A look back at some of the most important pieces of advice published in the pages of Marijuana Venture in 2019
Employee Management
“As a business leader, you should care more about what a new hire can bring you a few years into the future instead of having them be able to ‘hit the ground running’ and automatically start making returns on day one.”
Chris Cimaglio, BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group
June 2019
“Employers in the cannabis industry, especially with grow operations, need to understand their potential obligations under the National Labor Relations Act and the employees’ potential right to join unions.”
February 2019
“The vast majority of wage-and-hour violations occur because owners are working with incomplete or inaccurate information when it comes to employment law — not because they are actively trying to fool the government (or their own employees).”
September 2019
“The more you can create a mission for your staff, the more likely they are to feel like they’re part of a movement.”
Michael Elias, Michigan Pure Med
September 2019
“Having a good team isn’t any sort of secret, but without the team, you can’t get anything done, no matter how good your ideas are.”
November 2019
“You have to be relentless in your belief in what you are doing and really get other people to believe in that and come along with you.”
October 2019
“If you’re going to be the boss, it’s not your job to always be liked.”
Danielle Rosellison, Trail Blazin’ Productions
December 2019
“Do not allow the infancy of a prospective operation to hinder successful team building.”
October 2019
“If you’re looking for the dream team in marijuana or hemp, look for people with prior success in bioprocessing, agriculture supply chain management or consumer products.”
David Traylor, Golden Eagle Partners, LLC
June 2019
“I find that people are more successful when they empower and encourage those around them.”
October 2019
“Keep trade secret information out of the hands of employees who do not need to know it.”
Anne van Leynseele and Tom Zuber, Zuber Lawler
September 2019
Legal
“The consequences flowing from accidentally franchising are simply too serious to look the other way.”
Rochelle Spandorf, Davis Wright Tremaine
August 2019
“An indemnity provision is only as good as the financial position of the company that is agreeing to indemnify you.”
April 2019
“Cannabis businesses cannot afford to blindly trust the advice of their lawyer; instead, they must work alongside their legal representative to evaluate the convoluted maze of regulations.”
November 2019
“Anybody who is involved in cannabis really needs to be asking the questions: What is going on with my local government? What is going on with my state government? And what’s going on with the federal government? It really does require thoughtful analysis to make sure that stop signs and red lights aren’t being blown.”
June 2019
“Resist the urge to call the attorney who filed the lawsuit against you. Resist the urge to call the person suing you. I can tell you with great certainty that all you will do is give them ammunition to use against you later.”
Brenda Wells, Ph.D., Risk Education Strategies
March 2019
“Insist that major decisions be made by a supermajority of the decision-makers (whether it be the board or the shareholders) — not a simple majority — to ensure that those in control of the company are on the same page with respect to big-ticket items.”
June 2019