Marlo Richardson has turned her entrepreneurship to the cannabis industry. And why not? As a business woman, she’s taken on and won in insurance, real estate, crypto and more. So it’s of no surprise she’s slowly becoming a powerhouse in the legal Cali weed scene.
Richardson appreciates new challenges. In her mind, success comes back to the cost. Whether it’s cannabis or being a landlord, it’s about margins, ROI, cost of goods, overhead and the bottom line. If she can make financial sense of the investment, she’s ready to step up.
“Keeping costs down while maintaining a focus on quality requires an extreme dedication to numbers,” Richardson says. “In that sense, I operate in the legal cannabis industry just as I would any other business.”
Cannabis and its impact are important to Richardson personally. So don’t think it’s about big weed and money. The long-term goal is is to overcome the stigma surrounding its hot topic potential. She openly talks about her mother who suffered from hip pain before and after replacement surgery.
“Before the surgery, she was having a lot of pain, so the doctors prescribed her pain medications. The problem was she only found relief when she was heavily under the influence of these narcotics.”
A friend gave Richardson CBD creams and ointments. Her mother saw benefits that didn’t require heavy sedation. “From there, I started learning more about the cannabis industry and the true potential of cannabis.”
That led to the launch of Just Mary, a CBD and cannabis line out of the San Fernando Valley. Currently, only a delivery service, the entrepreneur wants to broaden Just Mary’s market over the coming year.
Having dabbled in so many fields of business, Richardson says one key to success is surrounding yourself with the right collaborators. Partners and employees have been critical to her career, saying she hand- picks anyone she trusts with authority and then lets them choose their teams.
She says key factors in partnerships are trust and reliability. She’s come across many voices sprouting about getting into legal weed with promises of wealth and the galaxy. They “try to sell you on future performances that can’t be predicted.”
One of her collaborators is Xzibit. She appreciates his drive and passion and his capacity to maintain connections. “He was a natural choice.”
Richardson references the rapper’s history. He built Brass Knuckles, previously valued at $170 million. The former Pimp My Ride host developed Napalm Cannabis Co., which was distributed by Marlo’s Greenwood & Co and delivered by Just Mary.
And if Richardson weren’t busy enough, she’s got other projects in the cannabis space. Tremendo is a lifestyle brand that she promises will be an experience. She expects to have Tremendo on dispensary shelves around Cali soon.
When asked about advising others on doing business, Richardson says to be mindful of who you do business with; people will take advantage and manipulate you.
Cannabis or otherwise, before jumping in, perform your due diligence and align yourself with people ho take pride in the job and represent quality.
