Sheila Hoyt: Herbalizer
If you had the chance to meet one of the founders that was behind the revolutionary product that can literally stop a seizure in its track, what would you say? Well, take it from us, you’re going to need to take a few moments to collect your thoughts first because it’s quite intimidating. We had the utmost pleasure of speaking with Shiela Hoyt, co-founder of Herbalizer, the high-caliber medical vaporizer that is changing the lives of patients across the world. She’s an entrepreneur, a visionary, and someone who you definitely want to take the time to meet. Don’t worry, we’ll let you skip the starstruck introduction for now and get to the core of what makes her Cashinbis’ newest cannabis entrepreneur leader!
What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?
Well for me it wasn’t an ‘industry’ I was joining, it was really a company and a product. For me, it was working with really intelligent people and incredible engineers with an idea for a product that could help people. Whether it helps a person using one particular herb or multiple herbs, there was a need that was not being fulfilled. We believed that we could build a better mousetrap or do something that’d help more people than any other product out there. So, that’s what really attracted me to this business; it wasn’t the green rush or the money… it was the need for a superior product to help people.
We believed that we could build a better mousetrap or do something that’d help more people than any other product out there.
What skills from your previous experiences helped you in what you are doing now?
Well, I’ve always been an entrepreneur and so I’ve owned various businesses and I’ve worked in many different industries, yet as diverse as they were, they all related in some way to the industry I am in now. I worked, for example, in the seafood industry where relationships were very important. I developed these relationships in a very small industry, so I really got to know people and know who’s who, and came to really value those relationships and learn how to work in that kind of tight-knit community. I think that was one of the major things I saw when I came into the cannabis industry, was that this is such a small industry and that you really need to honor your word and do what you say you’re going to do, and you can’t be a shady character and get very far. People will see right through it, particularly in this industry since people really have their eye out for those kinds of people. My experience coming into this was to be open, honest and forthright about what we’re trying to do, what our product is, what it’s strengths are, and how it can help people! People believe our honesty to be very refreshing, so it hasn’t been hard to build relationships in this industry so far. Make sure you’re being real and being truthful and as the industry grows, you have that reputation. Just do it because it’s the right thing to do.
Right now, where are you guiding your passion and energy towards?
I think the biggest thing that we’re doing to impact this industry is to bring technology to the forefront. Up until this point in time, vaporization has been a fairly ‘loose technology’, for lack of a better term; there were a lot of people developing products that produced vapor, but didn’t really have a precise temperature control that could deliver a specific effect from the herb you were using. Our product, and what makes it different from anything else out there, has that precise temperature control. What that does for you, is give you the ability to release certain essentials from the plant. For example, a plant like marijuana has a hundred different cannabinoids and each one of the cannabinoids has a different boiling point. Each of the cannabinoids has a different effect on your mind and body, so with precise temperature control, you can get a precise experience or precise effect. So, people with different ailments can get the relief they need every single time because they know they are getting the exact precision temperature control from our product.
I think the biggest thing that we’re doing to impact this industry is to bring technology to the forefront.
Describe your work ethic to me in one word.
Workaholic!
What does a typical work day look life for you in your business?
Well, there is no typical work day, not even close! It’s really just rolling with whatever opportunity is coming your way. In our business, one day it could be working closely with a non-profit like Realm of Caring. They work with children and adults all over the world who have epileptic seizures and so we are working with them to develop a program that supplies an Herbalizer for all of their patients to help them stop seizures in their tracks. What they’ve found is that 100% of their patients have been able to stop their seizures in their tracks because it has the instant temperature-controlled capability that allows it to accelerate from vaporizing at 0° to 445° in 15 seconds. What that means is that if a patient starts having a static seizure, which is a seizure that can last over the course of a few days and could even result in death, and they use the Herbalizer at the earliest moment they start to see signs, they can actually stop the seizure before it even happens. This product can save a patient from potentially having a static seizure that could be fatal.
So, that’s one of the partnerships that we’re working with to make a difference in people’s lives. Beyond that, a day could be filled with putting our product on movie sets or in the hands of a patient dealing with cancer. We have so many testimonials from people who use our product; I have so many stories, I could make you cry!
How do you find inspiration in this industry? What have you found that has inspired you?
I would say that it is the people that are being helped. There are millions of people being helped by this amazing herb. Developing a delivery device that can offer instant relief, precise temperature control, and an ease of use has been really rewarding. Those are really the three things that make it so amazing. It’s the easiest device to use, it’s precise every single time, and it’s instant. It’s incredible how much it’s changed people’s lives so far. We get testimonials every day that would blow your mind. It could be a person who suffers from anxiety or a person who is a quadriplegic and have had relief for the first time in their lives; where pharmaceuticals didn’t work for them, but this product did.
These patients were the inspiration for our product. We saw a need and realized that we had the resources of aerospace engineers and NASA scientists that could build this. We knew we could do better than what was out there and we knew that there was a need for this better, far superior product.
Tell me about an esteemed achievement of yours.
I don’t see it as an achievement of ‘mine’ per say. I see it as a collective achievement on the behalf of my team- I’m one of three founders of this company and we did this together! It was a collaboration; What we did together was build a machine that is helping a lot of people! We were able to raise money years ago in an industry that people couldn’t even talk about what it was for. We were able to start something from the ground up! It was definitely a collective effort to make this happen!
How would you advise someone who wants to join the industry?
I would say, Be Smart! It’s becoming a sophisticated industry. While it started out as a bunch of hippie hobbyists trying to make their hobby into a business, it is now becoming a sophisticated industry. Do your homework, get an education, and have something to bring to the table if you want to come into this industry. Know your part, your skills, and your strengths.
It’s becoming a sophisticated industry. While it started out as a bunch of hippie hobbyists trying to make their hobby into a business, it is now becoming a sophisticated industry.
What’s your newest knowledge of the marijuana industry?
There’s lots and lots of people who want to invest in this industry and you need to educate yourself about who you bring on as partners and don’t take the first offer. Know your product and set the right price and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
If we are sitting across from each other one year from now, how will our conversation about the “green rush” be going?
When I started in this industry four years ago, it was mainly composed of hippie hobbyists and street thugs. What I’ve experienced in the last four months and what I saw at the Las Vegas Marijuana Conference a month ago was that now investment bankers, venture capitalists, business attorneys, and people of all expertise are now wanting to get involved in this industry. All of a sudden everyone wants in; people want to put their skills into this industry, people want to put their money into this industry. It’s a complete turnaround from when we started on a shoestring with friends and family as our supporters.
I would say that we will all be sitting back saying, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming.” It’s going to be such exponential growth that even with what we’ve seen, and I’ve been in this industry for four years now, we will never be able to predict how big this is going to be. I believe that next year it’s going to be exponential. I mean, in the last four years I could have never predicted where the industry is at today. It is moving so incredibly fast, even in the past six months. It’s been crazy!
