Lisa Smith
Sales manager, Marijuana Venture
We couldn’t help but include our own Lisa Smith in this list of women who are making things happen in the rapidly evolving legal marijuana industry.
Smith’s career includes a variety of interesting and challenging positions involving sales and marketing at several large corporations. Prior to joining the Marijuana Venture team as sales manager, she enjoyed a long stretch at Miller Brewing Company.
“At Miller, I worked with a great team, and let’s face it, beer is fun,” Smith said. “We worked hard and had a great time.”
When asked by Marijuana Venture publisher Greg James to help launch the magazine, she was intrigued.
“It was a new business, and I wasn’t sure how things would turn out,” she said. “However, Miller had become Miller-Coors and had moved its West Coast headquarters to Denver. I saw the commonalities in the two industries — marijuana is also fun — and thought it sounded like an interesting venture so I jumped at the opportunity.”
Smith turned out to be a great fit, bringing the same work ethic she showed at Miller to the fledgling magazine. Her strong background in sales and customer relations was a great fit for the magazine, James said.
In her words, there’s nothing magic about sales and customer relations.
“If you treat all of your customers well, show up on time for meetings, work hard, and deliver great value with a smile, everything else falls into place and life is good,” she said.
Smith also enjoys painting, traveling, yoga and meditation. She’s been instrumental in the growth of the magazine, James said.
“Besides being a lot of fun to work with, Lisa is a great counter-balance to me and (editor) Garrett Rudolph,” James said. “She’s gregarious, loves her clients, and has been a big reason the magazine’s ad sales have skyrocketed over the past 18 months.”