A big brand does not mean a good brand and vice versa. It is necessary to study each brand separately because the industry is still in its infancy. In the beginning, it was easy for me to focus on big brands since a large brand implied to me more specialists. But it was not the case. Later, I changed my thinking when a brand 3 (!) times smaller could communicate and make a product better than some prominent brands.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Irene Stepanenko.
Irene Stepanenko is a passionate marketer, teacher, yogi practitioner, connoisseur of natural products, and mother. She has been making worthy projects successful for 10 years. Her latest online venture, AskGrowers based in the Ukraine, was created out of an irrepressible desire to share expert knowledge about cannabis with people.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I have led large projects before, but they weren’t my own. When I started my own company, I made a mistake that I discovered is quite common. I found it difficult to delegate tasks. Luckily, I noticed this early on, and if I hadn’t, it could have slowed down the company’s growth or even halted it. It is impossible to do all the tasks efficiently and run a successful business. So I changed my approach to recruiting staff and started looking for committed people with ambition, experience, energy, and motivation. It was the perfect formula to launch AskGrowers.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
After the birth of my child, I became especially interested in learning about how to use cannabis more consciously. So I discovered different strains, products, and brands. I began to share this information with my friends and acquaintances and even started a chat on WhatsApp, where I shared valuable information with them. There was a funny moment when I accidentally added my grandmother to the cannabis chat on WhatsApp. I had to spend some time explaining what we were discussing to her. Therefore, the lesson is very simple, keep a close eye on who you add to a private chat!
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
AskGrowers’ greatest impact on society is through education. In my opinion, ignorance in specific areas causes problems, negativity, and consequences of misunderstanding between people, organizations, and things. Although more information is disseminated about cannabis every year, this does not guarantee the quality of the information. I also want to point out that people who have been using cannabis products for a long time, whether THC or CBD, often have little understanding of different aspects of the flower, methods of use, and variations of exposure, just like beginners. Therefore, a big part of our job is to educate our users about cannabis culture. The industry is rapidly changing, and new research, trends, and products are emerging. Also, we talk a lot about the people who drive the industry. The stories of their journey are incredible. This is also interesting for cannabis users to know, as it helps to take a broader view of the industry and its representatives.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I can definitely talk about the people around me who can give me detailed feedback over time. These are friends, former colleagues, acquaintances and relatives. Getting more and more familiar with the world of cannabis, they lost their skepticism and bias and began to understand that this is a huge and powerful industry that helps many people in need. They came to understand the versatility of the industry. The more information they received, the calmer and more interested they were in the whole culture of the plant and its participants. Almost everyone has revised their position regarding the need for its legality in European countries positively.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
We need to educate people regarding cannabis.
1) Support the scientific community in carrying out cannabis research. The more research and results, the faster the cannabis community will be able to speak with authority about the real benefits of cannabis.
2) Cannabis businesses need to educate their customers. This applies to both cannabis brands and dispensaries to provide in-depth information to customers about products. It will raise awareness and drive the industry to better products and services.
3) I want to advise ordinary people to think critically and do their own research on cannabis.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
A leader is someone that people want to follow. People see a goal and accept a particular person as the best one who can lead them to it. But after February 24, my list of people who I believed were leaders changed a lot. A new name appeared on my list, and all the old ones disappeared, unable to withstand the competition. This is Volodymyr Zelensky. The courage of a lion and the sequence of actions, the result of which is visible, is hard for me to imagine. I thought about leadership more through the lens of business. But that changed when we talk about the war and a leader’s actions during it. And he’s great at it. Starting with the speech at the Munich conference, we see a strong leader who finally firmly declared Ukraine’s position in Europe and the world. It was a historic speech for Ukrainians that inspired us as a nation.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1)A big brand does not mean a good brand and vice versa. It is necessary to study each brand separately because the industry is still in its infancy. In the beginning, it was easy for me to focus on big brands since a large brand implied to me more specialists. But it was not the case. Later, I changed my thinking when a brand 3 (!) times smaller could communicate and make a product better than some prominent brands.
2)Education in the cannabis industry is our future. For the industry to grow and diversify, we need to educate consumers to try different products and learn about the various aspects of cannabis. A striking example is that many people (even some veteran smokers) think that the more THC, the better. We interviewed many industry experts, who confirmed that this is false and simply a lack of education. The secret lies in the terpene profile and the mix of other cannabinoids.
3) Communicate with others in the cannabis market. No one knows everything about it. We need to share our experiences and insights. You shouldn’t look at everyone as your competitors. It’s not the right approach. And if anyone doubts it, the cannabis industry is worth $61 billion. There is enough money to make for everyone. Don’t be afraid to create a good brand/company/dispensary, and share your best practices.
AskGrowers has already conducted nearly 150 interviews with representatives of the cannabis industry. It was incredible to learn about their experiences. Our readers need to receive information straight from real practitioners and experts in the field.
4)The cannabis industry should be more technologically advanced. Many dispensaries, brands, growers (especially) are not digitized, and sometimes it seems that they are stuck at the dawn of the Internet era. There is an opportunity for digital teams to help people in cannabis enter the market and increase sales/awareness through technology.
5)The cannabis industry is smaller than you think. It is still a narrow community of activists, growers, brand owners, dispensaries, and digital professionals. Therefore, you need to be especially careful in your communications.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
This is a great question. It would be a movement for a more respectful and peaceful attitude towards everything, towards oneself, others, animals and nature.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It’s a John Lennon quote: “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Frankly, now it’s Elon Musk. And no, not because of Twitter. I would like to know how this person sees the security system on a global scale, and maybe even a planetary one.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
I can be contacted via Twitter @irene_explorer and LinkedIn @AskGrowers.
Thank you so much for the time you spent doing this interview. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success.
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Irene Stepanenko of AskGrowers Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.