Stop Marrying Your Weed: Why the Fastest Money Is Usually the Smartest Money

I’ve sold a lot of things in my life.

Windows.

Mortgages.

Cannabis.

I’ve sat through enough sales meetings, seminars, lectures, and motivational speeches to make a grown man start hearing the word “commission” in his sleep.

One thing I’ve learned is that sales is sales.

The product changes.

Human nature doesn’t.

And there’s one strategy I keep seeing in the cannabis industry that absolutely blows my mind.

The “I’m gonna sit on this forever and wait for a rich guy” strategy.

You know exactly what I’m talking about.

A vendor gets a decent batch. Maybe it’s even a great batch. They put a premium price on it and then spend the next three months staring at it like it’s the last jar of weed left on Earth.

Meanwhile, customers walk by.

Potential sales walk by.

Money walks by.

And the vendor proudly says:

“Nah, I’m waiting for the right customer.”

The right customer?

My brother in cannabis, the right customer just bought an ounce from the table next to you.

The $140 Ounce Problem

Let’s paint a picture.

You’re at an event.

The vendor beside you has ounces for $140.

Your flower is slightly better.

Not twice as good.

Not three times as good.

Slightly better.

But you’re charging double.

Now put yourself in the customer’s shoes.

Most people aren’t shopping for the absolute best flower in the building.

They’re shopping for the best value.

There’s a difference.

Now don’t get me wrong—there are absolutely people like me, OG Strain, who hunt for rare diamonds in the rough and happily pay extra for truly exceptional cannabis. Some consumers chase the best of the best no matter what the price tag says. But those customers are the exception, not the rule.

If they can get something that’s 90% as good for half the price, many of them will happily make that trade all day long.

And honestly?

Can you blame them?

The average consumer isn’t conducting a cannabis wine tasting with a monocle and a clipboard.

They’re trying to stretch their budget.

Profit Is Profit

Here’s where my sales background kicks in.

A lot of vendors focus on maximum profit per sale.

The smart ones focus on maximum profit overall.

Those are two very different things.

Let’s say you make $400 profit from one customer.

Great.

But what if you could have made $150 from four different customers during the same time period?

Now you’re at $600.

And you’ve moved product.

And you’ve built relationships.

And you’ve created repeat customers.

And you’ve generated referrals.

And you’ve freed up capital to buy more inventory.

The goal isn’t to win one transaction.

The goal is to win the game.

Cannabis Isn’t Fine Art

Some vendors treat cannabis like they’re auctioning off a rare painting.

They’re guarding jars like they’re museum exhibits.

Nobody touch it.

Nobody look at it.

Nobody breathe near it.

It’s special.

Meanwhile, the market keeps moving.

Here’s the reality.

Most flower is replaceable.

More is being grown every day.

More is being harvested every day.

More is being packaged every day.

Unless you’re sitting on something truly rare that won’t be available again for six months or longer, why are you acting like it’s the last cut on Earth?

Move it.

Replace it.

Move the next batch.

Replace that too.

Cannabis should move.

That’s what makes businesses grow.

The Rare Strain Exception

Now before somebody starts typing an angry comment, let’s be fair.

There are exceptions.

If you’ve got something genuinely rare.

A cut that’s difficult to find.

A limited release.

Something that won’t be available again anytime soon.

Then yes.

Holding your price can make sense.

Scarcity creates value.

But let’s be honest with ourselves.

Most of the flower people are sitting on isn’t rare.

It’s available.

It’s replaceable.

And if you can call your source tomorrow and get more, then you’re not protecting a treasure.

You’re delaying a sale.

Every Customer Isn’t the Same Customer

Another mistake I see is vendors treating pricing like it’s carved into stone tablets.

The cannabis market has never worked that way.

Every customer is different.

Some customers buy once.

Some buy weekly.

Some buy volume.

Some buy samples.

Some are loyal.

Some are shopping around.

Some vendors.

Some consumers.

Different relationships create different opportunities.

The smartest salespeople understand that flexibility closes deals.

The goal isn’t squeezing every dollar out of every person.

The goal is creating enough value that everyone wants to come back.

Because repeat customers are where the real money lives.

The Jar Doesn’t Get Better Sitting There

One of my favorite questions to ask is this:

How much money is that product making while it’s sitting on your shelf?

The answer is zero.

None.

Not a penny.

In fact, it’s costing you opportunity.

The longer inventory sits, the longer your money is trapped inside it.

That’s money that could have been reinvested into the next pickup.

The next strain.

The next opportunity.

The next customer.

A jar sitting on a shelf is basically a couch potato.

It isn’t working.

It’s just sitting there getting older.

The Biggest Players Understand This

Look around the industry.

The vendors moving serious volume aren’t usually the ones obsessed with squeezing every possible dollar from every sale.

They’re moving product.

Building relationships.

Creating repeat business.

Keeping inventory flowing.

Keeping customers happy.

Keeping money moving.

Momentum matters.

Volume matters.

Reputation matters.

A customer who feels they got a good deal often becomes a customer for years.

A customer who feels they’re getting squeezed usually becomes somebody else’s customer.

Final Hit

I’ve spent years in sales.

I’ve watched top performers in multiple industries.

And one lesson keeps showing up over and over again.

You can’t deposit inventory into your bank account.

You can only deposit sales.

If a product is replaceable, move it.

If a profit is available, take it.

If a customer wants to buy, sell to them.

Because the cannabis industry isn’t a museum.

It’s a business.

And the vendors who understand that usually aren’t sitting around waiting for the perfect customer.

They’re too busy counting the money from all the customers they already sold to.