The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Erika Tingey, Head of Product at Backbone IQ, a Cannabis technology company offering Cannabis supply chain management, compliance, and financial management software solutions for Cannabis manufacturers and other Cannabis operators.

In this episode, we discuss:

• going from a mainstream corporate career to a Cannabis career

• the importance of an "I can learn anything mentality" when working in the constantly evolving Cannabis industry

• why relationships mean so much in the Cannabis business

• applying design thinking to solve Cannabis problems

• meeting and exceeding customer expectations

• and more!

Recorded on 9/22/2021

Additional Resources:

IDEO: Design Thinking

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

LIM College Business of Cannabis Degree Programs

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews visionary Cannabis business leader Andrew DeAngelo. As a co-founder and advisor to Harborside, Andrew has pioneered legal cannabis business processes and provided groundbreaking political engagement and thought leadership to the cannabis community. Andrew is co-founder and Chairperson of the Board for the non-profit Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and a founding Board of Directors member of the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) where he served from 2013 to 2020.

Andrew began his political career as an activist while studying for his MFA in acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He has starred in several films and runs an entertainment production company, DeAngelo Brothers Productions (DAB), with his brother Steve, another iconic Cannabis leader.

On this episode, Andrew shares his deep wisdom and amazing laugh as we discuss:

• Pioneering the dispensary with Harborside

• Andrew’s tips for transitioning from legacy to legal

• How to hire good people and why it’s absolutely critical to avoid hiring bad people (based on Andrew’s experience of making thousands of Cannabis hires)

• The investment that Andrew made that still pays dividends for him every day (spoiler: investing in his education)

• Our big brothers

• The Last Prisoner Project

• Mike Z and Andrew share their most fulfilling Cannabis business moments

• and more

Recorded on 9/15/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Manifesto by Steve DeAngelo

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Marie Montmarquet, the co-founder of MD Numbers Inc, a 100% Black owned vertically integrated Cannabis company in California.

Marie is a legacy cannabis operator who’s been passionate about the plant for over 13 years. Her cannabis business expertise and equity activism have put her in the national spotlight.

On this episode we discuss the transition from underground to compliant Cannabis, the conflicts between Cannabis culture and Capitalism, differences between the Northern and Southern California markets, the challenges of fundraising for Cannabis entrepreneurs, and how hard it is to create a profitable Cannabis business.

Recorded on 9/8/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Andrew Lobo, CEO of Kin Slips. Kin Slips is a California based manufacturer of Cannabis sublingual strips. Founded in 2016, Kin Slips has always been a pioneer in the Cannabis sublingual space, and in 2021 again when they launched the first THCA and CBD sublingual strip.

Sublingual slips are placed under the tongue, where they are rapidly absorbed by the body. The active ingredients are then carried directly through the mucosal membrane to the bloodstream. The Cannabinoids and terpenes bypass the digestive system and directly enters the bloodstream via capillaries under your tongue. It's a discreet, efficient and consistent way to ingest Cannabis. This is especially important for medical patients who need their products to be as clean and predictable as possible.

Prior to becoming CEO of Kin Slips, Andrew Lobo was COO and CFO of Kin Slips' biggest competitor. The two companies merged during Covid19 and are now ramping up like never before. Before getting into Cannabis, Andrew spent over a decade on Wall Street and worked in investment banking and private equity for top tier firms. Impressively, Andrew holds both a CFA and CPA.

On this episode we discuss the merger of two category leaders, the importance of playing to your strengths, the sacrifice required to transition into Cannabis entrepreneurship, and the many decisions a CEO must make every day and get right.

In the coaching portion, Mike Z helps Andrew brainstorm ways to get in front of a new demographic that Kin Slips is interested in reaching.

Recorded on 6/9/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

Let's Get High Together!

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Jackie Kim and Charmaine Chua of STIIIZY, one of the most popular and fastest growing vaporizer brands in Cannabis. According to data from Headset, STIIIZY is the number 1 selling vaporizer brand in California and commands more than 20% of sales in the vape category.

Jackie Kim, was one of STIIIZY's first employees and is now Director of Marketing. She helped grow the brand's Instagram following from 0 to over half a million followers in less than 4 years. Charmaine Chua joined STIIIZY with 15 years of sales experience; she previously worked at Philip Morris USA, now a subsidiary of Altria Group, where she held multiple leadership positions, including as a senior district manager overseeing a 35-person sales team covering 3,000 retail stores and generating $450 million in annual sales. Together, Jackie and Charmaine are part of STIIIZY's marketing and sales leadership.

On this episode, they share

• what it takes to become a category king in Cannabis

• the challenges of being #1 and how success can be daunting

• why truly understanding the Cannabis consumer requires respecting Cannabis culture

• the importance of giving back

• and more

Recorded on 6/2/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

Let's Get High Together!

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Dr. Maria Fernanda Arboleda an Anesthesiologist, Pain and Palliative Care Physician.

Dr. Arboleda is an international Consultant and Medical Advisor as well as the Associate Research Director at Santé Cannabis. She is also a co-investigator on several research projects that are being developed in Canada and has extensive experience as an international speaker and faculty in more than 50 international conferences and medical meetings, contributing to the training and education of more than 5,000 health care professionals in Latin America, Canada and the UK, among other countries.

On this episode, Dr. Maria shares the 4 barriers to the mainstreaming of medical Cannabis, the 6 major ailments that Cannabis is an effective treatment tool for, common misconceptions about medical Cannabis, the status of legalization in various Latin American countries, and much more.

In the business coaching portion, Mike Z helps Dr. Maria with the challenge of procrastination and using time productively while waiting for regulations to change.

Recorded on 5/26/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

Let's Get High Together!

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Liz Wald, an Executive and the Board Director for Good Earth Organics, which produces organic soils, amendments, and nutrients for Cannabis and hemp farmers.

Prior to Good Earth Organics, Liz helped drive international growth at AOL, Etsy, and Indiegogo. She put her crowdfunding experience to use with Good Earth Organics, helping the company raise more than $1.8 million from more than 875 investors vie equity crowdfunding.

On this episode, Liz shares her journey from tech to Cannabis, discusses starting out as a Cannabis investor before becoming a Cannabis entrepreneur and executive, why she believes entrepreneurs in Cannabis are the toughest and craziest of all entrepreneurs, the do's and don'ts of equity crowdfunding, and much more.

In the business coaching portion, Mike Z helps Liz with the question of how to stay focused when a plethora of attractive opportunities constantly distract you.

Recorded on 5/19/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

To Invest in Good Earth Organics (note crowdfunding round closes on July 23, 2021)

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Andrés Fajardo, Co-Founder and President of NASDAQ listed multi-national Cannabis company Clever Leaves. There, amongst many other achievements, Andrés led the development of Clever Leaves first 18 Hectares of GACP and EU-GMP certified cultivation and post-harvest facilities.

Prior to Clever Leaves, Andres was a Founding Partner of Mojo Ventures, a unique late-stage company builder focused on working with startups and small companies to achieve unprecedented growth and profitability. Before being an entrepreneur, Andres was President/CEO at IQ Outsourcing, a leading Colombian Business Process Outsourcing Firm that is part of the Sanford Group of Companies. Prior to joining IQ, Andres was a Principal Member at Booz & Company, a management consulting firm. He also has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

On this episode, Andrés shares an overview of 5+ years in the Cannabis industry for Clever Leaves, the critical mistake most companies get wrong about the employee-employer relationship, the unpredictable nature of Cannabis business, 3 elements of successful leadership, why Cannabis entrepreneurs are the luckiest business people, and more!

In the business coaching portion, Mike Z mixes it up and asks Andrés for coaching around the question of choosing good partners, especially when an opportunity is time sensitive and so you don't have much time to get to know the other side.

Recorded on 5/19/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

Let's Get High Together!

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Chris Walsh, CEO of Marijuana Business Daily, which includes MJBizDaily.com one of the best Cannabis industry news sites and the widely attended MJBizCon conferences.

Chris shares his journey from journalist to Cannabis CEO, we celebrate Marijuana Business Daily's 10 year anniversary, and Chris shares a multitude of reasons why he's more excited about the future of the Cannabis industry than ever before. Perhaps it's because his team's research suggests that the size of the legal Cannabis market could double and approach $50 billion by 2025.

In the business coaching portion, Chris asks Mike a big question about staying power and keeping an edge when business is already doing well.

Recorded on 5/5/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

The Cannabis Business Book (en Español)

Chris’ new Cannabis business podcast: Seed to CEO

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Vanessa Gabriel, CEO and Co-Founder of Drop Delivery, a high growth technology company that may become the Shopify of Cannabis delivery.

Drop Delivery recently raised over a million dollars via equity crowdfunding in less than 2 months. They’re going to raise investment capital via crowdfunding again according to Vanessa, who successfully sold her previous cannabis business (Greenlight Technologies) to a publicly traded company.

On this episode we discuss the courageous craft of entrepreneurship, equity crowdfunding for Cannabis startups, the power of teamwork and much more.

In the business coaching portion, Mike offers Vanessa support around the challenges of hiring for Cannabis jobs. Specifically how to scale your team without damaging a deeply established team culture.

Recorded on 4/28/2021

Additional Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book

Drop Delivery’s equity crowdfunding page

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