An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Be professional. A lot of people don’t take this industry seriously because there is still a “stoner” stereotype to it and unfortunately at times that is how people act. I have been astonished by the lack of professionalism I run into and am often told how refreshing it is to be so.
As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emma Davis.
Emma Davis is a 30 year old entrepreneur who followed and combined her passions into an unexpected career. She always thought she would be a veterinarian, but eventually wanted to find a different way to help animals. Over the years she has become heavily involved in animal rescue of various species and holds multiple degrees in Animal Science. She shares about this side of her life to her instagram account @briankangal where she educates people about rescue, animal behavior and life with a wide array of species. When she isn’t working with animals and running her business Mikko’s Choice, you can find her at CrossFit trying to better herself physically and mentally.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry?
When I was 21 a horse bucked me off and I got trampled. I was left with a broken and fused spine and a year long recovery — -along with all the opioids I wanted. Except, I didn’t want them. They made me feel horrible. So, I turned to cannabis. It got me off opioids, eating again and feeling as normal as I could given the circumstances. It really helped curb my nerve and muscle pain as well. That was my first clue to the plant’s medicinal properties. After graduate school, and after I recovered, I was planning to work for a wild horse rescue and advocacy group, but at the same time my wolf hybrid, Mo, was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma. He was given at most three months to live. My brother was already in the industry running his own Cannabis delivery service. He suggested I give Mo a 30:1 CBD:THC tincture. At the time there were no pet CBD brands and if anyone was giving it to their pets, they weren’t talking about it. So, it really was an experiment. I used a human product and dosed him as I would myself, given we weighed the same. He remained happy and doing all the things he loved — -so I knew there was something to the plant and its medicinal benefits for our pets as well. Mo went into remission and lived for four more years. His vets were astonished to say the least. Between my experience with my back and Mo’s experience with cancer I soon became a firm believer in the ways cannabis can help humans as well as their animals and decided to do something about it.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Recently I found out my long-time manufacturer was lying to me. They painted me a big story about how they operated and the standards they held. I even visited their facility and yet their smoke and mirrors got me. They were a leader in the industry, but they fell hard and fast — leaving people like me behind and lawyers involved. That was a moment my company could have gone under as well, but I pivoted. I stood up for myself, held my ground, and got my money back when everyone said it was a lost cause. I used that money to launch my new tincture and get back in business — with new, honest, manufacturing partners. Now I am reaching a whole new market of animals and could not be more excited to do so. At the time it felt like my world was crumbling, but I think it was actually one of the best things that could have happened to my business.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
There have been so many mistakes! In the beginning I had someone ask me if my CBD pellets could help with neck pain, I said yes. They were already giving them to their horse, so I assumed that was who they were talking about. Turns out they were talking about themselves! A few weeks later we ran into each other and they told me how they had been adding the pellets to their smoothies and their neck pain was gone. I stood there with a pretty surprised look on my face and then started laughing and siad “Well, I guess we have confirmation they work!” Luckily, all my products are human grade although I don’t recommend eating the pellets. I learned to dig a bit deeper when someone asks me questions!
Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry?
I have this line I say “I had a job lined up after graduate school, but then I got into weed” and that’s usually a good conversation starter. Honestly, most people are surprised I’m in the industry. When I ask why they usually say something like “You just don’t look like someone who would be.” I suppose you can take that for whatever you want it to mean. I use it to change stereotypes and start conversations.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I definitely would not be in this industry if it wasn’t for my brother. He went out on a huge limb to start his delivery service well before California went recreational, and was of course under medical laws. He started up during my recovery and when my dog was diagnosed with cancer. After my experiences with cannabis helping both myself and my dog, I decided to join forces with my brother. Together, we have navigated starting a delivery service out of our parents garage, managing employees, sourcing products, growing our own plants and everything else that comes with running a business. We have been through thick and thin together due to the sometimes ridiculousness that comes with this industry and I would not have it any other way. He inspires me daily and has supported me from day one as I decided to run Mikko’s Choice solo.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m working on expanding the Mikko’s Choice product line — most recently I launched a 5,000 mg CBD tincture. My goal from day one has been to help people and their pets. I’m honored to say my products do just that. I’m constantly blown away by the testimonials people send me and it’s what keeps me going — -it’s all for them. I’m also working to build out a more robust educational platform about CBD and cannabis for pets. I want Mikko’s Choice to be the place people go for trusted information. In doing so, I believe I can help people become informed consumers which ultimately helps them make better decisions for themselves and their pets.
Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward?
One of the hardest things, and barriers to entry, is finding investors. I think if investors focused on women-run and owned companies it would generate a huge impact. It is also impactful for consumers to know who isehind a brand or company. One way large players in the industry, like Weedmaps and Leafly, can help support women and gender parity would be if they highlighted brands and companies run by women, minorities and members of the LQBTQ communities and encourage customers to purchase from those brands. As for individual consumers, I encourage them to dig deeper into who is behind the products they purchase. No tonly the front-facing people, but also who are their investors and what do all of those people stand for. A lot of companies have multiple brands out on the market that appear to be completely different. They do this to appeal to different consumers, so I encourage those consumers to trace things back a bit to understand who and what they are supporting.
You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.
1. Be professional. A lot of people don’t take this industry seriously because there is still a “stoner” stereotype to it and unfortunately at times that is how people act. I have been astonished by the lack of professionalism I run into and am often told how refreshing it is to be so.
2. You have to be ready to pivot. Laws change all the time and it can upend your entire business. It can be small things to how a product is labeled or major changes to licensing. For example, when California went recreational, it took two years for my brother and I to get a license to operate due to bureaucracy. We had to find other people to share a license with in order to continue operating and that was not an easy task.
3. It is hard to find investment. It may seem like there is a lot of money in the industry and there certainly is, but it’s hard to get it. People will tell you they want to get involved, but it takes a lot for that commitment to come to fruition.
4. For California operators specifically, the battle between the legal and illegal markets is a difficult one. As a legally licensed business, you will lose a lot to the illegal market. Major platforms, like Weedmaps, say they do not support illegal operators and yet they allow them to operate on their platform and take up market share. To the customer, it is often difficult to distinguish where a company lies. From a regulatory standpoint, legal companies pass on major taxes to the consumer — -illegal operators do not. This results in cheaper prices to the consumer and thus many take that route. Again, it is not difficult for an illegal company to operate and that is largely thanks to the way regulations have been set up and are enforced and how things appear to the end users.
5. Start small to prove your concept and place in the market. These days there are a lot of products out there. Pick something you’re passionate about, educated in and can differentiate. This is exactly what I did with Mikko’s Choice. I started with one very specific product, CBD pellets for horses, and keep growing it slow and steady.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?
1. I really truly love the plant and what it can do for people and animals. I’m excited that an entire industry has been brought out of the shadows to do just that — try and help people and animals.
2. Although dealing with change can be difficult, I thrive on it. Things are always in flux as regulations change and new products are brought to market. It’s exciting to see what develops over time.
3. The industry lends itself to entrepreneurs. You can start with a little or a lot and really go any direction you want.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?
1. The integrity of some people. Often as I source products and raw materials I run into people who don’t care much for quality or clean lab results. They’ll use pesticides and consider the product to be clean or fudge test results to show it is. Of course, there will always be a market for low end products but that doesn’t mean they have to be filled with pesticides, heavy metals and molds and that labs should consider these things as “passing.”
2. The hypocrisy of having an entire legal market while people still sit in jail for “drug possession.” Many states have made efforts to let these people out, but it needs to happen in broader terms across the country.
3. Banking. It is incredibly difficult to find safe and consistent banking for businesses. If we are to be considered a true legal industry, then we need to be able to bank like everyone else.
What are your thoughts about federal legalization of cannabis? If you could speak to your Senator, what would be your most persuasive argument regarding why they should or should not pursue federal legalization?
I think it could be a good thing. It would bring this industry out of the shadows and into the normal business world with everyone else. However, it needs to be treated as such. No ridiculous taxes like there currently are — that has been a major downfall to the California industry. If we can get away from the notion that it’s a “drug” and something bad and start treating it as a normal commodity and or a medicine I think that would help business flow a bit smoother. It’s these stereotypes and the notion that it’s ok to be legal if we tax the heck out of it that are a big inheritance to the industry’s success.
Today, cigarettes are legal, but they are heavily regulated, highly taxed, and they are somewhat socially marginalized. Would you like cannabis to have a similar status to cigarettes or different? Can you explain?
It should not be marginalized nor heavily taxed. Cannabis is, generally, much better for people to consume compared to cigarettes and alcohol. A few milligrams or puffs can help take the edge off the day like a glass of wine, without a hangover the next day. Consuming cannabis doesn’t mean someone needs to or should be so high they can’t function, in-fact a lot of products are designed for the opposite effect. One way to help de-marginalize it is to not tax it at such a high rate. This subconsciously tells people it’s a “bad” thing and thus it may never truly emerge out of the shadows and be accepted like grabbing a drink with friends or co-workers. I do think there should be a high standard for quality when it comes to being regulated. Consumers should be aware if they are using a high end or low end product. Many brands today appear to be high end due to their branding, but the quality of their product is actually quite poor. Test results can tell us a lot, but the average consumer doesn’t know enough to understand those past THC or CBD % or milligrams — -some might only care about that and that’s fine, but let’s make it easier for people to understand the differences and lets hold those standards accountable. This is something I strive to do with my company, Mikko’s Choice.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“How you do something when no one is watching is how you do everything.” I’ve always lived by this because it encompasses a lot of other important characteristics of a person. This has been relevant in my life in a lot of ways, but one simple example is taking care of horses. The barn aisle can be a mess, covered in shavings and dust, and maybe no one is around to see you clean it up and maybe no one asked you to…but you do it anyway. You do it because you know it’s the right thing to do and has to be done. To me, it’s about how you operate in the shadows and that says a lot about a person.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Thank you! If people could, as a whole, be kinder to one another and have some empathy for their common human (and animals) we might all get along a bit better. We might all feel a bit more understood and less judged. This might then give someone the courage to share a struggle so someone else can feel supported. This might give someone the courage to start something new, scary and exciting and in turn inspire someone else to do the same. I guess, ultimately, these are things I aim to get across to people as I share my life with animals, rescue and business on Instagram via @briankangal. The DM’s I get are mind blowing and beyond what I could have imagined the impact to be. To me, it’s just simple things that I do and share and I don’t try to hit people over the head with what I just said….but it happens naturally and the ripple effects from that are beautiful to see. I know we can all do it together and for one another.
Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!
Wisdom From The Women Leading The Cannabis Industry, With Emma Davis of Mikko’s Choice was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.