Episode #37
1.5 Million Gummies a Month The Cannabis Business Nobody Discusses
From a same-day CBD delivery service to manufacturing over a million gummies a month, this is a business story most people never hear about. In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Steven Brown, founder and CEO of Nothing But Canna (formerly Nothing But Hemp), one of the first hemp dispensaries in the Midwest. Steven's path to cannabis wasn't a straight line; he served in the Marine Corps, worked in health and nutrition at GNC, climbed the ranks at T-Mobile, and worked in negotiation for aerospace and defense before launching his own marketing company at 28, where a client in the cannabis space opened the door to an entirely new industry. Steven shares how his now-wife's success using CBD for migraines convinced him hemp products could genuinely help people and how that belief turned into a business that has weathered credit card shutdowns, COVID furloughs, state regulatory attacks, and a looming federal hemp ban. Along the way, he helped pass Minnesota's first low-dose THC bill legislation that unintentionally sparked the nationwide THC beverage boom now found in liquor stores across the country. What You'll Learn The real difference between CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids and why "street weed" today is nothing like it was decades ago How a small hemp business ended up shaping THC beverage laws now used nationwide Why the hemp industry is facing a federal shutdown and what that means for small operators The role lobbying, big pharma, alcohol, and marijuana industries play in hemp regulation Why product testing and safety standards matter in a largely unregulated space The costly lesson Steven learned expanding into the beverage industry and why he stepped back from it Why bad business partnerships can derail a company, and how to know when to walk away Why fear of failure holds most entrepreneurs back, and how embracing it leads to growth About Steven Brown Steven Brown is the founder and CEO of Nothing But Canna (formerly Nothing But Hemp), one of the first hemp dispensaries in the Midwest, specializing in compliant cannabinoid formulations and manufacturing over 1.3 million gummies a month. Before entering the cannabis industry, Steven had a varied career path; he served in the Marine Corps, worked in health and nutrition at General Nutrition Centers (GNC), spent six years moving up the ranks at T-Mobile in the wireless industry, and worked with a negotiation firm in aerospace and defense. He got into cannabis after starting his own marketing company at 28 and taking on a client in the industry, which led him to launch a same-day CBD delivery service in Minnesota in 2018. Steven and his team went on to help pass Minnesota's first low-dose THC bill, legislation that helped spark the nationwide THC beverage trend now found in liquor stores across the country. Under his leadership, the company grew from one dispensary to eleven nationwide in a single year. Connect with Steven Brown Website: https://www.nothingbutcanna.net/pages/team LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/socialthis/ Connect with Pat Miller Follow Pat Miller for more conversations with entrepreneurs who share the real stories behind building successful businesses. Website: https://patmiller.net/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepatmiller11 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepatmiller11/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepatmiller11/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePatMiller11/ Subscribe to From Underdog to Entrepreneur: Building Dreams with Pat Miller for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs who share the real stories, lessons, failures, and successes behind building thriving businesses. If you're passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, business growth, entertainment, and personal development, this podcast is designed to help you build your dream. New episodes are released regularly.
