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This week, Carl Saling III, co-founder and CEO of HighDay, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he built an AI-powered, all-in-one marketing command center for the industry after countless accounts and campaigns were shut down and banned.
Saling has been an entrepreneur his entire life; he started his first business when he was just 16 years old.
In 2013, Saling and his girlfriend (now his wife) started a cannabis delivery service in San Diego. Saling has always viewed cannabis under a medical microscope, and his goal has always come from a place of helping people.
In 2018, Saling became the first licensee in Hollister, CA, and he opened Hollister Cannabis Co. The following year, he took the company public in Canada and continued building the business up through acquisitions. In 2021, he stepped down as CEO and set his sights on new opportunities.
Saling became focused on the ancillary, non-plant-touching side of the industry. Specifically, he wanted to improve marketing efforts for cannabis operators, which continue to cause major problems within the industry.
Saling recently launched HighDay, an AI-powered, all-in-one marketing command center for the industry. He says he was tired of being shunned and shamed for working in cannabis. He had several email accounts shut down, websites turned off, SMS campaigns banned and multiple problems with social media. He believes that HighDay is the answer cannabis marketers have been waiting for.
Jump around:
- When he first noticed the medical advantages of cannabis. (9:12)
- How to make money, the right way, in cannabis. (11:07)
- Building a successful business and marriage at the same time. (19:40)
- How he built Hollister Cannabis Co. (22:09)
- Troubles with cannabis marketing and how it led to the birth of HighDay. (25:47)
- How the HighDay platform prevents cannabis operators from getting shut down. (28:36)
- The cannabis industry's many marketing challenges. (29:42)
- Early feedback on the HighDay platform. (32:47)
- Cannabis marketing strategies that work. (37:51)
- Positive movement towards federal cannabis legalization. (41:54)
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at [email protected].
