On this episode Tom is having a chat with João Melo, the CEO and Founder of Open Grow. João talks about his 6 year long journey into the entrepreneurial world and his passion for creating agricultural automation systems. João also tells us about the challenges a startup selling physical products faces, shares the lessons he has learned along the way and expresses his views on cannabis legalisation in Portugal and Europe.

Other topics discussed:

• What is Open Grow?
• What is GroLab™?
• What are the benefits of having an automated growing system?
• What was João’s first entrepreneurial project?
• Why did João start his own company?
• What is the biggest challenge when starting a business with a physical product?
• Why is it important to customise a growth system to your specific needs?
• What are the benefits of doing everything in-house instead of outsourcing?
• How to make sure you are accessible to your customers?
• What is Open Grow working on now?
• How is the company different now from when it started?
• How to find places to sell your product?
• What is the role of events in the cannabis industry?
• What is the current attitude towards cannabis in Portugal?
• Why is it so important to decriminalise cannabis?

Links:
Smells Like Business - Copywriting
LinkedIn - Smells Like Business
Instagram - @smellslikebusiness

Open Grow
LinkedIn - Open Grow
Facebook - Open Grow
Instagram - @opengrow

Similar Episodes:
#14 - How I Opened the First CBD Store in the UK - Joe Oliver from LDN CBD
#36 - Hemp and Medical Cannabis in Portugal - Humberto J. Nogueira
#48 - For a Free Cannabis Market in France - Daniel Kaddik from ELF

Cannabis events mentioned:
Spannabis
Cannafest