Why I Left My Corporate Salary for Cannabis Entrepreneurship
I had just gotten a raise, a private office, and I was the youngest person in my firm to get licensed. So why leave?
In January of 2014, I said goodbye to my steady paycheck to pursue a career in cannabis. Nearly two years into my first post-college job, I was fresh off a raise and the youngest licensed real estate appraiser at my firm. I already had my own private office — the corporate equivalent of “Look Ma, I made it!”
I was living the corporate dream. I had made it.
The Cannabis Catalyst
Living in Colorado, I had a front row seat as cannabis became legal. A longtime cannabis consumer and enthusiast, I marveled as a new industry was sparked overnight. Cannabis-specific real estate deals came across my desk. I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
While I was fascinated by a new influx of cannabis-related business, the rest of my once-fulfilling job became mundane. I began to understand the phrase ‘day in and day out’ — I was drowning in the endless tide of a 9 to 5. From the outside, I had it all: a respectable career in commercial real estate with unlimited earning potential and upward mobility. They say money can’t buy happiness, and they’re right, but it can buy cannabis and a smell proof stash box to carry it. Stability, opportunity, and expendable income — benchmarks for financial success that some people would kill for — weren’t enough for me. I wasn’t happy. I’d wake up in the morning, depressed, thinking that no amount of money could motivate me to go to work that day. Something had to change.
No amount of money could motivate me to go to work
But what? Could I really leave a job that I’d worked so hard for to pursue a career in cannabis? I had already planned out my real estate career. I had a predictable, stable strategy. What would a career in cannabis look like? What would family and friends think? Would I ever be able to work in a ‘professional’ field again? Questions flooded my mind like an ocean of anxiety. I had never quit a job before, never seen myself as an entrepreneur, and certainly never anticipated leaving such a healthy salary to work in an industry that currently carries a negative connotation — ‘lazy stoners’ were in charge. Although I was afraid, I tried to approach quitting my job with the same analytical skills I gained as a real estate appraiser. I saw the growth potential in the cannabis industry — not to mention the potential for my personal utility — and it began to outweigh my fears. I wanted to venture out into the industry and try something new. As a cannabis user myself, I knew what was missing from my own experiences with the cannabis industry, but I needed to understand the larger market.
Who Uses Cannabis?
In my office of a few dozen people, I knew at least four who were regular cannabis users. I wondered how many others in the office also smoked but remained in the proverbial cannabis closet. I began doing research on who was actually buying cannabis, and the results were surprising. The average age of all medical cardholders in Colorado is 42, and the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health results concluded that the fastest growing group of cannabis users in the U.S. were people born from 1943–1947. The Baby Boomers. In addition to AARP cards, many of them had procured medical cards. The Baby Boomers were blazing up, just like they did as youth in the 60’s and 70’s.
I wanted to venture out on my own, but didn’t know how
This large demographic of cannabis users has grown up. Today, they are far from the stereotypical ‘stoner’ repeatedly portrayed by mainstream media. Most 42 year-old cannabis users aren’t skipping 4th period to smoke under the bleachers, but rather they are parents and working professionals, athletes and artists, politicians and professors — normal people like you and me. Society refuses to admit that these ‘successful stoners’ exist, and businesses refuse to cater to them. I considered my real estate office as the perfect example. How could it be that my co-workers don’t think twice about having a beer with the boss at happy hour, but feel uncomfortable smoking in the same social setting? Even after cannabis became legal in Colorado, I still saw the stigma. I noticed this serious disconnect between the perception and the reality of who uses cannabis, and subsequently discovered my entry into the industry.
Cannabis On the Go
Like most first-time entrepreneurs, I took on a superhero’s schedule: I worked my real estate job by day, and by night I prototyped and tested dozens of product ideas. In a matter of months, I went from questioning the ability to leave my predictable career to sharing laughs and tears with my co-founder as we clung to the rollercoaster of cannabis entrepreneurship.
I drew on my personal experiences with outdoor adventure gear and international travel to create a product that allows people to discreetly carry cannabis while retaining a professional aesthetic. No more pot leaves, no more Rasta colors. Our earliest supporters helped us develop and produce a smell proof stash box that fits in your pocket, and we brought it to market.
After months of working both jobs, I decided to pursue my new business endeavor full time. My resignation was received with a mix of understanding, surprise — even envy. I’ll never forget: one of the executives stepped into my office and asked, “Do you even have the skills to do that?” as if I didn’t have the right to start my own company. That’s when I knew I had made the correct decision.
Plans Become Motion
We took a hard look at the cannabis industry and fine-tuned our approach from every angle. People hate the head shop? Okay, let’s serve our customers via an e-commerce model. People aren’t sure how to use cannabis? Okay, let’s build a blog that has robust educational content. People expect amazing customer service? Agreed, let’s give it to them via 24/7 customer support.
How can I make the cannabis experience better?
I co-founded Black Rock Originals, a company focused on debunking the lazy stoner stereotype. Making the switch to Black Rock full time was not easy, but it was rewarding. Simply creating a product prototype as a self-funded startup took more time, energy, and creativity than I ever expected. “This might be harder than the jobs we just left,” I frequently said to my co-founder. And it was.
Even though I have yet to receive a paycheck, I can sleep well knowing that I am doing my part to propel the industry forward in a positive way and I’m doing so on my own terms as an entrepreneur. Unlike my previous job, I have the capacity to shape the emergence of an industry and redefine what it means to be a cannabis user and not a ‘lazy stoner’. At the end of the day, having a hand in this positive change will always be more fulfilling than closing a big deal for a big paycheck.
And no, I’ve never regretted leaving my corporate career behind.
Words by Nicholas Levich, Edited by Tommy Joyce & Drew Zieff
