Living the Dream: Brett Heyman

I thought that my years of fashion entrepreneurship would prepare me for my venture into cannabis, but I learned very quickly when to take ownership of my company’s operations and when to reach out to industry partners for support.

When Flower by Edie Parker first launched in 2019, we knew that we’d be able to market our artistic, quality products to women, but we lacked the expertise in regulations and compliance that would get us on dispensary shelves. Despite overcoming myriad logistical challenges in fashion, I never had to parse through California’s regulations around marketing language or acceptable packaging colors.

I knew I would have to delegate to build a lasting cannabis brand.

Looking back, it’s clear that being able to tap into my network of connections and resources was pivotal to getting through those tough first stages, showing me the necessity of having a legal and compliance team as early as possible. Having these contacts from my previous career was beyond helpful and has allowed us to scale with relative ease.

When we were finally ready to expand outside of California, our team decided to work with a seasoned operator that understood how the industry worked. We ultimately partnered with Ascend Wellness Holdings because it had the access, retail locations and management team that would allow us to realize our goal of bringing Edie east of the Mississippi. While we internally handled the manufacturing and distribution in California, we recognized that we had to focus on our strengths, including consumer engagement and experiences, in our next stage of growth.

At Edie Parker, we’re playing the long game: We aspire to become the go-to luxury, female cannabis brand and a household name for cannabis consumers. And our growth trajectory would be impossible without our team of business partners who also believe in our mission.

Cannabis is one of the few industries where most stakeholders are still open to collaborating instead of competing, and we will all stand to benefit if we are willing to embrace this ethos.