A Step-By-Step Guide to Boosting Creativity in Your Cannabis Business

Wanna know the best thing about living in the 21st century? We have the liberty to be as creative as we want with our businesses! Not only do we have the liberty to think outside the box, it’s actually required.

Being successful is no longer just about being bigger, richer, or better than your competition. It’s actually about being more creative when problem solving within your company. The importance of being creative is doubled if you’re in the cannabis industry.

It only takes a few minutes of surfing the internet to realize the close connection that cannabis has with creativity. It’s famously known as the gasoline of creativity, so if you’re selling it, you have to be on par.

Top brands like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Uber are constantly innovating and keeping their companies fresh and creative. So, follow in their footsteps with our 18-step way to a more creative company and you might end up being the first cannabis brand to join the big-league game.

The dreaded creative's block

Creatives aren’t an endless stream of ideas. Sometimes the well does run out. And getting stuck in creative problem solving happens to all of us.

Even genius prodigies like Shakespeare, Steve Jobs, and Albert Einstein have expressed how frustrating it can be to feel uninspired. Creativity, unfortunately, tends to decline as we grow older and we become stuck on a certain method or way of doing things.

The thing is that creativity is like the fertilizer that allows your company to grow. Much like the plants we grow in our incubators, your company needs creative fertilizer and tons of it! And much like plant care, it’s done on a daily basis.

It doesn't have to be an overwhelming process, though. Here at Hurcann, we have compiled a step-by-step guide to boost your creativity and help your cannabis business grow!

A step-by-step guide to boosting creativity for your cannabis brand

Reforming creativity into your business can be a daunting task. But, if you follow these tips and tricks to the tee, you are sure to get results in no time.

Remember, creativity is simply changing the way you view something. So, keep this in mind when reading through these tips:

1. Alter Your Mindset

Changing the way you view yourself and your company can have a huge impact on your brand. Try to stay positive. And look at problem solving with determination and passion.

Instead of saying "I can’t solve this", for example, try saying "I believe in myself and know I will arrive at a solution soon." This subconsciously sets you up for success.

All we can say is that no one gets to success by doubting themselves. So, the first step to re-energizing your company’s creativity is to believe in what you are doing. Ask yourself why you got into the business of selling weed in the first place.

What makes you feel great about your company? Focus on that and nourish it. Filling your company from head to toes with positive energy can get your entire team to be more productive.

So, don’t underestimate the power of altering your mindset to get to a more creative and productive place

2. Do your research and get inspired

When wanting to spark creativity, there is virtually nothing that works better than looking to others for inspiration. Here are a few places you can look at to get some amazing ideas for your cannabis business:

• Join cannabis Facebook groups and spark up a conversation.
• Add cannabis-oriented boards to your Pinterest and check it regularly.
• Follow cannabis brands you admire on social media.
• Subscribe to cannabis business newsletters.
• Read up on blogs just like this one.
• Network on LinkedIn with other professionals in the industry.
• Follow cannabis advocates and personalities on Youtube.

These ideas will provide you with an endless stream of inspiration! But, what do you do with all that inspiration? Keep reading to find out. Also, don’t forget to create a folder to store all of your inspiration in.

It might also be a good idea to have a vision board or whiteboard so that your entire team can get as inspired as you are. This will also help you keep track of all of your ideas.

3. Follow the competition

Get to know what your competition is up to. Sometimes, looking at other cannabis brands can do wonders for your creativity. You might look at something and get inspired, or detect a mistake and solve it preemptively for your own business.

Focus on the local cannabis brands in your area, but also look at what big companies are doing. They probably have more experience you can draw from.

Also follow cannabis associations on social media; they are always giving great tips to grow your cannabis business. It might even be a good idea to have someone on your marketing team do constant research on other cannabis brands and look for inspiration online.

4. Get to know your customers

Aside from following your competition, you should also keep track of your customer base. Get to know what they like about your cannabis company and what they think could be improved.

A great way of doing this is by engaging with them through dynamics on social media. You can ask them what their favorite product is, what they would like to see in your catalog, or why they enjoy cannabis.

The options for how to engage with your customers are endless. Just remember to take the time to read and listen to what they have to say, and use that as a guide to which direction your company should go in.

Knowing your customers will not only help you get inspired, but it can also be a great insight into whether you are on the right creative path or not. Once you know your customer base, you will be able to curate creative strategies that are made specifically for them, and your chances of success will be higher.

5. Look at your past success

Think about the creative moves that brought in tons of business for you and go off that when looking into the future of your company. That is why it is also important that you document all of your ideas moving forward.

Looking at happy moments for your company might help you remember a good path to go down or understand what does work and what doesn't.

Make a list of all of your successful past experiences. We also recommend you turn it into a visual presentation you can share with the entire team to boost morale.

6. Learn from the best

Learning from creative professionals can also do wonders for your creative strategy. It can also save a ton of time doing research.

Don’t get us wrong, doing research is a must. But this is another way of gaining knowledge and ideas to take your cannabis brand to the next level.

There are tons of ways you can learn from the best in the industry. Here are a few:

Take a course or class

Taking a cannabis-related class can be a really great way to get inspired. Get to know every aspect of your business and don’t be afraid to explore as many areas as you want.

We recommend you check out the cannabis-related TED talks. They tend to last 30–40 minutes at the most, and are extremely informative.

You can also check out the cannabis courses on Skillshare. They have amazing cannabis oriented classes that are run by industry professionals. The best part of all is that the classes are conveniently split into short (2-5 minute) modules and they are interactive.

Talk to other professionals in the field

Attend symposiums or conferences so that you can hear from industry-leading professionals. They have years of experience in their favor and you can rest assured that whatever they have to say is worth hearing.

Read biographies from inspiring people

Another way to get those creative juices flowing is by reading the biographies of those who inspire you. How did they get there? What can I do in my cannabis business from what I am reading?

If you have limited time, purchase an audiobook biography. Trust us when we say that there is a ton of inspiration you can draw from people who have already achieved success.

Ask yourself important questions and write the answers down for later reference. You can ask yourself how they solved their problems, for example. You can add this information to your inspiration folder.

7. Set your values

Set your company's values and what you want your cannabis business to represent. A great way you can get a clear idea of what your company represents is by thinking about five adjectives that describe your brand.

Are you recreational or medicinal? Are you focused on stress-relief or having a good time? All these factors must be evident in your values.

For example, if you are a recreational dispensary, then think of creative strategies that encourage that fun, care-free attitude you are trying to provoke in your customers. Speak to them directly.

8. Gather your team for a group brainstorm

Brainstorming with your team is also another really effective way of boosting creativity in your business. As they say, two heads are better than one. Imagine a bunch of heads thinking together.

This will also make your employees feel valued and like the company is theirs as well. This tactic can have amazing results on their performance. If they feel involved with the decisions they commit more to what they are doing.

Make mind maps to keep track of the ideas that you and your team come up with facing a certain problem. You can also reward good ideas which will make other employees more motivated to share their thoughts.

For this to work, you need to be open to making changes and viewing your company from other perspectives. Let your stakeholders, investors, and employees know that their opinion matters and take them into account when making decisions for your company.

9. Put yourself in your customer's shoes

There is another great way to boost creativity for your company, especially if you own a cannabis brand. Test out your products! Putting yourself in your customer’s shoes can help you gain clarity on what it is that makes your product special.

Since you will be trying out psychoactive products, make sure you record yourself or have someone take notes on the experience so you can later reference them and make decisions.

Cannabis is like gasoline for creativity! Take advantage of that and remember that you are in a fun and creative industry!

10. Get constructive criticism

Ask an external party for their opinion about your company. Don’t ask your employees or members of your company, so you can get honest feedback.

Run your new ideas by them and make sure it is someone you trust. Someone that is also in the industry might be a better option.

The next time you do a brainstorming session with your team, let them know about the feedback you received. Try and come up with solutions to their feedback with another mind map.

The more you polish, the better your idea will be. And the better its chances of success. Remember that when we receive feedback, it is always a positive thing, even when the feedback is negative

11. Set your goals

Once you have your ideas on how to boost creativity for your cannabis brand, make sure to set goals for them. Having goals for your creative ideas will keep you on track when doing the daily tasks to get there.

Set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals for each. After you set your goals, create tasks that will help you get there and assign them to your team. Set up a monthly meeting to see how the ideas are progressing.

When setting goals, establish a metric system of evaluation to measure the success of your idea. For example, you want to create valuable and engaging daily content on Tik Tok.

The idea is to create valuable and engaging daily content on Tik Tok. The goal is to upload one piece of engaging and valuable content to Tik Tok. There are two things that need to be measured there; engagement and the value of the content.

So you can set up a more specific goal for each measurable component of the general goal. For example, get a minimum of 30,000 likes in one month (1,000 likes per post).

If you reach that metric, it means that your idea was successful and you're effectively and creatively engaging with your target audience. If you don’t reach your goal, then you need to rethink your idea and take it through the brainstorming process again.

12. Embrace failure

Learning from your mistakes is a sure way of getting to where you want to be. Don’t get discouraged if one of your ideas fails. It is always a great idea to keep a positive mindset and to not be afraid to start over.

Creative strategies are a trial and error sort of thing. So, it’s normal to mess up and the more you do, the less mistakes there will be in the future. Experience only comes with time so be patient.

Remember, failure is always a positive thing for people who are great problem-solvers. So put your thinking cap on and carry on.

13. Take a break

Overworking yourself or your employees is a sure way to burn out the creativity in your business. Thinking outside of the box is hard on the brain muscles. So, in order for them to work, they need to be rested and inspired.

Taking a break, believe it or not, can do wonders to boost creativity in your company. Top brands actually have travel amenities for their employees. Studies have shown that the companies that do this get a lot more from their employees in less time.

So, book an Airbnb at your favorite location and relax. A rested mind is a receptive one, so while enjoying your vacation, be on the lookout for inspiration.

Psychologists actually state that green or blue environments can have very positive effects on the mind. So go to a secluded beach or forest and just enjoy. You are recharging so you can be more effective in the workplace so take it easy.

If you want to make it a company affair, host a retreat and treat your employees to a good time. They will also be incentivized to work harder when you return.

If nature isn’t quite your thing or you don’t have the time or budget to go on vacation, take the day off and tour art galleries or go to a music festival. Immersing yourself in art will be sure to do the trick and give you a break from day-to-day life.

Injecting a little creativity in your company can have huge results on your growth! So, don’t take these tips lightly and think of some other ways to boost creativity for your cannabis brand.

Just remember to keep the customers and investors in mind. And don’t underestimate what involving your employees in the decision making can do for creative morale.

Do you have any amazing tips on boosting creativity for a cannabis brand? Feel free to share in the section below. If you like the content, share it with other industry professionals. And here at Hurcann, we wish you the very best with your business!