Cannabis Industry Experts Share Advice on Successful Career Transitioning
“Can you give me any advice on how to transition to the Cannabis Industry?”
This is the question I get asked most.
Let me start by saying that opportunities in the cannabis Industry are vast and the numbers are enticing. Entrepreneur Magazine says that 283,000 Cannabis Industry Jobs will be created by 2020 and New Frontier Data expects the Cannabis Industry to be a $24 Billion industry by that same year. Enticing indeed.
Reaching out to the real experts for advice.
I have been living in Denver, Colorado for more than 10 years and have been active in the cannabis space from the beginning. I have had the opportunity and honor to connect with hundreds of men and women and businesses proudly active in the cannabis space both directly and through my cannabis industry networking platform. To get the best answers to the question I contacted the experts I know and respect. This is what I found:
Openly embrace Cannabis Legalization.
You can’t walk between the raindrops of legal cannabis. Fully embrace it to friends, family, Facebook and all your networking platforms. If you want a piece of the multibillion dollar cannabis pie you are going to have to get wet.
Most likely the person standing between you and opportunity is a cannabis industry pioneer or works for one. Keep in mind that she or he risked money, reputation and jail time to get where they are now and their sacrifice and relentless advocacy gave us the opportunities we have now in this new industry. If they even smell a hint of apathy toward cannabis legalization you’re finished.
Don’t be intimidated by the Cannabis Industry.
Cannabis business owners regularly get resumes from people that have never actually seen cannabis let alone tried it. Employers expect you to “know the product”.
I tell these folks to start by going to a local dispensary. 99 times out of 100 they will find the dispensary staff to be nothing short of professional. They will be versed about their products, respect your level of knowledge and have the patience to educate you. Buy something and try it; know the product!
Recognize Cannabis Businesses as “for profit” endeavors.
Cannabis businesses are highly regulated, over taxed, wrought with excessive governmental fees and live under the yoke of constantly increasing compliance rules. Every business pays and every business pays the same. All this is happening as cannabis prices continue to fall.
Now more than ever cannabis business owners need production efficiency, loss prevention, branding, marketing, increased sales volume, cost reduction and more. Do you have the skills to help?
This recruiter uses the word “love”.
I also reached out to Robin Ann Morris who is the owner of Mary Jane Agency, Ohio’s first cannabis employment agency, to get her take on the question. Morris advises her clients to, “Take what you love doing and apply it to the cannabis industry. Everything you are doing now is going to have to be done in the cannabis industry.”
“Take what you love doing and apply it to the cannabis industry?” That’s maybe the best advice of all.
Author Bio: James Kaufman is the founder and editor of the Cannabis Associates Network. James holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder and currently resides in Denver, Colorado.
