When did you have your ‘ah-ha’ moment as it relates to your entrance into the cannabis industry via Cashinbis.com?
For me, the ‘ah-ha’ moment came back in January of 2014. I was watching the news at the time and all they were talking about was the budding cannabis industry and its potential to be the next big American business space. I grabbed the nearest Forbes magazine I had with me and started to flip through it in search of business ideas that I could possibly apply to the cannabis industry.
I researched the industry for roughly three months before it finally hit me, “Why not create the Forbes magazine of the cannabis space?” So, on April 11th, 2014 (my birthday), I bought the domain name for Cashinbis.
Next, I approached a sales rep that was working for me at a financial company that I co-founded about this new business idea. Erin McDonald, who is now our CCO, jumped aboard before I could finish my proposal. I approached her because her creative writing skills were powerful and her ability to convey a message in writing was impeccable. She was closing deals for the financial company through emails, and she made it look like a breeze. Anyone who has worked in sales before will tell you that closing deals in emails is no easy task.
With her on board, I turned my attention to our now COO, Guillermo Bravo. I had known Guillermo for over 8 years and he is the epitome of an IT whiz. He had already helped to build a SEO company from the ground up as well as co-founded a goliath ecommerce site for bamboo products. He jumped aboard as fast as Erin did and we were off and running.
What are you doing in this emerging space to differentiate Cashinbis from other disruptive products?
I was raised by the CFO of the #1 pharmaceutical company in the Philippines and he always conveyed this message to me, “Carlo, always take care of the chickens that lay golden eggs for you.” I never really understood that concept until I became a business owner later in my life. To me it means, “Take care of your team, and your team will take care of your clients.”
How do we do that at Cashinbis? I believe that the ripple effect starts from the top and flows downhill. Because of that, I lead by example as much as possible. I’m addicted to furthering my education, mostly through my love of reading books or listening to audiobooks. I’ve always been an autodidact. So through my example and encouragement I always push our team to further their professional and personal education.
I also authored and narrated an audio literature called, “Affirmations of a Millionaire Entrepreneur.” In it, I interviewed 59 of the wealthiest people in San Diego County to find out what made them tick. What I found is that they all shared a very similar mindset. With that information in mind, I created the literature so that others could benefit from the information.
Everytime I hire a new employee to the company, I require them to listen to this literature. Not to be self-fulfilling, but to make sure they know the mindset that has made all of these people so successful as entrepreneurs. Our entire team is on the same page, pulling from the same end of the rope.
If you could change one cannabis law, other than overall federal legalization, what would it be?
Outside of wide-scale legalization, I would love to see the whole cannabis plant reclassified as a Schedule 2 or 3 substance. As most people know, Schedule 1 substances are reserved for those substances that hold absolutely no medical benefit. I think research and development, especially in federally funded studies, have proven there is at least enough medical benefit for reclassification. In fact, the National Cancer Institute, which is federally recognized as the leading cancer reporting agency, just released their findings as to the positive impact that cannabis can have against cancer. If that’s not medical value, then we should just pack up and go home because nothing is going to be better than that.
The reason rescheduling cannabis to Schedule 2 or lower would have a great impact is that physicians nationwide will be able to ‘prescribe’ cannabis to their patients, rather than just ‘recommend’. Furthermore, Schedule 1 substances cannot legally be transferred across state lines, so many medical patients looking for the best treatment options have to leave their state and illegally bring back medicine for themselves or their children. The bottom line is that cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance represents how broken our system really is. The medical benefits from simple reclassification are enormous. If it was up to me, that would be the law I would change. Not tomorrow, not today, but yesterday.
Who has been the biggest influence to you in your life?
I can think of two people, among the many, who have had a great influence on my life.
First would be a Senior Chief Petty Officer who supervised me while I was in the U.S. Navy. I was stationed aboard the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) from 1999-2002. Let me tell you, this guy was tough! But, at the same time, he knew exactly what he was doing. He taught me survival skills, problem solving and most of all, how to defeat any complicated situation. He always said, “Execution will always top excuses, because excuses are like butts (to keep it PG), everyone has one and they all stink.”
The other person who had a great influence on me is an old friend of mine who I met 12 years ago. While my dad was a baby boomer who taught me about corporate America, this gentleman brought me into the next generation. He owned a property management company at the early age of 19 and eventually ran several companies in the real estate and automotive fields by the time he was 25. And at 38 years old, he has over 250 employees, still operating his other ventures successfully, and just recently started an energy company. He was and still is an absolute machine of a businessman. I paid close attention to how he ran these companies and how he was able to turn everything he touched into gold. I have done my best to implement those same strategies throughout my history with startups and they have all been successful because of what I learned from him.
You have interviewed many influential people in the cannabis space. How do you draw inspiration from them?
One of my favorite questions I get to ask all of these successful leaders within the industry is, “What book has help or guided you that you can recommend?”
As mentioned before, I love reading and learning. For me, this question is great because every entrepreneur answers it differently. There is an incredible amount of information in the world and these books have inspired these entrepreneurs to become great. If these books had a fantastic impact on these high level business professionals, there has to be something there for every entrepreneur. That inspires me to constantly pursue my quest for knowledge and self-improvement. We share some of these titles within the office and as book roundups on Cashinbis as well.
If you could share a joint with any two politicians, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
John F. Kennedy would be the first one. His charisma and star like aura was so valuable to the American people. He knew exactly how to use his body language and voice to inspire and motivate people to do what he needed them to do.
Second would be Franklin D. Roosevelt. I really enjoy his eloquent speaking style and how he could hypnotize people with the powerful words he used so strategically. Both FDR and JFK were excellent speakers and inspirations to the world.
Do you think that cannabis is a gateway drug?
Not anymore. I admit, at one time in my life I was much less educated on the matter. Like many of us, I was force fed incorrect information during the early part of my life. However, I have since educated myself on the matter and reached the conclusive realization that cannabis is therapeutic, non-addictive and can provide spectacular benefits to our country in both the health and economic sectors.
What do you think will be the biggest catalyst for growth in the cannabis industry over the next 12 months?
Time and information. I know it sounds simple, but there is so much that needs to happen to get this industry to where it needs to be and where we all want it to be. While legislation and policies are constantly developing and changing all over the country, much of it is still very bureaucratic and takes time above all else. It is also important that, as an industry, we are responsible and diligent in the creation of the systems that will be put in place.
Personally, I think there are benefits to the fact that it has taken California so long to move towards adult use cannabis. The reason being that I don’t think the policies that had been previously proposed were as comprehensive and inclusive as the one that will likely pass in 2016. Our industry has stepped up their game in terms of funding, professionalism and responsibility and I’m excited that this is all being pursued as optimally as possible. I think we are finally ready to see big changes in this industry, which is perfect because those changes are on our doorstep.
Lastly, who do you think will be the best pro-cannabis candidate for president and who would potentially be the worst?
I don’t want to end this article in a negative light, so I’ll lead with the worst and finish with the best. Chris Christie is terrible. His vows to demolish everything cannabis would set the industry back to the 1970’s and the black market would again flourish. Crime rates would go back up and millions across the country would lose access to the medicine that they have been using for treatment. Luckily for the American public, Christie has basically made himself unelectable because he has a chronic case of foot-in-mouth syndrome.
The best case scenario would probably be Bernie Sanders. He is very open to the study and development of the cannabis industry as a whole. Additionally, he has a fresh take on many issues that are currently plaguing our nation. However, his age and liberal stance on many of the issues will likely scare away the undecided vote, making it hard to realistically think he will win in 2016.
