Win-Win

by Jen Randolph Reise

The cannabis industry is more than just a burgeoning marketplace — it’s a movement. As we finally stand on the cusp of launching the adult-use market in Minnesota, I want to reflect on how far we’ve come—and what our shared future could look like if we lead with collaboration over competition.

A little over two years ago, I found myself squeezed into a sagging couch at Grounded Gardens in West St. Paul. The room upstairs was overflowing with advocates and aspiring entrepreneurs, packed into mismatched chairs with more people standing in the doorway. Owner Bridgette Pinder, a legalization advocate and hemp farmer with dreams of building a cannabis business, hosted this community meeting to gather energy and input around HF100—the bill that would eventually legalize adult-use cannabis in Minnesota.

That spring evening in 2023 felt historic. Advocates like Leili Fatehi shared real-time updates from the Capitol after long days negotiating with lawmakers. Tanner Berris flipped through an enormous binder to answer the group's line-item questions. That spring, ordinary Minnesotans testified before the Legislature, advocating for equity, opportunity, and a seat at the table. HF100 passed because citizens made it happen.

Since then, people from that very room have launched hemp-derived THC businesses, industry podcasts, educational events, and informal business cohorts while we waited for the full market launch. Throughout it all, small operators have relied on one another for information, community, and access.

Another early example happened at Legacy Cup 2023, on a sweltering September Saturday, when a group of women entrepreneurs formed the Minnesota Women’s Cannabis Collective (MWCC) to split the cost of a premium vendor booth. Individually, businesses like Mi Sota Essence, Moonlight Cannabis, and House of Oilworx couldn’t afford the space or staff alone. Still, together, they created one of the most dynamic and visible exhibits at the entire event.

Collaboration and information-sharing aren’t just nice-to-haves in this industry— they're a survival strategy.

This spirit of collaboration is one of Minnesota’s greatest assets. With so many small businesses trying to launch simultaneously—and many founders already connected through the hemp-derived industry—our community has an extraordinary opportunity to rewrite the rules of market entry and success.
But even with all that community spirit, we shouldn’t sugarcoat the road ahead. Building a successful cannabis business is hard, especially for the small, scrappy entrepreneurs at the heart of Minnesota’s craft market. Federal illegality means no access to traditional banking and punishing 280E tax burdens. Real estate is tough to secure. Zoning laws are difficult to understand and vary widely by city. Even before your first sale, you’re deep into compliance costs, capital needs, and regulatory red tape.

In other words, this is small business on “hard mode.” The legal cannabis industry, with its shifting rules and high compliance requirements, doesn’t allow for trial and error. Nationally, we’ve seen far too many promising entrepreneurs earn licenses but never get open, not because they lacked passion, but because they lacked access to the expertise, financing, and infrastructure that big players have already lined up.

That’s why collaboration and information-sharing aren’t just a nice-to-have in this industry—it’s a survival strategy. I’ve seen it already: from informal business cohorts and event partnerships, to peer support on compliance questions and capital-raising strategy.

When we pool knowledge and resources, we’re all more likely to succeed. That spirit of cooperation is exactly what inspired me to launch a cannabis business accelerator just a week before the lottery—to formalize the support networks so many of us have built organically.

And here’s the good news: it’s already happening. Grounded Gardens—that same business where we packed in shoulder to shoulder two years ago to dream this into being—is now close to reopening in Hutchinson, Minnesota. I expect it to be one of the first dispensaries to open its doors.

As a woman-owned, social equity microbusiness, it represents what this industry can be when we center equity, craft, and community. We fought hard to get to this moment. Now, let’s build the market we deserve— together.