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This week, Louis Samuel, CEO of Golden State Canna, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why he has loved the delivery side of the industry ever since he sold his first sack.
Louis Samuel says cannabis is pretty much all he has ever known. He sold his first sack in 8th grade, made five dollars and has been in the industry—in some form—ever since.
He has worked in the industry full-time since he was 19 years old, and when cannabis was legalized in California, his career path became clear.
Samuel naturally gravitated towards the delivery side of cannabis. "I love being the weed man," he says. But even in the legacy market, Samuel took a different, customer service-oriented approach. He has always over-delivered and treated people well, which has paid dividends—not only is it personally more fulfilling, but it has generated new business.
Samuel says he has always been interested in retail because it allows him to interact with the most people. As he has transitioned from the legacy market and launched Golden State Canna, his business has had many ups and downs, and undergone several evolutions, but the core fundamentals are the same.
The regulated market has brought many changes for operators, including new compliance, taxes, and testing, which Samuel contends to be the most significant innovation since people have a better understanding of what they are buying.
He prefers to work with small farms and is quite protective of the industry, which includes staying away from the "green rush cats" who didn't want anything to do with the industry until 2015.
Golden State Canna is a cannabis delivery service that currently services parts of the California market, including Bakersfield, Fresno, Santa Barbara and the San Francisco Bay Area. Samuel expects the company to expand into new markets soon.
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