I’m deep in the valley of California, 6 hours north of Los Angeles. I’m staring out at the vast nothingness before me, and wondering to myself:
“If this guy kills me, nobody would know.”
It’s like a scene from Breaking Bad, the nearest gas station is 3.5 hours away, and there isn’t a soul for miles, not even a bird. No cell phone coverage here.
The wind picks up. It smells fresh. Really crisp, but not biting.
I look over at my soon-to-be business partner. He’s focused… rolling a blunt with fresh tobacco leaves. I watch him as he completes his craft with decades behind those fingers. He licks the edge, flicks the lighter, caresses the underside of the phat doobie with heat until he’s satisfied. Completes with a final tap of approval, and smiles at his product.
In one full movement he magically pulls a switch and palms the end of the stogie and the blade. A solid end is cut off. He smiles again and looks at me and says:
“This is it. This is ours, my friend. Thank you.”
Getting into the Marijuana Business in 2014
I first met “Noelle” while I was doing Certified Scrum and Agile courses in hotels and venues around the world in 2008-2014. I enjoyed traveling to teach and coach as those younger years availed me the privilege and the capacity to do so. He was a manager at one of the hotels I frequently used as I held quarterly classes in his city. In a sentence, he was the best hotel manager I have ever been served by. Period.
In 2013 I learned that he was planning on selling everything he had to buy land out in middle California and get into the gold-rush of the marijuana business. The land was cheap and he had been in the business for many years already. He knew how to grow a great product. He knew his trusted team would put in the work. It’s all they wanted to do: eat, sleep, play, grow, cook, bake, share, and sell marijuana products.
After a two amazing years of hearing quarterly progress as I visited his establishment, it was clear he was executing on his dream. I had also achieved my first acquisition and running my first venture fund by that time, and I had capital to deploy.
He needed money to expand.
I was the right guy at the right time.
Our relationship over the years proved fruitful.
Relationships and Service Got Me into the Weed Business
Long term relationships with men and women who have dreams and go after them are the relationships that profit the most.
You don’t need to invest in them. They don’t need you.
You don’t need to motivate them. They don’t need you.
You don’t need to bother them. They don’t need you.
Now, I made many trips to see the grow, meet the cooks, the engineers, the operations, and appreciate their variety of products. These were men who took so much pride in their operation and product that they were willing to live 3.5 hours away from any civilization to do so.
Investing in them to help them scale absolutely was a sure bet.
The problem was as simple known-known. The relational complications were greased. The county and city are pro-live-and-let-live. Acquiring land and scaling operations was simple money-in and more product out.
Over a Decade in Cannabis Products
The truth is, I’ve never invested in any other cannabis or marijuana product or service companies. This investment was a one-off that continues to pay off.
I invested because I believed in my friend who proved over years that he could do it.
I invested because this gains me access to industry leading information and connected me with amazing networks.
I invested because I deeply care for these men and their families. I’ve met them all, broken bread, and shared life together.
I invested because I’m an introvert-autist/car-fanatic and enjoy long winding roads for hours in the best sports car I can rent testing the limits of grip.
I invested because without light-pollution, in the middle of no-where California, you can see the entire galaxy in HD. It’s simply spectacular, and life changing.
It’s not often that a transactional-relationship turns into an investment, turns into a lifetime of deep relational value at the soul level. Doing life with others is what it’s all about.
We can experience God through other humans in unique situations.
Imagine this:
A cool California night in the San Bernardino valley. Not a soul within hundreds of miles. Warm food, effervescent drink, and tasty treats. Telling stories and sharing life with amazing humans staring at the glass-dome-menagerie-of-lights whispering back to you the echos of eternity on this flat plane…
You feel home.
All the best,
ps
I’m always interested in great ‘alternative’ investments, this one was special.