In 2019, I left a well-paying corporate career to work as a budtender in Denver. People thought I was nuts, trading in my comfortable life for sixty-hour work weeks on the busy retail floor, but I was driven by a desire to learn the cannabis business from the ground up.
I landed a job at a well-known dispensary called Den Rec, where I soaked up everything about brands and consumer preferences. Within two months, I was promoted to manager of the downtown location, digging deeper into the weeds of the business.
Now, as president of Dialed In Gummies, I often think about those early days behind the counter interacting with customers. I had a front-row seat witnessing firsthand what brands got right as they competed for sales—and what they got wrong. Here are five key lessons I learned.
Scarcity sells
Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is real among cannabis consumers. In my retail experience, I noticed brands that created limited-edition products or collaborations turned shopping into a treasure hunt, with customers eagerly seeking out the rare offerings. They know something special is out there, but they have scarce time to purchase before it’s gone, maybe forever. The strategy creates a purchasing experience that goes beyond the product itself, making consumers feel part of something bigger. But scarcity is not a cruel trick to manipulate customers. It’s about delivering truly special products. Limited availability reflects genuine uniqueness and quality, giving consumers a chance to experience something exceptional.
At Dialed In, we applied this concept by hand-writing batch numbers on our labels, like “one of 255.” As we scaled and the batches got larger, we had to find other ways to make the experience special for customers. We still rotate through different strain-specific collaborations with various flower providers, creating unique batches that keep our customers coming back to see what’s new and limited.
Collabs build credibility
Collaborations are key, because they can help your brand grow and gain a good reputation. When you partner with an established brand, you expand your reach and tap into new customer bases. You also create superior-quality products neither company could create on its own.
We work with a variety of flower providers, from small brands to influential players in the space, creating unique, co-branded products. We’ve seen our partnerships boost interest in our collaborators’ products as well as help them expand. Meaningful collabs are about creating a network of brands working together to improve the entire industry.
Community is key
Community-building fosters brand loyalty and growth. In our industry, it’s not just about selling; it’s about adding value for consumers, patients, and other industry folks. As a store manager, I learned how important it was for brands to show up at events, help educate people, and stay visible even after you’ve made it big. This sets you apart in a packed market.
When I started at Dialed In, I used to fill my backpack with T-shirts, hats, lighters, and lanyards and go from event to event, talking directly to consumers, patients, and budtenders. This personal touch allowed me to educate people about our brand and build real connections. It meant a lot to people that someone from the company would show up and engage with them on a personal level. That’s why we still do this today.
Flavor variety drives sales
Back in my budtending days, I realized that when brands changed flavors and product types, customers kept coming back to try new things. While some folks like the same thing every time, many enjoy variety and the chance to experience something different with each purchase. Finding the right mix of new items and reliable favorites appeals to different tastes and encourages repeat buys.
Labels make or break brands
As a budtender, I noticed many brands had impressive in-store displays and merchandising. But for smaller brands that were just starting out, the label was everything. If you don’t have money for fancy displays, how do you stand out on a crowded shelf?
The answer is to create eye-catching, colorful labels that capture attention and communicate your product’s value quickly.
In our first couple of years, when we were still establishing ourselves, focusing on bright, colorful labels helped us compete with bigger brands, but we’ve also learned to simplify over time. We realized we were putting too much information on our labels, potentially confusing customers. Now, we aim to give consumers exactly what they’re looking for.
For example, we initially avoided using terms like sativa, hybrid, or indica on our packaging, preferring our own nomenclature for effects. But after talking with budtenders, we realized this might have been doing us a disservice. We use a QR code on every package that will take consumers to our potency testing so they can see the top terpenes and cannabinoids in that batch of rosin. After we added these familiar terms to our labels, we saw an increase in sales.
When I look back on those early days at the dispensaries, burning the midnight oil (and more), I value them as a crash course in cannabis sales. What seemed like a test of endurance turned out to be the foundation of my success. Sometimes you can get the clearest perspective on an industry not from the executive suite but from the ground floor. That’s a lesson I carry with me every day.
With deep experience in cannabis retail and manufacturing, Dialed In Gummies President Max Vansluys has built a reputation for strategic leadership and enhancing operational efficiency. Previously, he served in management roles at Den Rec and StyleHaul Inc., where he played a pivotal role in defining the role of social media in marketing.
