81
Whitney, we read and hear constantly that this industry is strangely lacking in numbers with respect to women. What has been your experience and what do you say to the women who are looking at this industry?
I see a lot of women in the industry and a lot of successful women in the industry. Where I see it lacking is our representation. We seem to appear only on conference panels that are about women in the industry, not as experts in our field no matter who is on the panel, or profiled in stories that are about women or female success stories in the cannabis industry where the focus is on both being a woman and the cannabis industry as opposed to us being a natural part of the industry as a whole. To the women who are entering this industry – you are not alone. There is a wonderful pool of intelligent, successful, and interesting women who want to cheer other women on and to rely on as you build up knowledge.
Cheers. When I am asked what advice would I give to someone looking to start a business in this industry I usually say "measure four times and cut once'. How important is it that entrepreneurs seek legal and compliance advice? Is this a service that you can provide any budding entrepreneurs?
Because the regulations and requirements in the industry change so quickly, and the interpretation of those requirements change so quickly, I do recommend that each entrepreneur seeks legal advice from someone who understands both the legal issues in the cannabis industry as well as the intricacies of corporate law and structure. Each business venture is unique and requires unique considerations which are difficult to tackle alone and without proper advice. I have been advising clients since before the federal government announced it would be legalizing recreational cannabis and both my firm, Minden Gross LLP, and I are able to offer the services required to take companies from the idea formed at the dining room table to market.
No one in this industry will trust what you have to say or contribute if you don’t speak it.