051: How Cannabis Entrepreneurs Can Leverage Virtual Assistants with Tajanna Mallory

Over the last half-decade, there’s been an explosion in interest in virtual assistants. Entrepreneurs of all kinds have hired remote support staff to do all sorts of tasks: making travel arrangements, managing calendars, briefing team members before conferences or engagements, and even assisting with content creation and social media. This is as true of cannabis as it is with other industries, but it comes with its own hurdles and challenges. To learn more, we’re talking to Tajanna Mallory, Founder, and CEO at CannAssistants. CannAssistants is a virtual assistant agency that provides administrative support to mid-size cannabis companies, founders, and business executives. She has over a decade of experience providing administrative support, H.R., and talent recruiting services for large teams and C-level executives in the for-profit and not-for-profit space. She’s worked with Fortune 500 companies, including Deloitte & Touche, the NFL, Pfizer, Comcast, Chick-Fil-A, and Oliver Wyman, to name just a few. In this episode, Tajanna shares the story of her journey from corporate America to the cannabis industry, how she helps entrepreneurs take administrative tasks off their plate, and how CannAssistants empowers virtual assistants as business owners themselves. KEY TAKEAWAYS Why virtual assistants are a versatile and affordable way to scale a company. The unique issues facing cannabis entrepreneurs (and the virtual assistants working with them) as they grow their businesses. How Tajanna finds the right assistants for her clients and creates opportunities for them to convert to full-time when an employer is interested. How Tajanna sees diversity in the cannabis industry and within her own businesses. What makes the career trajectory for assistants so unique–and how Tajanna helps her assistants achieve their goals just as much as her entrepreneurs’. Why Tajanna doesn’t think full federal legalization will happen in the next four years. Show Notes For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/51 To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

Om Podcasten

Today’s Cannabis marketers are facing the same challenges faced by the alcohol industry in 1933 when prohibition was reversed — how do you successfully market a product and navigate an industry that is on the verge of becoming legalized on a federal level? Join alcohol beverage marketing experts and founders of SoHo Experiential, Rick Kiley and Jeff Boedges, as they interview economists, historians, entrepreneurs, legal experts, and more! Listen in as they track the path to a “Green Repeal”, through the lens of alcohol beverage professionals familiar with the trials and tribulations of marketing a “sin-dustry.” Through the podcast, listeners will get an excellent understanding of the Cannabis industry, how it will be governed, and how to successfully navigate the challenges of marketing a successful product in a heavily restricted industry.