Seed to CEO

Jessica Billingsley's first foray into the cannabis industry was a direct investment in one of the first licensed marijuana companies in Colorado. But when she was tasked with identifying software to support the endeavor, she failed to find anything. So Jessica turned that vacuum into an opportunity and developed a seed-to-sale software, known as MJ Freeway, for the new industry. In this episode, Jessica talks about her journey from interested investor to CEO of a publicly traded cannabis firm, Akerna.

Jessica shares:

• Why she left her own IT services company to work with cannabis.
• The differences between heading a private firm and a publicly traded one.
• How the cannabis industry has evolved over the past decade.
• Where the next opportunities for the market might be.

Who is Jessica Billingsley?

Jessica Billingsley is an accomplished innovator, executive and board member in public and private international technology with more than 20 years of experience. She co-founded MJ Freeway in 2010, where she served as president until April 2018 and CEO until the company was acquired by MTech Acquisition Corp. to form Akerna. Shortly after that acquisition, Jessica led Akerna to become the first cannabis technology company listed on Nasdaq.

An eviction notice on 4/20. That’s how Jesce Horton’s first foray into state-licensed cannabis cultivation ended in 2017. Part of it had to do with a one-in-a-million regulatory quirk that forced him to shut down a successful grow, and part of it was not being “passionate” about a not-so-successful retail arm. But Jesce remained confident in his process and product while never losing his love for the craft, so he tried again. The result is Lowd, Horton’s “dream company” that “embodies the art of urban craft cultivation.”

In this episode of Seed to CEO, Jesce shares:

• How his education and experience in industrial engineering helped elevate his operations.
• The importance of authenticity in creating loyalty and differentiating your brand in saturated markets.
• Lessons he learned from his first foray into the regulated cannabis market.
• How to raise capital for a second company after your first one fails.

Who is Jesce Horton?

Jesce Horton, CEO at Portland, Oregon-based Lowd, is a professional engineer specializing in automation and energy management. He started his cannabis cultivation journey growing medical marijuana in his basement for two elderly cancer patients. Jesce is the co-founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association and a former chair and current member of the board of directors at the Resource Innovation Institute. He also sits on the Oregon Cannabis Association’s board and is an advisory board member for MJBizDaily. Jesce and his wife, Jeannette Ward Horton, founded the nonprofit organization Nu Project, which supports Black and brown cannabis entrepreneurs.

When Ricky Williams retired from the NFL in 2004, the headlines were overwhelmingly negative: “Famous football player gives up everything for pot.” But instead of becoming a story of downfall, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner went on to study herbology and create his opportunity in the cannabis industry – after returning to terrorize NFL defenses for six more seasons. In this episode of Seed to CEO, Ricky and CEO Eric Hammond share insights on how they’re building a community with their Highsman brand. Ricky and Eric talk about:

• How they tap the intersection of sports and cannabis.
• How sentiment in professional sports is changing.
• Why building a strong team with varied skill sets is critical.
• How to pitch your story without pitching.

Who are Ricky Williams and Eric Hammond?

In the sports world, Ricky Williams is perhaps best known as a bruising running back who tore through NFL defenses for a dozen years. But in the cannabis industry, he’s known as the longtime advocate who put his professional sports career on the line for the plant. Ricky has founded an herbal medicine company and a software business, and today he’s busy running his newest cannabis venture, Highsman, which he founded with Eric Hammond, a brand specialist. Eric cut his teeth on cannabis while at Greenlane Holdings, a cannabis distribution and supply company. Before cannabis, Eric specialized in business development in the audio industry as well as having founded his own scrap-metal recycling company.

Amber Littlejohn cut her teeth helping craft policy for an industry built around “a regulated herbal product that the government doesn’t like” with the American Herbal Products Association. But when she began consulting for the Minority Cannabis Business Association in 2019, she found herself in love with a new challenge. In this episode of Seed to CEO, Amber talks about how she’s helped evolve the organization around its core mission of helping entrepreneurs access and thrive in cannabis markets across the U.S. She shares:

• How systemic problems for everyone impede equity.
• Why partnerships – even some that might seem strange to outsiders – are critical to achieving success in cannabis policy.
• How the association is working to change the trajectory of the industry.
• Where she sees successes and failures in U.S. cannabis business.

Who is Amber Littlejohn?

As an attorney and advocate for emerging and embattled industries, Amber has developed and implemented creative strategies for industry, associations, nonprofits and other stakeholder groups. As senior policy adviser at the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), she helped develop and implement the group’s federal policy program. Through her advocacy work, she has developed creative strategies to expand and stabilize emerging markets by engaging and supporting underrepresented business interests and communities. Amber became “employee No. 1” at the MCBA when she took on the mantle of executive director in 2020.

Simon Nankervis led some of the biggest names in retail - American Eagle, DSW, Aldo Canada - before joining The Source in Nevada. But it took a dressing down from a subordinate before he really started to understand cannabis consumers. “In this business, you impact people’s lives every single day,” he told Seed to CEO. In this episode, Simon shares what led to that epiphany, as well as:

• Why it’s important to immerse yourself in the cannabis business culture before making big changes.
• How cannabis and its consumers are different from other products and consumers.
• How to thrive in increasingly competitive relationships by building customers relationships.
• Tips to manage supply-chain squeezes, such as employing better analytics.

Who is Simon Nankervis?

Simon Nankervis became CEO of The Source, a vertically integrated cannabis business based in Nevada, in April 2020, a few months after becoming a consultant for the company during its restructuring. The Australia native started his career as a lawyer, then jumped into fashion retail, including C-suite appointments with American Eagle Outfitters, DSW and the Camuto Group. The wealthy Schottenstein family, which owns some of those businesses, is also an investor in The Source and asked Simon for advice on rebuilding the brand. He fell in love with the work, and the rest is history.

For Hope Jones’ first cannabis job, she served as chief science officer for a grower in Arizona. But as a newbie to the industry, she lacked the confidence to speak out against veterans making easy-to-avoid mistakes, despite her expertise. As frustration built, she saw an opportunity to bring clean-tissue culture to an industry struggling to get solid genetics. Today, the plant biologist operates two companies – a consulting firm focused on plant health and an R&D company that develops tissue-culture genetics.

In this episode, Hope shares:

• How she realized the need for better genetics in cannabis.
• How her experience as a staff scientist at NASA helped her build her self-confidence.
• Why good business partners need more than common goals to succeed.
• Why tissue culture is a solid starting point for quality biomass to support the entire cannabis supply chain.

Who is Hope Jones?

Hope Jones is a veteran plant scientist who immersed herself in the plant world long before jumping into cannabis. Her experience includes staff scientist at NASA, where she helped grow plants in outer space; a tenure at the University of Arizona’s world-renowned Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, where she used her extensive micropropagation skills and knowledge to rescue endangered plant species; and a stint as a bartender, which she credits for her ability to connect with people. She launched her first cannabis company, Phoenix-based Emergent Cannabis Sciences, in 2016, and her second, Superior Phenos, in 2020.

The cannabis industry wasn’t front of mind when Cassandra Farrington set out to launch a resource for entrepreneurs. But as she and her business partner were looking for the right segment to provide their skill sets to back in 2010, the cannabis industry found them. Eventually the two set aside their other business endeavors to focus on building MJBiz into the brand you see today.

In this episode of Seed to CEO, Cassandra shares:

• What she saw as the opportunity in the cannabis industry in those early days.
• How and why they bootstrapped the company rather than seeking outside funding.
• Why in-person events were critical for the developing industry.
• Why now was the right time to sell MJBiz.

When John Lord, a former head of a child-safety-seat manufacturer, started in the cannabis industry, he was viewed with suspicion by legacy operators because he was an outsider. But the CEO of Denver-based LivWell Enlightened Health quickly became a believer in the product. Cannabis was unlike any other product John had sold, but he realized that to successfully sell it, he still needed standard business practices.

In this season finale of Seed to CEO, Lord dishes on the early days of building a cannabis company as well as:

• How technology and standard operating procedures can vastly improve your operations.
• Why looking beyond today’s ecosystem is critical for long-term growth.
• How changing regulations set the stage for LivWell’s acquisition strategy.
• Why now was the right time for LivWell to be the acquired rather than the acquirer.

Who is John Lord?

John Lord is the CEO of LivWell, a vertically integrated cannabis company operating in Colorado and Michigan. LivWell was acquired by Chicago-based multistate operator PharmaCann in October. New Zealand “born and raised,” John started in dairy farming before building one of the most successful child products companies in the world, selling in major retailers such as Walmart, Toys R Us and Montgomery Ward. John sold that company and retired at 49, but boredom quickly set in and the cannabis industry was just getting started. So he unretired to launch the company that would become LivWell.

Jeannette Ward Horton loved her time in corporate America, working for such mainstream giants as Coca-Cola, but the experience ultimately left her wanting to do something more meaningful. Enter: cannabis. From her early days in the industry, Jeannette noticed a gap in participation between white owners and others, so she decided to change it. She founded NuProject with her husband, Jesce Horton, to give minority entrepreneurs a way to get their piece of the cannabis industry pie.

In this episode, Jeannette shares:

• How she identified what BIPOC communities needed to benefit from the burgeoning industry.
• What it took to launch a program such as NuProject.
• How she hopes her program and work will change the face of cannabis.
• Where the industry can do better.

Who is Jeannette Ward Horton?

Before entering the cannabis industry, Jeannette had a 15-year career in marketing and communications at companies such as Coca-Cola, The Home Depot and UPS. She switched to the cannabis industry in 2015 to lead marketing and public relations for Denver-based technology company Akerna. Her drive to do more to make her new industry a better place for “Black and brown” entrepreneurs took her to the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), where she helped develop policy plans. She founded NuProject to help put those theories and policies into play and provide underrepresented communities with a way to benefit from the cannabis industry.

Sara Gullickson didn’t have much business experience of any sort when she got the chance to buy DispensaryPermits.com. She jumped at the opportunity, working and learning furiously to build it into a successful cannabis consultancy. But when an industry big shot told her no one would want to buy what she had built, she doubted herself - but only briefly. She ultimately sold that firm for an enviable sum. Today, she’s back in the cannabis industry with a new boutique consulting firm, The Cannabis Business Advisors, and as a license holder herself.

In this episode of Seed to CEO, Sara shares insights into: 

• Aligning your company’s strengths with your market’s needs.
• Why having the right team around you is critical.
• How “telling stories” can make your application stand out in competitive markets.
• How to prepare your company for sale.

Who is Sara Gullickson?

Sara Gullickson is a marketer-turned-cannabis success story. At 27, she broke into cannabis even though she knew little about business. She led DispensaryPermits.com for nine years before selling it to a publicly traded company in 2019. Sara then took some time off to have children but realized she had a passion for the cannabis industry and the opportunities it provided. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched her second firm, The Cannabis Business Advisors.