You transitioned from the bicycle staffing for the cannabis industry.

 

How does it feel to move around in this area and how have things changed?

The two industries share some significant parallels. I entered the cannabis market primarily through the bicycle and retail sectors, both of which have incredibly passionate customer and employee bases that frequently choose these items to enhance their health and wellbeing. Customers and patients are frequently sufficiently knowledgeable that they can compete with our workers, despite the fact that both industries' employees are subject matter experts. It can be difficult to find, train, and keep motivated, educated staff in the retail industry. I was able to navigate that problem because to my earlier expertise managing sizable specialty retail teams in the cycling business.

At the height of the pandemic, did you ever witness clients trying cannabis for the first time? How did that feel?

Prior to the pandemic, we offered a very interactive, physically close-knit retail atmosphere where our staff could assist patients and spend time getting to know them. We lost a lot of that chance to educate after all of the social distance measures were put in place. During the pandemic, we picked up a sizable number of new patients who were only familiar with the rapid transactions of a socially isolating shopping experience. It was incredibly exciting, and I believe we learnt about all the numerous methods we may contact people, such as through curbside pickup and online ordering or by using Zoom conferencing to deliver education.

For instance, Pennsylvania law mandates that a patient speak with a pharmacist as soon as possible. We had a cap on the number of patients who could see a pharmacist before the pandemic. We were able to quadruple the number of consultations any pharmacist could have each day after the state permitted remote consultations. The use of cannabis by patients for the first time during the epidemic has been a major focus for us the entire time. Many of the new patients we encountered used staffing for cannabis industry to help them cope with some of the difficulties the pandemic imposed on us all, especially in the beginning. We were able to meet these new patients where they were in their individual cannabis journeys, which was one of the most significant things we were able to do for them. 

Taking potency as an illustration. As you are aware, many individuals think that a product's quality increases with the amount of THC present. But that simply isn't the case when we're talking about patients who have never used cannabis. Generally speaking, less is more for new patients. Selling an overly potent product to a new patient is, in my opinion, the worst thing you can do for them. If they have a bad experience and don't find the relief they're searching for, they may come to the wrong conclusion that cannabis isn't a part of the solution to their problems.

How would you interact with a patient in Ohio as opposed to a tourist in Colorado? Is the approach altered?

Absolutely, yes. It has to do with the distinction between clients and patients. You need to comprehend what they are going through and what they need. They approach marijuana in different ways, beginning with how they choose the brand or dispensary to support. I should point out that Cure was founded in Colorado in 2009 and is primarily a medical marijuana business. We think you can't go wrong if you approach all patient and customer interactions from a health and wellness viewpoint. We begin each engagement by learning about the patient's current product knowledge and what they hope to accomplish with the products they purchase. This is the foundation of who we are as a company. People that are willing to work hard and take the time to listen to the customer are needed to get to the heart of those questions. Salespeople are trained to increase the value of every sale in various types of retail. However, it's not always the best course of action, so occasionally we need to work with new personnel to reverse that lesson. Every time a patient comes to see us, we have to win their trust if we want to succeed. It's difficult, but it works.

In light of this, the difficulty lies more across scaling operations in states with radically diverse legal regimes than it does in distinguishing between treating medical and recreational consumers differently. It will take a lot of effort and the identification of tiny opportunities to replicate processes to address that issue. Operating in each of those states takes more time and personnel than it would in a regular multi-state retail setting since there are fewer opportunities to be productive.

What do you think about the current state of the space and perhaps where we will be at the upcoming MJBizCon?

The epidemic represents a turning point for marijuana. I believe that the swift designation of dispensaries across the nation as critical companies reflects a fundamental shift in the public's and our policymakers' perceptions of this sector. Access to safe, regulated cannabis was at the core of our states' public health initiatives at a time when public health was top-of-mind for everyone in America, in addition to recognising that cannabis sector workers are crucial to their communities. I believe that compared to any previous ballot measure, the safety, compliance, and patient care records of our staffing for the cannabis industry over the past two years have done more to increase access to cannabis. Regarding my earlier comment about teaching new patients, I believe there will be plenty of opportunities for educational platforms to support brands in engaging directly with both patients and dispensary staff in the future. And I believe that the epidemic afforded us the chance to do it more quickly and in greater depth than we may have in the past. 

At Cure, we are currently combining elements of the high touch buying with the effective and convenient purchasing that evolved during the pandemic. Being a vertically integrated operator, we also appreciate the necessity of distributing product and brand knowledge to numerous employees who may not necessarily work for one of our dispensaries but who nevertheless need to have a thorough understanding of our products. The fact that we are having this conversation today demonstrates how far we have come since the pandemic's beginning. Hopefully, the pandemic will be a distant memory by next year, and we will profit from applying the lessons acquired over the previous two years, as well as the rising acceptance of cannabis in our politics and culture. It's wonderful to be a part of this progress since the future is promising.

You've only recently moved into the area. What advice would you give someone looking to enter this field?

I believe that those with prior experience in other realms have numerous opportunities in this setting. There are many diverse approaches to the many challenges we encounter every day. Grab hold of one of those difficulties and be ready to offer a solution. There may be a place for you in this business if you can demonstrate your ability to think creatively and provide experience that we haven't considered previously. That much is true.