The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 9: David Hess - Tress Capital
The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches David Hess, President & Co-Founder of Tress Capital, one of the first private investment firms dedicated exclusively to the Cannabis industry.
David shares his riveting personal story of going from a Cannabis enthusiast in high school who collected signatures for California's Prop 215 campaign, to taking Marinol for help with chemotherapy as a cancer patient, to Cannabis industry deal maker and investor.
We discuss the qualities an entrepreneur must have to succeed in Cannabis business, David's pet peeves when being pitched by entrepreneurs, his advice for green entrepreneurs and investors, and some of David's favorite investments that he's made.
In the coaching portion, we dance with work-life balance and I help David overcome his natural workaholic tendencies to make time for restorative self-care.
In this episode we discuss:
A day in the Life of a professional Cannabis investor
Collecting signatures for California’s Prop 215 after graduating high school
David’s battles with cancer and requesting a Marinol prescription from his Oncologist
Providing legitimacy and credibility to the plant and the industry
The amount of deal flow David goes through every year
Investing in Headset, SC Labs, Baker, and more
Discovering old IP and repurposing it for innovative Cannabis technology
The qualities David believes are essential for success in Cannabis business
A counter intuitive truth about Cannabis investing
One of David's biggest pet peeves when getting pitched
Resources:
Entrepreneurial Transitions - Roy F. Cammarano
The Resilience Factor - Karen Reivich
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
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The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 8: Leslie Hoffman
The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Leslie Hoffman, Founder of the Asheville Hemp Project and Communications Director at Harmony Foundation, one of New Jersey's six original vertically integrated Medical Cannabis businesses.
Leslie shares about her rich background in business and philanthropy which included carpentry and green building, starting a Hemp fashion brand, funding the OG's of Cannabis activism, running a non-profit and much more.
We chat about the future of sustainability vis-a-vis hemp building materials, biofuel, and textiles. In the coaching portion, we uncover a hidden gem in Leslie's network.
Lastly, Leslie takes me on a brief tour of her 23 acre Asheville Hemp farm.
In this episode we also discuss:
Going from architecture and carpentry to philanthropy to medical Cannabis and now to hemp farming
Launching a CPG brand during quarantine when most retailers weren’t doing business
The ethos behind The Asheville Hemp Project
Designing proprietary, biodegradable crutches for Asheville Hemp Project’s pre-rolls
The 2 ingredients Leslie believes are essential for entrepreneurial success
How the Cannabis industry is different from others Leslie has worked in
The future of New Jersey and New York’s Cannabis markets
Why politicians make lousy farmers
The importance of mentorship and apprenticeship
Resources:
Look Homeward, Angel - Thomas Wolfe
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 7: Amber Senter
The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Amber Senter, CEO of Leisure Life, an infused products & edibles company and co-founder of Supernova Women, a Cannabis education nonprofit. Amber talks about her pioneering work in Cannabis equity. We discuss Cannabis and race issues. Amber provides an update from California where several Cannabis businesses have been looted, discusses how hard it is to run a profitable, legal Cannabis business, and also shares a list of Black owned Cannabis businesses.
A veteran of the United States Coast Guard, Amber’s pre-cannabis career was spent in the south and midwest providing high level design and marketing services to Fortune 500 companies, including Home Depot, Walmart, and Whole Foods. After years of successful employment in traditional industries, Amber moved to California to work in the established medical cannabis industry full time. In her time in California, she went from Creative Director at a cannabis consulting firm to Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Magnolia Wellness. She also contributed to the Berkeley Compassionate Care Collective’s successful bid for a medical cannabis dispensary license in a highly competitive bidding process. Now Amber is the proprietor of a distribution company and several branded products including The Congo Club, Shady Pines Box Club, and more.
In the coaching portion, we work on making the right hire.
In this episode we discuss:
Amber going from winning a DARE poster design contest in school to trying Cannabis for the first time and realizing she had been lied to her whole Life
The journey from Cannabis blogger, to medical patient, to Cannabis CEO and pioneer
How California Cannabis businesses have been decimated by looting
The day in the life of a Cannabis CEO in Oakland, California
Amber’s latest initiative for expanding and supporting social equity in California Cannabis
Why the illicit market ran out of product during pandemic
How hard it is to run a profitable legal Cannabis business in California
A bunch of Black owned Cannabis brands you can support
Resources:
Supernova Women - Education resources for POC and Women of Color
Shady Pines Box Club - Amber’s delivery service
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 6: Bob Hoban
The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Bob Hoban, President and Founder of Hoban Law Group. He is known for the tremendous value that he places in his relationships and as a dealmaker, regularly involved in assembling and structuring large scale cannabis industry M&A transactions, and making “Cannabis attorney” a thing.
From 2010-2016, Bob served as one of the Nation’s first cannabis policy instructors at the University of Denver. Bob has been asked to work with dozens of governments across the U.S., Asia, the E.U., and Latin America (over thirty five different countries) on crafting their commercial cannabis public policy solutions (legislation and regulations). And he has served on a variety of national, state, and local task forces related to cannabis policy issues. He has consistently been recognized as one of the most influential people in the global cannabis industry by a variety of organizations and publications over the past decade.
We discuss the 4 distinct policy lanes Bob sees as the future of Cannabis regulation, Bob's experience working in over 35 countries on Cannabis business, and his efforts to change public policy and public perception in regards to Cannabis.
In the coaching segment, I help Bob explore the question of standing out as an expert in a very crowded field where everyone and their mom claims to be experts. In doing so, I reflect to Bob that his experience is unmatched and that it’s important for high achievers to make time to celebrate and remember their wins.
In this episode we discuss:
Getting into the Cannabis business after Bob’s mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and Cannabis medicine extended her Life
Helping to open up some of the first dispensaries in Colorado
Decades of activism that allowed for an industry to be born from a movement
Crafting public policy and public perception
Why some people fear a regulated and commercialized industry means “Big Marijuana”
The challenges of building trust when doing business abroad & Bob’s experience working on Cannabis business in over 35 countries
The 4 distinct policy lanes Bob sees as necessary for a successful global Cannabis industry
How to stand out in a crowded marketplace
Resources:
Hoban Law Group Blog & News - Be sure to subscribe to get the highest quality news and legal updates directly from the experts at Hoban Law Group.
The Hoban Minute - Bob’s Podcast
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
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The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 5: Mark Doherty
Mark Doherty is the Executive Vice President of Operations at Urban-Gro (OTCQX: UGRO) a leading engineering design services company that integrates equipment and systems into indoor cannabis cultivation facilities around the world. He shares his journey from passionate Cannabis advocate to aquaponics entrepreneur to controlled environment agriculture executive.
We chat about our mothers, a variety of Cannabis cultivation technology topics –including how Cannabis is driving innovation for the entire agriculture industry– and Mark shares the importance of multicultural considerations, sensitivity and conscious communication in an increasingly international industry.
In the coaching segment, I help Mark with getting meaningful and emotionally charged messages to land. We also reframe a painful story about failure from Mark’s past and develop an affirmational mantra to challenge that old story.
In this episode we discuss:
Why going all in on Cannabis made sense after a visit to the Doctor
Mark’s passion for controlled environment agriculture
What it’s like to work with some of the biggest Cannabis growers in the world
How professionals and service providers must adjust to succeed in an increasingly international Cannabis industry
Why Cannabis is the driving force for ag-tech innovation and how Cannabis will help to feed the world
What it’s like to be married to a Life Coach
The importance of humility (and practice) as a prerequisite to mastery
The ripple effect & being conscious about how your actions impact others
How to get difficult and emotionally charged messages to land
What makes a “master grower”?
An exercise to cultivate greater self-love and compassion
Resources:
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
Mastery - Robert Greene
Mastery - George Leonard
The Work - Phenomenal, gut wrenching, heart opening documentary where incarcerated people participate in trauma-healing work
Supplies to start your at home, indoor grow
(note: these are just a few options to get you started, neither I nor Mark are endorsing these)
Crop King Seeds - A trusted source for seeds to get you started
A complete indoor grow kit with everything you need (except for the seeds)
Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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