8/25/2023 0 Comments Ona life dispensaryRaphael had met Amy Jenkins, a public affairs specialist and legal advisor for the California Cannabis Industry Association, at her first Marijuana Business Convention & Expo, commonly known as MJBizCon. So, for a third time, she looked to the women in her life for guidance. There’s not even a license available for what I’m doing.” You could only be a delivery service if you were attached to a dispensary or a brick and mortar. “When first released the licensing, they didn’t even have delivery licenses as an option. While her work at the local level is still ongoing, it certainly helped prepare her for a shock at the state level. Nurit continues to work closely with each locality in Marin to develop local ordinances for licensing. The scary part was coming out to the city, coming out of the shadows and hoping that they would say ‘okay, you can continue’ or ‘we acknowledge your existence’ which is how it’s stated right now.” “When we first opened our collective, I knew that what I was doing was very much a gray area. It’s been a two-and-a-half-year process,” Raphael says of the complex regulations around establishing a dispensary, delivery or retail outlet in Marin County, California. I wanted to make sure I was playing by the right rules and regulations.”Īfter learning the ropes, she eventually moved on to start her own canna-business with her brother, Aviv, but found it more challenging than expected. My biggest fear was getting into an industry that could potentially lead to legal issues. “That’s what I was really scared about, joining the industry,” she remembers. They found one in Raphael, who jumped at the opportunity and began to familiarize herself with the legality around cannabis in California. But when I met them at the event and told them my story, they made the connection.”Īs luck would have it, the two lawyers were seeking an executive assistant. “I had emailed them two days before, and they never responded. “I went to a networking event in the city and met Shabnam and Amanda,” Raphael recalls. With no obvious industry contacts and no extensive knowledge of cannabis legislation, she once again sought out female mentorship - this time with Shabnam Malek and Amanda Conley of Brand & Branch LLP. I just had no connection to what I was doing.”Īfter taking a break to travel, Raphael landed in the Bay Area and started to explore the idea of breaking into the cannabis industry. “I was working all the time, overtime, and I decided I couldn’t do it anymore. She worked for several years in post-production on big-name projects such as Game of Thrones, After Earth and Paranormal Activity, but eventually Raphael hit a breaking point. With the help of Townsend, Raphael’s first career path out of school was a success. “She just had faith in me that I could learn as I go. “She was the ‘boss lady’ before that was a thing,” remembers Raphael. Going through school, Raphael developed a close relationship with Dana Townsend, Executive Producer at Spy Post, a FotoKem Company. As we chatted about the journey she’s taken to get where she is, I noticed a recurring trend that fueled her success: strong, female mentors who were willing and able to point her in the right direction and connect her to others with similar goals. Raphael is the founder and owner of ONA.life, a boutique cannabis concierge in the Bay Area. It’s amazing,” says Nurit Raphael of San Francisco, California. It makes you wonder: How is it that women are able drive the movement and truly thrive as business owners in a way that no other industry allows? And they continue to maintain a significant presence as leaders in the industry. In California and Colorado – the two largest cannabis markets in the United States – approximately one out of every three founders or owners is a woman, according to Marijuana Business Daily. DS (text-decoration: font-size:12.00pt font-family:'Times New Roman')
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