How to Survive and Thrive in the Cannabis Industry with Los Arias

In this conversation with Los Arias, the Roots to Risk team learns about Los’s personal and professional journey in cannabis. Los provides great insight into how he and his team have positioned their company, Green Horizons, to survive the current turmoil within the industry and how they plan on thriving in the future.

 

About Los Arias

Carlos “Los” Arias, J.D., is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Green Horizons, a large-scale cannabis business in Coachella, California in partnership with Tommy Hilfiger. Arias is also the Principal at Psychedelics Now, a consultancy & holding company focused on the emerging psychedelics sector, that is the largest shareholder in Psychedelia Magazine & Psychedelics Today, respectively.

 Arias’s mission in life is to impact the planet as an advocate for natural medicine and wellness. Arias is a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, and moreover has trained with multiple plant and amphibian medicine modalities in Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Africa.

Arias’s core modalities are Ayahuasca, Kambo, 5-MeO-DMT (Sonoran Desert Toad and Phalaris Grass), Psilocybin, and Peyote. As a result of his lifelong interest in natural medicine and the socio-political issues associated with plant prohibition, Arias focuses his professional energy on the regulated cannabis and emerging psychedelics and wellness sectors.

Transcription:

Eric:

This is The Roots to Risk Podcast hosted by Eric Schneider, alongside Isaac Bach. Roots To Risk brings you insights, the latest stories, and long form discussions about the cannabis industry. You’ll hear interviews with industry leaders and their perspective on current and future trends, how they’ve built success and what challenges they have faced. Our goal is to facilitate candid conversations and provide informative content for the cannabis community at large. Let’s go. How we doing everybody? This is Eric Schneider.

Eric:

I’m with my co-host Isaac Bach with the Roots to Risk Podcast. We have an unbelievable person on deck Los Arias. Um, for those of you that don’t know Los, he is, uh, you know, truly an inspirational guy, an absolute energy factory, and, uh, we’re super excited to have him on here today. So, Carlos Arias is a, he’s the founder and chief executive officer of Green Horizons, which is a large scale cannabis business in Coachella, California. In partnership with Tommy Hilfiger Arias is also the principal at psychedelics now a consultancy and holding company focused on the emerging psychedelic sector that is the largest shareholder in Psychedelia Magazine and psychedelics today.

Eric:

Super excited to have Los here, Isaac, you know, Los, uh, through the trailblazer days.

Isaac:

Can’t, can’t wait. The guy’s going to give us all the energy for the rest of the day, and honestly, I just, I’m excited to hear him talk about his story and, uh, provide some nice inspiration for the listeners.

Eric:

No, and, and I’m excited too, cuz we, you know, we know him and, and the project that he’s working on right now, but I’m, I’m super excited to understand his origins, you know, how he got into the industry and, uh, and really how that’s shaped who he is today and, and as a leader of Green Horizons.

Isaac:

Absolutely. Yeah. Let’s, uh, let’s bring him up.

Eric:

What’s going on, Los? How we doing? We’re here on The Roots to Risk Podcast, episode two with, uh, one of my favorite people, you know, truthfully in the industry. Um, just a, an overall great no problem being, you know, personally, you know, Los, after all this working together, you know, can, can confidently, uh, say that we’re, we’re now friends, which is, which is even better. Um, you know, would love to just hear a little bit about you, what you’re, what you’re doing in the space. Sure. You know, talk a little bit about Green Horizons and the projects.

Eric:

Oh, God

Los:

Bless. Lord, guys, thank you on your so much for, for having me, and, uh, incredible that you’re, you’re doing this and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it. So thank you. And you know, for me guys, you know, uh, my personal story and my professional story are, uh, hopelessly entwined. You know, I, I’ve been in love with plant medicine for many years. I’m half Brazilian. Uh, so really my introduction to plant medicine was with indigenous plants like ayahuasca, uh, and their ilk and those experiences and having access to those medicines early were, were transformative for me.

Los:

And, and also led to a love of cannabis. And that was a love affair that started very young too. Um, you know, just really kind of, uh, exploring the notion of having a green thumb, you know, working with the plant in that capacity, becoming a sort of a hobbyist and, and a cultivator in that sense.

Los:

Um, my journey professionally started in Colorado, uh, with River Rock. Um, I was one of the owners of that business. It was the first, uh, mover, uh, in that state with, uh, cultivation and retail assets in the greater Denver area. And that’s where I cut my teeth. Uh, you know, I really kind of learned what this was all about, uh, from a regulatory perspective and the advantages and disadvantages of being early. So those were good lessons. I was also a first mover in California back in 17.

Los:

I got one of the first cultivation licenses, um, in the city of Cathedral City in the Desert Valley, Coachella Valley, um, 20,000 square foot, uh, indoor cultivation. Um, it became known for some ultra premium, high quality cannabis top shelf. And we were the fuel. And that facility continues to be the fuel, uh, for, uh, top brands in the space.

Los:

And that was my entrance into California cannabis on the regulated side. I exited from that asset probably about a year ago to focus squarely on Green Horizons, which has been my baby and that of my partners Michael Mead and Tommy Hilfiger. You know, it’s an ambitious project. Um, guys, you know, million square feet all in, in the city of Coachella proper. Um, my co-founder, Michael Mead, uh, was really the lead energy on that side of things.

Los:

He’s got a background in real estate, uh, development and commercial brokerage, and has been in the Desert Valley for about 20 years. Um, so he saw it. How did you We met through a mutual friend, um, an attorney named Joseph Ray, who was an incredible guy. And Joseph and I had met in an ayahuasca ceremony, um, at an undisclosed location. Wow.

Isaac:

K Crager bong

Los:

There. You know, you go through an experience that that was somebody, you, you’re gonna get somewhere, you know? And at the time, I was active in Colorado and interested in making a move to California on, on the cannabis side. And, uh, Joe, uh, was, and still is a defense attorney in that sector. And he was like, well, man, you should meet Michael meet, you know, and they were buddies. So he connected us and mi Michael and I were fast friends. Uh, we actually, before we ever did business together, we, we got into doing plant medicine together.

Los:

We, we also sat in several ayahuasca ceremonies together, and, you know, the bonds are formed in that setting for sure. So, you know, he schooled me to what he was doing on, on, on the Coachella side of things like, man, you know, I got this vision for scale.

Los:

He had been an early, um, you know, prop two 15 guy as well, you know, he actually had the first cultivation and retail licenses in Riverside County, going back to like oh six. So he was a legacy cannabis guy in California, in the desert. He was also a real estate tycoon. He really, you know, talk about a, a self-made guy. He, he built an empire out there with, with his development and, and brokerage interests. And he’s like, look man, I see this industry going, uh, towards the way of commoditization.

Los:

My vision is ultra low cogs. He gave me some compelling reasons why Coachella in terms of, uh, advantages with power, water, local government, things like this that I’m happy to expound on, and connecting that square footage to a house of brands. And I had had some experience working with some high profile brands going back to Colorado and, and other sectors there. And I was like, I think I can help you. So we joined forces and I was lucky enough to befriend, uh, the Hilfiger family through, uh, other misadventures also with plant medicine.

Los:

You know, surprise, surprise. You, you notice a theme here, you know, it all comes back to the plant. <laugh>.

Eric:

Yeah. It’s,

Los:

It all comes back to the

Eric:

Plant. It’s crazy just how the path, like how you, like, how you navigate. I think I, I, I truthfully think it’s cuz people gravitate towards you one, and like you’re, oh,

Los:

Thank you, man,

Eric:

You’re contagious, brother. You know? Uh, and, and it’s just, it’s just cool. I love hearing about people’s stories and, and where they’ve, you know, where they’ve come from and where they are at today, and just the relationship are built along the way.

Los:

It’s a brother man. And, uh, I feel the same way about you guys and a great many people in our industry. I think people that are drawn to this industry, particularly after we’ve all learned that it’s very challenging. Like, there’s nothing easy about what any of us do. And, and we nurture and support each other in the ways that we do, you know, we’re doing it for some other reason, right? It’s not just profit motive. In, in the case of Michael and I specifically, and I would even say, uh, Tommy as well, um, it, it really is a love of the plant.

Los:

Michael and I, uh, are each cancer survivors, which was another formative part of our relationship and path individually and collectively, and Cannabis Ayahuasca combo, um, really played an instrumental role in our respective recoveries and really in our perspective and vision for everything.

Los:

Which, you know, I think makes a lot of sense just on its face. And we looked at each other and said, look, man, you know, this happened to us for a reason. We were in each other’s lives while this all went down for a reason. And we sort of were forged in the fire in that way. And, and we really were intent on building something iconic and powerful. And it’s, it’s why we’ve, uh, taken five and a half, six years to sort of incubate what this vision is for Green Horizons and what we’re doing with Boast and Tommy.

Los:

Like, we were not interested in being like a pump and dump, you know, California 2017, 18 Canadian r t o play. We had a lot of offers to that effect, but because Michael owns the real estate, um, and we had the staying power to be patient, we said, you know, we we’re gonna go long and, and we’re really gonna be, uh, you know, meticulous about what we put together here.

Los:

And it’s really paid off in Spades, man. We’re about to launch the first a hundred thousand square feet of the campus. We have what we think is a really compelling strategy with the Boas brand, which is a storied apparel brand, uh, from Tommy’s portfolio that we’re crossing over as a cannabis c p g play. And I think with the rumblings of interstate commerce, you know, the sort of direction of where things are gonna go in the coming years, you know, a third mover advantage, uh, thesis is what we’ve espoused internally.

Los:

And a lot of people thought we were crazy along the way, and it’s, you know, starting to look like maybe we were smarter than some people thought. And, you know, also lucky, you know, I’d rather be lucky than good any day. But I think a combination of both is, uh, is particularly good. So we’re grateful, man, we’re grateful to be aligned with people like you, uh, all the other great collaborators from the industry, from Trailblazers, you know, all the great people at Green Street Flower Hire, you know, all of them, like, uh, it’s a community and we’re just happy to be a part of it and to bring some value to it.

Eric:

Yeah. Now I’ve actually been time with Rama and I know, uh, from Green Street, we’re definitely coming out there and, and checking the, the location out and, and doing something at that, at that facility. Um, I guess like, you know, from your perspective, you talk about the third mover advantage and, and kind of your ethos. What are you seeing in your, in the market right now? You know, just like based off your expertise, you know, where the current state of the industry is and you know, maybe where you’re seeing it going in the next

Los:

Thank you, brother. Great question. Well, interesting. In California, uh, it’s interesting you’ve seen, and, and part of this is, uh, disheartening in, in a sense, you know, you’ve seen the evisceration of the small craft farmer, uh, the legacy set, particularly up in Humboldt. And, and that part of the state, uh, have been really, uh, you know, adversely impacted. And it’s a litany of reasons. I don’t think there’s any one actor or factor to blame. You know, I think Flo’s been a few stories about that lately is a great example of sort of good intentions gone wrong and a thesis that sounded good back in cannabis 1.0 that didn’t play out.

Los:

And, you know, I think the lesson to take away there is ultra low cogs in a commoditized market is the only way to survive and thrive. And you need to have, um, compelling strategy of what you’re gonna be doing with the material, whether you’re a cultivator or a manufacturer.

Los:

And conversely, if you’re on the brand side and your asset light, what a lot of those, I would say the vast majority of them are learning, is it’s important to have some control over your supply chain, if not complete control for purposes of consistency. And, you know, uh, we’re trying to strike a balance in the middle between ultra low cogs infrastructure and connecting that to a CPG house of brands. So we’re splitting the difference. We did it backwards, uh, from say, brands that are shot out of the gate and now, you know, have brand recognition, but are struggling with consistency.

Los:

We focus on the infrastructure first, laying that foundation and coming out of the gate with our brand play with consistency, we think that mid to long term, the turtle will win the race in that sense, and, and that’ll be the winning move. So, you know, just our personal take on things, and I, I, I guess you’ve also seen, uh, operators, uh, you know, there’s a big reduction in canopy now in California, and that’s been born of operators just giving up, not renewing licenses, you know, the volitional decision to not renew.

Los:

And that’s born of market factors, including of course that they just can’t compete. And the next cliff to come, which also is a huge factor in our third mover thesis at Green Horizons, is the disparity between provisional licenses and state annual licenses. So currently right now in the state in California, 52% of cultivation licenses are provisionals In order to convert those licenses into annual licenses, there, those, uh, licensees are gonna have to meet all the requirements of C Q A, the environmental, you know, uh, requirements.

Los:

It’s a very expensive proposition, and most companies haven’t properly allotted for that and planned for it. So we expect another drastic, um, you know, reduction in canopy, which will play into our thesis quite nicely. Uh, green Horizons today, uh, we have Allstate annual licenses and are, and are 100% compliant with squa. So again, we did it backwards, we did all of that first, and, you know, it cost us millions of dollars.

Los:

And that’s been a challenge too, I guess in my journey. First off, convincing people of that vision without revenue, right? Because you can’t generate revenue until you’re operating, but how can you operate if you’re not a first mover, right? So it’s a bit of a paradigm there, but thankfully we were able to, uh, align with, uh, sophisticated investors who saw that vision. We’ve raised millions of dollars and we were able to pay for all that stuff upfront and position ourselves at this point to sort of hit the ground running.

Los:

So I think, uh, prices are already up on cultivation about 20, 30%, uh, at the top shelf even more, you know, 50 to a hundred percent in some cases. And I think you’ll see, uh, operators who have cracked that code with ultra low cogs continue to thrive, and you’ll see folks that can’t figure that out no longer be in the market.

Los:

That’s the California prognosis. Insofar as like brand and sort of the national landscape, I was really, um, persuaded by a recent year end report that I read, read from Bengal Capital. I’d really encourage, uh, the reader, the, the viewership here to check that out if, if you can have access to it. It really talked about, uh, the MSO landscape on the national level. And even that, uh, sort of the pitfalls of that strategy, meaning first movers at the MSO level, what they’ve really proven themselves good at was, uh, raising capital and winning licenses.

Los:

What they haven’t done so well with is actually operating their businesses. So when you look at their cogs and those different elements from a sort of operational perspective, not so good. And, and they make a case in the newsletter about sort of, you know, the scrappier smaller operators winning out in the end because they’re able to operate facilities much more efficiently.

Los:

I thought that that was really compelling, man. And sort of the, uh, obsession with limited license states. Like I’ve heard so many people talk about, oh, you’re in California, the oversupply, you know, you’re crazy. Why aren’t you looking at, you know, these limited license markets? And I thought that the Bengal piece really captured that well, essentially what they put forth was it, it’s kind of a misnomer. Um, the, the surplus revenue that is captured in the, in the, in that period where the market is restricted, that evaporates once more.

Los:

Uh, you know, operators come online, particularly if the MSOs themselves aren’t good operators, it’s, um, it’s not a strategy that’s sustainable. So you get an early lead, it’s like, uh, running a race where at the very beginning you come out and you sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint, but it’s a 10 mile run and you run out of gas at mile two.

Los:

What happens at mile three through 10, right? And I was like, wow, that’s, um, so it, it was sort of a, a third mover thesis analysis, but at the MSO level, taking into account the national landscape, I thought that that was fascinating. I hadn’t truthfully told, committed so much thought to to that because I’ve been so hyper-focused on California with that thesis, but it made me feel a lot better. And I was quick to, uh, to share that with a lot of our investors and partners, you say, Hey man, this is actually gonna play out for us as well at the national level.

Los:

So, you know, that that’s what I think you’ll see a lot of, um, the interstate stuff I think is gonna take a little bit longer than most hope, but you might see a brave operator, you know, find a dance partner in New Jersey, in Oregon and, and Wright in one of these places and sort of, uh, push the envelope and see if the courts, uh, will duke it out.

Los:

And that that could be a resolution, uh, you know, towards some clarity on that issue. So, you know, fascinating times ahead, you gotta stay lean and mean, you gotta stay disciplined in your approach. And, uh, I think the operators that are not only really good at what they do, but are connected to culture and have learned that making friends is a very good business model. Thi this isn’t an industry, and I think there’s plenty of examples that prove this. Folks that come in and wanna be the 800 pound gorilla and not play nice with their neighbors, that doesn’t work in cannabis.

Los:

You gotta be able to really connect with the community and bring value. And I think also not look at relationships as transactional. You know, you gotta make friends, and if you can help people, even if they’re competitors, air quotes, you should. And that’s something that we’ve really espoused internally, and it’s actually a, a big precept of how I live my life. Like you do good by people, and you put out that good energy, it’s gonna come back to you in ways that astound you. And I’ve been blessed with that over and over and over again with different colleagues and partners in this space.

Los:

So that’s sort of the secret sauce and the magnetism at, at our company, and we look to share that far and wide as much as we can.

Eric:

Yeah. How, how do you, um, you know, as you guys like launch and, and like, how, how are you planning to keep that culture in the organization, you know, as you guys grow and scale? Yeah, I think, you know, it’s something that Isaac and I we battle with as well as, you know, we’re continuing to grow the team is, you know, you have this foundational ethos and, and how do you keep that momentum in the team as it That’s a great question. As

Los:

It expands, you know, brother and, uh, it, it does get more challenging at scale for sure. Um, I think it’s just like, uh, just bringing it back to the fundamentals. Like it, it’s a top town, uh, up, uh, uh, bottom up dynamic. Like, it, it’s gotta exist at every facet of the organization. And, you know, at least with the sort of small team that we’ve had so far, but it’s, you know, growing by the week as we get ready to launch. You know, it’s just trying to be as personable and as connected as possible, like putting in systems that allow for transparency.

Los:

One of the big things that we talk about internally at GH is good ideas, um, can come from anywhere in the organization. Like everybody has access to, you know, uh, speaking up and, and letting their voice be heard. And, and that’s really important.

Los:

So, you know, uh, in our view of it, it’s, uh, be a good human being. Let that, uh, permeate throughout the organization through every touchpoint. You know, be really careful and judicious about the people that you put in power management, sort of the gateways to communication and, you know, you just gotta stay on top of it, uh, like anything else and put people first. And, you know, I’d be happy to, uh, check in with you guys as we continue to scale and grow, and happy to take advice from anybody who’s got tips on that too, right?

Los:

It’s, uh, we’re always learning, but, um, as the CEO of Green Horizons, and I know my partners, uh, agree through and through that will be something that will set us apart. Like, people are gonna want to work with us because of how it feels at our organization.

Los:

It’s happening now. People love coming to work. You know, we have sort of an orientation regimen where anybody who comes to work with us, like there’s like a legitimate sit down of like, Hey, man, this isn’t just like a job, you know, here’s the story of the founders. Here’s what we’re trying to do. And where I take it with people personally, and, you know, people either jive with it or they don’t, is yes, this is a business and we’re gonna bring that discipline, but it’s also fun. You know, we want you to bring that, that flavor to work and really, you know, express yourself in that way.

Los:

It, it, it, I think it adds vibrancy and authenticity to the culture. And we’re doing this for an elevated purpose. Ultimately, it’s about, uh, proliferating plant medicine, which in turn we believe, uh, contributes to the uptick of human consciousness and, and connectivity. And that’s what, of course, these plants, uh, do, they connect us to ourselves and to each other. So there, there’s an energy to that. And so far, we’ve been really lucky in, in hiring some great people. And, uh, more and more people seem to be reaching out every day, which is a real, uh, flattering, uh, you know, dynamic that, that we take to heart.

Los:

And, uh, we’ll look to nurture that every way that we can and, um, you know, try to stay on top of it every day.

Isaac:

<laugh> now. And I think, um, you know, one of the things you said that’s very important for every company that’s growing is how are you going about picking the, you know, next group of leaguers within the organization? I think that’s honestly one of the hardest parts of building a team is dispersing that, you know, from below the founders who have the vision to the next layer of like, yeah, we,

Los:

We do it by committee, my man, great question, uh, brother, you know, first off, every human, uh, that is going to work with us, not for us, with us, we look at everybody like partners, that that’s the vibe. I meet with them. Like they, they’re gonna have their time with me and my time with them. And I look forward to that. And, you know, we’ve, uh, got into a place now where we do have sort of, you know, quote unquote upper management, you know, department heads, you know, so for example, on the cultivation side or director of cultivation, Dylan Patterson will be involved with that.

Los:

We do it together and, and we make the perspective member of the team very comfortable where it’s like, Hey, like please speak your mind here. Like, if this is something that aligns, this is how we do things. And, and it’s kind of disarming.

Los:

I’ve had a lot of folks, some of which that we’ve recently hired, which has been awesome. There’s just like, I’ve never had a job interview like this. You’re like encouraging me to open up and not give you like, canned responses. I’m like, yeah, if we’re gonna be on the same team, I wanna know who you really are, man, <laugh>. And by the way, what que what questions do you have for me? The thing, so it becomes like a, you loosen up the vibe Yeah. And bring, bring out the humanity in people. And that’s what we’re interested in. We want Superhumans, I w we’re a lean and mean organization.

Los:

I want people that are like waking up excited about their life, and I wanna be part of making them excited about their life, right? Insofar as their work and what ends up happening, at least so far with the people that we’ve hired, it becomes much more than just work, you know, indelibly, we share a love for plant medicine, which leads to sharing time outside of work, um, participating in set activities right, in appropriate ways.

Los:

And that’s really powerful. You know, you continue to reinforce that bond. And the backstory of myself and Michael, having our relationship forged in plant medicine really leaves a mark on people. Um, I’ve also had a lot of people say that, you know, cuz I’m sort of more forward facing towards the community and, and vocal and appearing on podcasts like this one, et cetera. I’m very open about my love for plant medicine and my journey with my health and, you know, getting to the place that I am now with, with, with, with that as a partner.

Los:

And that wasn’t so readily acceptable five years ago, but times have changed and, and we’re co-creating that by having podcasts like this where we can have a discourse like this. People are gonna listen to this and get inspired, man, right? And, and, and, and that’s a good thing.

Los:

I was, um, yeah, last week I was in south Florida and I graduated from Florida International University in Miami, um, about 20 years ago, man. So it’s been a minute. And they, they invited me back for their alumni week and I spoke to a a a a class, uh, the psychedelics class. They actually have, FIU has multiple psychedelics classes. Dude, guys, that’s awesome. Isn’t that something? And I, I was in a room with 18, 19, 20 year old kids, kids, young adults, and they’re brilliant and so advanced.

Los:

And like, this was not a dinette when I was 19, 20 years old, this was not going on the fact that this ex, so I, I had, I left there like literally last week, uh, with like hope for the future man. And, and, and it, it’s something that’s being discussed now in a way that, uh, could really make an impact on, on the planet.

Los:

And my personal belief is that the mainstreaming and success of cannabis as an industry, which is why what we do is so important. It’s the tip of the spear in continuing to broaden this lexicon of all the other medicines that are emerging now. And frankly, the beginning of the psychedelic sector, it’s all connected, man. These are all power plants that of course have been around for millennia, and we get to be part of this co-creation of their re reemergence and their commercialization.

Los:

So as the leaders of these industries, it’s incumbent upon us, I think, to do that with a certain vibration and to set an example, not only for ourselves, but also for people that will come behind us. And, and these are all good things, man. So it’s, um, it’s all connected in that way and I’ll continue to definitely do my part as an individual and, and the organization at Green Horizons and, and boasts and everything that we’re doing, we’re gonna do it, uh, as a company as well.

Eric:

That’s awesome. Los who, who are some people that, you know, in the industry that you look at and, and aspire to, like your peers? Uh, you know, whether it’s, you know, meeting them at Trailblazers or just some other operators that are doing things the right way and, um, that, that you look to for guidance

Los:

Advice? You guys at the top of that list, certainly with, um, my father was an insurance agent for, uh, 30 years and I know the value and importance of insurance and, um, you know, the, that relationship is paramount, uh, in mitigating downside risk in a business as challenging as ours. So, uh, certainly Alfa Ru is at the top of that list. And you gentlemen, truly not only are have we become friends and we’re colleagues, but you guys have really set the mark, uh, for what that lane in the industry, uh, is and, uh, what should be.

Los:

So, uh, number one, you guys, after that, I would say David Beski at Flower Hire, I think is such an incredible ambassador. Uh, what he’s doing on the hiring side, uh, Sloan Barber at Engine, you know, I love their focus on human capital. Yeah. And, and the process by which they do that.

Los:

Uh, Rama Mayo at Green Street, you know, the connectivity to culture, it’s so important, uh, you know, uh, the, the culture side of it. And I think they do an incredible job of not only producing events like, uh, hall of Flowers, but just making the, uh, the Greentree building in downtown, uh, uh, a center of culture and, and a place where the industry can convene in a Safeway, uh, Graham Farar, uh, at Glasshouse. Like just his, uh, disposition, his leadership. You know, I think what they’re doing over there is visionary.

Los:

I think they get, uh, a lot of flack, you know, for being ambitious. And I think that’s just, uh, a lot of haters, <laugh> not having anything better to do, man. And I give those guys a lot of props and a lot of support. And Graham is also incredibly generous with sharing his views on the industry, not only personally, but on industry chat threads and things.

Los:

Um, it’s really refreshing to see that, you know, so I would say from the operator standpoint, uh, those are some that, uh, you know, really stand out for me. I would also say on the financing side, I’ve met some, uh, really, really sophisticated investors that I think are looking at the industry in a really unique way, uh, mid to long term. And that’s been really refreshing to find, uh, people like that. And also like the non predatory money folks that are there to like truly be your partner.

Los:

Um, more recently I’ve encountered that energy and it’s like really, really nice man. So I, I have hope for the industry in so far as a better pairing of capital and operators that isn’t steeped in sort of this like adverse, this silent adverse dynamic where the financier is almost hoping for the operator to fail. Right? You know, we don’t need that. So let let all that energy pass and yeah, I think, uh, that’s a great question.

Los:

My man do, I’m missing a lot of people. I, I guess one, one group that I’ll say,

Eric:

I think it’s cool cuz like, like you said, right, it’s, it’s a community and people support one another. Yeah. Right. So I think it’s cool to just highlight people that also also help you along the way and, and you could look to for hundred percent advice, guidance, support, um, you know, cuz I’ll need it. Yeah. I’m gonna, I’m gonna pass the torch to you ib.

Isaac:

Yeah, no, Los, I think, uh, you know, you brought something up that um, you know, you try to learn from, you know, other people in the industry and you pull things that they’re doing. Um, so I think one of the things we all know about this is we’ve all taken our licks working in cannabis, uh, and psychedelics. So what’s kind of been one of the things that you’ve felt has been one of your biggest screw-ups or learning experiences and how has that pushed you forward? Cuz learning from your mistakes is one of the most human things you can do. So we’d love to hear, it’s

Los:

A great question. And, um, whoever doesn’t have a story like the one you’re positing brother hasn’t been in the industry long enough, so like, as we all have it, or multiple <laugh>, um, I, without naming names, um, the, I I, I chased a very shiny object early in my career and uh, it really looked good on the outside, uh, a business, uh, relationship. And I sort of fell for that soup.

Los:

And um, I knew in my gut that there wasn’t an a hundred percent alignment with shared values and I thought that it would be okay anyway and it wasn’t. And it ended up being a, a big learning lesson for me. And so far as, you know, when you’re gonna endeavor to build something with somebody or a group of people, you really have to make sure that there’s complete alignment. And this could be taking money from an investor, aligning with a partner in some other capacity.

Los:

Um, it was a very, uh, expensive and arduous mistake for me a lot of my time that I could never get back. I get to keep the lessons and be able to build off of that. And, and when I’m asked the question like the one that you just did, even right now I’m traveling back in my mind’s eyes and I’m picking off the pearls that serve me to this day, like, of the learnings. But in hindsight, I wish I would’ve never done it. And, you know, that, that, that’s my advice to myself in this moment.

Los:

And my answer to your question, make sure that when, and I’ll use I language when I’m going to invest my time, energy, and resources, cuz I know how authentic and true I am. If I commit to something into a relationship, and if I have to stand in integrity, that’s a flaw of me <laugh>.

Los:

If, if I, if I can’t look at myself in the mirror, right? And see truth. Um, so, you know, I, I can’t do that and I need to be able to look at my business partners in whatever capacity and see that same level of integrity. And as I mentioned a few seconds ago, um, I’m, I’m all of a sudden like surrounded by people like that and energy like that. Uh, and it’s really refreshing. So I’m really just grateful. I actually recently shared, um, with one of these people that I have in mind, uh, that’s probably better not to name, you know, for confidentiality reasons, but I said to this person like, <laugh>, uh, it’s all about the people.

Los:

And when I’m interfacing with, with that energy and I could just feel that communion of spirit, it makes me wanna work harder and do better for the relationship, which is good for business.

Los:

Like foundational relationships is everything. Because when times get tough, you gotta be able to work with these folks on that level and like soldier through it, you know, if, if you’re not aligned at the core, it’s, you know, fair weather friends or fair weather, what, what happens when times get rough? I think that’s one of the reasons why you’ve seen so many sort of relationship implosions in our industry because so many of them were predicated on, you know, lack of complete shared values, right?

Los:

So a very long-winded way of saying fam, um, pick the, the people that you wanna work with very closely and make sure that these are people that you want to hang out with and that you respect in the same way that you respect yourself

Eric:

To be fired. Huh?

Isaac:

I mean, he, uh, he has a way with words in explaining things that it’s, uh, very special. I think he, uh, he does a great job of explaining his story and making it, uh, relatable to everyone, uh, regardless of what your own story is. It’s, it’s incredible.

Eric:

He’s just, he’s just that authentic, you know? Yes. And I think it’s very hard to come by these days, honestly. Um, and, and obviously, you know, you, you and me IB have gotten, uh, gotten the pleasure to know him through trailblazers and continue the relationship and fortunate to have him a, as a partner and, um, grateful to have him on the episode today. And, uh, this has been great, man. We’re, I’m super excited for the next, next people that we have on. And, and we’re just gonna continue this to create candid conversations, you know, in the industry.