Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chris Johnston, COO of Lune Rise Farms, located in Teeswater, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Lune Rise Farms is family-owned cannabis licensed producer holding both standard cultivation and processing licenses under Health Canada and the Canadian Cannabis Act. We are currently in the process of obtaining our sales license, which will allow us to sell our products to consumers through existing retail channels. Until we receive our sales license, we are only able to sell our sun-grown and organically farmed outdoor cannabis to other licensed producers on the wholesale market.
Tell us about yourself
My brother (and business partner) and I have a combined 50 plus years in sales and marketing. So from a career challenge standpoint, launching a business within a brand new regulated industry is the ultimate mountain to climb. It's the type of opportunity you work your whole career for. And the timing for this industry launch happened to coincide with the passing of our dad and the question of what we would do with our family farm of 32 years to generate more revenue to support our mom.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Quite simply survival. In a brand new industry that is still evolving and finding its own way, there is no tried and true playbook to work from. Every day something new happens in the industry that you need to adapt and account for. So you need to keep your purse strings tight and your focus tighter as you need to both grow your business and navigate its challenges in parallel. Darwin was on to something...it truly is adapt or die.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The unexpected should be expected. Even if you go into creating and managing a new business with both eyes open, you really can't be prepared for all of the elements that it involves. As a start-up, you need to be very flexible and divide and conquer the roles and responsibilities. There are some jobs that aren't the most fun part of running a business, but you have to handle all aspects. The good news is that my brother and I complement each other in our skillsets come from very different backgrounds.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First and foremost, if you're going to start a new business, you need to be all in and push all your chips into the center of the table. This cannot be a side hustle. You're either 110% in, or don't bother. Secondly, you need to have the nerve to be able to push through challenge after challenge but still move forward. There will be dark times and tough moments, but you need to put your head down and push through. Lastly, stay positive. This is incredibly difficult even in existing and well-established industries, let alone brand new frontiers. But it is also rewarding in that you are building something of your own. So make sure you take a breathe every once in a while to celebrate your wins!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.lunerisefarms.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lune_rise_farms/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lune-rise-farms/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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