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The New Girls' Club: How Women Are Setting the Grass Ceiling Ablaze

With the advent of cannabis legalization, women have a unique opportunity to help end prohibition, eradicate stigmatization, and carve out a niche as new titans of industry.
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Lisa Harun is Co-Founder of Vapium.com, an outdoor tech company that produces intelligent gear for adventurers.

Lisa Harun is Co-Founder of Vapium.com, an outdoor tech company that produces intelligent gear for adventurers.
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On the heels of legalization, women are key to cultivating the cannabis economy.

Statistics don't lie: Women sit on the peripheries of science and technology. Women currently hold 4.6 percent of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies. Many factors contribute to the deficiency of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), including a lack of role models, gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields. But with the advent of cannabis legalization, women have a unique opportunity to help end prohibition, eradicate stigmatization, and carve out a niche as new titans of industry. From my experience in the robotic toys industry to launching Vapium, a vaporizer tech company, I've witnessed the lack of -- and need for -- female entrepreneurship. Here's why more women should walk briskly into this booming industry.

Why are women poised to seize the opportunity?
Women are natural negotiators and influencers. Female support of Washington's marijuana reform Initiative 502 climbed to 53 percent in the last few days before the vote -- swaying the vote. Women's conservative nature allows leaders to bootstrap, build communities, and identify solutions -- all reasons we must not stand aside. Women must make their mark while the industry is growing in order to create an equitable space.

Here's how to blaze a trail in this burgeoning industry:

  1. Mentor up. Find people that have been engaged in this economy for decades, read their books, ask them out for coffee, or send them an email. START A DIALOGUE. The partners I work with have shared knowledge and opened doors with welcome arms. The first female to open her door to me was Rachel Gillette, Colorado-based attorney and Executive Director of Colorado NORML. She graciously fielded my questions and shared invaluable advice. Industry veterans will share their lessons -- if you ask.

  • It's the process, not the product. Ending prohibition opens the floodgates of economy. The cannabis industry necessitates the same needs as any other: bankers, investors, marketers, lawyers, doctors, bakers, etc. My background in toys taught me innovation is king. The same principle applies to finding success in this industry.

  • Bring your weather with you. Attitude determines your success in any industry. Make yourself memorable and people will want to work with you. Play the long game, don't light a short fuse.

  • Work like someone's going to steal it from you. "Don't waste a single second. Just move forward as fast as you can, and go for it." --Rebecca Woodcock, Founder of Cake Health. Legalization opens doors for all entrepreneurs. There's room but, like any job, you need to work harder and faster than others to thrive. While launching Vapium, I emptied my savings and went all in - there is no other way. Was it tough and scary? Yes, but I heeded the call and put my money where my mouth is. Work faster, work harder, work like someone's going to steal it from you.

  • Become an expert. I read, ate, lived, and breathed the vaporizer space until we identified the gaps with the help of our partners. The more you know, the further ahead of the game you'll be, so expand your skills to be a formidable player in this industry.

    • Networking is key.
    WomenGrow
    , a Denver-based network that now has 29 chapters across the United States, was created to foster growth of women entering and making their mark on the growing economy. Educating, understanding, and engaging with your community will keep you ahead of the curve.

    Why is ending prohibition necessary?
    Legalization, taxation, and regulation will:

    1. Free up law enforcement resources to focus on serious crimes and reunite families that have been torn apart by nonviolent offenses.

  • Create tax dollars for social good and worthy causes. Tax dollars in Colorado are being earmarked for education. In 2014, Colorado generated700 million in legal cannabis sales with tax revenue tallied at 76 million.

  • Create jobs to support a stagnant economy. Legalization draws technologists into the space and establishes unparalleled opportunity for women to enter -- and dominate -- a new frontier.
  • Allow further research for applications in medicine. Cannabis is safer than a glass of wine, and rescheduling it means we can treat debilitating conditions. Technology, such as vaporization, is key to these advancements.

    • This industry is changing at an unprecedented rate and may be the most lucrative financial opportunity people will see in this lifetime. It's an open market with enormous potential and a truly exciting time for savvy female entrepreneurs. In any entrepreneurial journey, obstacles arise. But don't let that stop you. Because the highs, like seeing your product in the hands of happy people, make everything worthwhile.

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