Cannabis is no longer a one-man hustle. This is infrastructure season.
You’re not just selling packs — you’re building a business. And that business needs a team that moves like a unit, not a group chat of flaky freelancers.
Let’s break down what real leadership looks like in this space — and why 2024 is the year you build your core team right or get left behind.
1. Know Your Role: Vision, Not Micromanagement
If you’re the leader, stop being the bottleneck.
Your job is direction and velocity — not packaging jars at 2AM.
Operators lead by:
Setting targets that matter (daily revenue, menu drops, reorder timelines)
Building the map, not driving every delivery
Delegating with systems, not guesswork
“If it dies when you step away, it’s not a business. It’s a burnout cycle.”
2. Hire for Function, Not Friendship
Your cousin who’s “down to help” isn’t a logistics manager.
This is not personal. This is business — and the cannabis game demands specialized players.
Build your team like this:
Sales: People who close, not just talk strain names
Inventory/Ops: Detail heads who track every SKU, every drop
Marketing: Someone who can turn a strain into a storyline
Compliance: Non-negotiable. Get this wrong, lose everything.
Stop hiring clones of yourself. Start building a team that completes you.
3. Train Like You’re Building a Franchise
Don’t expect your team to move sharp if your playbook is loose.
The top cannabis teams train like fast-food chains: same result, every time.
How to train them up:
Create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for everything
Roleplay sales convos, menu drops, customer escalations
Incentivize performance, not hours worked
“You’re not a plug. You’re a system. Act like it.”
4. Build Culture, Not Chaos
If your team only shows up when you’re watching, you’ve got fear — not leadership.
Real teams move with pride, not paranoia.
What culture looks like in cannabis:
Weekly team syncs (Zoom or in person)
Celebrate wins (first 10K week, new client, perfect review)
Fix mistakes fast, without blame
No drama. No excuses. Just growth.
5. Let Go to Grow
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
If you can’t trust your team to handle the bag, you’ll never scale past your zip code.
Start small:
Let someone else handle restocks
Let marketing run IG for a week
Let your sales lead close deals solo
Will they mess up sometimes? Yes.
But if you never let them run plays, you’ll always be the floor — never the ceiling.
Ready to Stop Hustling and Start Leading?
- Want the backend built for you?
- Need systems, training, and SOPs that turn your crew into a company?
Visit PassionFarms.org — and let’s turn your team into a movement.
