An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Think outside the box. The normal marketing playbook doesn’t really work in cannabis because of the many legalities and restrictions. It is necessary to spend time thinking, experimenting, and failing at new ideas. You may find a nugget of inspiration from experimenting that will help grow and transform your business.
As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon Reed.
Shannon Reed is a brand marketer with a decade of experience building global consumer focused brands. She’s worked on some of the largest brands in the world including Samsung, Google, Tinder and Bacardi. Throughout her career Shannon has focused on marketing based on deep consumer insights, helping to launch first of its kind digital experiences for Google Star Wars as well as Tinder’s Swipe Night. She believes deeply in the power of cannabis to transform people’s lives and as CMO of Omura, she is focused on education and making cannabis more accessible to new consumers.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry?
Thank you for having me! It’s wonderful to be a part of a series highlighting women in the industry. Cannabis and CBD have been a part of my wellness routine since I moved to California in 2014. I’ve truly seen the power of the plant work wonders for family members who were sick and in pain, and I’ve been an advocate for what it can do in my personal life as well. I spent over a decade at marketing and advertising agencies and one of my last roles before joining Omura included bringing the Cresco Labs brand to California. I realized during the project that I truly loved this industry and the people working in this business. When the chance to work with Omura popped up, it was a fantastic opportunity to blend my previous marketing experience in food and technology with my love for a plant and culture that I am truly passionate about.
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?
Our customer feedback often provides the most interesting insights. It’s amazing hearing from consumers and learning how Omura products help them in their everyday lives. We have consumers who use our products for their daily medical conditions and hearing their stories about how Omura’s heat-not-burn technology offers them fast onset relief is the most rewarding part of my job. This can be a volatile industry with a lot of change, but it’s fulfilling to know that you are positively impacting someone’s life.
Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry?
When I started going to cannabis events and bringing home new samples from brands my partner was so excited! He has been incredibly supportive throughout this career change. Now whenever I get home, it’s always about what new innovations I’ve seen and what goodies I have. We also started home growing together and being able to ask amazing farmers and cultivators for growing tips has been so helpful and cool. Everyone I’ve spoken to in the industry has been very kind and open about teaching us how to get the most out of our plants.
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 have had so many amazing female mentors in my life who pushed me to evolve, grow and become a better leader. My previous bosses Yen and Rhea helped me find my voice in large boardrooms filled with executives. They encouraged me to get executive coaching and even made me take vacation time when I needed it. Their guidance and support has had a truly large lasting impact that I can pass on to my own mentees.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Omura is working on several new exciting products this year. We are releasing a new Home Fill system to make it easier for consumers to fill multiple empty flowersticks at once. This new offering will make Omura more accessible and easy to use for consumers who may home grow or buy flower in bulk. I’m really excited to see users experiment with their own recipes and see how they fill their flowersticks.
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?
It’s important to remember that Individuals all have the ability to make more space for women in the industry. Sometimes that’s as easy as making sure there’s space at the table for them, asking their opinion or insisting they join the big meeting to weigh in. Companies can also make female representation a priority by creating a top-down culture that values their input. Omura pursues partnerships with female-owned brands, influencers and content creators. We established a set of criteria for our brand partners and amplifying businesses run by women is a big part of that. As a society, I believe we need to find more ways for female-led businesses to secure funding. The cannabis industry is quite capital intensive. Licenses, permits, and inspections are so time consuming and expensive that it prices people out. We need to find accessible ways for women to operate in the cannabis industry and business world at large.
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.
Get comfortable with change. Regulations are constantly changing in this industry and being able to embrace and pivot is hugely important. Last year, we had a plan to launch in Michigan and unfortunately the products got caught up in the state’s testing process. It significantly pushed our launch out, but we persevered and will now be launching this year.
Pick Others Up. This industry is still relatively new and small. It can be overwhelming and being able to help someone make a connection or help them out of a difficult situation with skills you’ve learned in your own development always ends up being paid forward.
Keep some CBD on you for events. This is a pro-tip I learned at my first cannabis event. All the OGs had CBD tinctures in their pockets to help keep everything grounded during the event.
Think outside the box. The normal marketing playbook doesn’t really work in cannabis because of the many legalities and restrictions. It is necessary to spend time thinking, experimenting, and failing at new ideas. You may find a nugget of inspiration from experimenting that will help grow and transform your business.
Talk to People. Nearly everyone I have met in this industry is kind, thoughtful and will take time to have a conversation with you. Whether it’s farmers with their grow operation or budtenders at dispensaries telling you what consumers are really interested in. Take 5 minutes and ask some questions. You will be amazed at what you will learn.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?
Expansion, education, and research. As more states legalize, more people are gaining access to safe and consistent products and recognizing the power of the plant. At this moment, many new consumers are still struggling with understanding the cannabis plant. I think as more people have access, we will need to improve education so people understand it and use it correctly. In the industry, we already have conversations around more nuanced topics like major and minor cannabinoids and terpenes. As consumers become more familiar with the industry, we should bring them along the journey and help them learn about the complexities of the plant. As legalization becomes more of a reality, we will have more significant scientific research on cannabis. With that knowledge, I believe we will see reforms in our criminal justice system that will undo many of the damages created by the War on Drugs.
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?
Considering how expensive it can be to operate on the plant-touching side of the industry, it’s important to find new ways to make this space more accessible for entrepreneurs who don’t have access to capital.
I would also love to see reforms put in place so that businesses can operate with more freedom. Whether it’s the SAFE Banking Act, allowing the use of credit cards at the dispensary or posting images of cannabis online without accounts being removed from social media. These are the issues that really matter for a lot of small businesses just trying to make it.
Sustainability is a growing issue for brands, and we should start developing more forward-thinking solutions to comply with certain packaging and cultivation regulations that further contribute to the waste created by the industry. As a brand focused on sustainability, Omura is consistently trying to make sure that we offer high-quality products and safe packaging that also minimizes our environmental footprint.
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 believe that we need federal legalization in order for this business to be sustainable and economically viable. The benefit of living in California is that both our senators are pro-legalization. However, I think the more important issue is how we legalize this industry. When the time comes, regulators need to ensure that small farmers and brands aren’t priced out of the market or unable to participate because of licensing and regulatory barriers.
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?
In my personal opinion, I think we should look at cannabis in a holistic way since there are so many applications. Many forms of cannabis (and hemp CBD) are not inhalable and have medical benefits, unlike cigarettes. Additionally, taxes and regulations for adult-use products share more similarities with alcohol. Lawmakers should implement a broader framework as the industry’s knowledge of cannabis’ medical and adult-use benefits deepens and adapt these regulations accordingly.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Don’t believe everything you think.” In the cannabis industry, everything is changing constantly. It can be tough not to get bogged down or disappointed based on what happens. It is important to realize that your internal narrative may not be a reflection of the whole external narrative. Focus on what you can change and influence and don’t worry about the rest.
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. 🙂
I am part of the movement I feel most strongly about. The growth of the cannabis industry continues for both medical and adult use purposes and has real potential to heal people and offer better alternatives while creating new jobs and stimulating local economies. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years in the industry looks like in the US and globally! We are so lucky to be where we are today in California, and it is our aspiration and passion to promote the growth of the cannabis industry and legalization in the rest of the world.
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 Shannon Reed of Omura was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.