Expert Advice for Selling in a Crowded Cannabis Market

It’s pretty obvious that ever since legalization became a thing there’s been a ton of new products hitting the market. It’s also pretty obvious that this massive proliferation of pot paraphernalia has resulted in a market that’s saturated with a ton of stuff.

And who knows if stoners even want this stuff? But that’s a totally different story. Anyhow, we asked Ben Kovacs the co-founder of Myster and Octave, two cannabis hardware companies that are totally able to navigate these heavily crowded waters, how he’s able to make it all work.

Ben started a non-profit martial arts gym here in Oakland called, Guardian. What’s really cool is that it provides free boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu to local kids. He was the former chief revenue officer of NorCal Cannabis, one of the largest vertically integrated indoor producers in California, spent some time working at Twitter, and was recently appointed to the Next Green Wave Holdings Inc board of directors. Suffice to say he knows his shit.

“There’s certainly no shortage of places to buy cheap glass and knock-off products from sites such as Alibaba,” he tells us.

And that’s true because we’ve come across a ton flimsy glass and goofy low-quality products that stoners should avoid. But, Kovacs’ latest release, a cold start dab rig made by his company, Myster, isn’t one of them. It’s well-made, feels solid, and works like it should.

The rig works like a charm because Kovaks owns his own production factory in China. So he’s able to oversee quality control and ensure that every unit is well made. This makes a huge difference, especially in a crowded market.

“We have a deep equity partnership with our colleagues there,” he explains. “This allows us to ensure that we are able to efficiently produce high-quality products with a team that is invested in making them. “

Sounds like a total win-win, right? It also sounds not too dissimilar from how plant-touching cannabis companies work, he explians.

“Most brands that have tried to source flowers, for example, have really struggled to maintain quality and consistency, says Kovaks. “The most successful companies in cannabis have all went vertical because they realize controlling the supply chain is critical, especially in a market that is so highly competitive.”

Going vertical—controlling everything from your manufacturing, supply chain, distribution, and sales seems like a sound strategy.

As for the proliferation of junk on the market just be patient. Stoners will weed out the lame stuff simply by not purchasing it or by spreading the word that it’s bunk. The result? Stuff stoners actually like will start to surface.