Michael Zaytsev Michael Zaytsev

The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 17: Shanon Jaramillo - Cannabis NM Staffing

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Shanon Jaramillo, Founder of Cannabis NM Staffing.

Shanon brought her 20 years of experience in recruitment, development, and retention in the restaurant, retail, banking, insurance, and education industries into Cannabis. She is an award-winning entrepreneur, having been recognized with the New Mexico Essie Award for Best Ancillary Cannabis Business in 2019 and the 2020 Women in Business Development Award which honors women who use their experience to guide and mentor employees. We discuss the state of New Mexico Cannabis, how to become a standout, 5 star Cannabis job candidate, and more.

We go deep in the coaching session (37:33) diving into many topics including imposter syndrome, facing the unknown, and the penalties of leadership.

In this episode we discuss:

  • Transitioning careers into Cannabis after being a lifelong advocate

  • The evolution and current status of the New Mexico Cannabis market

  • A common mistake Cannabis employers make when hiring and growing their teams

  • How to work through those tough moments as an entrepreneur when you want to give up

  • How to stand out as a Cannabis job applicant

  • Shanon’s experience on New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham’s Working Group for Legalization in 2019

  • The importance of protecting your mental health and why knowing your mission is key

Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach

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Michael Zaytsev Michael Zaytsev

The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 16: Heather Cabot - The New Chardonnay

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Heather Cabot. Heather is an author, award-winning journalist, former ABC News correspondent and anchor. Her latest book, "The New Chardonnay" examines how marijuana went mainstream.

Heather shares her story of going from an absolute Cannabis outsider to being inspired to write a book about Cannabis. She spent 3 years traveling the country and Canada, interviewing dozens of people in the industry to understand who and what was behind the stunning rebranding of marijuana.

In the coaching portion, Mike Z helps Heather find greater self-acceptance and peace when dealing with the uncertainty of living in a covid19 world.

In this episode we discuss:

  • The inspiration for Heather’s book and its origin story

  • Diving into the world of Cannabis as a complete outsider and the benefit of having a beginner’s mind

  • How a conversation with legendary investor Jeanne Sullivan lead Heather to attend MJBizCon & the importance of showing up

  • The importance of following advice from those who are in the know

  • Touring Canopy Growth’s edibles factory with Canopy Growth’s former CEO, Bruce Linton and Snoop Dogg’s business partner, Ted Chung

  • How Heather’s kids were embarrassed that mom was writing a book about Cannabis and why they eventually came around

  • Why everyone, and especially parents, need to learn about Cannabis as it becomes more and more normalized

  • Speaking to your kids about Cannabis

  • Managing the uncertainty of living in a covid19 world

Resources:

The New Chardonnay: The Unlikely Story of How Marijuana Went Mainstream - Heather Cabot

The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach

Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or on YouTube.

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Michael Zaytsev Michael Zaytsev

The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 15: Vladimir Bautista - Happy Munkey

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Vladimir Bautista, the Co-Founder of Happy Munkey, one of New York's most influential Cannabis lifestyle brands.

Vlad shares the story of his come-up and the motivation for starting Happy Munkey, which has quickly become internationally known for its high end, yet very inclusive Cannabis events. Combining his background in music and hospitality with his wide network, Vlad and Happy Munkey have become a powerful force of Cannabis community connection. Recently, the Happy Munkey team has been creating original media content which can sometimes be overwhelming when there are so many creative angles and avenues to explore. Vlad shares about Happy Munkey's plans for the future as well as the philosophy that drives him in his work.

In this episode we discuss:

  • How a trip to Amsterdam inspired the birth of Happy Munkey

  • Being embraced by the OGs, receiving and providing mentoring and support to others in the Cannabis community

  • The silver linings of an otherwise hectic 2020

  • The future of legalization in NY and the East Coast

  • Becoming a voice for and leader of NYC Cannabis culture, and the uniqueness of that culture

  • That last thing in Cannabis that made Vlad say “WOW!”

  • Happy Munkey’s plans for the future

Resources:

The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach

The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)

Finding Joe

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Michael Zaytsev Michael Zaytsev

The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 14: Adam Levin - High Times

adam levin hightimes

The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews Adam Levin, the Executive Chairman of High Times.

Adam is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has started and sold an education technology company, owned a number of media entities, CPG businesses, a restaurant chain, and more. Levin has been Managing Director of Oreva Capital Corp, since September 2016 and for five years prior to that was the Managing Director of Vert Capital Corp where he oversaw the day to day operations of the firm and led the acquisition of a number of companies. He has extensive experience in the fields of mobile, social networking, entertainment as well as venture capital and merger and acquisition strategies.

We chat about the storied history and exciting future of High Times. Adam tells me about the challenges of running the most recognized brand in Cannabis and being under constant scrutiny. He shares his personal story of going from being the entrepreneur who always had a bong on his desk to buying High Times, “a dream come true.”

In this episode we discuss:

  • Buying High Times from the original families that owned it for 40+ years

  • Ignoring the noise, dealing with constant scrutiny from haters, critics, doubters and outsiders

  • The attractiveness and relevance of the High Times brand

  • Taking High Times public with REG A

  • Why Adam's more excited about the future of High Times than ever before and some recent deals High Times has made

  • Hiring Peter Horvath, former Chief Commercialization Officer of American Eagle Outfitters and former Chief Operating Officer at Victoria’s Secret to be the new CEO of High Times

  • A common misconception about High Times and High Times' readers

Resources:

Investing in High Times

The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach

Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or on YouTube.

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Michael Zaytsev Michael Zaytsev

The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast Episode 13: Caroline Phillips - National Cannabis Festival

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The Cannabis Business Coach Michael Zaytsev interviews and coaches Caroline Phillips, the Founder and Executive Producer of the National Cannabis Festival.

Caroline is the visionary and leader behind one of the largest and coolest Cannabis events in the world: the National Cannabis Festival. We discuss Caroline's foray into Cannabis business and the lessons she's learned along the way. We also chat about the difficult, yet necessary, decision to postpone her signature event, the National Cannabis Festival due to Covid19.

In the coaching portion, Mike Z helps Caroline see that our greatest challenges often present our greatest opportunities as we examine the silver lining of postponing this year's festival.

In this episode we discuss:

  • Getting into the Cannabis industry with the desire to offer affordable access to Cannabis education and experiences

  • Coming from the non-profit and human rights space

  • The long term and stressful nature of large scale event production

  • The importance of balancing work with leisure and self care activities

  • Caroline's favorite Cannabis miracle

  • Risking everything she had to make the National Cannabis Festival happen

  • Having to postpone this year’s festival and dealing with all the challenges associated with that

  • The renewed focus on public health in Cannabis and beyond due to Covid19

  • Why raising money isn't necessarily the first step to launching a Cannabis startup

  • The importance of trusting yourself when starting a Cannabis business

  • The value of investing in and working with a career coach

Resources:

National Drug Policy Reform Seminar - The National Drug Policy Reform Seminar (NDPRS) is a free, nonpartisan, virtual public gathering place for policymakers, experts, and advocates from across the United States to discuss the evolving drug policy landscape and future of marijuana law reform.

The Cannabis Business Book - Michael Zaytsev - The Cannabis Business Coach

Subscribe to “The Cannabis Business Coach Podcast” now on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or on YouTube.

Video of this episode below:

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