As the cannabis legalization movement has gained momentum in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and other states, the cannabis industry has increasingly been referred to as a potential opportunity for legitimate start-ups and businesses. Dan Humiston, founder of the International Cannabis Association, recently discussed how his organization helps aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs in an interview with Ganjapreneur.com, a cannabis industry and business news website.
In the interview, Humiston discusses how he first became involved in the cannabis industry, and why he decided to leave a successful career as a business owner to do so. He explains, “In 1985 I opened my first tanning salon and over the next 30 years I grew my chain Tanning Bed Inc. to the largest chain in New York and one of the largest chains in the country. In the mid 2000’s, tanning industry sales started to fall and by the end of the decade it was apparent that I needed to find ways to reduce or re-purpose the space of my stores which were over 4,000 square feet. In 2012 I saw a 60 minute report about the cannabis industry and started trying to figure out how divide my tanning salons into tanning salons and dispensaries.”
Humiston describes what it was like trying to enter into an industry full of people who were inherently suspicious of outsiders due to the longstanding status of cannabis as an illegal substance. “Oddly enough,” he says, “the industry association would not provide information to non-industry companies because they said they were an industry association formed by industry companies, so why would they willingly provide information for future competitors?”
Rather than being deterred, however, Humiston decided to create an association that would be inclusive to anyone who wanted to learn about the industry. “Realizing that there are many other aspiring marijuana entrepreneurs that are looking for help, I decided to fill the void.”
The full interview can be found on Ganjapreneur’s website.
About Ganjapreneur:
Ganjapreneur launched in July 2014 and has since established a significant presence in the cannabis business world. The website regularly publishes interviews and commentary from leading minds in the industry, and has also launched a B2B business directory, a live feed of job listings from marijuana job boards, a domain name marketplace for start-ups and venture capital firms, and a mobile app for Apple and Android devices which aggregates daily cannabis industry news, business profiles, and other information. For more information about Ganjapreneur, visit https://www.ganjapreneur.com.
Source: PR Newswire
