Are anyone else’s personal relationships strained?
When we embarked on our journey toward becoming a licensed grower in Wasington State, I felt like I was mentally prepared to start a new business in the cannabis industry. I was ready to be financially strapped, overworked, adapt to an ever-changing industry, and take on the biggest gamble … I mean project … of my life. We did our homework, had our budget and projections. We found the money and had a plan to address community relations from a local to a state level. We were set.
You know what I didn’t factor into the equation? Life. Oh yeah, that thing. I wasn’t prepared for the normal, everyday experiences life throws at us. For me, it was the death of a loved one, but for others it has been pregnancy, health issues, accidents, loss of steady income, etc. Life. When your plate is already full to the brim with a new business in a new industry, how do you handle life’s unexpected nuisances? That is the stuff I wasn’t prepared for. That is the stuff that has really forced me to dig deep.
It is exciting and all-encompassing to delve into a cannabis business: You’re on the ground floor of a brand new industry, you’re blazing the trail for others to come, you can’t Google half the things you need to know, there is tons of media potential, it’s hip and cool (to about 50% of the population), and the income potential is unlimited. But if you’re not rock-solid in your relationships — both within yourself and with your loved ones — what is this all for?
Thankfully, my relationships are evolving in a positive direction. But it got rocky there for a little while. I had to pull back, re-prioritize, and then put a plan into place to embrace those priorities. Most frustrating (and oddly enlightening) was that our cannabis business was not my top priority. It was third. Second was my husband and children. And first, that which deserved most of my attention, was my own health and happiness. With this new order of importance, my personal relationships are less strained and I can move forward living life and having a successful cannabis business.
Danielle Rosellison is part of the Trail Blazin’ Productions team, a board member of the Washington Federation of Marijuana Businesses and the creator of the 502Cannabis Google Group.