Green Lane Communication founder Michael Mejer is incredibly grateful to be able to keep his PR firm relatively small and focused on its 10 clients.
“I’m trying to mitigate any kind of downside risk by just trying to take that slow and steady approach,” Mejer says. “And so far, it’s been working.”
Mejer has spent more than13 years working in PR. He started in book publishing, helping clients build their personal brands and open opportunities in thought leadership, keynote speaking and becoming talking heads for their respective industries. This became a framework for Green Lane Communication when he formed the firm in 2017 — a decision he made after a chance encounter at a hemp store early in his career.
“I was chatting it up with the store owner, and in comes an older gentleman who’s suffering from really debilitating tremors to the point where his wife basically had to open the door for him,” Mejer recalls. While the store owner wouldn’t promise results, she offered the couple a seat on a couch and a tincture for the man to try.
Within two minutes, Mejer saw the man regaining control over his body and his ability to speak.
“The first words that he said were: ‘I need the biggest bottle of whatever shit it was you just gave me,’” Mejer says. “That was a huge moment for me.”
Mejer immediately pivoted into cannabis, flying to every major event and meeting as many people as he could to build a name for himself within the industry.
“I told myself that I’m going to have to earn my way into this industry,” he says. “Now we’re really helping people get their story, their messaging, their narrative out there.”