Image credit: Heath Korvola | Getty Images
Women have moved into the marijuana industry in impressive numbers, making up a large segment of both customers of the product and the entrepreneurs producing it.
One study showed that women make up 36 percent of the executives in the marijuana industry, with the numbers especially high in cannabis testing labs, marijuana infused-products businesses and ancillary cannabis ventures.
Against that backdrop, women in the cannabis industry from around the country plan to come to Los Angeles on July 22 for the Cannabis Business Women’s Empowerment Summit.
“There are more women leaders in the cannabis industry than any other industry,” the summit’s site states. “However, there is still much work to be done.”
Issues Women Face
The marijuana industry, still very much in its early days, does offer a wealth of opportunity for entrepreneurs. But while the number of women leaders in the marijuana industry is impressive, they still can face the same sort of “glass ceiling” issues they face in other areas.
The event this month in Los Angeles is geared toward pairing women who are entering the cannabis business with mentors who have already achieved a great deal of success. Every woman attending the conference will be put into groups lead by mentors.
Those invited to speak and/or mentor include Sara Batterby, president and CEO of HiFi Farms in Oregon; Celeste Miranda, founder of The Cannabis Marketing Lab in California; Ariel Clark of the Clark Neubert law firm that specializes in the cannabis business with offices in Santa Monica and San Francisco; and Alexis d’Angelo, a Los Angeles-based technology expert and vice president of Business Development at Women Grow.
The topic focus for the panel discussions offers a clear indication of the issues women face. They include:
- Challenges and business successes. A panel of successful women in the marijuana industry discuss the challenges they overcame, including getting funding, to succeed in the industry.
- Negotiating Your Worth. Offering insights into negotiating sales, business development and laws governing negotiations.
- Being Assertive. Tips on how to become more assertive and “learning how to say no.”
More Resources
The summit in Los Angeles is just one of many efforts taking place across the cannabis industry to encourage and support both new entrepreneurs and those already in the industry.
For example, LIV Advisors, which is hosting the summit, offers a podcast in which they interview women in the industry. And Los Angeles-based Women Abuv Ground seeks to bring together women in the cannabis industry, including meet ups held at various locations on investing in cannabis and marijuana-related business opportunities. One is scheduled for August in Atlanta.
Simone Cimiluca-Radzins, co-founder of LIV Advisors, also has hosted a number of videos on the cannabis business, including business formation, development and taxes, including the Coffee & Cannabis series.
Link – Entrepreneur
