hobbyist grower to a full-time professional. Seven years ago the industry was very different; I have had the privilege of growing with the industry and watching it mature.

Holy smokes! The people in this room are literally laying the foundations of the cannabis industry by building their empires.

I realized the green rush was truly upon us a few years ago, when I was fortunate enough to attend an ArcView Group meeting in New York as a presenting company. This experience was unbelievable on so many levels. First, it was somewhat surreal to attend a meeting about capitalizing on a Schedule 1 banned substance. Secondly, the room was filled with press from all four corners of the earth and those in attendance believed that the best way to legalization was to build a legitimate cannabis economy. At the after party I remember looking up at the Empire State Building and thinking, “Holy smokes! The people in this room are literally laying the foundations of the cannabis industry by building their empires.”

Did you have any previous career experiences helped you in your endeavor?

Being a grower has provided me with a unique perspective on the cannabis industry. If you have not been hands-on with the plant, it is very hard to fully appreciate the amount of work and attention to detail that goes into producing high quality medicinal cannabis.

I knew that if I could come up with a product that would make the trimming process more efficient and easier for the worker, I could help a lot of people.

As far as my job history, after school I worked as a bookkeeper, which really allowed me to track my numbers and run an efficient operation. I eventually found that over half my labor costs were attributed to trimming. That opened my eyes as to prospect of optimizing the harvesting and trimming process. I knew that if I could come up with a product that would make the trimming process more efficient and easier for the worker, I could help a lot of people. We tested out all the available solutions, and what stood out to us was that no one had really invented a product that mimics the functionality of handheld scissors, not even in the textile industry.

Explain what you are doing to impact the cannabis industry.

I can’t wait to make a painfully slow job more fun for the entire cannabis community. That’s the idea behind our flagship product – to maintain the culture and practice of applying hand trimmers to cannabis cultivation.

It would be a big hit to local cannabis economies if thousands of laborers were laid off and replaced by the ‘drum-style’ trimming machines. We aim to provide the industry with another option what will make laborious lives easier, while at the same time saving cultivators money and preserving the quality of their harvests.

From where did you draw inspiration to create your product?

Truthfully, Turbo Trimmerz is not a novel dream. It was spawned simply by spending way too many hours with a pair of scissors in my hands, and like everyone else who has undergone this arcane cannabis ritual, we have all dreamed of ways to make our lives easier. The concept itself is pretty simple: We wanted to design a power tool that worked like a pair of scissors. While others may have thought up  similar ideas, I was stubborn enough to keep pushing that envelope in hopes to find a viable solution. We did just that when we put a touchpad on top of the device what controls the blades action just like traditional scissors. Ironically, that idea came to me while being elevated at the trimming table while using my iPhone.

Turbo Trimmerz Alpha Prototype

What kind of company achievements are you excited about right now?

We recently completed the development of our latest prototype and we’re coming to the end of our alpha testing on that version of the product. It has long been a dream of mine to see Turbo Trimmerz come to fruition. The reality that this was once just an idea in my head gives me an awesome sense of accomplishment, especially since developing a piece of hardware is such a complex challenge. Like many other entrepreneurs, when I first embarked on this journey, I had no realistic idea of all the facets necessary to make something like this happen, from what needs to be considered when developing a custom PCB (printed circuit board), to creating a product that is a joy to use and something that can be manufactured in the tens of thousands.

A lot of people think they missed the boat on the ‘green rush,’ but that’s not true at all. The boat is still being built.

A few weeks ago, we came out of the closet and started our social media accounts. The feedback we have had on the different platforms has been overwhelming positive. Seeing our customers’ excitement puts a huge smile on my face.  

Who do you consider your entrepreneurial role model?

There have been so many people I have drawn inspiration from over the years, but if I had to dial it down to one person, it would have to be Richard Branson. I was lucky enough to meet him when I was younger on one of his early Virgin flights. Branson’s autobiography, “Losing My Virginity,” has left a lasting impression on me. His philosophy has a good balance of capitalism, environmentalism and innovation, while also promoting social mobility.  

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in this industry?

A lot of people think they missed the boat on the ‘green rush,’ but that’s not true at all. The boat is still being built. If you want to be a part of it, the sooner you jump onboard, the better. All you need to do is work hard at it and have a quality product or service to offer the industry. There is plenty of room in the cannabis industry for more competition and new ideas. So what are you waiting for? Go get after it before the boat departs.

What’s most important to you as a cannabis industry professional?

I firmly believe that this should be a space built for the people, by the people. We aim to actively contribute towards cannabis legalization that favors the many, not just the few. I am saddened when I see how some states have erected huge barriers of entry to the roots of this industry. Special interest groups are literally pulling the rug out from under the feet of people who built the industry.

For example, in California AB 266 was recently passed. In my opinion, this is a bill which favors only those who have deep pockets coming into the industry, leaving the roots of the industry out to dry. I personally know far too many “small time” farmers whose livelihoods now hang in the balance.

How will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ will be going this time next year?

One thing’s for sure, the green rush will still be going on, although I doubt we are going to see any cultivators producing over 5% of the total US production. The industry will continue to mature and refine itself as new services and technologies come online.

However, until federal legalization and regulation comes into effect the industry is going to hit a “green ceiling.” The government has a habit of dragging its feet and they have spent too much money fighting cannabis legalization to give it up easily. The cannabis industry can be a model for social capitalism, and if we want to maintain a strong market for the cannabis community, we need to band together and contribute. Otherwise, 10 years from now we are going to be kicking ourselves.

What do you think we will be talking about a year from now in regards to the ‘Green Rush’? Do you think the lack of federal legalization will cap the cannabis industry’s growth? Join the conversation by commenting below!

The post Joshua Mezher – Trimming Cannabis Labor Time & Costs appeared first on .

Cy Scott And His Leafly Co-Founders Begin New Venture With Headset

Cy Scott, along with his other two Leafly Co-Founders, recently exited Leafly to begin Headset, a tech company that will provide insight and education to the cannabis industry. The biggest difference between the two companies is that Headset will be geared towards the business side of the industry, as opposed to Leafly, which was more consumer focused. But how did Cy decide it was time to move on? Why did he become the CEO and Co-Founder of Headset? What are they working on and how will it impact the market? For the first time at Cashinbis, we interview an entrepreneur on how he went from a startup, to a national company, to a successful exit and new project.

Prefer to listen to this interview? Listen below!

Take us all the way back. What you were doing before Leafly?

Yeah, all the way back. Prior to starting Leafly, I was in the technology space. Actually, all three founders of Leafly, myself, Scott Vickers and Brian Wansolich, were all at the car valuation service Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com). We were still there while we were boot-strapping Leafly together. Technology is where I’ve been for a long time, from startups to large corporate companies. Leafly was a natural extension of that, marrying the technology world with the cannabis world.

Did you three meet at Kelley Blue Book, or did you guys know each other before that?

I’ve known Scott since our college days together, back in 2003ish. We both met Brian at KBB back in 2008. We’ve known each other for a long time and worked together in some capacity for a long time. That dynamic and history together really helped make Leafly so successful. Having a good team is so critical on any new project, so it’s great to have them along for the next one with Headset.

It’s amazing that you guys are able to do this and then still get along. How is that relationship?

It’s a tough road, starting a new company, so it’s nice to have guys you can trust and have been working with for a while. Plus we haven’t killed each other yet!

It’s nice to have three of us, so we get a tie-breaker when we get into heated discussions. It’s really important when you’re doing a startup to have a good team. A co-founder, let along two co-founders, is so critical, especially when you guys have skills that offset each other. It really does help. It’s a tough road, starting a new company, so it’s nice to have guys you can trust and have been working with for a while. Plus we haven’t killed each other yet!

Did you ever imagine that Leafly would grow into what it grew into, or did it surpass what you all thought it would be?

It absolutely surpassed what we thought it would be. I think with any startup, you have high ambitions and big hopes for what it could be, but I think most startups have a tough time succeeding. To see Leafly get to the scale and level that it did and that it continues to be so successful in the industry is just fantastic.

I can mention the mention the Leafly project to almost anyone, particularly in the cannabis space and they’re well aware of it, which is much different than the early days, when you launch a new site and a few months in you’re asking people, “Have you heard about Leafly?” and no one has. It’s really great to see how successful it’s been and what a big impact it’s had on the industry.

All three of you come from a technology background. What do you think made you guys so successful on the technology side of Leafly?

I think Leafly really solved a need, which is critical when you’re founding a company. What problem are you solving? With Leafly, it was a lack of information around strain and location, or dispensary data.

We were located in California when we founded Leafly. At that time, a consumer would go to a dispensary and they’d have 30 or more strains to choose from with all sorts of different effects associated with them. There was no legitimate place to get good, quality information on the variety of strains and how they might affect you, let alone where you should go to get them.

Leafly solved that need. We really wanted to create something that had a more mainstream appeal. We saw cannabis going in that direction, as well as something that medical patients could use and would feel comfortable consuming. I think the way we presented and talked about cannabis really resonated with people. That’s where the success started.

I think the way we presented and talked about cannabis really resonated with people.

Then, after selling to Privateer and really increasing our resources, we were able to scale up and ride the wave of legalization after Washington and Colorado. There was a lot of interest in this space, people were looking for information and Leafly was a natural resource at the time for that, so we got a lot of press there. Right place, right time definitely helped.

We also had some big marketing campaigns. You may remember the New York Times ad we did. That was the first time, to our knowledge, that the New York Times allowed any cannabis company to advertise in their paper. We had a full-page ad and that drove a lot of interest as well. From there, we got more press and that success cycle continued.

You rode the Leafly wave as far as you wanted to take it. How did you know it was time for you to jump off that wave and paddle back out to find the next wave?

It wasn’t an easy decision by any means. The three of us are entrepreneurs and startup guys, so it’s in our DNA to always want to tackle new problems. It’s a common thing you’ll see across the tech world. I’m sure it will start coming to the cannabis world as more people follow this pattern, where you build up a company and get it to a great spot where it’s successful, then maybe you have an acquisition or potentially go public. Then you’re able to move on to tackle a new challenge.

The three of us are entrepreneurs and startup guys, so it’s in our DNA to always want to tackle new problems.

We knew it was time in the sense that we grew Leafly to a great scale. Each month brings more and more customers, users and app downloads. It just continues to be a great service. We had the team up to 35 people by the time we left. We found a great new CEO and were able to transition a lot of responsibilities to the team. At that point we were able to step away and try this new challenge.

Something unique about this process is you weren’t the lone founder. It was all three of you and you all left at the same time. When did the process begin and who brought it up?

We started conversations a few months before we made the jump. We really wanted to wait until we had a good CEO candidate that could take the reins of the company. We hung in there, kept it going and then, once we had the new CEO, it made a lot of sense. Leafly is going to be well taken care of under his watch, and under Privateer‘s watch, so we decided it was the right time. It did take a few months of planning and it’s never easy, especially when it’s something that you founded, like a startup. It’s like your baby, so it’s hard to leave that but we’re excited to see it grow from the outside.

We really wanted to wait until we had a good CEO candidate that could take the reins of the company.

What was your last day like at Leafly? What was the next morning like after you left?

The last day we had a celebration, which was nice. It was really great, very bittersweet. We love the team there and Leafly is a success because of all of their hard work and dedication. While we started the idea and had the initial project, it wasn’t until we had all the individuals contributing across all channels, whether it’s sales, marketing or engineering that Leafly really got it to where it is today. It was really nice for the team to give us a great goodbye.

Then the next day was like, okay, we’ve done it. Now it’s time to start thinking more about what this next project could be and how we’re going to tackle it. We did take a little bit of time before we jumped in, but not too much, just some time to breathe and take a lay of the land. We jumped right into Headset shortly after.

You didn’t have your next project figured out. You guys left and then took some time to marinate on it?

That’s right. We had an idea of the problem that we’re going to be solving. With Headset, that’s really a lack of market intelligence and business intelligence data for retailers, product manufacturers and growers. They’re all having trouble making really good decisions because they don’t have the resources that exist in so many other verticals. We knew that that his was a real need in the industry and we’d heard it from all sorts of partners that we’ve had during our time with Leafly. However, we didn’t know exactly how we were going to tackle it and what the solution was going to look like.

Headset is a service for the industry, so more business to business, supporting retailers and product manufacturers, giving them the tool set that sets them up for success.

While we had the problem that we wanted to tackle, we didn’t really have the solution planned out. We’re still pulling it together and building. It’s still early on in the life cycle of the project. We knew the problem right out of the gate and now we’re really pulling together the solution.

You mentioned the problem and that you had the need and the ability to solve it, but you could have taken this and applied it to anything in the industry. Why did you choose this method specifically?

I think it’s one of the common threads across the industry is this lack of real-time data. Aside from banking, it is probably the biggest issue that people have in building a successful cannabis company. It’s the trajectory that we feel the industry is on as it becomes more accessible, more mainstream. More and more players and brands are going to be entering the space, and these brands are going to need these resources, so it made a lot of sense to tackle this.

This type of service is something that exists in other verticals, in any sort of retail, whether it’s grocery or television. There are companies out there that measure these things and provide the data back to companies that are involved. We’re taking that model and applying it to cannabis because we know the trajectory is there. With more legalization on the ballot and potentially passing, we think the industry is going to look a lot like other industries, so we’re just trying to help it get there faster.

For people who might be a little bit more technologically impared, can you break down the difference between what Leafly did and what Headset is going to do for the cannabis industry?

Leafly was very consumer focused. At Leafly, we were all about educating and empowering the cannabis consumer, whether it was an experienced cannabis consumer or someone who’s looking at cannabis for the first time. It was very end-user centric.

Hang in there new entrepreneurs! Keep working at it. If it doesn’t hit right away it doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

Headset is a service for the industry, so more business to business, supporting retailers and product manufacturers, giving them the tool set that sets them up for success. We want these companies to be successful because, if they’re successful, it will help the industry as a whole succeed. That’s our vision. We want cannabis to be accepted and accessible nationwide and we want to help it get there faster. Headset’s going to play a big part in that.

On the technology side, what do you think you learned in the development of Leafly that’s going to help you get there faster with Headset?

Experience. The more you’ve done startups, the more you learn the pitfalls. You won’t make the same mistakes twice. We learned a lot through the development of Leafly and we’ll probably apply a lot of that knowledge, whether it’s engineering, marketing, how to market a product properly for this space, or even sales. We learned a great deal at Leafly and we will definitely be applying it to this new venture.

Most of the people who look at Leafly now see it as this big Goliath, but it wasn’t always that. You guys did have to go through your trials and tribulations to get to where you ended up. Can you share any of those instances with us?

Something that seems so obvious now, but it really wasn’t at the time, is there’s no such thing as overnight success. You’ve probably heard that quite a bit but it’s really true. Leafly took a long time to get it to where it is. Five years is a lifetime in this industry. When we started it was strictly medical. There were no recreational markets. Polling was positive, but it wasn’t anywhere near the levels we see today. It takes time and effort to really gain the traction you are looking for.

Hang in there new entrepreneurs! Keep working at it. If it doesn’t hit right away it doesn’t mean you’re wrong. Just keep trying new things and hopefully you’ll get there like we did.

What was your favorite perk of working at Leafly? Was it the extracurricular partying or just talking to people in the industry?

The Leafly office is just like any other technology office, not that exciting, unfortunately. However, it’s a good environment to get a lot of good work done. That definitely wasn’t the best part.

I think the part we enjoyed the most was the access to the industry that it enabled us to have. We could go visit some of the biggest growers or work with some of the biggest brands and see a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff. Just opening the doors up to the industry was really cool. Because the name Leafly carried so much weight and still does, it gave us a unique perspective and viewpoint of the space. It’s great to have that, especially in this developing world.

Can we talk about the names for a minute? Leafly is relatively associable with cannabis. It would give off that image. Headset doesn’t. Was that strategic, that you wanted to have something that seemed autonomous from the cannabis industry?

Yeah, a little bit. With Leafly, the logo plays to the cannabis industry, but it’s not blatantly obvious that it’s cannabis. We did the same thing with Headset, but it’s a little more obscured. We just liked the word. It sounds interesting. It’s not obviously cannabis but it does have a little bit of roots in what we’re up to. Head stash, head space. The head term is very much associated with cannabis.

If you’re thinking about doing a startup, take some time. Do your research. Maybe go work for a startup.

Then the ‘set’ comes from the multitude of data sets that we’re working with as we pull all this together for the intelligence platform, competitive ‘set’ analysis. We thought Headset had a nice ring to it.

This next question we have yet to cover on Cashinbis. In your mind, what do you think someone should look out for when they think, “I’m going to leave this company”? When is a good time? How do you go about making that decision overall?

It’s definitely not an easy decision. You want to weigh where the company is at before you make the move. You never want to burn bridges or leave a group in a lurch. If you’re very critical to operations at your existing company, you wouldn’t necessarily want to leave but sometimes opportunities come up so you have to weigh everything as pros and cons in a moment. Before you leave, especially if you’re pursuing a new endeavor on your own, make sure that the problem you’re solving is a real problem. Go out and talk to potential customers that you anticipate would one day want to buy your service. Start to validate that product market fit based on an idea before you make the plunge.

So often people have a good idea but they don’t validate it. They’ll jump out there and spend a lot of time, energy and money building it out just to find out that the market place doesn’t have a need for it or it’s hard to get traction. As much as you can validate before you leave, that’s beneficial for sure. Then again, sometimes you just have to take the risk and make the jump. It’s always scary but it could be worth it.

What was the worst business idea that you guys came up with that just absolutely wasn’t going to make it? You had to have some bad ones, right?

Boy, that’s a good question. There are startups I’ve been apart of in the past, not cannabis related, that kind of fizzled out. In the cannabis space, we’ve had ideas here and there, but we’ve never really pursued them.

With Headset, free time is gone. It’s seven days a week. We’re in full-on startup mode.

One idea centered on finding the cheapest price for cannabis in a simple app. We never really pursued and it’s kind of become the running joke. Basically, there was this app years ago, Urban Spoon. I think they’re still around. You’d shake the phone and it would tell you where to go eat. We were thinking about something like that for cannabis and the cheapest price. Someone out there needs to go build that because we always joke about it. I don’t know if there’s any money or traction in it though.

Can you just imagine a couple years from now if that takes off, we’re going to be interviewing them and they’ll be like, “Well, I heard Cy Scott talk about it years ago and now…”

Yeah and I said it was a terrible idea. Now they’re wealthy beyond belief. I hope that happens for someone.

Is there anything you wish you would have known before you started Leafly that you’re glad you know going into this venture?

So much and a lot of it you can only get through the experience. If you’re thinking about doing a startup, take some time. Do your research. Maybe go work for a startup. A mid-level startup’s a good place to go. If you go to work for a startup that’s very young there’s a lot of risk, but at the same time you usually get more equity in that company, so the rewards are higher. Just depends on your risk tolerance.

Find a company that’s doing something similar or has some parallels and get that experience. Coming from startups and then working in the corporate world at places like Kelley Blue Book really did help me understand how larger organizations work. That’s hard to know when you’re just a scrappy little team pulling together a new app. You don’t really see the transition and startups do go through a transition from very early stage, where Headset’s at right now, to mid-stage where Leafly’s at, and into later stage where you have potentially hundreds or thousands of employees, to be able to really understand all the pieces of that and what that means.

We want to give businesses more insight so they can better understand demand or the competitive landscape before they take the plunge

There’s a lot of great literature out there, a lot of good blogs where you can get some sort of idea of how that looks but unless you’re really in that world you don’t really understand. Go get that experience, put in your time and it’ll help you be more successful in the long run.

Can you tell us a little bit about Cy Scott as a person? What do you do in your free time when you’re not developing companies and starting startups?

No free time any more. With Headset, free time is gone. It’s seven days a week. We’re in full-on startup mode. Here and there I do have a little time to spend with my kids. I’ve got two young daughters, so that’s basically where all my extracurricular activities go at this point. Being a good dad, balancing that responsibility while building a company is really important to me.

Are they old enough to have put makeup on your face yet?

They’re old enough but they haven’t tried that yet, so that’s good. I’ll have to watch out for that.

Can you share with us the actual application of Headset?

Basically, we’re doing a market and business intelligence platform that gives businesses the insights that they need to be successful. Some good examples would be a product manufacturer in Washington who’s looking at possibly pursuing a new segment opportunity and trying to determine if they should make a cookie or a chocolate. Right now, these guys are forced to make a best guess, pick a route and go with it. Then they see how it plays out. We want to give businesses more insight so they can better understand demand or the competitive landscape before they take the plunge. It’s really going to be a platform for them to be developing new products on by utilizing the data that we have.

Right out of the gate we’re tackling Washington and Colorado recreational markets.

With retailers, we’re going to provide insights and operational support to maximizing their opportunities at the store, making sure they have the right assortment of products at the right price while running the right promotions is really important. Bringing a lot of that world that exists in other verticals to the cannabis space is the Headset goal.

Is Headset going to launch nationally or is it going to start in a certain region and look to grow outwards? What’s the plan on that side?

Right out of the gate we’re tackling Washington and Colorado recreational markets. We really want to have a lasered-in, zeroed-in focus on the retail market to start out, but we’re going to be rapidly expanding to other regions.

What’s on the horizon for Headset? What should we look for in the next six months to a year?

We’re building away so stay tuned and check out Headset.io. You can sign up to be notified when updates happen or when we’re releasing stuff to the public. We’re hoping to have something pretty soon. A little too early to make any big announcements but definitely sign up to stay up to date. It’s going to be exciting.

What do you think about Cy Scott leaving Leafly? What do you think about his new venture with Headset? Join the conversation and comment below!

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Chris Walker – GM of Heliospectra

Chris Walker is the GM of Heliospectra, a leading supplier of commercial LED light solutions for your greenhouse needs. A veteran of the start-up and alternative energy scenes, Chris has been involved in the business of energy efficiency for over twenty years and was brought into Heliospectra to assist the company in entering the cannabis space. Simply put, Chris and his coworkers understand every aspect of plant growth, as well as how to maximize yield, efficiency and costs along the way. Their LED light products are well positioned among some of the top companies in the industry and, according to Chris, the goal of Heliospectra is to become the foremost lighting technology in the space. In addition to his duties at Heliospectra, Chris is an avid traveler who likes to keep his life as simple as he can. Luckily for us, we caught up with Chris before he jumped on a plane to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro so he could give us a peek behind what brought him to this point in his entrepreneurial life.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

I didn’t really “join” the industry. Like much of the cannabis world, and cannabis itself, this was not a black and white series of decisions. I have always focused on energy efficiency in my career and Heliospectra’s technology was fascinating to me from day one. The company was not focused on cannabis, but hired me to help them make a decision about taking the company that direction. I think this speaks to where the product has come from and the intentions behind our product development.  We understand light as it relates to all plants.

What were you doing before?

I’ve either been developing start-ups or involved with alternative energy & biofuels or a combination of both for 20 plus years. I started a biofuel refinery, sold algae based technology, built LEED certified real estate projects and worked for an ethanol producer as a commodity trader.

My passion and energy is focused on promoting smarter lighting technology in commercial horticulture

Tell me about the point in the time you realized the coming of the ‘green rush’?

I realized the ‘green rush’ was on the way the day that VICE called us to do a video on the Colorado scene. I thought that involving a non-cannabis pure play like Heliospectra in that piece spoke volumes as to the cannabis industry breaking into the mainstream. They saw that traditional ag-tech (agricultural technology) was going to play a large part in doing cannabis cultivation the right way. 

Right now, where are you guiding your passion and energy towards?

My passion and energy is focused on promoting smarter lighting technology in commercial horticulture. We have a handful of very large commercial growers and partners (DIXIE, PinkHouse, etc.) that are on board with our product. My job is to tell that story, to make sure that the world knows we are here and that we sell the best LED horticulture light available.

It may sound cliché, but my wife is my biggest influence. She the type of person who is always happy and lives in the moment.

Describe your work ethic to me in one word.

Columbo

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?

It may sound cliché, but my wife is my biggest influence. She the type of person who is always happy and lives in the moment. She has taught me to enjoy my achievements again and constantly reminds me that life is now. We get so wrapped up in planning sometimes that we forget that the work we do is done for a reason. Sometimes you have to step back and enjoy what you accomplished for a minute.

What book have you read that you’ve been inspired by? Any particular read we should put on our list?

I started reading ‘Vagabonding‘ by Rolf Potts again.

This book reminds me to keep it simple and, because of that, I travel a lot. The travel lifestyle exemplifies the simplistic approach to life for me.

Tell me about an esteemed achievement of yours.

I’m about to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro – I’ll tell you about that after I come back.

Sometimes you have to step back and enjoy what you accomplished for a minute.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Listen.  Just Listen.

What is the most important thing for us to know now about the legal marijuana industry?

Aside from the untold thousands of people that are sitting in prison and the simple fact that cannabis is therapy, we burn coal to make cannabis. After the conferences, sales pitches, marketing and excitement, it all boils down to the fact that cannabis is a plant that grows best in mother nature. The closer we can get to that, the better the product will be for us, the environment and ultimately, the economy.

After the conferences, sales pitches, marketing and excitement, it all boils down to the fact that cannabis is a plant that grows best in mother nature.

If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ be going?

I believe LED will have a significant foothold in the cannabis space because it just makes sense. Furthermore, the data race will have matured and streamlined, pricing will be even more sensitive for flower due to commoditization and new oil based products and services will dominate. Also, cultivation methodology will be even more controversial with two primary camps: soil and non. And finally, Chris Christie will highlight the stupidity of the anti-canna persona.

What do you think about LED lighting? What do you think we will be talking about a year from now as it relates to the cannabis industry? Join the conversation and comment below!

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Edward Querfeld – CEO/CTO of Robotanical

Edward Querfeld is the CEO/CTO, visionary and strategist for Robotanical, a packaging and automation solutions company that provides products designed to meet the challenges of filling vape pens and cartomizers with botanical oils, tinctures, and other derivations. Years ago, Edward left a Fortune 100 company and jumped into the ‘dot.com’ boom right as it was leveling off. Not wanting to make that mistake again, he saw a parallel opportunity in the cannabis industry and dove in head first. Edward’s years of experience applying state of the art technology solutions in the aerospace and semiconductor industries have allowed Robotanical to successfully fill a niche in the cannabis industry. Robotanical‘s first product, the AtomFill, started as an automated dispensing machine, the goal being to eliminate human error & reduce waste in the process. AtomFill has evolved into a modular platform that can be adapted for various producer/processor workflows, extracts and retail packaging that their customers require. It also helps the producer/processor manage compliance with automated reporting tools. But enough about AtomFill. How did Edward make his way into the cannabis space? Why? Recently Edward to a moment to fill our atoms with this information.

What was the deciding factor for you to join the cannabis industry?

In 2000, I jumped ship from a Fortune 100 process automation company to a then unknown software services & consulting company. I learned a great deal from this transformation, but knew that the “dot.com” boom had passed me by. I made a vow that I would not let another opportunity like that pass me by. In late 2013, I realized that there was a huge opportunity for providing automation solutions for cannabis producers & processors and have never looked back. One of Robotanical’s goals is to help bring production and processing standards up to par with industry leaders in food, pharma & agriculture. Traceability, compliance and repeatability will be required and we will help our customers hit those marks. This will help to legitimize what’s seen as an illegitimate industry.

In late 2013, I realized that there was a huge opportunity for providing automation solutions for cannabis producers & processors and have never looked back.

What skills from your previous careers or experiences have helped you in what you are doing now?

My primary skillset has revolved around listening to people, coming up with a solution and executing that vision. Decision makers may fall anywhere in the food chain, from CEOs to end users. For a high-value product like cannabis oil, concerns will range from profitability to line worker safety to “getting what I paid for.” The design of the AtomFill facilitates all of those things through platform flexibility & simplifying life for our customers.

Tell me about the point in time you realized the ‘green rush’ was coming?

Once I realized that automated packaging of cannabis oil was a difficult problem to solve, it didn’t take long to commit to designing our first machine. Garth (Morgan), Robotanical’s COO, had been watching the industry for some time. He was the first person I contacted to see if he wanted to ride the “green wave”. To my surprise and utter delight, he didn’t hesitate.

The status quo in packaging cannabis oil is to inject it straight into cartridges or pens by hand with syringes. It’s wasteful, slow and hopelessly inaccurate.

What in particular are you doing to impact the cannabis industry?

The status quo in packaging cannabis oil is to inject it straight into cartridges or pens by hand with syringes. It’s wasteful, slow and hopelessly inaccurate. Employee health can be compromised by repetitive strain injuries & exposure to hazardous substances. The lack of accuracy further undermines control, profitability and legitimacy of reporting for regulatory compliance. The AtomFill addresses all of these issues while offering the added benefit of tamper-proofing cartridges, a concern of some of our customers. By reducing the handling of the oil and packaging, our customers and their end users will have greater confidence in the supply chain.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a builder and keenly interested in creating products that make a difference in people’s lives.

Who is a person that you consider your role model or someone who has been a mentor to you? How did this person impact your life?

There have been many but what I value in those relationships is integrity, creativity, persistence, experience and common sense. These are the sort of people that make a good team even better.

Tell me about an esteemed achievement of yours.

In my professional career, I can’t point to one thing and say, “I did that.”  Every success I have had has been part of or in support of a group effort. Some of these successes have resulted in products and some were validation of the project itself. When a team combines a unified vision with good collaboration, great products can be the result. I believe Robotanical is really onto something and will be my biggest achievement yet.

How would you advise someone who wants to get his or her start in the industry?

Collaborate, collaborate and collaborate. What’s exciting about this industry is the wide range of talent, skillsets and backgrounds leaving established industries and jumping into the cannabis space. Robotanical would not be where it is without networking and working with others in complementary areas. Patience is also a key skill, it’s go, go, go in this industry, but without careful planning and execution, you will set yourself up for failure. Lastly, find a good partner or two, they’ll be your best reality check.

Creating something that addresses specific needs felt by the broadest audience is the key to a great product.

What inspires you? Where do your great ideas come from?

For as long as I can remember, I have been a builder and keenly interested in creating products that make a difference in people’s lives. Sometimes that means making something beautiful; sometimes the driver is pure utility. I draw inspiration from a range of products and people, be it an anonymous Italian espresso maker to a bridge by Calatrava. I have had the privilege of working with some truly gifted people over the years. Through observation and practice I find that with care I can unite aesthetic and utility for an elegant, impactful and truly useful solution.  

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader in this space?

From a company perspective, listening, studying, building, testing and rebuilding. Anybody can design and build a widget to solve a problem. Creating something that addresses specific needs felt by the broadest audience is the key to a great product. The leadership will come through establishing Robotanical as a forerunner of reliability and compliance solutions for this industry. As we increase our role in production and processing, and help to build the legitimacy of this new industry, we strive to set a high bar for those that follow.

Every success I have had has been part of or in support of a group effort.

If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how do you think our conversation about the ‘green rush’ will be going?

The industry will be a different animal by then with more states getting on board, more positive legislation being introduced and new standards being set. It would serve us all well to study what happened after the Volstead Act was repealed and not repeat those mistakes. In that we have a common goal, and I believe Robotanical will take the lead in equipment that serves that end.

How do you think the implementation of automated machines will impact the cannabis industry? Join the conversation and comment below!

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Dr. Steven Siegel, Co-founder of BioTrackTHC

Dr. Steven Siegel of BioTrackTHC has spent the better part of his career inventing technologies to track dangerous drugs, like Oxycontin, and putting regulatory systems in place. Five years ago, he noticed that the budding cannabis market was seeing an influx of business professionals, MBAs, lawyers and doctors, so he decided to see what the industry was all about. Steven and his partner TJ Ferraro noticed the industry needed a strong regulatory compliance traceability system and the idea for BioTrackTHC was born. BioTrackTHC is the most comprehensive seed to sale solution in the cannabis marketplace and has won numerous state recreational and medical contracts throughout the United States. We recently ‘track’ed down Steven so he could share his ‘Bio’ with us.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

The deciding factor was actually a combination of two things, the medicinal qualities of cannabis and the fact that cannabis was everywhere anyway. People are smoking cannabis and utilizing it in various other forms. It is different from other drugs that might occupy the laboratory more frequently than the streets. Because of this, cannabis is not falling under regulatory control to protect the consumers. I took issue with this and, since I have the professional background to impact this very problem, I decided to enter the space to contribute all I could to help. We can help the people who need cannabis make sure that it is properly tested for pesticides, mites and other harmful substances that shouldn’t be in your medicine. Furthermore, we can vet the quality and prove that this is a good, solid, medicinal product that can help their children. That was the deciding factor to me.

The worst thing a company with market leadership can do is get comfortable.

What were you doing before the industry? Specifically, before you started this business?

I was the owner of multiple medical centers and inventing technology to track more dangerous drugs like Oxycontin and pseudoephedrine – a technology called BioScriptRX.

When did you first realize the green rush was underway?

I would say roughly five years ago, when I saw the growth pattern in Colorado. I started seeing MBAs, lawyers, and doctors buying dispensaries and entering the industry themselves. Also, the media went from reporting negatively on cannabis to reporting with a more positive spin on medicinal cannabis applications. For example, Sanjay Gupta MD reversed his opinion after interviewing a child and a family that needed CBDs to treat seizures. That was a pivotal point. I started seeing media take a look at this and that’s when I realized that cannabis was the market I wanted to put a lot of energy and focus into.

Where are you guiding your passion and energy towards right now?

I’m guiding my energy towards the cannabis industry as a whole. BioTrackTHC in a very unique position, a very hard position, but we’re respected on both sides. We’re respected as a government contractor for transparency, regulatory, and compliance for cannabis. However, we are also respected on the industry side because we protect their license and their entity from laboratory testing and employee theft. We allow the owner to run their entire enterprise system more efficiently. From knowing what your profit margins are to how long the customer’s been waiting, we analyze that information to set you up for success. The worst thing a company with market leadership can do is get comfortable. You have to stay ahead of the game and we are working to help businesses does just that.

We are constantly enhancing both the enterprise system and the government system at the same time. I spend a lot of my day speaking to people in the industry, trying to hear what this industry needs. Not what they need now, but next year and the following year. Currently I’m developing new technologies to enhance the current technologies we already have. For instance, right now there is no safe platform available for cultivators to be able to sell their cannabis to dispensaries.

Recently, the media reported on a grower who had a lot of cannabis in the state of Washington. Since he didn’t have a medium in which he could safely sell it, he rented a hotel auditorium and invited people to come out and bid on his cannabis. He was running it like an auction. He even ran an ad telling people there’s going to be a ton of cannabis at this specific address. The problem with that is you have no idea who will show up or even if they are licensed. Not only that but the concept in itself is not conducive to safety.

For the first time we are providing a legal platform where these people can communicate and conduct business without risking their lives or getting exposed to something they shouldn’t have.

To overcome that, we developed KushFair. KushFair is a technology that is going to be launched in the near future by our company. One of the main selling points is that only verified licensees can log onto it, as we remove all others who are unlicensed (drug cartels for example). The licensed cultivator then has his cannabis laboratory tested. On KushFair, within the BioTrackTHC technology, he clicks on a link and inputs a number of categorical figures (laboratory testing results, amount of cannabis available, type of cannabis strain and all other info associated with testing). Only when this is done can he then allow the public to bid on it. And of course by public, I mean licensed dispensaries.

For the first time we are providing a legal platform where these people can communicate and conduct business without risking their lives or getting exposed to something they shouldn’t have.

Another technology that we’re going to release in the near future is iKush.com. iKush is like Yelp, if you will, for cannabis. Consumers can log on to one of our accounts on BiotrackTHC and, in real time, they can know how far the dispensary is, what their product is and even make a preorder. Maybe you’ve got a sick child who needs a certain strain. You can log on to ikush.com, find a dispensary, know how far it is, know what their inventory is (in real time to the gram), and you can even pre-order. That way, even if you can’t get off work for example, you can have everything figured out by the time you get off. That way you can get home faster and provide that medicine your family may need. iKush, at its core, is simply going to provide safer access to this medication.

Could you describe to me your work ethic in one word?

Passion.

Who is a person that you would consider a role model?  How have they impacted your life?

I can think of three people that stand out to me, not as mentors, but rather personal heroes. These are people I model myself after:

Randy Simmons. Randy is the Deputy Director of the Liquor Board in the state of Washington. I got to watch, first hand, the battles that he had to put up with, and the passion that he had for these people that need this medicine. He risked everything he had, his career, everything, to fight for people and pass a schematic that worked. That inspires me. Whenever I have a tough day, I turn around and I think of him.

I’m all in on this company.

I admire Representative Singer and Senator Hill, both out of Colorado, for the same exact reason. These people risked their political careers and put it all on the line. That resonates with me because I come to work everyday and I risk everything. I’m all in on this company. Whenever things get tough, I think of these three people and how they risked their whole career for something they believe in. It never fails to re-inspire me, re-motivate me, and provide me the strength to continue the passion that drives this company.

How about a book that’s inspired you? Do you read a lot? What would you recommend to our readers?

I read a good amount of books about either success or struggle. My favorite book would be the one on Facebook. They had to fight and fight, all the while resisting the urge to give up. They have an incredible success story as a result of their stubbornness to keep on keeping on. This example directly relates to the cannabis industry. It’s tough. If you are a quitter or someone who doesn’t stick to their guns then don’t ever try this industry. You have to be willing to operate in the danger zone and believe in yourself at all times, even if you are wondering if you will simply make enough money to keep the lights on at home.

If you are a quitter or someone who doesn’t stick to their guns then don’t ever try this industry.

These books serve as a tool for me to remind me that when the going gets rough, stay in the game and fight forward. If they can go through all these struggles and come out the other side then I can do it with my team. I’m very lucky to have a wonderful team of people working with me.

What do you think is your proudest professional achievement of yours?

I’m proud of my career path. It has always been about people and not about money. If you look at my past, everything I’ve done has been to help people (tracking Oxycontin and more dangerous drugs). I’ve been in medicine a lot of my life and now I’m trying to make cannabis and CBDs more available for patients that need it.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received from someone else?

If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.

What do you think is most important for the general public to know about the legal cannabis industry?

Without trying to sound self-fulfilling, but not enough people out in the general public are aware of what BioTrackTHC, as well as myself, are doing to impact the industry. The general public doesn’t know that, in a lot of cases, cannabis is tracked in real time, even more than alcohol and tobacco combined. I believe that if people out there, especially those who are on the cusp of deciding whether they’re for or against cannabis, understood that cannabis is tracked more heavily than alcohol and tobacco combined, and that states have already passed tracking systems, they would go ahead and realize this is not a party.

This is not about just enjoying life and being able to get high. This is a real product, that, just like alcohol and tobacco is, that is heavily tracked. I think that the public needs to be aware of this, because what we do is not sexy and the media doesn’t really cover it. They need to know that cannabis is treated just like any other dangerous drug out there, like Oxycontin for example. Even though it is certainly not as dangerous as Oxycontin, it’s more tracked than Oxycontin is. The public needs to be aware of that.

I believe that you’re going to see more states pass cannabis legalization bills in 2016 than ever before.

If we’re sitting across each other, a year from now, how do you think our conversation about the green rush will be going?

I believe that you’re going to see more states pass cannabis legalization bills in 2016 than ever before. It’s going to be an incredible, incredible year for the industry as a whole.

Also, you’re going to see something that’s already starting to take place right now, and that’s the rise of big business in cannabis. For instance, LivWell, in Colorado, is probably the biggest grow house I have seen, roughly the size of four city blocks. Also indicative of this trend is Medicine Man in Denver, a large and impressive grow and dispensary. What you’re going to see in a year from now is a lot of smaller operations being bought up. You’re going to see the Costco’s of cannabis taking their place. The industry is undoubtedly going to get bigger.

When these states start passing through legislation next November, that’s when you’re going to start seeing large companies like Oracle, and other companies, crossing the line and getting into cannabis. More than three quarters of this country will probably have legal cannabis.

Also, I’d be convincing you to invest in our IPO.

What would you say scares you most about the industry?

My concern is that big industry is going to get involved, and that passion is going to be lost in profits.

What scares me the most is what I mentioned in my last answer. I worry about big industry and big companies entering the cannabis industry because they don’t have the same passion as the people in the industry. This industry has so much passion. The people I deal with every day and the people I talk to every day, they’re all heroes. They care so much about their customers. They care about their product. They care about the legislation in their state. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. My concern is that big industry is going to get involved, and that passion is going to be lost in profits.

If you could tell a skeptic one thing about the cannabis industry that you think would change their mind, what do you think that thing would be?

I’m asked this question quite often by both political figures and citizens. My answer is always the same. I tell them, “Look around you right now. There’s already cannabis everywhere. Whether this is legal or not is not going to stop the amount of cannabis. The unfortunate truth is that laboratories do not test most cannabis. It may have mites or it could be overdosed in pesticides. It could be hurting people. Because it’s here anyway, let’s go ahead and legalize it. Let’s be proactive and tax it. Then we can use that money to help schools and communities. Furthermore, let’s make sure the consumers of it have something safe that they can give to their children medicinally or utilize them themselves. People need safe access to something that’s not going to hurt them or kill them, because it’s here anyway. Look in your own back yard.”

What is the one thing you wish you would have known before entering the cannabis industry?

I wish I would have known the difficulty surrounding raising capital. Not everyone is who they claim to be and you truly need to vet out people prior to meeting them and establishing a working relationship. I tend to be a person that looks at people on face value and I wasted two years of my life chasing this dream because I got involved with the wrong people.

However, I took this experience and turned it into a positive, so that others who come after me might be able to avoid this same pitfall. I started KushFair and iKush, in addition to investing in the National Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, with the idea being that we can vet people in the industry and weed out the riff raff. The purpose of the National Cannabis Chamber of Commerce is to provide a safe environment for the industry. Every member of the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce has been vetted out. Their finances have been looked at, they are insured, and they have been in business for X amount of time. Now the industry has one platform that they can go to with the piece of mind that every member of the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce has been vetted out. The likelihood of them being in business in 5 years is very strong.

Not everyone is who they claim to be and you truly need to vet out people prior to meeting them and establishing a working relationship.

Anything else you would like to add in for our readers?

BioTrackTHC would not be the company we are, leading in both the technology and marijuana sector, without the passion of the entire company. Currently we have about fifty-six employees. My idea of success isn’t what I have in the bank. When your employees look forward to coming in to work, they pull into the parking lot and they’re excited, that’s success. It’s not about my founding partner or me, it’s about the company as a whole and the passion and love that my staff has for this company. That love and passion has been the foundation for BioTrackTHC to become the multi-industry leading company we are today.

What is the one thing you wish you had known about business when you were younger? How about the best advice you have ever received. Join the conversation and comment below!

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Todd Mitchem: CEO of High There!

Everyone who enters the cannabis industry has his or her own unique story as to why. Todd Mitchem, Co-Founder and CEO of High There!, a social networking app designed for cannabis friendly users, is no exception. Six years ago Todd was directly impacted by the cannabis industry through his mom’s battle with terminal cancer. He and his partners noticed the industry lacked a social networking platform where users could interact with one another to create a larger, more global community. Then one day, he and his business partners sat and discussed the merits of a massive social network to connect like minded people and when the waitress approached the table and said ‘Hi there’, the light bulb went off and the group never looked back. High There has been featured in hundreds of publications all over the world and was even parodied by Dutch television. With the launch of High There 2.0 on the horizon, we caught up to Todd to talk about what it took to get High There where it is today.

Your mom and your family were directly impacted by the cannabis industry. What happened and how did it impact your choice to enter the space?

One of the things I love about the cannabis community is that we all seem to have a unique story when it comes to what exactly got us into the industry. In my case, my mom was one of my biggest inspirations. Years ago her breast cancer relapsed in part due to the radiation from her first go around of treatment. The doctors gave her a terminal diagnosis, saying she had six months to live.

When I saw the impact that medical cannabis could have, I left my ten year career in the corporate space to see what I could do in the industry to inspire change.

She travelled to a cleansing clinic out in Pennsylvania where she met a nurse that recommended cannabis. The nurse said it would help her sleep and manage pain as she died. So my mother and stepfather began to grow out in Ohio. She would make cannabis muffins, consuming one before bed every night. That was six years ago! To this day people argue with me over the medicinal properties of cannabis and I simply point to my mom. Six months has turned into six years. We can’t ignore that.

When I saw the impact that medical cannabis could have, I left my ten year career in the corporate space to see what I could do in the industry to inspire change. I’ve never looked back. I think it is ridiculous that a person such as my mom, growing and using cannabis to deal with her cancer (which had been diagnosed as terminal), could have spent her final months in jail because cannabis is still illegal in Ohio. On a lighter note, the funny part about my mom using cannabis is that, when I was a kid, she used to threaten to kick me out of the house if I used it. I think her stance has softened over the years.

Let’s talk about High There!. Is it true that the idea for this app stemmed from your personal dating history?

High There! was born from a collaboration of my partners and I.  We all had different reasons for wanting to take on this mission. For me, I would say it stemmed from my mom’s personal history as well as my own. As for my history, I’m a divorced dad with kids, so it was hard to get out there and meet people in the first place. I was going through sites like Match.com and Tinder, but once cannabis came up my dates would start to lecture me. I was so tired of going through this that one night, when a date started lecturing me, I simply paid the bill and left. No one who consumes cannabis “medicreationally” (that’s what we call it around here) should EVER feel ashamed about their consumption or sharing this with others.

In my mom’s case it wasn’t about dating so much as friendship. While she was going through her cancer she was so isolated and alone at times. She even had a neighbor stop talking to her one they found out she was going through the process. Through the combination of these experiences, a light went off in my head. My business partners and I realized there was nothing out there to connect cannabis consumers, no social activity application where cannabis was accepted.

We focused on creating partnerships and showing them, as well as Google, how serious we were about responsibility and regulation.

Those reasons coupled with my business partners own experiences are why High There! is what it is today. We designed it to be a hybrid where people could connect, share medical stories, product reviews, general information and even find dates. Our goal is to connect people all over the world and provide social inclusiveness for an industry that has been widely shunned for a long time. In fact, I am already seeing it serve that purpose. I met a gentleman in Tennessee a couple of months ago who was using High There! He suffers from PTSD and cannabis is the only thing that helps to control his symptoms. He didn’t know anyone else who used it and felt like an outsider because of that fact. However, when he joined High There! he felt embraced by a community of positive individuals. He could share thoughts and interact with people all over the world going through similar experiences. This is precisely why we started High There!

Time Magazine called High There the ‘tinder for tokers’. What are your thoughts when you hear that?

Personally I like to describe High There! as: if Tinder and Facebook had a baby that grew up to be an adult cannabis consumer that person would be High There!. We blend functions from both sites, be it social activities, networking, information sharing or dating. Overall though I simply enjoy the attention we are bringing to the cannabis movement. If Time magazine is comparing us to Tinder, it means they are seeing High There! as a potentially mainstream app.

Whenever a business in the cannabis industry can be seen as a quality, well-functioning company I think it reflects positively on the entire movement. In this industry you have to be ok with the mainstream media building comparisons like this. It allows for them to be more comfortable talking about cannabis as a whole. That being said, I’m flattered to be compared to Tinder because I have a respect for what they have done as a company.

Did you start High There! intending it for dating, social networking or both? 

We always saw both uses running side by side with each other. However, we built the dating functionality first because that was what was happening in my life and it was seriously lacking in the community. Then we quickly developed the networking side. At High There!, we work really hard to be as strategic as possible and we wanted to release one aspect at a time to be sure we were as ready for each application as possible.

Getting App distribution through channels like Apple has stunted the growth of many companies. How did you handle that process? 

Certainly not as activists!!! We approached it more as a business partnership and less as an activist for a cause. We realized that Apple, as well as other app outlets, are huge companies with no real reason to care about us. They have a nearly $700 billion market cap. Protests would not serve in that context. So we focused on creating partnerships and showing them, as well as Google, how serious we were about responsibility and regulation. Right out of the gate we went to companies like Apple and said ‘you give us the guidelines and we will make it happen’.

We immediately geo-fenced the app, allowing us to regulate users and operate within individual state laws. Because we were the first to do this, they saw this as a legitimate first step, indicating we meant business. That move got the collaborative conversation going. We kept saying, ‘What can we do? Let’s work together. How can we demonstrate responsible social networking?’. We took these notes and installed countless safeguards to make sure we are constantly complying with these companies. More importantly, we brought them into our process and made it as legitimate as possible. We were very excited that we got the pass just two weeks before we launched and before anyone else int he space. Collaboration was the key.

Has anyone in the cannabis industry reached out to you about this process?

No not really. I wish more entrepreneurs would reach out. I would love to help them any way that I can. I think we’ve entered a phase on the business side of cannabis where, through collaboration and partnerships we are getting more done than ever before. While there are an infinite amount of activists out there doing great work (work that made even the thought of this interview possible), much can also be accomplished at the mainstream level by operating as a levelheaded businessperson. We went in with the attitude that ‘We’re not here to protest, but to tell you who we are, who we are going to serve and what service we will be providing’.

We went to companies like Apple and said ‘you give us the guidelines and we will make it happen’.

Who is Todd Mitchem and why should people want to work with you?

First off, I hate talking about myself. But if I had to sum myself up I would say that I believe in people more than anything. The people are where the magic is and that is what High There! is all about. I want to know who you are and what is your story. It is important for me to get to know people. In fact, when I run across people who say ‘I’m just here to do business’, I normally don’t want to work with them. I want to make friends with the people I do business with.

I feel like my whole life has come full circle into this industry and I love the media attention we have been getting because it has enabled me to share a larger, global message. One of my goals is to change the way people look at and talk to each other. In society we tend to be guarded, tend to cover ourselves up. We present ourselves as ‘this is who I want you to see’ as opposed to ‘this is who I am’. cannabis is the great equalizer. When you use socially, those barriers come down. You don’t care what color someone is or his or her gender. You dispatch ulterior motives and you just want to get to know them. I hope my involvement in the cannabis industry inspires this change. At HighThere! we hire for talent, bringing on anyone who can show up and execute! I want people to work with me because I feel that together we can truly shift the way that we treat each other on a global scale.

I want to make friends with the people I do business with.

How has the App helped you grow professionally?

I have grown in big ways through my work with High There. I had been at the executive level in the past; working with large teams of people, start ups, and consulting for companies like Starbucks, Microsoft, and Google, but to actually take something from zero to where we are now has been an incredible experience. I’ve learned that, for me, the most valuable commodity is time. The cannabis industry moves so fast that, if I don’t control my time, the industry will control my business, not our company strategy. For this reason our strategy is to control how we a lot our time as best as possible. We focus so much on being strategic because in our mind, if we spend an hour going in the wrong direction, that time is lost and we can never get it back. This is especially important in a start up company.

Another thing I realized pretty quickly is that, as an entrepreneur, you are going to make mistakes. Everyone does. But when you start from scratch and try to build something special, sometimes you will act impulsively, even if you think your strategy is airtight. It may be a bad hire, or a bad marketing spend, but the main thing is to learn from that mistake and never make that move again. I thought knew a lot about pressure, friendships and negotiations, but my experience working with High There! has taught me more about those facets then ever before. It has been incredibly rewarding and I can’t imagine being anywhere else right now.

You have a blog for entrepreneurs called ‘The High There Nine’. What is that all about?

The High There Nine is something that we built very early on as a resource for business professionals everywhere. We wanted entrepreneurs to gain from our past failures and successes by helping them avoid mistakes in their own ventures. The High There Nine contains nine channels of thought you should run any initiative through prior to deciding on something relating to your business. Everything from how much you are going to spend to how much the initiative might affect your brand or your consumers. The process has worked wonders for us so far and has been critical in our rapid growth. You can find the blog inside of our app or on our website.

We focus so much on being strategic because in our mind, if we spend an hour going in the wrong direction, that time is lost and we can never get it back.

What is on the horizon for High There?

High There 2.0 is being built right now. We have some great functions that we are going to be releasing which will allow users to really control how they are seen in their profile. These additions are going to make the app even more fun and we’re very excited to release them. Our goal is to make the app look and feel more intuitive. We have been directly interacting and listening to our users. Every suggestion that we get makes its way all the way up the chain for consideration and sometimes leads us to create something the user didn’t even know they wanted until we presented it to them.

Other than the functionality of the application itself, we are focused on building and maintaining our user base, which is growing faster than any of us anticipated. To give you a comparison, Tinder hovered between 20-30K users their first 6 months. We have over 115K downloads in our first 4 months. We take this information as a sign that we are on the right track. There are people out there that want this community to expand so that they can interact with people all over the world. That is why we are striving to not only provide them with the technology, but also make sure their experience inside the app is the best it can be.

Have you tried the social networking app High There!? How do you think it will benefit the cannabis industry as a whole? Join the conversation and comment below!

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Jon Braveman: NoGoo Nonstick Products

Jon Braveman, known in the industry as ‘JonnyB’, always had a love for the cannabis industry. He first realized his passion for cannabis as a young adult in New England. Botany classes and smoke shops fueled his early interest in the industry. An industry which he never thought he would be a part of professionally. However, when the opportunity to join the industry presented itself, Jon wasted no time jumping at the chance. Today, one of his products, NoGoo, is revolutionizing containers in the cannabis industry. NoGoo is a platinum cured nonstick silicone container. Not only does NoGoo allow the consumer to use 100% of the jar’s content, it is the best nonstick container on the market to date. NoGoo allows the individual to use a product without needing to discard the sticky residues that remains on standard containers, which in turn greatly reduces product waste. NoGoo is just one of many products Braveman has developed in order to fulfill a need in the industry, something that he takes great pride in doing.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

I like to share that I accidentally stumbled into my dream job at exactly the right time. Years ago, after I had just sold my logistics company, I was sitting in my house in Maine, pondering my next move. I ended up dropping this little glass one-hitter and it chipped as a result. Normally that’s a bad thing, but in this case, it was right in the perfect spot and I noticed it then allowed me to cut through the cannabis much more efficiently than current flathead one-hitters. This made me think to add even more serrations.

Soon after, I was making them for personal use and then friends would ask me about them constantly. One thing led to another, and I found myself researching an established manufacturer, contacting a patent attorney and have been moving forward ever since. I originally launched my brand out in Amsterdam. After returning to the US, I then set out to grind it out at various tradeshows. Soon enough, someone picked up my product and I was off to the races with a win.

I feel blessed constantly that I get to use my degree, work experience and knowledge to actually pursue my passion in life.

What skills from your previous experiences helped you in what you are doing now?

My logistics and purchasing degree combined with my business experience has given me the ability to be as self-sufficient as possible. I feel blessed constantly that I get to use my degree, work experience and knowledge to actually pursue my passion in life. Very few people end up being able to do that and it’s a fact that isn’t lost on me. I also pride myself on being fluid; able to react and adapt depending on what is happening within the market and the industry. With the speed that the cannabis industry is growing, the ability to navigate and educate yourself within the industry will play a huge roll as to who succeeds long term.

Right now, where are you channeling your passion and energy?

Mainly I’m working to grow as much as possible within the industry. Teamwork is playing a big role for me as I am collaborating and cobranding with several other companies in the industry. We all want to work together to strengthen one another’s brands. One of my favorite ventures is to use my products to improve someone else’s. I love being able to provide that service because I’m passionate about the industry as a whole. In addition to collaboration and cross promotion, we are growing our own brands and products. Currently, we offer over 150 products among our 3 brands; a far cry from the single product we started out with.

Describe your work ethic to me in one word.

Aggressive

What do you consider your weakness as an entrepreneur? Your strength?

I have a hard time pulling myself away from my business. I get so passionate about the business side of my life that it tends to become more fun that my personal life. I’m working to get better at that, but because our products are all over the world, I’m working in places like China and Europe (to name a few), I find myself consumed 24/7 by the business. I can’t say I don’t love it, but I’m working to maintain more of a balance between my personal life and my career.

My biggest strength would have to be that I love working with people and forming relationships. In the most basic sense, business is about people working with other people. If you are fun to work with, people will want to do business with you. Not only do I have a passion for what I do, I also truly enjoy doing it. I think other people see that and feed off of it.

Another one of my strengths is being able to recognize my weaknesses and working on or around them. I’ve never been a person who enjoyed the human resources part of business, so I structured my company in such a way that I actually have zero direct employees. That way my business stays enjoyable and I can focus 100% on my goals.

How are you differentiating yourself from the competition?

Our product development is so fluid that it allows us to adjust our products quickly, depending on problems and concerns in the market. For instance, if someone brings up a problem to me,  or I come across one personally, I can immediately get a product out there designed to fix it. By listening and reacting to the consumer, we can switch gears on the fly and in turn, create innovative products. In addition, we currently offer more products than any silicone company in the industry.

How do you find inspiration in this industry? What have you found that has inspired you?

Personally, I find myself inspired by the industry itself. The excitement around the industry and the rate it is growing within continue to motivate me and fuel my work. Professionally, I find constant inspiration through grassroots innovation. Surrounding myself with people, be it at trade shows or big events, allows me to get ideas and fix problems that are directly impacting the consumer. When you look at our product line, I think it is clear that we are doing all we can to really pay attention to, and solve problems for the consumer.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

If you fail to plan, then plan to fail.

Where do your great ideas come from?

Throughout my travels I have found that most my ideas come from direct consumer contact. The end-user of any product will tell you their thoughts, concerns, complaints and suggestions. As a businessman you have to be willing to not only put that time in, but to also commit yourself to implementing what you learn. NoGoo is a great example of this. A while back, I noticed that dispensaries used plastic cosmetic jars, to dispense sticky and expensive concentrates. The problem was, just like peanut butter, it was sticking to the plastic jar. Concentrates are expensive and sticky, and consumers were losing up to 5% every time they threw out a jar (like most people do with peanut butter). In response to this problem, we developed a silicone product that allows the consumer to eliminate waste and use ALL the product that they are paying for. And its now a reusable container, not another piece of plastic (coated with concentrate) that would normally be thrown away.

What is important to you – mission, vision, or core values? Why?

I think core values and doing good business go hand-in-hand, which is why I love working with people and forming positive relationships throughout the industry. For me, having a wide range of vision is something I strive to evolve constantly. By keeping my eyes up and out on the horizon, it allows me to stay aware of the latest trends, problems and needs throughout the country. You can’t do that if you lower your head into the ground and solely focus on your existing business.

What will we be seeing from you and NoGoo Nonstick Products in the coming future?

I’m very excited for the next couple of months, because we will be launching tons of new NoGoo products, especially at the upcoming Champs Trade Show out in Vegas. Adding on to the release of our newest products, we are looking to build up our other brands that make up our portfolio of products. Given the rate of current industry growth, we also expect to be doing business in more states across America in addition to more countries over the next year. Keep an eye out for us!

Have you used NoGoo? Do you have a product or business question for Jon? Join the conversation by posting in the comment section below!

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Corey Hunt: #illegallyhealed

A camera blurs into focus to reveal a little boy and his parents on either side of him. He takes a deep breath and draws us in as he conveys his struggles, his pain, and his frustration with a failed political system that’s limiting his access to the only medicine that works: cannabis. This little boy’s story is one of many and it’s a maverick like Corey Hunt, co-founder of #illegallyhealed, who is committed to sharing stories like his to empower legalization across the United States. He’s strategic, focused, sharp and in the business of changing the unjust laws of our country.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

After I found out how cannabis was positively affecting so many people, particularly children, I could not sit idly by and do nothing for the cause. I had to use every ounce of my creativity to create change and re-educate the world.

What were you doing before the green rush?

I was a creative director for one of the largest repair companies in the mobile industry. I also have been at the forefront of digital media and marketing for the past 15 years.

What are you doing to impact the industry?

We are storytellers, content creators and community builders. We focus on telling the patient stories and pairing those stories with the science. This creates a loyal community of people that are hungry for more cannabis education. With engaging media, we can help people understand the power of this plant. We have been able to change the hearts and minds of thousands of people, including state Governors.

With engaging media, we can help people understand the power of this plant. We have been able to change the hearts and minds of thousands of people, including state Governors.

Describe your work ethic to us in one word.

Driven.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader in this space?

We are constantly working to create lasting relationships with professionals and advocates in our industry that are experts in their niche. We create opportunities for their talents to shine through our content and our calculated efforts. My philosophy is to let them do what they do best and integrate that into what we are doing.

Also, we never settle. We are constantly on the lookout for what we can be doing better. We are continually reworking our strategy and dialing in our skills. Growth is a continuous process. Right now, we are taking the next step and developing MedicateMate, a revolutionary platform for patients to connect and discover cannabis in an entirely new way.

What book have you read that you’ve been inspired by? Any particular read we should put on our list?

‘The Four Hour Workweek’ by Tim Ferris is an absolutely brilliant read. If you want to learn how to live your life, be happy and make a truck load of money, read this book. Also, ‘Medical Marijuana in America: Memoir of a Pioneer’ by Alice Oleary-Randall is an exclusive look at the beginnings of medical cannabis in America.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

How would you advise someone who wants to join the industry?

Don’t even attempt to enter this industry without a solid team. I have sought out the top journalist partners and the top medical professionals and brought them all on board. You need to realize that you can’t do everything yourself and aligning yourself with other talented people is crucially important. If it were any other industry other than cannabis, you may be able to succeed without a strong team, but in our space, you absolutely need it. It doesn’t need to be a big team, but it needs to be a solid team.

You need to realize that you can’t do everything yourself and aligning yourself with other talented people is crucially important.

What is a skill or trait that you think is necessary to make an impact in this industry?

Don’t be afraid to fail. Our biggest failures have given us insight to create our biggest successes. We’ve spent a lot of resources reworking the promotion of our content. It’s those little tweaks that make the difference. If it’s not performing, we modify it and republish it. It goes back to what I said about never settling – Commit yourself to reworking the solution until it’s something that exceeds your goals.

What are your thoughts on large corporations entering the space?

Large corporations are already here. They’ve been here and are nothing to fear. There’s plenty of room in the cannabis space for small, medium and large businesses. If you focus on what you do best, have a great product and stay in your lane; you will be just fine. To put it in perspective, we are outperforming all the ‘top players’ in drug policy reform 3 to 1 with growth and engagement, and we spend a fraction of their yearly budget.

Large corporations are already here. They’ve been here and are nothing to fear. There’s plenty of room in the cannabis space for small, medium and large businesses.

If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ be going?

That all depends on what happens on the federal level in 2016. Hopefully, we will be educating millions of new patients (and physicians) on cannabis and the endocannabinoid system.

Have a question for Corey Hunt? Leave a comment below…

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Alex Milligan: Nugg

At just 22 years of age, Alex Milligan is one of the youngest business owners in the Cannabis industry. A USC graduate, Alex cut his entrepreneurial teeth hustling and thriving inside other start-up businesses, learning critical do’s and dont’s along the way. A true entrepreneur at heart, Alex believes the customer drives the business. That’s why at Nugg, a tech based prescription delivery company, the emphasis is on a grassroots knowledge of how to solve their customers wants and needs. As Alex puts it, “You have to fall in love with the customer, not the product or the process.” Recently, we sat down with Alex to ask him how he arrived at that refreshing mentality and learned about what sets Nugg apart in the Cannabis industry.

What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?

I wouldn’t say there was a single deciding factor that led us to where we are today. It was a perfect storm of sorts where the timing and opportunity to start a business was too great to pass up. I grew up, like my two co-founders, surrounded by the industry in Southern California, so I’ve watched it grow into the budding market it has become, no pun intended. Then, when my co-founders and I graduated from USC, we realized that we shared a common passion for facilitating convenience through mobile applications. We were obsessed with a customer driven business model where the mentality was that ‘the customer would be the fuel for our fire’. This specific opportunity gave us the chance to not only serve medical patients, but also the businesses operating in the industry.

We were obsessed with a customer driven business model where the mentality was ‘the customer would be the fuel for our fire’.

What skills from your previous experiences helped you in what you are doing now at Nugg?

The most important learning experience for me started my junior year at USC. My friends and I realized we had a knack for marketing when we had immediate success working for a couple of other start-ups, Uber and Lyft. We used online marketing strategies that neither company had previously experimented with, which generated thousands of new users in a short window of time. If fact, we generated so many new clients our first month with Uber, they wouldn’t pay us our commission because they thought we were scamming them. In reality we had just implemented successful online strategies like Google AdWords.

With Uber in our rearview mirror, we turned to Lyft and continued to thrive. The best part about Lyft is that they would actually pay us for our work. In little under a year we had five hundred Marketing Ambassadors nationwide. We learned the how-to’s of a start-up first hand, from online marketing and strategic partnerships to recruiting and training new employees. It was the best possible experience at the best possible time.

Tell me about the point in the time you realized the coming of the ‘green rush’?

Growing up in Southern California, I’ve always known about the Cannabis industry. For me it was never a question of if the rush would happen, it was only when. The tipping point came towards the end of my stay at USC. I saw Colorado really prove that the industry could be regulated in a successful way. That model did wonders to change public perception and really reduced the stigma that had previously been handcuffed to medical cannabis users. Most importantly, I started seeing the industry as a legitimate financial opportunity, one with both investors and new start-ups sprouting up throughout the community. Combine that with the passing of new rules and regulations, which made laws more lenient, and you have a real powder keg scenario. The only question now is how BIG can it get?

What is Nugg doing to impact the Cannabis Industry – What message are you trying to send?

We’re striving to impact the Cannabis industry through improving and legitimizing the process by which patients obtain their medicine. Right now, for someone new to the industry, accessing medicine can be so slow, cumbersome and even dangerous at times. We’ve been striving to change that by connecting patients with the right providers and the right doctors through a mobile technology app that provides safety and convenience and most importantly, peace of mind.

We actually curate a listing of top dispensaries and Cannabis physicians…Eliminating those burdens to the industry.

We’ve witnessed tons of mishandled, inefficient business practices and products. Our experience working at the grassroots street level has taught us not only how to better serve the industry, but what the Cannabis customer is looking for in a service provider. We want to be that provider, which is why we ensure patients receive access to only the most lawful, top performing dispensaries. That peace of mind allows them to get the medicine they need without having to worry about the process and we don’t stop there! We actually curate a listing of top dispensaries and Cannabis physicians on top of all that. This allows current and prospective patients to comfortably find a reputable source for a reliable service. In addition, it removes the concern over fake postings or false reviews. Eliminating those burdens to the industry in conjunction with the reliable, tech-based service we provide, allows us to further legitimize the industry.

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?

Tony Robbins. I first learned about Tony while at USC. His inspirational message has transcended from my entrepreneurial aspirations all the way to my personal life. He taught me to fall in love with the customer, not the product or the process. Loving the customer inspires me to constantly innovate and add more value to Nugg. One important way we do that is through another Robbins principal, transparency.

He taught me to fall in love with the customer, not the product or the process.

In a customer model you can’t mislead people; Everything from the process to the product needs to be unquestionable if you want to be the best. One of my favorite Robbins quotes is “You have to innovate in a way that causes your customers to care enough to part with their time and their energy to consistently be your customer”. I think that’s a great way to look at both your business and your life. I continue to dive into everything Robbins does because he’s just so inspirational. There’s so much you can learn from a mentor like that.

How do you find inspiration in this industry? What have you found that has inspired you?

The biggest inspiration for me was seeing the benefit of medical marijuana directly impact Ken, one of our co-founders. Awhile back, his mom was hit by an 18-wheeler. It was a nearly fatal car accident that left her hospitalized for months and of course she was prescribed tons of painkillers. Ken, his mom, and their surrounding family noticed that the painkillers were making her life abnormal; Everything was dull. That’s when they discovered medical marijuana. Not only was it an organic, safer alternative to the toxic and sometimes deadly pharmaceutical system, it also allowed her to live a more enjoyable, normal life. We see stories like this continue to break down the stigma of Cannabis and we want to bring them to the public eye. It inspires us to help countless other people out there improve the quality of their lives. We aim to provide both knowledge and accessibility to an industry that has helped so many people take their lives back.

Tell us about an esteemed achievement of yours.

Being only twenty-two years old, I hope my biggest achievements are ahead of me. However, my biggest achievement so far would have to be getting Nugg to where it is today. My co-founders and I earned all the start-up money and were able to self-finance Nugg. We’ve turned down investors and continued to bet on ourselves. It’s a self reliant, bootstrap business philosophy that has worked for us so far. While our success is a point of pride and confidence for me, it also adds fuels my fire to achieve higher levels of prosperity.

How would you advise someone who wants to join the industry?

It’s a simple, yet complex answer. You have to learn the market. Since every market is different, there is no getting around having to get out there and talk to the people. Learn the problems and needs of your customers and tailor your business and your value to solving those issues. Everyone from the supplier to the end consumer will give you vital information. Doing your homework, being prepared and knowing the market is the only true way to find a clean foothold in a growing market that can be unstable and unpredictable.  Don’t assume you know the answers! Get out there and discover the solutions first hand.

Don’t assume you know the answers!

Where do your great ideas come from?

I think they come from understanding my strengths and abilities. I’m a young entrepreneur, so I find myself outlining my strengths to get a better understanding of how I can use them to help solve problems, both in business and my personal life. I hate to sound repetitive but to have a great idea in business you have to meet with the customer first. Understanding their problems and their needs enables me to best apply myself. If you combine your strengths with your customers needs, you can turn it into an idea that can help people. And those are the greatest ideas of all.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader in this space?

Learning. We are constantly studying and evolving both our business and ourselves as people. We are obsessed with it, and we have to be because we don’t have an abundance of experience and funding to fall back on. There is no floor plan for our success. That foundation has to be laid by us and that’s the best part of it all. We control our willingness to learn and to grow into better people, both personally and professionally. We have access to more information and technology than any other generation has had in the past. We take advantage of that by reading blogs, meeting with other professionals in the space and taking an active part in our community. By being active and aware, you not only become a participant in the industry, but you can become a go-to source for both product and information. Our motto is ‘Be the most prepared’.

If we are sitting across from each other a year from now, how will our conversation about the ‘green rush’ be going?

I envision that we will be talking about the variety of change taking place. If our experience has taught us anything so far, it’s that this industry is unpredictable. We’re hopeful for big breakthroughs in regulations at the state level here in California, since it appears federal guidelines will stay the same in the short term. It’s really those rules and regulations that have shaped the landscape of the industry and will continue to do so. Learning from models like Colorado will enable us to see what works, if that model can be transferred to another state and what adjustments might need to be made to fit certain markets.

Speaking more specifically to our market, we want to contribute as best we can to changing the public perception of marijuana as a medical treatment. The process of procuring a prescription has been a joke in the eyes of the public in recent years. Hopefully, next year we will be talking about the legitimization of that process. Ultimately, the only way to be prepared in this market is to be aware, do the groundwork and understand what’s changing and how it affects your business. In short, I’m sure we will be talking about the advancements in the industry and how we have morphed our business to best adapt to that change.

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