Maxime Kot
Age: 33
Title: President
Company: The Cannabis Business Advisors
Maxime Kot realized early in her career that she had a rare opportunity to be a part of a world-changing industry that she both admires and identifies with.
“In a way, I feel like cannabis and I have a lot in common,” Kot says. “We are oftentimes misunderstood and polarizing (some people love us, some people don’t), but we genuinely want to do good.”
A bit of a perfectionist with an eye for meticulous details, Kot has spent the past eight years helping clients navigate the complexities of operating a legal cannabis business as the president and co-owner of the national consulting firm The Cannabis Business Advisors and streaming platform, “How to Open a Dispensary.” Kot oversees client relations and spearheads projects involving application and licensing preparation, operational analysis, policy and procedures and business development planning.
“I’ve evolved with cannabis and have seen it go from black market to gray market to where it is today, the fastest growing industry in the U.S.,” she says.
Kot worked her way up from being a marketing coordinator, but says if she could go back to the beginning of her career she would tell herself that she can’t want success more than her clients.
“As a young, career woman, I experienced a lot of self-inflicted stress because as a consultant there was only so much I could do to guide or advise a client when I was not the business owner or ultimate decision-maker,” she says. “I would tell myself not to strive for absolute perfection because it impedes progress and it doesn’t exist, particularly in the cannabis industry.”
Q&A
How long have you been working as a consultant in the industry?
Just over 8 years.
If you could go back to a certain point in your career and give yourself some advice, what point would it be and what advice would you give?
If I could go back to my early-mid 20s, I would tell myself that as a consultant and not the business owner, I can’t want success more than the client does. Also, I would tell myself not to strive for absolute perfection because it impedes progress and it doesn’t exist, particularly in the cannabis industry. As a young career woman, I experienced a lot of self-inflicted stress because as a consultant there was only so much I could do to guide or advise a client when I was not the business owner or ultimate decision-maker.
You said you realized very early in your career that you liked the industry and wouldn’t want to leave – what was it that made you want to really stay in cannabis?
In a way, I feel like cannabis and I have a lot in common. We are oftentimes misunderstood and polarizing (some people love us, some people don’t), but we genuinely want to do good. We’re both here to stay and we’re not going anywhere, lol. I’ve evolved with cannabis and have seen it go from black market to gray market to where it is today, the fastest growing industry in the U.S. When I first started in the industry, I realized that opportunities like these are few and far between to be a part of the evolution of a world-changing industry and I wanted to be a part of that. To witness how the plant has helped so many people suffering from certain conditions, has also been a huge driving factor.
What is the biggest milestone you’ve hit so far in your career?
Being a business owner. I started as a Marketing Coordinator and hustled my way into the position I am in today. With that being said, I have a really good support system professionally and personally and would not be here without either.