THE SUMMARY

Cannabis influencers (also known as cannfluencers) are making a significant impact in the world of cannabis. They're not just trendsetters. They're educators, advocates, and champions of the plant. Listen in as we dive deep into the realm of “cannfluencers” – exploring their role in destigmatizing cannabis, shaping industry trends, and sharing their unique stories.

THE CO-HOSTS

David Paleschuck, Adriana Hemans

THE SPECIAL GUESTS

Jocelyn Sheltraw, Co-Founder & CEO of Budist

THE TRANSCRIPT

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Welcome to Branding Bud Live, the live stream that’s 100% THC and 0% WTF.  Every week we speak with business people about the business of cannabis. I’m David Paleschuck, founder of Branding Bud Consulting Group and author of the first book on cannabis branding. I’m joined by my co-host Adriana Hemans, Director of Marketing at Green Meadows and my BCF (Best Cannabis Friend). Hi Adriana! 

ADRIANA HEMANS

Hi David. Thank you for that intro. I’m so excited to co-host the show with you. We’re bringing amazing guests from across the cannabis ecosystem to share their perspectives. My favorite thing about Branding Bud Live is that we focus on building community - and we encourage audience participation. It’s not just about us talking, it’s about all of us building something together. So feel free to drop your questions and/or opinions in the chat, and we’ll share them too. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

We’re here to build community, educate and entertain … so let’s jump into today’s show. I’m super excited today for a number of reasons: 

First, I'm grateful to our show sponsor - HIGHOPES - A creative agency that specializes in the cannabis industry. With over a decade of cannabis experience, HIGHOPES understands the unique challenges of the industry and helps its clients with better branding, packaging, website design, SEO, and marketing. Be sure to set up a call today at https://www.highopes.co 

Second, we’ve received great reviews on our two online courses on cannabis branding and brand development. The first is “The 14 Cannabis Brand Archetypes” and the second course is titled, “Creating A Meaningful Cannabis Brand.” Please check them out and more at cannabis’s best-kept secret https://brandingbud.com/edu 

And Third, we have Jocelyn Sheltraw, Co-Founder & CEO of Budist joining us. Some of the topics we’ll chat about include: 

• How do cannfluencers contribute to reducing the stigma surrounding cannabis?

• Can cannfluencers balance educating their audiences about cannabis while entertaining?

• Does the presence of cannfluencers influence industry trends and consumer preferences?
  

I’m super excited to chat with Jocelyn today. 

ADRIANA HEMANS

Me too! 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Let’s welcome, Jocelyn Sheltraw, Co-Founder & CEO of Budist. Welcome, Jocelyn! 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Welcome. 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

I'm great. Thank you. I'm happy to be here.  

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Welcome. And a lot of us know a little bit about your background professionally, but maybe you could share a little bit more on a personal note, what are you passionate about? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Absolutely. I'm passionate about a lot of different things. That's funny. Okay. So I grew up in Orange County, and probably the first 30 years of my life, I was not super passionate about a lot of things. And I was one of those people that was always trying to find whatever that thing would be for me, and I just was sort of floating through life. And just maybe that's just being a young person. And I just didn't really know. And then when I moved out to San Francisco, 10 years ago, to join the mobile boom, you know, here I was this, you know, late 20 year old working with all these app developers at the birth of, you know, Uber being born and Spotify and Pandora, and being San Francisco at that time, I just started to come into myself and find so many different passions through that process, just you know, getting out of my comfort zone and in a new environment. And so along that journey, I mean, many things came into focus, cannabis, certainly being one of those things, and kind of an integral piece throughout my journey. But one of the core things was really music, you know, I learned to play guitar, I learned to sing and play drums. And I just went headfirst into that passion. And that taught me a really important lesson that we can learn anything we want to learn, we just have to spend the time and the energy, you know, putting towards it. And I just hadn't realized that and allowed my own like perceptions about what I could accomplish in this life kind of take over. And until I realized that and actually started doing it and immersing myself in some passions, it just entirely opened my world and realizing, okay, I can do anything I want to do. And so then from there, I just really started doing that in my life. So whether it was like going and climbing a mountain, like Mount Kilimanjaro, and throwing myself into just being able to go hiking like that, to learning to play music, to focusing on building community, being a part of this industry, I'm just learning to live my life with just authenticity and focused on doing things that I genuinely want to be doing and not trying my best to not allow my like, outside influences in my world around me dictate what it is that I'm spending my time on. So I feel like I'm living my life as you know, fully and authentically as I can. And that's just what I want to do with everything that I touch in my world, whether it's business related, or just something that I'm personally interested in.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Just to level-set, we always start with a defining slide to get us all on the same page. What’s a cannfluencer and what role do they play in the cannabis space? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, whenever I talked about influencers, you know, I really like to proceed cautiously because it's a bit of an overused word as we know. And so I'll try to be a little bit more specific as to what I mean. But really, you know, when we're thinking about like applying the concept of an influence, or especially when it comes to consumer products, it's somebody who's really able to shape you know, consumer purchasing behavior based on endorsing or potentially criticizing a brand or a product. And this is just of particular importance in the cannabis industry. Because this is just so new, right. And we have all of these evolving products, we have all of these different use cases, different brands, and the fact that this is just a very new category for consumers all together, it's critical that we have these influencers or these voices that are able to connect into different communities, and to be able to use their voice and to be able to provide really objective opinions. That's what's helping normalize cannabis. That's what's helped ushering it into the mainstream. And so I love like, you know, you have Rachel Birkins on there, I was just hanging out with Rachel a couple days ago. She's actually one of our products that Budist and she's just a great example of someone who's helped bringing in cannabis into the food world into the wine and spirits world and help evangelizing and alcohol replacement. Right. And so I love seeing these people that are these micro influencers, within their communities that are really doing this that are that have that trust within the community and are just ushering it into the mainstream. 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Do you see cannabis influencers is having more of a reach? Because there's less of that mainstream messaging? Like, we don't have television ads. We don't have radio ads, necessarily. So do you see them like being able to fulfill more of that gap of people looking for information? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Um, I think that yeah, I mean, cannabis influencers? Well, I think what's like, let's, let's, let's take a step back. And when we think about cannabis, and the influencers that existed pre us being like adult use, or being a regulated market, a lot of those cannabis influencers were came from the medical side, right, whether that was people, whether it's coming out of the AIDS epidemic, whether it's coming through, you know, epilepsy, a lot of the influencers that were happening, were happening in their micro communities, right. These were people like brownie, Mary went, you know, when the AIDS epidemic was going on, or even like people like a jack career. And so a lot of those came from the medical use cases from their small communities. And then it started to become more normalized than the next thing, you know, us as consumers are going forward and pushing forward policy to have adult use cannabis and regulated cannabis, this wouldn't have started without influencers, that were sharing their authentic voice and their personal needs, right. And now through the last 10 years, and the last like five years, in particular, we're starting to see cannabis influencers, again, using Rachael Birkins, as an example, people that are coming forward and sharing about their use cases, whether it's as an alcohol replacement, or everyday social settings and using as a replacement. Now they're starting to use their personal voice and really get out there. And it's reducing the stigma across the board and starting to evangelize. And so we need these macro, these micro influencers that are really out there, speaking authentically. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK 

You know, it's interesting, because influencing, especially in the cannabis space is sort of a combination of educating and entertaining. You know, can you talk about that, that balance and how people are the influencers are doing that, and whether they're successful or not? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Yeah, I mean, they're absolutely out there and they're doing I mean, I have a number of people that I follow that are both speaking to cannabis, but also entertaining at the same time. You know, you had Maha Haq who was on your show not too long ago, right? She's doing a Dabi happy hour, four days a week on Twitch where she is entertaining people. They're watching her consume, she's doing a product review live, they're connecting with her in her community. And so there's clearly an entertainment form there. If people are going to come back four days a week and want to hear what she has to say. Then you have people like Brooke Berg staler, who's based in Los Angeles, who's a comedian, and she's a great example. I've been following her for many years and happened to meet her through some mutual friends at a party. And I'm just like, Brooke, I love like your comedy and just everything about you is so approachable and relatable, and you're so hysterical. And we just hit it off and became friends. But it's funny because she's not in the cannabis industry, right? She's a comedian. She's an influencer in her own right, and arguably because she's so approachable and she's not making cannabis like scary for its it's not so like it's not overly connoisseur to where she's much more relatable to the masses. And so she incorporates cannabis into her stand-up comedy etcetera and so I think you have to find that balance of being able to be entertaining while talking about cannabis. Otherwise, you're at risk of what we see with a lot of connoisseurs who just want to go in and really nerd out and talk about the things that they're passionate about with the plant, particularly when it comes to flower and concentrates. That isn't necessarily approachable for the masses, right. And so I think that's what we're learning in cannabis, we see a lot of these influencers that are particularly picking and choosing a particular, whether it's a product category, whether it's a use case, and how it's affected their life, I think everything is really coming back to creating community and using your authentic voice to be able to entertain people and those are the people that I certainly like to follow most that I find most value from and that I think that we see that just have larger followings because they're able to pair both the entertainment with education, and you know, bringing in their authentic cannabis use into that into that narrative. 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

I want to read a comment from Justin, which made me chuckle. Too many people think blowing smoke into the camera and calling it fire makes them an influencer. Thank you for your comment. I think that's really funny. And I think the ones that are doing a good job are also weaving into your point, Jocelyn, a little bit of some science, some facts, or maybe making something that's not so focused on a subculture, like you said, that's more approachable for consumers or just audiences that are just interested in entertainment or information, but they don't necessarily want to be part of a subculture or talk about like, the very sciency aspects of it.  

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Well, yeah, and I think I think one of the interesting things because our industry, I mean, it's just so new, right, and this is all developing in real time, I think it's important to look at how other industries operate. So let's take the wine industry, for example, because it's a really great example of you've got these macro influencers and these micro influencers to the point that Justin is making, they're not just taking a sip of wine and being like, look at me drinking wine and having a good time, people have learned through the evolution of that industry to really be able to educate consumers and talk about this wine in a way. That is that is informative. That is exciting. That is entertaining. And you see this happening from people from the Robert Parker's and the Antonio Bologna's to the micro influencers that are creating their own blogs or that they're sharing on a site like a delectable or have a vino and that they're really starting to bring in their own personal take their reviews, and there, their whatever it is that they love about this wine, they really incorporate that into their education and their entertainment. It isn't just, you know, blowing smoke and being like this is fire or taking a sip and being like this aspire, consumers need to understand why it's fire and an understanding more of that. And I think our industry, we just haven't had as many of those voices that are kind of taking that template of education and entertainment, and making that really approachable for the masses. And that's just now starting to happen. And we're starting to see a lot of those voices that you've shared on that prior slide, that are figuring out the balance to be able to do that. And that's really like the critical thing about this. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK 

Yeah, you know, it's interesting, just to call out to a few folks here. Hey, John, and hi, Ruth joining in from Denver, and a few folks also from Canada. So, thanks for joining us today. You know, there's a couple of comments here, which talk about women in their 40s and 50s. And even beyond. And, you know, I think as time goes on, and the industry develops, I think we need those influencers and in other age segments and other genders because it is it is primarily still male, but and young male for that matter. So I think, you know, I think what it comes down to is being relatable, right? You know, it's important to be relatable, it's important to see other people, you know, hearing their perspective, but also coming away from the shows with, with, with something that they could take away. And, you know, one of the things that I often think about is, you know, these influencers are being paid. To what extent do you think that skews their information or, you know, colors, their commentary? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Um, well in the cannabis industry, I mean, I will here again, let's get let's give an example of wine because again, the cannabis industry because we're so new, we don't have a lot of practices that are kind of coming from normal industries to which we're able to have an objective conversation here. So let's take the wine industry for example. And wine, you have people that are very nicely paid to review products to provide their opinion on those products or products to objectively rate those products. They're not paid from the brand or from the winery to go review those products. They're paid from the publication, like a winery spectator, a wine advocate of Venice, right? And they're paid to go use their expertise to go objectively rate and review products. Now, of course, there have been instances, one spectator not too long ago had an example of this where someone was, I think being paid off by one of the wineries to give a good review this, of course, it's human nature, these things are going to happen. Because this industry, and those individuals who created those publications really set a foundation and the people that they're bringing on, are they're creating an ethos of objectivity. And because of they've set that ethos you don't see as much of the pay to play. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, it certainly exists. But I think that's what our industry can look forward to. And that's certainly what we're trying to solve with Budist is really having people have objective opinions about the use case of why a product, what was the brand's intended use case of why that product was created, and being able to objectively provide an opinion on that. So some influencers today, there are given free product and make Yes, of course, maybe that will affect whether they give that a good rating or review or when they talk about it on their social. But I think as our industry evolves and matures, and we start to hold ourselves to a higher standard, we're going to start to see that people are going to want to their own personal reputation is really going to matter here. And so they're going to be incentivized to provide an opinion, that's really objective, that they're I think most people are not going to want to be known as, you know, being influenced and having a pay to play kind of perception in the market. Right? I think as our industry evolves, that's naturally going to those people are going to rise to the top who have those objective opinions, the market will work itself out in that way. 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

The people who are interested will be better paid and they won't have to be, you know, subject to those shifting whims. Let's switch gears for a minute and talk about what's your audience participation? I see lots of comments. Hi, Erin from Humboldt. So I know people are warmed up. So let's get into this first Canna quiz. Marketers prefer to work with which type of influencer is it a nano which is 1k to 10k Nano influencer? Is it B micro influencer, which is defined as having an audience size of 10k to 100k. Then option C is macro 100k to 1 million or the D option, mega or celebrity with audiences of 1 million plus drop your guests in the chat? And we'll reveal the answer in just a minute. And I should also say that this is not for cannabis specifically, this is for all industries. It was a survey of 3500 marketing professionals. 2023.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Audience: It’s your turn to shine! 

ADRIANA HEMANS

This stat comes from a survey conducted by Marketing Hub of 3,500 marketing professionals in 2023. Respondents included marketers and brand managers from agencies, and in-house at B2C and B2B organizations.

ADRIANA HEMANS

This might seem surprising at first, but it makes sense when you think about budgets. Influencers with more followers charge a lot more money. Additionally, micro and nano influencers are more engaged with their audience. It’s a small enough group that they can have a more personal relationship with each one by responding to their comments. Followers that feel connected to the influencers are more likely to buy the products they are pitching. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Jocelyn, how does the presence of cannfluencers influence industry trends and consumer preferences? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

I mean, they absolutely do, right. I mean, we're using the examples of people in every product category, we're starting to see these voices that are starting to become market specific, even global at this point, that are becoming very vocal about what they're passionate about, whether it's a category, whether it's a use case, or whatnot, right? So some of these people to Jamie Evans, right, she comes from the, she's a Somali a, she comes from the wine industry. And here she is out there, creating cookbooks, and going to events in Havana evangelizing cannabis as a use case as either an alcohol replacement, or something to bring in a social setting. And just creating all of these opportunities and showcasing just how wonderful cannabis is and her experience with it, right? So we have these people that are focused on either particular categories. And that's part of what we're, you know, what I'm what I'm doing with Budist is we've hired a team of critics that are going to review products objectively on each category. And so we have these voices that are already sharing that are already building their, their networks and their communities, and are coming forward. But they don't necessarily have the platforms to go freely and openly talk about whatever their use cases or whatever they love about cannabis. And so they're absolutely influencing trends, right. Like we see that across the board. And I think we need to hear again, we need to look at other industries, right, we need to look at something like wine, where we have those examples. Let's take, let's say again, so let's take like a someone like an Antonio Galloni or Robert Parker, or a Neil Martin or any of these voices, right? If someone like Antonio goes out and find some really obscure producer, in, you know, a family vintner in some really obscure area overnight, if that producer gets a high score and a high rating, that producer overnight can have their entire allotment sold through and become like the next big thing overnight, just like that. And that's the power of some of those macro influencers, and even the micro influencers have the ability to do that. Now in cannabis, because this is so new. We don't yet have those voices on that scale, because we can't we're restricted on social media. This is all just so new and happening. But when we look at other industries like wine, that is where we're headed, and you see it directly, but when I hang out with a lot of people in the wine industry, you know, living in the Bay Area and being so close to Napa and Sonoma, and I just have a ton of friends in that industry. I mean, as soon as like any reviews or ratings are released, whether it's from a wine advocate or a fitness or a Wine Spectator, I mean, they are glued to like their phones or their computers and seeing like what are we getting rated? What are we getting scored because it's that impactful that their allotment could be sold through the night Next day, it's really fascinating to watch that happen. And then to be in the cannabis industry and look at it from that lens. And especially a lot of these craft producers, like for me, I love some grown flower. And so when I see someone like Huckleberry Hill and their white Thorn rose, and just how popular that strain has become, we don't yet have these platforms at scale to where just your normal consumer is understanding about these products yet, but that is coming. These voices are here, they're getting bigger, they're getting louder as and as our industry matures, you're going to start to see that same thing. So yes, to answer the question, there are absolutely shaping trends, we actively see this happening, we see products and new drops that are done from a brand and then you see a critic, or influence or promote that people are rushing out to the store to find that product. It's not happening on the masses. It's not, but it's happening, it's starting to happen. And it's getting stronger and stronger. And I think that's what we have to look forward to as an industry. And so that's I think that's what's so exciting about being in this industry at this time in particular. 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Yeah, super powerful tool. And it sounds like Budist will be helping to build that relationship between influencers and the industry at large. 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Yeah, I mean, what so what we're doing we're building are really our industry's first like social rating and review platform. And so what it is, it's an app, it's going to be live in the marketplace to November. And so you'll be able to go on, and you'll be able to rate and review products using the 100 point system. And this is going to happen from both consumers as well as critics, we've assembled a bench of 12 critics that are subject matter experts in their particular categories, they're already out there talking about this there can flow answers themselves. And so they're going to help us really like set the foundation for how we should be objectively thinking about or rating and reviewing products. And so that's what we brought them on to do. They're actively reviewing products. Now we're uploading all of those reviews into the platform before submitting to the App Store. And my hope is that then consumers will see examples. Just like we saw with TripAdvisor, it's really interesting to watch TripAdvisor as a model for both consumers and also influential voices influencers, to go talk about their experiences. It's really rare that you see a crappy review on TripAdvisor. Right, the ethos of TripAdvisor was set from the beginning, that people who are coming here they find it so valuable, the reviews that they're getting from the community that it's almost a pay it forward. And their CEO has talked about this and how they took time to really set that foundation. And that's exactly what we're trying to do as well. And so the platform is a rating and review platform, you can go on, you take a picture of the product that you're consuming, you can rate it on the 100 point system, you put all of your tasting notes in there. And then what we're going to do is it'll be like Rotten Tomatoes, where you'll see the aggregated critic score and the aggregated community or Budist score so that as consumers, we have more of an understanding of this vast product landscape, and that we have some guidance from some of these voices, that are experts in these product categories. And that have a high degree of objectivity when they're assessing products. And so that's really what we're trying to do is give consumers that trusted resource that they can understand this, this vast landscape and connect with other individuals that share that interest, whether it's a product category, or whether it's a use case.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Have there been observable shifts in public perception or attitudes toward cannabis due to Cannfluencer advocacy? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

And yeah, and well, and if I can just add on to this, because you both know this better than anyone, like if you look at how consumer purchasing like what drives consumer purchasing, there's so many, there's so many data out there that really shows that anywhere from 60, upwards of 99%, depending on like the category that someone is interested in 60 to 99% of people are reading reviews before making a purchasing decision. And so I think the key there is the trust that someone has with that individual who's doing the reviews, you're going to put a lot more weight into that into that review. So we already know that people are that that's how they're making their decisions. I don't know about you both. But like before I go to any restaurant before I go to a hotel, before I choose a wine, I read reviews across the board hands down every single time. And that's just commonplace at this point. And so it's interesting that we just really haven't had this yet as an industry. But it makes sense, because we're just, we're just so new and no one's really tackled this problem. head on. 

ADRIANA HEMANS

Jocelyn, Tell about your new platform Budist.com and how addresses what we’ve been chatting about. 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Yeah, so it's going to be live in the app stores in November. And so we're, I'm just now kind of seed out into the market, we've been in stealth mode for the last year, as we've been building this out. The app just looks so beautiful, I can't wait for people to see it. And to start using it and sharing their expertise, sharing the, you know, the use cases for cannabis and helping other people understand what's worked for them, what hasn't. And so November, it'll be live in the App Store. 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

I read so many reviews, it's gotten to the point where I read reviews for entertainment and laugh at the one star reviews, we do in our household is live at one star. This is a perfect segue, I think, to our next audience participation if we want to jump to that, because we're talking about consumer behavior and how it's driving trends. So this question is about social media. And that is what percentage of us cannabis consumers agree or completely agree with the statement, social media has helped me find and learn about new cannabis products, is it a 17%, B 31%, C 48%, or D 73%. And this is a 2023 survey, don't read the footnote at the bottom as incorrect. This is from brightfield, they do an awesome job with their platform, serving 1000s of consumers every quarter love looking at their data. It's really cool.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Audience: It’s your turn to shine!

ADRIANA HEMANS 

We have two guesses for D 73%. And I see two guesses for C. The answer is C. Sandra. You got it. Right. You're on fire today. Someone else got it. Right, whose name I can't see. So sorry. Thank you for your guesses. And yeah, about half of cannabis. Consumers say that social media helps them discover new products, which I think is a good endorsement for something like Budish that could be even more specific and not be restricted by for example, Instagram where you can't post certain things. 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I mean, again, this goes back, you look at other industries, and that number is 60. To upwards of I've seen some data's say 99%. So depends on the vertical and the, you know, the consumer package good or whatnot. But I was a little bit surprised that this was as low as it was actually. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Jocelyn, what book, movie or experience would you recommend to our listeners? 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

So watch drops of God recently on apple plus, and it's just a like, that's probably one of the best shows that I've seen in the last year plus, and I think for a lot of us in the cannabis industry, again, like, I'm giving a lot of examples to wine because it really follows on it follows a young woman who just has a nose and a palate and inherently just understands wine and can you know, smell it and understand exactly where it was produced and, and all of the beautiful nuances of wine. And it just kind of follows that story and gives really an appreciation for connoisseurship and just how much people love these types of products. And I think for us in the cannabis industry, for me, it just framed again, like the big picture here, especially being part of the gods GA program. And just having so many friends that are that are connoisseurs, and enthusiasts. It just helps me understand that like that's where we're headed. People love this plant so much that we're going to be on a similar path where people are going through these programs, where it's people's entire life where they're just assessing and just everything that is wrapped up into this plant and that's where we're headed and so drops a god cannot recommend that enough if you're looking for a new show. Um, the book recommendation I would have that I have right next to me is this book CEO excellence that was written by a couple of McKinsey partners. And for me personally, what I'm what I hope to build, and being, you know, a first time like, I guess, CEO in this in this way with our grand vision, I want to build a business that shows that you can build a business for good every everything through and through, it's just feels good and that you can be successful and profitable and run a really good business. And I'm just learning so much from this book and just reconfirming inherent thoughts that I have. And I then opened this up and mentioned that I'm, I'm feeling some impostor syndrome that I know is just in my head. But the more I read this book, the more it reconfirms that no, if you if you really believe wholeheartedly, in what it is that you're doing, you build community around that you help others understand that passion. That's when the most successful companies are born. And so I feel like I'm on the right path. And so if anyone else is in that place where they're feeling, you know, impostor syndrome, I guess is a big word, then I would highly recommend reading this book. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Thanks, Jocelyn. Super insightful! Thank you! 

ADRIANA HEMANS

Thank you, Jocelyn. 

JOCELYN SHELTRAW 

Well, thank you. And yeah, I mean, that's, that's I'm coming in from the like community perspective, and helping build that, you know, key influencers voice per se, and really help build these people that have been helping shape the industry. But then, you know, my other business partner, there's five of us who are building this out. But you both know, Claudio, who he's coming from the brand side, right, like, he's one of the cofounders of Guild extracts. He's owned every license type in our cannabis supply chain aside from a testing lab. And so just, you know, being friends with so many people that whether they're, you know, craft, cultivators, whether they're equity business owners, I just really hope that we can give a voice to brands and Allah and a platform for them to really share their story and connect directly with consumers that are looking for those products, because that's what's so needed. And I think that that's what I'm really positive and hopeful about in our industry. And again, looking at other industries like wine, or beer or chocolate, any other industry or consumer packaged goods, that has some level of connoisseurship to it, I think that we should all be very hopeful and excited about the future for what that looks like in cannabis. I know times are really tough right now. But that is if we look at analogous markets, or analogous industries, all of them have, you know, anywhere from 10 to 30%, is made up of these connoisseur craft producers. And so I think that's what my goal is, is to help give these producers a voice now in hopes that they can kind of make it through this next evolution. And that we have those that that history in, especially in the California market, that that we give the voice to those people to help preserve our history. So that's who you find a lot of our team is all is, is you know, rooting for the craft producer not to say there isn't a place for the large scale producer because there absolutely is consumers need to be able to find the best product for them. That's a value product. But um, that's just what I'm passionate about. And Claudio as well, since he's kind of coming from that mindset in that world. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

That’s our show for today. As always, that was the fastest 45 minutes of my week!  We’ll be back next Thursday, October 19th with James Kennedy, Founder of Apothecanna and CEO of Flying Colors chatting about “Cannabis & Product Development”.

We’ve recently released two online courses that have received rave reviews. “The 14 Cannabis Brand Archetypes” and “Creating A Meaningful Cannabis Brand” can be found on our site at www.brandingbud.com/edu - and you find the link right now in the chat. Remember to use our exclusive 25% discount code BBEDU25 for our LinkedIn listeners.

Again, we’d like to thank our sponsor, High Hopes – a boutique agency with over 10 years in the cannabis space specializing in branding, packaging, SEO & marketing. Be sure to check them out at www.highopes.com.

ADRIANA HEMANS

Hit that button to register so you don’t miss it. If you miss us in the meantime, you can re-watch today’s episode, or any of our previous episodes, on our LinkedIn page, Branding Bud Live, or on our YouTube channel. Please give us a follow on LinkedIn to stay on top of everything Branding Bud Live.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

And you can listen to our podcast on most podcast platforms including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Spotify. And of course, don’t forget to check out cannabis’s best-kept secret at www.brandingbud.com

Thank you, everybody!

ADRIANA HEMANS

Thank you. Bye!

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