Posted by JuJuan Buford @JSBUFORD
Click this Link to Listen to Audio
Several months ago I met an aspiring cannabis entrepreneur interested in establishing an edibles business in the industry but was experiencing a lot of consternation, start and stops, and a host of other difficulties. Like many entrepreneurs, her energy would wax and wane and she would succumb to her demanding nursing schedule, academic demands, and the responsibility of caring for her ailing mother.
She started each day inspired by her dream of establishing a thriving enterprise, and end the day distraught and feeling defeated. Her well would often run dry before she even dragged herself out the door. Sound familiar?
When I met with her I asked a series of questions. One of the questions I asked was why she wanted to start a cannabis business in the first place. And, of course, she gave a typical response that many entrepreneurs default to, basically reiterating motivations that made her feel good and be acceptable to the people around her. Let's give her a mythical name. Brandy responded that she believed the cannabis industry provided a great opportunity to help African Americans get back on their feet, following years of being penalized for the love of enjoying cannabis historically. Pretty honorable response, eh?
But not good enough. So, I began to peel back the onion.
I asked Brandy again, why are you interested in the cannabis industry? She responded, "well, I enjoy cannabis." She grew up in the culture and wanted to utilize cannabis as a vehicle to give people jobs and help them achieve their goals and dreams, particularly those individuals who may have felonies or misdemeanors making it difficult for people to attain gainful employment in the traditional job market.
Sounds fantastic, but not good enough.
I responded that this wasn't the real reason, to her chagrin. After an uncomfortable silence, Brandy finally broke down and told the truth after I asked the same question repeatedly. But before I allowed her to share the real reason, I shared she was not going to achieve her dream with all the time constraints and financial strains that colored her life. Launching a business in this industry is expensive and fraught with bureaucratic hurdles. Unless she had a deep enough well of resolve, inspiration, passion, and focus, it would be virtually impossible for her to succeed.
Fatigue wasn't the reason Brandy was failing. She wasn't motivated enough.
When you are walking with a clearly defined purpose. Solving a problem that gives you energy and pursuing something with clearly defined outcomes, you will do the work even when you don't feel like it no matter the inevitable inconveniences. Death, disability, disappointments, car accidents, and all manner of BS.com doesn't stop because you choose entrepreneurship.
Brandy finally broke down and shared that one day she'd returned home from work with some cannabis-infused edibles and left them on the living room table before passing out for the night. Brandy's mother was so physically diminished that she didn't leave the living room for weeks and months at a time. Her mother needed assistance walking to the bathroom, preparing food for herself, and clothing herself. Her existence pretty much consisted of sitting in a recliner watching television all day and she very rarely left the living room. Brandy began to choke up as she explained that her mother's psychological deterioration was so pronounced that she doubted her mother had the desire to leave the space at all.
But the following day, her mother eased herself out of the recliner and slept in her bed for the first time in months, if not years. Brandy noticed the edibles were missing and concluded that her mother must have consumed them. She brought home another sampling of edibles and left them on the dining room table again, and the following day her mother went to the bathroom by herself. Her mother's demeanor had completely changed as well. She was more active in their residence, more engaged, and more conversational.
Brandy thought out loud that perhaps the edibles contributed to a more positive living situation and a better relationship with her mother, and she continued to leave edibles in the living room periodically. Their conversations began to be more fluid and satiating. Then approximately a week later her mother (let's give her a name) was not only getting up and going to the bathroom by herself, but Elaine was also walking around the apartment. She noticed Elaine's increasingly upbeat attitude, accompanied by her now getting up and cooking for herself. She no longer watched television for 18 hours a day. Matter of fact, Elaine didn't spend much time in front of the television anymore.
Elaine spent more time on the phone talking to her girlfriends, and her demeanor had transformed. The constant stomach pains were nonexistent. On one particular occasion, Brandy was headed to the grocery store, and Elaine asked her if she could go outside and walk around the apartment. This hadn't happened in years. Elaine was now able to sit outside on a bench, talk to people, people watch, and engage the children that were playing near her.
A couple of days later, Elaine asked Brandy if she could go to the grocery store with her. This normally would have been an alarming idea. What would happen if the activity became too exhausting for her? However, Elaine navigated the aisles with ease and helped make buying decisions. It turned out to be one of the most satisfying, memorable, and rewarding experiences with her mother in years.
Then one morning Brandy awoke to find Elaine walking around the apartment unsupervised. She was exercising. Elaine's friends naturally began to notice and began asking questions about what prompted the transformation. The requests for edibles began to pour in. Brandy's friends wanted to explore whether sharing cannabis-infused edibles could help their parents and elderly family members as well with many of the debilitating conditions they were suffering from.
Many elders (especially women) have a cultural inhibition and fear of driving into communities where cannabis products are accessible. So Brandy decided she would start a business that would provide transportation and deliver edibles to their premises. And use her nursing background and medical knowledge to monitor and regulate appropriate portions.
This was the real reason why Brandy wanted to start a cannabis business.
She wanted to duplicate the transformation Elaine experienced and help other elderly women in her community. And once Brandy was able to identify her reason why, she was better able to target her marketing efforts and operations more efficiently, making her business endeavors far more profitable. She felt invigorated and regularly found the energy to continue her entrepreneurial journey.
Brandy was better able to communicate her value proposition to her target market and began to attract clients more regularly. This allowed her to enjoy a more predictable income and invest more in creating marketing and distributing materials to people who were more receptive and ready to invest in her products and services. Elaine's story resonated with others and people would make blink decisions to patronize Brandy immediately. Simply identifying her why (core values and core focus) helped her to transform her business and help others far more effectively.
Brandy and Elaine's story clearly demonstrates why taking the time to properly identify one's core values and focus is imperative for entrepreneurs. Brandy is not going to find her ideal clients on LinkedIn or TikTok. They're going to be on Facebook predominately. She's not going to be able to utilize the type of marketing techniques that appeal to a younger crowd. Text messages and email will be the primary tools she employs to engage people like her mother who aren't comfortable using more advanced technology.
Knocking on doors. Utilizing flyers. Hosting small parties and get-togethers is going to be far more effective because that is how her customers like to make decisions. They want to have conversations, create connections, and build relationships.
Absent our conversation Brandy would have continued to flounder, employing approaches and spending energies in spaces that don't cater to or land with people who are receptive to her. Now she knows where her competitive advantage is, and as she continues to refine her efforts, and build a competitive moat (trust, relationships, familiarity, name recognition) around her niche.
_________________________________
Do you have additional questions? Call 888.549.9689 x.101 or I invite you to visit my online calendar and schedule a virtual meet-up. And if you found this article and any of our content to be awesome, and you're feeling tipsy? Click this link π Buy me a coffee!
Join our email list to enjoy a more comprehensive, insightful experience π JSB Business Solutions Email List
#catchjsbuford #entrepreneurshipisempowerment #nextoppsocial #smallbizarchitecture #businessdevelopment #entrepreneurship
JuJuan Buford, Managing Partner
888.549.9689 / [email protected]
