In the big picture, everyone who calls our office wants the same thing: to grow their cannabis company or venture. More times than not, this call is from a Solopreneur. So, I thought I’d write a few quick words about this.
3 Steps to Grow Your Cannabis Venture
- Be aware of what’s around you.
- Get all the relevant information into one place where you can evaluate what you can actually do.
- Then conduct an experiment and be ready to fail.
If you are a one or two person show and you want to focus on growth, how do you even get started, when you don’t have resources like Marley?
Well, the biggest difference is that Marley can run more experiments than you can. If you are a one or two person team just getting started, you need to find new customers. Period.
Listen, let your prospects talk more than you. They will tell you how to grow. This is so simple and something this industry needs to improve upon.
ASK people what words they would use to search for you if they couldn’t remember your name or your company’s name. Don’t guess or assume your keywords. Ask and you will get them. This doesn’t have to be and should not be a guessing game. People will tell you your keywords, simply ask what they would search for to find you.
When you are launching a new product, go out and sign up for your competitors website lists and then pay attention. Look at the words they use, the strategies they employ. It’s not about stealing this stuff. It’s about observing and reporting. Capture all of it in a document then figure out how to do it better. Learn from what already exists. You would be surprised at what this young cannabis industry has already churned out. More than likely, you aren’t the first with whatever idea it is you have.
Focus on your current customers. Don’t have any new customers? Use Amazon Turk. Pay $5 for 15 minutes of an analysis from a potential customer.
Common Pitfalls in a One-Person Show
Well, first don’t be busy and not productive. Learn how to say no to some things. Your calendar needs to breathe. You can’t bounce around town drinking 10 cups of coffee with people who are not going to add growth to your business. Also, don’t spend time getting deeper and deeper into a situation that is not going to pay off. Find what you can to automate things. It will free up your time to get creative.
When you are a one-person show you have to be efficient and productive. Time is all you have.
Prefer being direct. Prefer brevity.
Prefer success in this emerging industry. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.