Build a Personal Brand that Opens Doors in Cannabis
- Your personal brand exists whether you build it or not, so own the narrative.
- Authenticity and consistency are the fastest path to trust.
- Define your value: what you do, what you love, and what you want to be known for.
- Use social media intentionally (and socially): share wins, add value, engage.
- Reinforce online visibility with offline networking and refine your brand over time.
One of my favorite office-gear gifts is a small sign that sits on my desk. It simply says, “Shit. I forgot to create a personal brand.”
All joking aside, a personal brand is a must for anyone in business today, particularly for those of us in the cannabis space. Given our industry’s competitive nature, its breakneck evolution over the past decade, and the anticipation of what rescheduling could mean for all of us in the next one, we are all thinking about how we can appeal to a wider population of consumers and the bigger potential markets we can create.
Why do I need a personal brand?
In an industry still navigating the shift from legacy to legal, a personal brand acts as a bridge of trust for skeptical investors and new consumers alike.
Personal brands are nothing new. In business-talk circles, the idea has been around for more than forty years. At its core, establishing a personal brand means building your reputation and explaining your value. We’ve been doing that in our resumes for years.
What is new is intention and how you apply your personal brand to today’s hyper-connected social media age. And if you’re not intentionally putting your personal brand to use, someone is likely already doing it for you. So, take the reins yourself.
As I advise my firm’s clients, “Tell your own story — because if you don’t, someone else will.”
What is a personal brand?
A personal brand is the consistent, authentic reputation you build by clearly communicating your value and showing it through your actions and visibility. Your personal brand is rooted in who you are. At the risk of repeating an overused term, it’s who you authentically are.
You’ve seen people who are authentic. They break through the noise and grab attention. Think Gary Vaynerchuk, an entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker with 11.2 million Instagram followers. Or Carolyn Davis, known online as MississippiKween, who turned a viral breakfast pizza video into a cookbook and kitchen product empire with business collaborations and 2 million Tiktok followers. While their niches differ, their core success is identical: They’ve replaced corporate artifice with human connection. They are successful because they are comfortable in how they communicate their ideas. That is who they are. There is no artifice. No performance.
Certainly, those are extreme examples. And frankly, I’d love to have their audiences. But their success follows a key guiding principle: authenticity as brand.
The architecture of an authentic brand
How do you create your personal brand to make sure your business colleagues see the authentic you?
- Ask yourself “What do I do? What am I most happy doing? What do I want people to know about me? What value do I bring to the table?”
- Leverage your professional and life experiences and interests. How do you use these qualities? How do you bring value to the table? That gives you your story.
- Communicate. Determine how and where you will tell your story and share publicly the value you offer.
We’re all on social media. But how well are you using your social media? Are you posting regularly to LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok? Are you bolstering your website with links back and forth to your social media pages?
And remember: Social media is about being social. So go out there and amplify your brand on social media. Share any publicity you receive. Use LinkedIn or Substack to share information about your awards, your accolades, your milestones. By consistently sharing these subtly, quietly, and strongly, you’ll position yourself as a thought leader.
It’s also important to make sure you engage with people in the real world, telling your story and sharing your value face-to-face. Yes, that means networking. That means attending and participating in conferences. That means “getting out there.”
To be sure, your personal brand will evolve over time as your personal goals develop and as the cannabis industry grows and changes. Being flexible and re-evaluating your brand should always be part of the plan.
Quick answers to personal branding questions
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What is a personal brand?
A personal brand is your reputation: how people describe you, what they trust you for, and the value they associate with your name.
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Why is a personal brand important in cannabis?
Because the industry is competitive and fast-changing, a strong personal brand helps you stand out, build credibility, and expand opportunities as markets evolve.
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How do I start building my personal brand?
Start with clarity: define what you do best, what you enjoy, what you want to be known for, and the value you bring. Then craft a simple story that connects those points.
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What platforms should I use for personal branding?
Use the platforms where your professional audience already pays attention — often LinkedIn first, then Instagram or TikTok depending on your role and goals.
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How often should I post on social media?
Consistency matters more than volume. Choose a cadence you can sustain (for example, 1–2 quality posts per week) and engage with others regularly.
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How do I promote myself without feeling “salesy?”
Focus on usefulness and proof: share insights, lessons learned, milestones, and earned recognition in a calm, factual tone — then amplify others, too.
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Does my personal brand need to stay the same forever?
No. Your brand should evolve as your goals change and the industry changes—revisit it periodically and adjust intentionally.
Kim Prince is founder and chief executive officer at Proven Media, a results-oriented agency serving business- and consumer-facing companies throughout North America. She brings more than twenty years of corporate marketing experience and leverages her background in corporate messaging strategies, public relations, and strategic planning to help position corporations, brands, and C-level executives for growth.
NORML worked with union members for nearly two years to assist them in securing the revisions.
“Neither past nor current cannabis use should automatically preclude someone from legal protections explicitly provided by the US Constitution.”