How many people have rolled their eyes when you tell them you’re in cannabis? Do you find people saying things like, “Oh I bet you are. How much do you smoke? What, you sit around and smoke and call yourself an “entrepreneur”? I bet your meetings are awesome. That’s not how business works…”
Do you want to stand up and scream, “STOP JUDGING ME! STOP JUDGING CANNABIS!”
I know I do.
If we have learned anything from the president’s tweets shouting nonsense into the Twitterverse, we have learned that shouting at the universe wouldn’t help anything.
Just because you’re in cannabis doesn’t mean it’s easy. Starting a cannabis business is more difficult than other industries given the changing regulations, public perceptions, lingering stereotypes, and more.
Luckily for us, it’s worth it.
Perception is Reality
There’s a saying in marketing that “Perception is reality” and never more has that been true. You just have to look at the increasing divide in the country to see that’s true. People believe what they’ve been told. They believe what they see on television, on the news, on the steady anti-drug campaigns they’ve watched. They have no reason not to believe – that is their perception and therefore it is their reality.
We need to reframe cannabis and how people view it.
We’re following in footsteps of those before us, and creating a path for others to follow. If we want cannabis to become normalized and able to help others, there are steps each of us can take to start moving forward. We need to reframe cannabis to shine a light on the benefits instead of the negative stereotypes.
Changing the perception of an entire industry starts with each of us.
It is the small changes to the bold moves each of us makes helps contribute to changing the hearts and minds of our community. Everyone contributes what they know and what they do best – from the lawyers to the growers, product manufacturers, to the retailers and support service providers. We each have a story to tell, products and services to offer, and consumers who need our help.
It requires everyone working together, individuals, small businesses and large rising up to change the perceptions of everyone else.
Your Guide to Reframing Perceptions
There are seven steps we can all take as individuals, entrepreneurs and business owners, to start changing perceptions. The goal is for the legalization and acceptance of cannabis. This is how we can all help to get there.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be reviewing those steps to understand how we can make a difference and apply them – from the small, micro-moments, to the bold, larger than life approaches.
And if you don’t want to wait, then download our free guide!
