We Are the Industry is an ongoing series featuring Dutchie employees with deep experience in the cannabis industry. Dutchie's employees care about the industry because we are the industry.
Where have you previously worked in cannabis?
I worked at Bloom Dispensaries (now part of Curaleaf Arizona) from 2015-2019, starting as a receptionist and then a budtender, inventory manager, and project manager for the company. After Bloom, I joined LeafLogix from 2019-2021 as an Implementor/Support Rep, and came to Dutchie along with the LLx acquisition in 2021, where I’ve since had roles like UX Research Coordinator, Engineering Operations Analyst, and finally Product Manager.
What did you like most about working with cannabis?
There were so many things I fell in love with about the industry (and continue to love) - like being able to have a totally work-appropriate conversation about getting way too high, and discussing strains like “Cat Piss” or“Dawg s--t” in a professional manner was a ton of fun. Outside of the stoner culture type novelty, I worked in the dispensary when there was only a medical program, and what I truly loved was getting to meet folks that were new to cannabis and had a true medical need. I remember a gentleman who came in for the first time in a wheelchair, and months later seeing him be able to come in with a walker. Or seeing patients be able to come in and announce to the lobby that they were cancer free to an eruption of cheers from employees and other patients alike. Or patients that reported being able to become sober from alcohol and were able to get control over their lives again. Seeing the progression that folks would go through was an incredible experience, whether it would be that their medical conditions improved from cannabis, or just that their confidence would grow as they explored new product types and strains… being able to be part of their journeys was awe-inspiring.
What have you learned moving from plant touching work to tech?
Each Market is so different! It’s crazy how nuanced regulations can be from State to State. It was also interesting to see how operators use the Dutchie platform and how they can have vastly different SOPs around the same areas of the system.
There are some similarities between budtending and tech, though - I still get to witness positive progression and growth in the industry. Instead of nerding out and getting into the weeds on Strain types and effects, it’s now features and functionality to improve business operations.
What’s your advice for those starting out in cannabis?
Be curious, and never stop learning - it can help retain relevance in an ever-changing industry. Whether it be new products, or processes and KPI’s within the vertical chain.
Subscribe to release notes, and periodically do an audit on new features! Even if you have rock solid SOPs, there may be some newer functionality that can speed up operations immensely. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your Account Executive or Support for advice on how to solve a problem. If we don’t already have a solution, we’re always happy to collect the feedback on what our users want to achieve.
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