Friday, February 2, 2024
Time to read: About 15 minutes. Contains 3,581 words.
I think about founders a lot. I’ve spoken to hundreds of them since I started interviewing growers in 2014. I don’t know how to write about a brand without writing about the founder. I give double the attention to emails coming from founders than PR—I know that a founder is going to express their passion and “why” unlike anyone else can. I know that this thing wouldn’t exist if this person or people hadn’t worked hard to bring it into existence
In the mostly bootstrapped realm of cannabis, founders often do a lot more than just build. They strategize, package, design, market—so many wear so many hats, and I’m fascinated by the decision-making behind what roles a founder will maintain as companies grow. For example, the choice to be the face of one’s brand. It’s a no-brainer at first thought, but for a brand that gets big, that’s a significant, long-term commitment to make. I wanted to talk to someone who’s chosen that path, and Olivia Alexander of Kush Queen was top of mind.
An interesting combination of old-school weed lover and new-school entrepreneur, Alexander’s savvy with social media and hyper-visible on every platform I’m aware of—and she isn’t afraid to call out the powerful, multistate elephant in the room who isn’t paying vendors. I reached out to talk about making yourself such a part of your brand’s content and the pros and cons therein, and she generously shared much more of her experiences navigating a public cannabis persona.
Keep reading/press play to hear about lessons learned, the team that makes this individual identity possible, her best advice, and the business rules she’s happy to keep breaking.
This transcription is edited for length and clarity. Listen to the recording for the full, unedited conversation.
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