Lit Up Founders
Lit Up Founders: A show about the entrepreneurial pioneers of the Modern Cannabis Industry and the Organizations they are building. Each episode features the founder themself, sharing their journey in creating the most impactful ideas in Modern Cannabis.
Episodes
June 9, 2021 • 64 min
During Kevin’s Eagle Scout project, he learned a great deal about communicating effectively. As an able bodied person at the age of 14, he led and mentored deaf and blind scouts for a year. It was then, and continues to be, a very impactful experience in his life.
It was in a programming class in college that Kevin found a passion and love for technology. From never being in the library prior, to practically living there! After com...
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May 26, 2021 • 64 min
As a kid who grew up with the D.A.R.E program, to becoming co-founder of a first mover in the cannabis investment space, Emily Paxhia has had quite a life and Founders Journey.
Growing up, she found an early passion in the rough sport of sailing. Predominantly a “boys sport”, her father reassured her that gender was a false barrier in pursuing her passions. She went on to skipper many, many crews, and so much more.
A series of tra...
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December 7, 2020 • 65 min
The ability to step away and see the big picture is essential as a leader. It’s what allows you to work on the business so you can then then work in the business. As a leader, you have to be able to see the broad view, to formulate a theory, develop strategies, and finally assemble and inspire your team to get there; time & time again.
Today’s guest exemplifies just that. Through a fundamental belief that business is a series o...
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November 24, 2020 • 65 min
Our guest today is a 3rd generation female entrepreneur. Gregarious by nature, nurtured by her her entrepreneurial parents, she confirmed her calling when High School C's turned into University A's in Public Relations courses.
Rosie Mattio took the initiative. To step up when her boss moved on, to step out on her own to support family moves, to step into being a mother of four. She stepped up when her Husbands startup need...
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October 27, 2020 • 82 min
My guest today is a recent founder of not one, but two companies focusing on Intellectual Property related Cannabis.
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Dr Hunt shares a tremendous amount of insight and knowledge on plant IP and Cannabis in this episode. What I loved most about Dr Hunt's Founder's Journey is that there are many times where he identified what he found interesting, and chose to follow that curiosity. Please enjoy the Founder's Journey ...
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October 12, 2020 • 58 min
Builders are masters at process. They see the big picture, they deconstruct, they learn, they rebuild it better. From his childhood playing with Legos, to building service businesses as a young adult, and huge pivot to Wall Street building deals; Christopher Galvin loves to learn and build. A very successful early career earned him retirement in Scottsdale at only 42! It wasn’t long before Christopher got the urge to build again. H...
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September 22, 2020 • 61 min
One of the most important rules in business is to know your numbers. Numbers are part of nearly every business school case study as they help tell the story: Where is money coming from? Where is it going? Those are the basics. Today’s story is about how one entrepreneur, searching for clues to steer a stalled business, was able to read the numbers to uncover their best customers. What resulted not only saved the business, but chang...
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August 27, 2020 • 71 min
It’s so refreshing when you meet someone who understands what fulfills them and is actually doing it! It’s their calling. They’re mission driven. That is especially true for today’s guest: Mara Gordon, Co-Founder of Aunt Zelda’s.
The drive to care for a loved one is a very powerful force. Mara, confronted with the challenge of helping her husband, when traditional methods had failed, turned to Cannabis. The impact was immediate, ...
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June 13, 2020 • 66 min
Before Eric Schnell was actually Eric, he attended Woodstock… in utero. Raised by his hippie parents in the Boston area; his early years were in an Ashram. The respect for our bodies, animals, and the Earth, were values embedded early, and consistently, in his life. Seeds for becoming an entrepreneur were planted early on too: Once, as a punishment, his Mom withheld allowance; his 8 year old self was so upset by this, he vowed to n...
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June 2, 2020 • 83 min
Growing up in suburban Georgia, Kat Merryfield took early influence from her entrepreneurial father and nurturing mother. Personality traits of studiousness, curiosity, and drive came to accompany her introverted tendencies. As a young Mother with a sick child, the accepted western therapy for her daughter left her at a disadvantage. Seeking out alternatives, a natural option presented a cure. Enlightened by that experience, Kat fo...
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May 14, 2020 • 50 min
For many business owners, Payroll & Benefits management are a common core part of starting a business. Employees & Taxes need to be paid, laws need to be followed; those are the basics. There are any number of vendors offering those services who will come knocking at your door the moment you register a new business. That's just not the case in the Cannabis Industry.
A chance encounter on a Southwest Flight led today...
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April 22, 2020 • 59 min
What does reselling used golf balls, organizing weekend trips for college students, and fundraising for alumni relations have in common? They are just some of the things Entrepreneur Karson Humiston did before founding the go-to recruiting platform in Cannabis; Vangst.
Joining us from Denver in March of 2020, Karson shares her founder's journey of hustle and perseverance turning a stack of business cards made in her college d...
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April 11, 2020 • 46 min
Catching the entrepreneurial drive early, Cy Scott's first venture was selling Jolly Ranchers on the school bus back in 5th grade. This funded his love of playing video games at his family's store, seeding an early interest in Entrepreneurship and Technology.
In the nascent days of the Modern Cannabis Industry, Cy Co-Founded Cannabis Education Site Leafly back in 2010. Starting as a side hustle, Cy and his co-founders grew...
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March 21, 2020 • 67 min
Socrates Rosenfeld, Co-Founder & CEO of Jane Technologies, shares with us how Grape Jolly Ranchers, The Allman Brothers Band, and Love, all inspired him. This West Point Graduate, Apache Pilot, and MIT Graduate made a big pivot in creating Cannabis Tech startup Jane Technologies. Today they are the Largest Retail eCommerce Platform in Cannabis, creating a the new retail for dispensaries, their patients and customers. Here is hi...
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February 24, 2020 • 74 min
Today we welcome Beryl Solomon, who shares her candid journey of the challenges she faced in researching natural remedies to improve her health and wellness. This journey inspired her to create the experience she wanted, but didn't exist. Applying her skills from a 15 year career in fashion, leaving her position as CEO of a fashion startup, to create Poplar, self described as the “Net-a-Porter” of legal cannabis. Currently sell...
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January 19, 2020 • 42 min
When you’re assembling the team for your next Cannabis project, often you’ll need to bring in qualified people with industry experience, on a project or freelance basis. But who to trust? Where to find them? Enter Mary’s List. Since 2018, Mary’s List, at maryslist.co, has run an active Newsletter connecting those in need, with those that can, for the Cannabis Industry.
I’m your host, Brian Weber. In this episode we’re welcoming
D...
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January 2, 2020 • 37 min
"It's challenging for Cannabis Brands to efficiently connect with Dispensaries. This is especially true for smaller and startup brands with limited resources to spend on the traditional sales and fulfillment process. Getting the brand message and product benefits to store associates can make or break a Products, and potentially a Brands success. In turn, Brands getting product feedback, is traditionally rare and anecdotal a...
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April 30, 2019 • 44 min
Likely, the first technology choice of a dispensary is the POS system. It’s the hub of your inventory, processes all revenue, and source for all reporting. Many of these systems have integration partners that further extend their capabilities. The Cannabis industry now has many POS providers, but, how to choose the right one for your Dispensary? We'll dive deep with Matt in how he and his team chose a POS for their Dispensary; ...
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April 18, 2019 • 43 min
Technology plays a big roll in running a dispensary. Inventory Management, Compliance Reporting, and the Actual Selling, amongst others, all rely on the technology the owners choose. Making the right decision can have a big impact on the success of the dispensary. Those decisions can be very daunting, especially for those who are not techies. In this episode Matthew discusses his background, growing up in a family business, startin...
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April 15, 2019 • 51 min
"Because it’s too hard for two highly regulated industries — legal cannabis-related businesses and financial institutions — to connect. A volatile mix of local, state, federal and banking laws and regulations make relationships difficult. Compliance and reporting can be overwhelming for both parties. Many financial institutions have steered clear of this new business opportunity, intimidated by the potential risk of tainted fun...
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