garden society

Erin Gore / Spotlight

What is the achievement you are most proud of in the cannabis industry?

Creating a brand that resonates and is meaningful to so many people. Garden Society stems from my personal journey of finding balance in life and being around women who experience the same pressures. I’m proud to have built a business alongside my business partner, Karli Warner, based on a shared passion for encouraging people to explore non-traditional ways to find joy in their daily lives.

Do you think the cannabis industry has more opportunities for female identification people than other industries?

Although we have made progress as female-identifying people in the industry, we have quickly declined compared to where we were a few years ago. So, honestly, I’m not sure. Over the past years, I have would have said “absolutely” since we are literally building a new industry right now. We need more allies to rise up to join us on this journey.

What has become clear is that the cannabis industry is a capital intensive industry. filled with bias. Gone are the days when you could make a beautiful product and sell it via the collective model. Now, you need access to significant capital to start and grow your business, and traditional capital channels like bank loans and small business grants are not available to the the cannabis industry. The well-documented lack of funding for people who identify as women and the bias that ripples through the entire industry if one finds a bias definitely limits our potential. I think it’s time for us to stand in our power and call out this prejudice and this lack of capital, and find incredible allies who will support us to create a fairer industry.

Do you feel like you have to work twice as hard as your male colleagues or do you think the industry has exceeded that?

Only 2% of venture capital dollars go to women overall, and in cannabis it’s even less ( As I successfully navigated my own fundraising journey for the Garden Society, it became clear that one of the reasons women fail to bring a great product to market is simply because they don’t know how to raise capital. Women are much less comfortable having confidence in their vision, usually out of lack of confidence with finances and fundraising. It became even clearer during the pandemic – women were managing their children, their family responsibilities, their community responsibilities and their careers.

During our fundraising, we were accused by the men of not being authentic enough since we didn’t have having female investors – that was a turning point for us. We have decided to compile a list of women angel investors, and they are undoubtedly amazing. We know firsthand just how incredibly powerful women allies can be, and how we’ll work twice as hard to get the credit we deserve. We have also

have been able to find amazing male allies who see our vision, help us fight prejudice and give us the means to build the company of our dreams.

And yes, we definitely have to work twice as hard as our male peers in the industry. Do I think he is fair and equitable? Absolutely not. Do I think it helped us build a better business? Absolutely yes. We are thus stronger, more profitable, more agile and more resilient. It has been proven that female founders who identify as women deliver better returns to their companies. I think it’s absolutely the prime mover, and I’m proud to continue delivering to the Garden Society.

What was your biggest business challenge and how did you overcome it?

The pandemic, by far, which can be identified as the biggest challenge, has led to a whole series of difficult challenges. It started by working with our brothers in the North The Californian cannabis community considers our products and this plant to be “essential”, for immediate focus on how to keep our team safe while keeping the doors open and our employees retained. This, while moving sales in the right direction, as well as raising funds – and all while raising my most important asset in life: my son. Every minute of the day was exhausting like a mom and wife, CEO, and oh, by the way, I was chairman of the board of our local the hospital during that time too, so yeah, I was exhausted.

What have you or your company done to help give more opportunities to women?

This is very important for Karli and me: we have a huge desire to accelerate the success rate of women in cannabis. I think one of the greatest accomplishments of the past two crazy years has been taking the time to engage with my female business community across the United States, doing my best to serve as a resource and as a mentor to other female cannabis entrepreneurs. It involves working hard to share knowledge and resources that would help other women cross the finish line in their own business endeavors. We had wonderful mentors and allies to help us, and we also learned everything else on our own through many failed attempts. We are motivated to share our learnings with other women to hopefully accelerate their rate of success.

But you really need a village. I am honored to work with other successful women in the field, including lawyers, founders, mentors, recruiters and public company executives. We strive to engage with women entrepreneurs far beyond encouraging discussions and aim to give them the actual tools they need to drive their business forward.

What are your personal goals for 2022?

The ever-elusive quest for balance and finding time to nurture the soul, while doing the same to my family and my business. If 2020 and 2021 were all about surviving (literally and figuratively), while 2022 I plan to spend time planning, visualizing and executing. I’m super focused on realize our potential at the Garden Society by executing our plan in all aspects of the business. I also aim to develop a broader 3-5 year strategic plan, now that we have completed

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