What It’s Like Being A Woman CEO In Cannabis
I wish people knew the feeling of (still) being the only woman in a room full of men in 2022. Call me naive, but when I envisioned this space, I did not think there would be so few women holding executive positions five years after Prop 64 passed. This reality is shocking and, to be frank, sad.
Executive Positions Held By Women Are Declining
Since I was a budtender in 2007, I dreamed of owning my brand. Over the years of working in the trenches in cannabis, before Kush Queen ever existed, I imagined how I would lead a cannabis company differently. Sure, I had met and worked with great people, but being a millennial woman comes with a deep desire for a different style of leadership. And for a moment, I could see that longed-for kind of leadership unfolding as more women held executive positions within the space.
However, according to the “Women & Minorities in the Cannabis Industry” report available on MJBizDaily, the percentage of women who hold executive positions in cannabis declined from 36.8% to 22.1% between 2019 and 2021. Why the decrease? Well, we can probably blame Goliath for that. "Industry experts suggest that competitive markets tend to favor businesses with white men in ownership and leadership positions, primarily because of their established access to capital," explains MJBizDaily.
Burning the patriarchy down one Puff at a time
As other female professionals have shared, representation at all levels of leadership matters greatly. Women are not just in control of Kush Queen, women are front and center in everything we do. Women are the stars of our photoshoots, they're the ones holding the camera, creating the looks behind the scenes, making our products, and leading in every aspect of the business. Women are the reason why we cared to make latex-safe lubricants, make-up primers, and of course our prized bath bombs.
Being women-led has shaped and defined every aspect of our company, from the original product formulations being proven to be consistent, effective, and non-disturbing to the PH (unlike many other bath bombs and lubricant products) to our marketing choices and IRL events.
I am Woman, Watch me Lead
I will do anything to support my people and Kush Queen at any given point, and my team sees that. I believe my passion for transparency coupled with my unique exposure on social media (unlike other CEOs in cannabis) gives me a direct line into our community.
The KQ team and community show up for this brand because they know my story, my politics, my psychedelic hobbies, and most of all, they know my activist heart. They know this is not a brand manufactured for profit, but one cultivated from years of dedication to cannabis. I’m on a quest driven by the audacity to believe that I could create a brand that can be transparent, loud in its convictions for social change, and relentless in the pursuit of the most effective products.
To consumers, I want you to know when you support a woman-owned brand with your dollar, it's a radical act in capitalism. When you listen and learn from women, you are changing our world and actively giving opportunities for us to make room for more women.
Kush Queen is a true testament to the success that can happen when the industry finds a way to provide real support and work together. We can have more female leaders in cannabis, we just need to make it a priority as a community.
Follow us to learn more about our women-inspired products and the Kush Queen journey to get here.