The Ganjapreneur Podcast

Brad Bogus is the Vice President of Marketing for Confident Cannabis, a wholesale cannabis platform that connects cannabis cultivators, laboratories, and retailers. Brad recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for an in-depth interview ranging from cannabis journalism — Brad served nine months as general manager for The Cannabist, the once-vibrant cannabis news outlet powered by The Denver Po...

Jason Ambrosino recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt to talk about the New York hemp and cannabis markets, how CBD's influence has benefited countless military veterans (including Jason, himself), and more. This interview covers the public perception of hemp and cannabis and what industry operators can do to help educate the masses and break the ongoing stigma about cannabis use. Topics co...

Meg Sanders is co-founder of the Canna Provisions Group — a boutique dispensary in Lee, Massachusetts — and co-owner of the successful MiNDFUL dispensary brand in Colorado. Meg recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for an interview about cannabis dispensary management and the budding Massachusetts market. Their conversation stretches back all the way to the early days in Colorado, when Meg...

Steve DeAngelo — who is is nothing short of a cannabis industry icon, having co-founded Harborside, Steep Hill Labs, Arcview Group, and the NCIA — recently returned to the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast for an interview with our host TG Branfalt. In this interview, Steve shares the experiences that led to his entry to the cannabis movement and eventually the professional cannabis space. From his earlies...

Morris Beegle is the president and co-founder of We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), an umbrella of pro-hemp brands that includes hemp industry networking extravaganza The NoCo Hemp Expo. Morris recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for a discussion covering all things industrial hemp. In this interview, Morris talks about NoCo Hemp Expo's founding and rapid success and the myriad indus...

Jonathan Menkes, who specializes in trademark counseling and brand protection at Knobbe Martens, recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for an interview that focuses on what cannabis entrepreneurs can and should do to protect their brand and other intellectual properties, including specific products and even strains. In this interview, Jonathan offers advice for avoiding trademark infringeme...

In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Jontae joins our host TG Branfalt for an interview that covers the origins of NatureTrak, his transition into the cannabis space from a more mainstream tech background, and explains NatureTrak's decision to release its software free-of-charge. Jontae also shares his thoughts about social-equity programs that level the playing field for disadvantaged...

Travis Howard is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Shift, a Colorado-based cannabis producer and product manufacturer. Travis recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for a conversation about his experience as an attorney in the early days of Colorado's cannabis market, his transition to entrepreneurship, and the journey of founding several cannabis companies. In this interview, Travi...

Activism, healing, empowerment — these are important foundations for the Sisters of the Valley, a group of self-described cannabis nuns in Merced County, California that grow and distribute CBD products including salves, tinctures, oils, and more. After the recent release of a documentary highlighting the sisterhood, founder Sister Kate joined our podcast host TG Branfalt to share her story and ad...

Lindsey Mintz is the owner and managing partner of Smokin’ Gun Apothecary, a prohibition-themed and self-described “late-night” cannabis dispensary located in Glendale, Colorado. Lindsey is also a co-founder of Arcanum, a hemp CBD company that focuses on creating approachable CBD products for athletes, including unique offerings like CBD-infused kinesiology tape. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast e...

Peter Vogel is the CEO of Leafwire, a cannabis business-focused social media platform known commonly as “the LinkedIn of cannabis.” Peter recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt to talk about what separates Leafwire from other social media platforms, the importance of networking in the cannabis industry, how software and technology play an important role in the industry’s success, and more! T...

Kristen Yoder is CEO of cannabis business advisory firm Soil to the Oil and hosts The CannaBS Detector podcast. As a veteran of California’s cannabis industry with professional experience in nearly every facet of the business, Kristen joined our own podcast host TG Branfalt for a chat about the state of cannabis as it moves out of the gray and into the heavily restricted legal marketplace. In this...

Dr. Leslie Apgar and career entrepreneur/investor Gina Dubbé are co-founders of Blissiva, a Maryland-based dispensary with a scientific approach to cannabis medicine and an emphasis on providing women with cannabis-based relief; Blissiva is perhaps best known, however, for designing and manufacturing particularly approachable vape pen products. The two recently joined TG Branfalt on the Ganjaprene...

Ezra Soiferman is a renowned Montreal-based photographer, documentarian, and worked as the world's first cannabis artist-in-residence for Tweed. He recently joined our host TG Branfalt for a conversation about how he became familiar with the medicinal qualities of cannabis before the term "medical marijuana" was widely known, what it means to be an "artist-in-residence" for a cannabis brand, and h...

Dr. Jon Cachat is the Director of Laboratory Science & Undergraduate Research at Hocking College — the first institute of higher education in Ohio to satisfy the state’s medical cannabis testing lab needs. In the latest episode of the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast, Dr. Cachat is welcomed back to the show by our host TG Branfalt to discuss the new and rigorous academic program. In this interview, Dr. Ca...

Don Andrews is a serial entrepreneur who owns multiple smoke shops and ancillary cannabis retailers in upstate New York. Don’s latest project, Upstate CBD, is launching soon as the state’s first CBD brick-and-mortar retailer that will offer a host of different products including CBD-rich hemp flower. Don recently joined our host TG Branfalt to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the hardships...

Liz recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt to discuss her strategies for recruiting mid-level to executive leadership candidates for the cannabis space. This interview covers Liz’s recruitment strategy — which relies on long-term, trust-building partnerships between herself, clients, and candidates — as well as her liberating transition as an executive recruiter for other highly regulated in...

Morgan Fox is the Media Relations Director for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), the largest cannabis trade organization in the U.S. Ganjapreneur is a Sponsoring Member of the NCIA and we encourage all businesses operating in the cannabis industry to join and support organizations that lobby for sensible cannabis policy. Morgan recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for a wi...

Rick Thompson is a cannabis advocate, citizen journalist, and organizer of the Michigan Cannabis Business Development Conferences. His efforts helped see Michigan’s 2018 cannabis legalization initiative to a successful finish last month. Rick recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt to discuss the 2018 elections and to give an insider’s look at the road map for Michigan’s inbound adult-use can...

Korey Rowe is the documentary filmmaker behind Mile Marker, a powerful investigative film that follows Korey on a journey across the continental U.S., stopping for interviews with veterans suffering from PTSD along the way. Korey joined our host TG Branfalt before Mile Marker’s release to talk about making the film and the experience of military combat veterans in the United States. In this interv...

Tom Howard is an Illinois-based attorney who specializes in banking and cannabis business, and he is an author who has written two works of historical fiction about the prohibition of cannabis. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode, Tom joined our host TG Branfalt to talk about the state of the cannabis industry; the hurdles that cannabis professionals, entrepreneurs, and attorneys still face;...

Afzal Hasan is the President and General Counsel for CannaRoyalty, a Canada-based investment firm with cannabis acquisitions in Canada, California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, and Puerto Rico. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast, Afzal joins host TG Branfalt to discuss his transition into the cannabis space as a high-level corporate attorney; the strategies being used to grow CannaRoy...

Editor’s note (4/8/21): Dr. Jason Pirozzolo is currently being investigated in relation to sex trafficking allegations against Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. For more on that story: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/cannabis-entrepreneur-tied-to-rep-matt-gaetzs-sex-trafficking-scandal/ Dr. Jason Pirozzolo is a co-founder of The American Medical Marijuana Physicians Association, a collection of physicians and...

Franco Brockelman is the CEO and co-founder of Releaf App, a digital cannabis journal that enables users to record and share their cannabis consumption experiences so they can better experiment, track, and understand their relationship with the plant. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Franco joins our host TG Branfalt to tell the personal origin story of Releaf (Franco’s own mother...

It has been four years since adult-use cannabis legislation took effect in Washington and Colorado, and in that time the market landscape has evolved and shifted at breakneck speed. As emerging markets in California, Canada, and elsewhere begin to take off, entrepreneurs are bound to face even greater obstacles and competition. In this special edition of the Ganjapreneur podcast, Headset co-founde...