Back in 2018 my team member at my brokerage Boston Trust Realty Group, Jeff Similien, approached me about entering the cannabis industry. At first I was reluctant because I don’t smoke cannabis but as I did my research and learn more I realize there was way more to this industry than being a toker. I saw that this was $1 billion emerging industry that had the power to transform business, transform communities and transform lives in the process. This is where the cannabis industry in a second with my core values. I realized I could employ more folks on the community and create wealth in the neighborhood where I grew up for many kids like me who wanted to get in the business but didn’t know how. It also created an amazing platform for us to be able to reach even more local residents and have bigger positive impact that we currently have with our brokerage. The other side of my education was starting to understand the medicinal power of cannabis in healing and supporting people with chronic pain and illness.
When starting the licensing process and looking over the paperwork required, it was initially overwhelming but because of my background in real estate development I quickly realize that there are a lot of parallels in acquiring a cannabis license and getting an entitlement for real estate development. After five years of work from my partner Jeff in three years of work with me joint the venture, We were able to acquire our first dispensary license. We have several others licenses in the work for a Cultivation and dispensaries as well.
While it took an enormous amount of effort, we were able to get through the process and take advantage of this life-changing opportunity. As you’re out here working each and every day I encourage you to keep pushing, to commit to your dreams and goals and to make sure you just show up every day and don’t quit. You may not be able to bring your best to the table at every moment but as long as you stay in the game, your success is ultimately guaranteed. I hope you enjoy this video as we share the first leg of our journey and stay tuned for more as a journey continues.