Chris Driessen President Of SLANG Worldwide Talks Cannabis CPG Strategies In Five Questions – Forbes

Chris Driessen

Chris Driessen, President Slang Worldwide

Photo Courtesy: Slang Worldwide

Warren Bobrow=WB: Where are you from? Why cannabis? Did you go to business school? Who is your mentor?

Chris Driessen=CD: I am originally from the Dallas area, but moved to Colorado almost 20 years ago. I’ve had a love affair with the plant since I was 16, so when legalization came about in Colorado, it was a natural fit. This industry has allowed me to combine my passion for cannabis with my professional skills, all while building a purpose-driven organization. When passion, purpose and hustle align, magic happens. I never did go to B-school—I went to Texas Tech University for communications, which was great until my social agenda interrupted my education. Subsequently, they asked me not to come back. With my tail tucked between my legs, I moved back to my parents’ house in the Metroplex. I then finished up my degree in Public Relations from the University of North Texas.

 I have been fortunate to be mentored by some amazing people throughout my life. In my childhood, my parents, who are both educators, raised me to value hard work, integrity and being results focused. Early in my professional career I spent my days working for several large Fortune 500 companies, including Konica Minolta and Starwood Hotels + Resorts. During this time I honed my sales and leadership skills. Hospitality sales teach you all about guest experience and relationship-based selling. At Konica Minolta, which essentially sells copy machines and toner, you are taught about solution selling and activity-based key performance indicators. The variance of these two different selling styles, in addition to systematic processes—in both sales and business in general—has blessed me with business experience to lead my current organization. More recently, I have had the honor to be mentored by some titans of business from Oakley, Nike and many other household names. I am very thankful for all of the mentors, both old and new, in my career.

 WB: Tell me about SLANG Worldwide? What (or who?) inspired SLANG’s approach to owning multiple brands? What is SLANG’s plan for the next six months? One year?

CD: SLANG Worldwide is a cannabis consumer packaged goods company. Our company focuses on building brands– we bring CPG to THC. We focus on manufacturing to ensure that the product offerings and quality meet the needs of consumers. The many brands in SLANG Worldwide’s portfolio compete and win in some of the most mature markets in the country. We offer several different branded products, as not all cannabis consumers are the same. Cannabis touches the lives of a wide variety of consumers, both young and old, male and female, rich and poor. We tailor products to appeal to many different demographics, across many different markets at many price points. The root constituent of all of these products is cannabis—and cannabis extracts in particular. The multitude of products produced are then moved through the market with best-in-class sales and marketing strategies that generate outsize results compared to our industry peers.

The idea of cannabis CPG is not new, but has recently become more en vogue, particularly for public companies. Wise investors are now valuing profit multiples that come from brands, as opposed to brick-and-mortar retail, or highly capital and labor intensive cultivation facilities. Actually, this has been our mantra all along. We have a capital-light model that allows us to quickly move into (or out of) markets as they develop, rise or fall. Our focus on infused products, all while steering clear of retail and cultivation, has led in part to our success. We always avoid retail, as those businesses are our customers. If we owned retail stores, we would then become a competitor to the very stores we are trying to solicit. Most businesses do not want to buy from their competitors. In the end, we want to ride shotgun with every dispensary, in every market we operate in. We ideally do not want to cultivate in any market, where it can be avoided. We are not cultivators by nature, and it isn’t one of our core competencies. Occasionally we do own cultivation assets where supply chain integrity, vertically integrated licenses or regulations require it. While there was no one individual that inspired this focus, it has always been our mantra. We want to own the extraction, brand and distribution segments of the cannabis value chain.

 SLANG’s focus for the next six to twelve months is very similar to the last six months, as we don’t chase whatever story the public markets value today. We remain true to our mission of providing cannabis consumers everywhere with the highest quality products, across an array of categories and many different price points. We do this with integrity, hustle and a relentless focus on our goals. Our goals are to expand our empire, improve our processes and build scalable, long lasting businesses in the markets where we operate. When we do this well, we drive profit and therefore, shareholder value.

WB: Do you enjoy cooking? If so, what are your favorite things to prepare? Who taught you? What’s your favorite restaurant? Where is it located?

CD: I LOVE to cook, or rather, smoke fatty meats that are consumed on Sundays while watching my beloved Dallas Cowboys—I know, I am glutton for punishment! I am on a competitive BBQ team that has won a few awards. We focus on the four main meats for competition: brisket (my favorite), pork ribs, pork shoulder (or pork butt for those that know) and chicken (which no one really likes to prepare, but everyone likes to eat). I got into smoking meat from a good buddy of mine in Colorado. I started attending competitions with him and fell in love with the scene. There is nothing better than a bunch of people communing over their smokers, drinking beers, enjoying cannabis and making some delicious BBQ. I love all kinds of food, but meat is really my jam. Some of the best meat in the country can be found in my home state of Texas. Whether that be Franklin BBQ in Austin, or Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Dallas, Texas is where the beef is!

 WB: What challenges are you facing in the cannabis industry? How do you plan to overcome those challenges? What’s an area of cannabis products that you want to pursue the most? Why?

CD: Challenges are part of our everyday world in cannabis, just like any other job. I often tell people that my job is 90% the same as their job. Whether that be spreadsheets, budgets, P&L’s or hitting quota, we strive to be good business people, but more importantly, good people. We are guided by core values, driven by an intense passion for cannabis and relentless focus to win. That said, 10% of our business is extremely different than most. It takes a different breed of individual, with a high tolerance for risk, to join an industry that is still federally illegal (in the U.S., anyway). That said, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere but with my people, fighting the good the fight of legalization and legitimacy. We overcome these everyday challenges by continuing to espouse the benefits of legal cannabis, making great products that people clearly love and running the best purpose-driven business we can. We are focused on diversifying our product offering to cater to the ever-widening consumer base that is buying cannabis, whether for medical or recreational reasons.

 WB: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where and with whom….

CD: I would be with my family (known as Team D), in my basement, smoking a brisket on my deck and watching my beloved Cowboys win the Super Bowl. I know it’s a stretch, but at least the company, the weed and BBQ will be on point!

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