Under the Microscope with Jenny

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano explains why building a compliance-first culture is one of the most valuable investments a cannabis business can make. Drawing on her experience in cannabis operations since 2009 and consulting operators nationwide, Jenny discusses why compliance has evolved beyond simply passing inspections. Today, it serves as a competitive...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano continues the Cannabis Operator Series with Jarell Wall, CEO and Creative Director of Gentleman Quinns, a Retail Product Manufacturer in Denver, Colorado. Jarell shares his journey from television production in Atlanta and Colorado into cannabis, ultimately co-founding Gentleman Quinns with former dispensary coworkers. He disc...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano continues the Cannabis Operator Series with Tucker Holland, Partner and CFO of Entourage Cannabis in Eugene, Oregon. Tucker shares his journey from being a high school chemistry teacher and football coach to cannabis entrepreneur, detailing how they started with a small medical caregiver grow before expanding into extraction a...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano takes a deep dive into why every cannabis operator should have a compliance audit program and how an important tool like proactive auditing can help reduce risk, improve operations, and strengthen overall compliance. Drawing on her hands-on experience in cannabis operations since 2009 and consulting operators nationwide, Jenny...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano sits down with Scott Newman, a business consultant at Adaptive HR and OneDigital. Scott shares his journey into the cannabis industry in 2019 after attending NECANN in Boston and becoming Adaptive HR’s first full-time employee, and scaling nationally through acquisitions by Resourcing Edge and then OneDigital. Jenny and Scott...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano continues the Cannabis Operator Series with Amanda Terpstra, CEO, and Laura Trujillo, COO and co-founders of BestBüds Dispensary, a women-owned dispensary in New Jersey. Laura shares her journey from graphic design and corporate work at Samsung to launching a community-focused cannabis retail business with Amanda, whose backgr...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano sits down with Darren Gleeman of MBO Ventures to discuss how cannabis founders can potentially scale and transition ownership without selling to MSOs or private equity. Darren shares his background in hedge funds and explains how ESOP-based ownership structures are being used in cannabis as operators face limited exit opportun...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano breaks down what it really takes to launch a cannabis business in a mature and saturated market. Jenny explains why licenses alone are no longer the competitive advantage in established markets and why success now comes down to execution, compliance controls, operational discipline, branding, customer experience, and financial...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano continues the Cannabis Operator Series with Forest Palmer, CEO of Kansas City Cannabis. Forest shares his journey from the service industry and the United States Marine Corps into cannabis, including his early work with American Shaman before joining Kansas City Cannabis during the launch of the Missouri medical market. He wal...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano, welcomes Alex Hearding, President and Founder of Red Wolf Risk, to discuss the hidden costs of operating a cannabis facility without a Quality Management System (QMS). Alex explains how a QMS creates accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement while helping operators strengthen compliance, training, and traceabili...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano sits down with Will Read, Founder and CEO of CannaPlanners, to break down how cannabis operators should approach marketing in today’s saturated market. Will shares his journey building CannaPlanners from early hemp and CBD projects into a full-scale agency supporting cannabis brands with websites, SEO and retention marketing....

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano, sits down with Founder and of RZA Legal, Rachael Ardanuy to unpack the evolving and highly complex conflict between state-legal cannabis use and federal firearm restrictions. Jenny and Rachael break down how the federal Gun Control Act and ATF firearm purchase forms currently pose real risks for cannabis consumers, including...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano, sits down with Chris Van Dyke, Partner at Cogent Law, to break down one of the most complex and often misunderstood areas of the cannabis industry: banking. Chris brings a rare, dual-perspective background, having helped launch one of the early cannabis banking programs and serving as a state regulator during the rollout of t...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano sits down with Dina Nagib, Principal Consultant at Grass Goddess Consulting, to break down one of the biggest operational pain points in cannabis - software overload. Dina brings a unique perspective from her background in pharmaceuticals and software development. Together, Jenny and Dina explore why dispensaries in particular...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano, welcomes Amanda Eastling, Founder of Eastling Services. Amanda shares her path into cannabis HR, starting with a Minnesota-based, tribally owned cannabis startup where she built HR systems from the ground up developing policies, procedures, and operational frameworks tailored to the industry’s unique and highly regulated envi...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano continues her Cannabis Operator Series with Anthony “AJ” Mollins, Founder of AJ’s Craft Cannabis Farm in Colorado, for a deep dive into legacy cultivation, innovation, and what it really takes to build a sustainable cannabis operation in today’s market. AJ shares his journey from California’s legacy market, including launching...

In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano, Founder of ICS Consulting, shares lessons learned from operating vertically integrated cannabis facilities in Colorado during the early days and from years of experience guiding operators nationwide. She outlines the most common pitfalls quietly hurting cannabis businesses. Jenny emphasizes the difference between winning a lic...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano sits down with Evan Bliss, Owner and Design Director of Studio Bliss, to discuss what it really takes to design cannabis facilities in emerging markets. Evan shares his journey from traditional architecture into cannabis starting with extraction labs in California and expanding into cultivation and dispensary projects across t...

🎙 In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano continues her Cannabis Operator Series with Joey Coleman, Founder and CEO of KAI Dispensary. Joey shares how a paragliding accident in Colombia that caused a severe spinal injury led him to cannabis and ultimately into the industry. He discusses transitioning from operating a 40-acre hemp/CBD farm and extraction business to l...

🎙 In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano breaks down the growing wave of scams and fraud targeting licensed cannabis operators across the U.S. Drawing from her experience operating vertically integrated cannabis facilities in Denver since 2009 and her work through ICS Consulting for over the last 10 years, Jenny explains why cannabis businesses are uniquely vulnerab...

🎙In this episode of Under the Microscope with Jenny, host Jenny Germano sits down with Michael Andrud, CEO and Founder of Lüt., to break down operational best practices for cannabis retail payments. Michael shares his background in financial services and how that experience informs his approach to navigating payments in highly regulated cannabis environments. The conversation explores the real ris...

In this episode of Under the Microscope, host Jenny Germano sits down with Alex Hearding, Founder and President of Red Wolf Risk, to break down what’s next for the cannabis industry. From upcoming federal rescheduling and the possibility of full descheduling in the future and what these shifts mean for day-to-day operations. The conversation focuses on how operators can prepare for a more regulate...

🎙In this episode of 'Under the Microscope with Jenny,' host Jenny Germano delves into the topic of common inventory tracking mistakes that put cannabis operators at risk. With over 16 years of experience and helping cannabis facilities navigate the regulatory landscape across the United States, Jenny shares valuable insights into how to prevent common mistakes related to the Metrc seed-to-sale tra...

🎙In this episode of 'Under the Microscope with Jenny,' host Jenny Germano discusses the increasing issue of cannabis recalls with special guest Carly Bader, Director of Science at Willow Industries. Carly shares her experiences from working in both the cannabis industry and the field of infectious diseases. Jenny shares recall data from 2025, illustrating the scope of recalls across various states...

🎙In this episode of 'Under the Microscope with Jenny,' host Jenny Germano welcomes Nohtal Partansky, the CEO and founder of Sorting Robotics, to discuss the impact of robotics on the cannabis industry. Nohtal shares his fascinating journey from aerospace engineering at NASA to pioneering automation solutions for cannabis manufacturers. The conversation covers key topics such as the economic benefi...