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
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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
Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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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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The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 4: Danny Danko
Danny Danko is a world-renowned Cannabis cultivation expert and educator. He spent nearly 20 years at High Times, most recently serving as the Senior Cultivation Editor. Danko has written multiple books on Cannabis Cultivation and is a huge advocate for home-growing aka growing your own. Danko has judged more Cannabis Cups than anyone alive and has educated tons of people around the globe on how to grow their own Ganja.
Danko has visited and profiled the largest and dankest grows and Cannabis farms in the world. He is a devoted Cannabis activist and his mission is inspire and empower as many people as possible to grow their own Cannabis.
For the first 42 minutes, I interview Danko as he tells me epic stories of his Cannabis career, his topic iconic strains, and the basics of home-growing. Then we shift into The Cannabis Business Coach portion, where I help Danny work through his challenge of procrastination.
In this episode we discuss:
Danny’s first job in the Hemp industry
Meeting Jack Herer in Amsterdam
Judging the best Cannabis products in the world
Iconic strains from over the years
How Covid19 is impacting the sacred cypher ritual
Why Danko wants you to “Grow Bud Yourself” (Danko’s new podcast)
Making gardening cool
Resources:
Cannabis a Beginner's Guide to Growing Marijuana - Danko’s book: True to its name and seriously dank. 100% Mike Z approved and endorsed.
Grow Bud Yourself - Danko’s new podcast
Supplies to Grow Bud Yourself (note: these are just a few options to get you started, neither I nor Danny are endorsing these as the end all be all)
Crop King Seeds - A trusted source for Cannabis seeds to get you started in growing your own.
A budget friendly LED light & budget friendly grow tent to get you started
Or you can get a complete indoor grow kit with everything you need, except for the seeds.
A few other cultivation reference books: Marijuana Horticulture by Jorge Cervantes, Marijuana Grower’s Handbook by Ed Rosenthal.
The War of Art - Excellent book for overcoming resistance and inner blocks that are stopping your creativity.
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 3: Emily Paxhia
Emily Paxhia is a co-founder and one of the Managing Directors of Poseidon Asset Management, an investment management company founded in 2013 to invest exclusively in the cannabis industry. Poseidon is one of the longest running dedicated cannabis investment funds with total Assets Under Management of $145 million.
Emily has reviewed thousands of companies in the cannabis industry and has made over a hundred placements in the space. Prior to Cannabis, Emily had over a decade of experience working as a consultant and researcher.
For the first 30 minutes, I interview Emily and then we shift into The Cannabis Business Coach portion, where I help Emily work through her challenge of dealing with way too many emails and too much computer time.
In this episode we discuss:
Historic moments Emily has witnessed as an investor in the Cannabis industry
Emily’s first time buying Cannabis at a dispensary
The 3 moments that inspired Emily to get into the industry in the first place
How Cannabis demand may be inelastic and how Covid19 might make the industry stronger in the long term
The challenges of due-diligence while in quarantine
Some of Poseidon’s portfolio companies that Emily is particularly proud of
How hemp can create a lot of jobs
What it’s like to be one of the only females in the room and advice for other ladies in that situation
The importance of yoga, reading both fiction and non-fiction, and why warm intros make a big difference
Resources:
The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz
Getting Things Done - David Allen
High Output Management - Andy Grove
The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach
Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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