Where have you previously worked in cannabis? How/why did you end up working there?
After leaving the tech-bro life in NYC, I moved across the country to California to be a star. I did a bit of acting and frequented the dispensary a lot more. One of my local favorites happened to be the same store my old NYC roommate's (who serendipitously also moved to LA and was only a 10-minute walk from) former college roommate was the assistant manager of. We quickly realized we had mutual friends, and that led me to meet the GM, who practically hired me on the spot because I was an actor looking for work. For about eight months, I was a budtender at what used to be SERRA in WeHo.
What did you like most about working with cannabis? What's a stand-out memory from that time?
Man, the people who'd walk in! I met some celebrities, Bachelor contestants, and athletes, but my most favorite patient I've tended to, to this day, is by far Samuel. I don't like to judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit I was curious about Samuel. He was an unusual customer, always purchasing the strongest blunts we had. After about the third time seeing him, I finally asked, "What are you running from?" That began our friendship and weekly one-hour chats over the cases of weed where I pretended to work, and he pretended to enjoy my company, teaching me all about quantum physics, Sanskrit, and life in general. Samuel, such a cool guy. Hope he's well out there.
What have you learned moving from plant-touching work to tech? Did anything about the change surprise you?
The tech part is necessary. No matter what, we'll have to use a POS, and as a budtender, I didn't realize how much our business relied on that. We used a POS that wasn’t Dutchie at the time. Guess who's no longer open—my former dispensary. What we've built and sell actually helps people, simple as that.
What's your advice for those starting out in cannabis? What is there to look forward to?
Business done quickly is business done badly, so get to know the people around you and revel in the fact that, in this industry, we'll be working together for a long time. Generational wealth is green, they say!
