MJBizMag November-December 2021 - 69

CANNABIS LEADERS
T
A new generation
of up-and-coming
marijuana
entrepreneurs is
making its mark
By John Schroyer
he modern marijuana industry is nearly three decades old.
The first wave of industry pioneers-those who fought federal and
local crackdowns and persevered through IRS audits and threats of civil
asset forfeitures by U.S. attorneys-have been slowly handing the reins of the
industry over to a new generation.
Now, a good chunk of cannabis entrepreneurs are one-time employees who
started their careers at the lowest rungs in the industry and worked their way up.
MJBizMagazine sat down with three such entrepreneurs to learn about their
starts in the industry, what they learned and how those initial jobs acted as
springboards to launch their own cannabis companies.
Some of the newest cannabis
entrepreneurs began their careers
working under industry leaders. Under
their tutelage, they learned valuable
business lessons, including:
* Keep your ears open to learn where
true demand exists in the cannabis
supply chain.
* Be prepared to stand up for yourself
and your company.
* Mainstream corporate skills and
talents have a place in the cannabis
industry.
* Be ready to adapt. Laws, regulations
and trends are always changing.
* Network and sustain relationships
with those you meet.
Dani Walton
Co-founder at Nxtlvl Delivery
and High Kitty
Oakland, California
Having cut her teeth at the famed
Oakland dispensary Harborside
for more than a decade, Dani
Walton could easily claim that
her real-world experience is
equivalent to a doctorate in the
cannabis sector.
Between 2008, when Walton was hired at Harborside, and
2019, when she departed the company, she worked her way up
from budtender to personal assistant for CEO Steve DeAngelo
and manager of wholesale and distribution operations.
That high-level experience-not only on the operations side
but the amount of networking needed-perfectly positioned
Walton to set up Nxtlvl Delivery, a marijuana transport
business in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with High Kitty,
a premium indoor flower brand.
MEETING DEMAND
Walton said that keeping tabs on the " pulse of the market "
across California as Harborside's distribution and wholesale
manager helped her learn where
the true demand existed for
consumers.
" Some of the data I was able
to learn ... made it easier for me
to start a delivery operation that
was really focused on having the
biggest legal concentrate menu, "
Walton said, adding that she
caters to a very " niche market " of
marijuana concentrate lovers.
She also credited her time
The High Kitty flower brand
is geared toward heavy
cannabis users.
Courtesy Photo
at Harborside for helping her develop a serious network,
particularly in the Los Angeles metro area, where she says
High Kitty is getting traction with consumers.
" I really wanted to market to more of the heavy cannabis
user, and I knew there was a big market for us " because of
market demographics, Walton said.
GUARDING THE PERIMETER
Walton also learned a fundamental lesson of business and life
while watching Harborside co-founders Steve DeAngelo and
his brother, Andrew, fight the federal government for years.
The high-profile dispensary was more often than not in the
crosshairs of federal agencies.
November-December 2021 | mjbizdaily.com 69
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MJBizMag November-December 2021

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