Read Part I and Part II

THE STARTUP

Some say cannabis will become wine, that beer giants will one day own every cultivation operation, that it will simply be a shelf occupier in the drug store. I think these people haven’t seen companies like Bedrocan, a company in Deutschland (there’s that better healthcare eluding us again) I wrote about before in 2020, that has literally got it down to a science with prescription cannabis “Flos.”

Can you see a world where Big Pharma versus cannabis isn’t a thing? I can, because it’s no secret “recreation” outnumbers “medical,” and that there are plenty of documented therapeutic properties to cannabis. Joining tobacco in that smoke in the lungs can cause cancer, do cigarette companies offer healthier ways to consume? No. Cannabis? Yes! The mere presence of dry herb vaporizers such as the Magic Flight Launch Box proves this point.

Before I go into any more specifics on my “Red vs. Pink” experiences, let me first try to articulate something they oddly had in common. Namely, this was the shared label of “startup,” despite these businesses being drastically different-sized operations. To be noted, I have never seen so many companies call themselves startups. Since my return to California in 2017, all jobs I’ve had since referred to themselves as startups. On the one hand, this doesn’t make sense, as the noun “startup” is defined as “a newly established business.” Yet, on the other hand, it can also be defined as “a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable economic model.” This has become another example of interpretation, allowing many types of companies with vague values to qualify, but I learned not to be mad at it. 

“WHAT’S THIS?!”

Getting hired at “Red” was a surreal blur, and the company itself was more the latter definition of startup. By the time I got my red jacket, I was already elbow-deep in the supply chain and hooked on the nitro cold brew available on tap, as well as absolutely loving the company culture. I never personally found it to be as hostile and bro-like as some might suggest, just the usual pronounced levels of ego from upper-management, slowing down decision-making from time to time due to petty, pseudo-professionalism. Nothing anyone hasn’t seen before.

A good portion of my original team members had come from “hospitality” via dispensaries, and it was to these people I looked to learn from most, as I was so interested in the day-to-day processes of these beacons of progress. I could also tell they viewed their jobs at corporate as a huge step up from budtending, however budtenders sounded to me like the lifeblood of it all. I couldn’t wait to meet more! 

Remember that part in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, when Jack Skellington discovers Christmas Town? Yeah, that was me. I had been hyper focused through the orientation, seen the videos, appreciated the mini history lessons on cannabis within, and rather enjoyed the energy stirred up by the company’s reputation. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I happily learned about compliance state-by-state and the barrier to progress that interpretation can pose; about cannabinoids outside of THC and CBD, as well as the endocannabinoid system overall; proper ways to manage vendors and negotiate terms; unit allocation; and pricing across all open purchase orders through to successful delivery. I began to solely refer to weed as cannabis and would no longer call it marijuana.

Something new and exciting was happening to me! What I used to think was boring business information after watching my parents grow a small business into a multi-million-dollar corporation my entire life, revealed itself to be an enterprising acumen paired with passion-fueled intuition.

But there was also another aspect that came with this new job that I wasn't expecting.

HATERS ‘GON HATE

Once, when meeting someone for the first time, they thrust their hand out to shake mine and basically only yelled Red’s name at me. It was weird, in a public place, and followed up by a slew of borderline offensively ignorant questions about the company. “Are you serious?” I remember saying a few times before I was saved by a gracious third party.

Why did “Red” matter so much anyways, to the extent that someone felt the need to... yell it in my face? It was just a job…right? I soon realized that I was working for the first company to “stand up” in many ways. I admired Red for its persistence at a time when companies preferred to go second instead of first, despite the hurdles it had to jump while even shadier competitors went unchecked (and still do). I remember what the line of fire felt like when vendors would have meltdowns about the purchasing and receiving processes we imposed, which I am happy to say are generally heeded, and I'm sure have served as a model for many other vendors and dispensaries’ processes alike at this point. To me, it was as The Game and 50 Cent say, “Hate it or love it, the underdog’s on top.” Or so I thought.

Next week, I will continue my journey with a mixed bag installment, a little something for everyone: THE BINARY, MY FIRST TOWNHALL & PARTIES. Featuring shockingly corporate behavior, mentorship for the win, and more!