Working at Cannabis Startup vs Big Cannabis Company / MSO (Comparison)
Tags: Jobs, Cannabis, Love, Careers, Advice

Learn About The Cannabis Industry With Cannabis Industry Entrepreneur Jessi Cox

By: Jessi Cox

Have you ever wondered what’s better between working at cannabis craft startup vs a big MSO (multi-state operator).

In my career, I have worked for all kinds of companies from multinational companies to tiny mom and pop businesses, I have owned and operated many types of businesses and I have experienced nearly every aspect of startup life.

I want to help people understand the difference between working for a small, nimble cannabis startup versus a large MSO or large ancillary multinational cannabis company.

If you are curious about the differences well, this is just the right post for you!

Nearly everyday, I see people entering into the cannabis industry who are torn between two worlds. One the glitz and glamour of an MSO or multinational ancillary cannabis company. It’s usually a big pros and cons list as to whether to pursue opportunities in one or another.

Certainly, it’s not a decision that anyone should take lightly.

Working at cannabis startup vs established MSO are very different experiences, each with their respective pros and cons. It’s a matter of understanding those well and evolving in accordance with preferences and expectations.

Throughout my various professional acquaintances, I’ve experienced firsthand what working in different types of structures is actually like. It’s certainly no exaggeration when people say that startups and big companies are two different worlds.

With that, my goal is to give you insight on the most common questions that arise when thinking of working at startup vs big company: Growth opportunities; responsibilities; salary and benefits; and budget.

Very often, the words cannabis and startup combined in a sentence evoke thoughts of Silicon Valley and its stereotypes that come with it.

After all the Silicon Valley seems to have a very open, innovative and pioneering organizational culture — An ethereal, utopic, solution-oriented, agile, balanced and cool attitude.

The adaptive organizational agility allows cannabis startups to adapt and evolve to market fluctuations, trends and demands more easily than in big companies.

The informality of a cannabis startup is noticeably higher, which can lead to slower growth caused by disorganization, lack of process and inability to overcome massive financial traumas without seeking outside capital. Which can be difficult in the cannabis industry with current federal banking regulations.

But let’s face the truth: A growing cannabis startup will require as much investment from you as a big company. Just because your boss is a cannabis business owner and you work for a cannabis company does not mean that their expectations are any different or that you can imbibe while on the clock. No matter the size of the company, it is not compliant to use cannabis while on the job if you are working for a licensed cannabis company. This is not the case if you are working for an ancillary brand, you will need to refer to your own company wide cannabis use policy.

Learning and growth opportunities

Big cannabis company, MSO, multinational ancillary cannabis company…

In a big cannabis company, career opportunities are often greater as they usually have defined career paths with international opportunities, as well as vertical or horizontal evolvement. Keep in mind that some cannabis companies are quite large, yet operate more like a scrappy startup which is less than to be desired. In my opinion, this is the WORST situation for a cannabis career minded professional to find themselves in.

The internal training with a big company usually allows for continuous improvement of skills, moreover, you will be working within an experienced team or at least an experienced manager in your field. They will help you grow professionally.

This can be a challenge for an entrepreneurial minded person like myself… It is sometimes difficult to bring your ideas to realization and have an immediate impact on the rigid corporate framework.

Seniority is often times more valued than actual skills.

A large company is much more political and your evolution will not only depend on your performance but also on the benevolence of your manager (and their relationship with people upper in the ladder).

Cannabis Startup

In a cannabis startup, you mostly learn on your own and on the go.

You must be proactive and if you are a multitasker you will be served! You will perform tasks that are not initially in the job description. Just as a cannabis startup is agile, you have to be flexible and adapt to those dynamics.

In a cannabis startup, you can quickly reach your own bandwidth limits. Coaching, mentoring and training can be limited. This is mostly dependant on your manager. You very likely will not have teams or programs dedicated to your professional formation. Google and social media platform research might be your best friend for some time but not forever.

Your individual learning curve will, in its majority, depend on your ability to push the boundaries of your own pursuit of knowledge, which can bring you a long way if you succeed, or can be a great source of complete frustration if you don’t.

Your personal and professional growth within a cannabis startup will largely depend on two factors: Your performance and the company’s growth. Most likely, your manager will be a senior executive or the company’s founder. That means that “climbing the ladder” will be impossible because there’s no ladder to climb. Especially true if you are not offering your own cash to build the company. Skin in the game, helps sweeten the pot…for sure.

Instead, your role will gain relevance as the company’s growth and your performance throughout the process bring along projects and team members within your responsibility.

Big cannabis company, multistate operator, multinational ancillary cannabis company…responsibilities are more defined.

In a larger multinational cannabis company, you know what you’re getting into. The positions are specialized and your role is clearly defined. Furthermore, internal processes are often already in place. That leaves you more time for strategy and operations, rather than how things are or should be done.

The organization is often less agile because it is more process-oriented and therefore they make decisions more slowly. On top of that, the hierarchy dominates. Your manager will make the decisions, and you will have less impact on them. This can be difficult for an entrepreneurial minded cannabis salesperson who comes into an MSO to help out with sales and finds themselves outside of the corporate structure more than they are inside.

With that, your responsibility will be dictated by your specific role and the relevance level that comes with it. It won’t be you, it will be your position.

For Example: The Cannabis Startup

As mentioned above, if a startup grows, you can gain high responsibility very quickly. Decisions are made quickly because there’s little or no bureaucracy in place.

Things move fast.

If you have an idea that resonates within your manager, it’ll soon become a reality. You’ll be responsible for its implementation and results.

If you have you have a concept that sounds like a winning plan, a large network and a following that would help the startup significantly bolster their own search engine optimization goals and industry relevancy. Your potential for having a significant impact in a cannabis startup is EXTREMELY high. You will not be constrained by the tasks and responsibility level stipulated in your job description.

Big responsibility inside of a cannabis company means lots of eyes on you and considerable pressure and everything goes fast. This means that your decisions correspond with such dynamics.

The good news is that as a result, you will inevitably become good at handling pressure and tight deadlines.

Salary and benefits

Big cannabis company…MSO… Multinational Ancillary Cannabis Company…ect.

In big cannabis companies, hiring salaries are generally higher and they are accompanied by other financial benefits: Dividends, performance bonuses, free or subsidized food, etc. Sometimes however, multinational companies hire their workers as independent contractors to move faster into new territories.

Big companies also offer access to many social benefits such as holiday vouchers, entertaining vouchers or even concierge service.

But you will often be stuck in a defined salary grid depending on your degree level and school you come from, which can be really frustrating. It’s not rare to hear about cases in which someone is paid $5k or $10k more only based on the school they graduated from.

Cannabis Startup

Cannabis Startups can offer you shares or stock options to acquire a stake in the company, and it is a way for you to be more involved in and motivated for the company’s success.

But let’s be clear: Hiring salaries can be less attractive, benefits are few or non-existent and yet you work as much as in a big company.

The atmosphere at work

Big cannabis company

You will have the opportunity to interact with a very wide range of employees, often with extensive experience in the company and the business. Furthermore, in a big company, there are so many people beyond your team to exchange with that you will have higher chances of engaging with people with similar preferences as yours.

But the hierarchy is visible and marked, you are expected to stay in your level and interact on a personal level only with your equals. The codes are more rigid and you cannot go talk with the CEO easily, sometimes you are not even allowed to do so.

Cannabis Startup

In a cannabis startup, you can even play ping pong with the CEO if you want! You are part of a collective mind map adventure. The atmosphere of a cannabis startup is informal and non-hierarchical. The dress code is more relaxed.

A cannabis startup is clearly less formally structured than a big company. In my personal experience, my manager in the startup in which I was working was simply the company’s director. In parallel, the director of the international group in which I was working was 4 positions above me!

The organization is, therefore, less hierarchical, the relationships simple and more direct, perhaps even more meaningful. When I have a question or suggestion, I use three steps to walk and I talked about it easily with the director.

The atmosphere in a cannabis startup is often more informal and family-oriented because we know everyone.

Only downside is that your colleagues become your friends, it can be difficult to make a differentiation between professional and personal life.

Especially, due to the closeness among your team members, the stability of the working environment is very fragile. You should get along with everyone in order to preserve the good vibes at work. A conflict between two people has the potential of affecting the overall atmosphere (even if you have nothing to do with the conflict).

The budget varies as does the

Certainly, both startups and big companies control, measure and analyze the budget. However, in a startup, resources are rather limited and $20,000, for instance, represents a considerable amount and is treated with high relevance and carefulness.

On a big company, on the other hand, their budget is usually quite abundant and they make decisions in regards to it with a lower degree of cautiousness.

This does not mean that a big company will throw money at you to do whatever you want! It means that should a single project fail, its potential for compromising the integrity of the whole company is lower. The margin of error is, therefore, wider.

Big company

A big company will undoubtedly assign a more significant budget for you to achieve your goals. As you have the budget though, you might not get out your comfort zone to achieve your goal and you, therefore, miss on opportunities of improving existing processes or challenge yourself and grow professionally.

Cannabis Startup

In a cannabis startup, you will definitely have to be resourceful all the time to achieve your goals, and the results will be clearly more rewarding as your effort put into achieving them will have been much higher.

But it also can quickly cause frustration for some people, because they may feel that they do not have the means to perform well.

If you want to work in a cannabis startup and you are wondering what traits they value most, you have to relate to experiences that show evidence of the qualities below:

Passion for learning, cannabis and educating others.

Flexibility

Proactivity

Curiosity

Cannabis Startup vs Big Company — Conclusion

So, who’s the winner? Would you prefer working at cannabis startup vs big company? Or the other way around?

In my professional opinion having worked all sides…There is no correct answer. It totally depends on what you’re looking for, your aspirations, your personal and professional traits.

The most important thing is to think about the ideal environment to help you achieve your goals, to what aligns with a personal sense of fulfillment.

Do you want to be in constant evolution, in high uncertainty, flexible environment?

Or do you want to make progress in a structured environment that allows you to grow methodically?

The answer must be based on your way of working and your professional aspiration, career desires and personal lifestyle.

What are your insights from working in the cannabis space? In my next article I am covering the best way to manage your cannabis partners so everyone wins!

Thank you for reading.

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