Editor's note: This article was originally published Jan. 19, 2022.
For many outdoor cultivators and hemp growers, the winter season is a time for rest. Days are shorter, there’s less crop demanding attention, and you can warm your tired feet by the heat of a roaring fireplace. Recuperation is necessary, but there are many other aspects of business that can be cultivated during the “off-season” like networking, and marketing.
Leslie Hoffman is co-founder of Asheville Hemp Project, an organic hemp grower and product maker in North Carolina, and has more than 35 years of experience in the hemp industry. Co-founder of Asheville Hemp Project, she knows that slower seasons are an invaluable time to focus on important aspects of a business, outside of growing and product manufacturing. Hoffman purchased a small farm in North Carolina in 2015. When the hemp pilot program began in North Carolina, she saw an opportunity to obtain a license and cultivate hemp flower in 2017, supported by her partnership with friend and scientist, Scott Brinkley.
“When it comes to the winter, of course, as a longtime gardener, I always think winter is both a time to rest, and a time to dream and plan,” says Hoffman. “On the business side, it is a time to network, to be indoors, and to gather with people and share seeds, successes, and failures. It’s a time to find new business relationships or partners as well as focus on the communications and marketing side of the business.”
Winter Offseason is a Time to Dream and Plan
When Hoffman and Brinkley were building Asheville Hemp Project, as with many new ventures, they had to work out some kinks. After their second year of business in 2019, they decided to move into the product maker space, sensing that the federal legalization of hemp would create a larger market for hemp products like CBD, gum, and hemp pre-rolls.
Though their basic concept was right, they had trouble finding the right papers and manufacturers. Winter months provided a much-needed time to think, plan, and refocus their efforts on problem-solving.
“We knew that the basic concept was right, but it was early enough in the industry that were a lot of fits and starts. We thought we had the right rolling technique, technology, and manufacturing partner once, twice, but it turned out, no, we didn't really,” says Hoffman. “We needed to go back to the network, if you will, and keep looking.”
Winter offered an invaluable break from the responsibilities in the field to redefine their business and dream and plan next steps for their growing business.
“There's been a huge amount of evolution in the industry and the winters when you're farming you really are hard at it out on the farm all the time,” points out Hoffman. “If you're looking for new relationships, or you need to travel to go look at a manufacturer's facility or something, winter offseason is a really good time to do that.”
Create an Authentic Marketing Strategy
The slower months of winter are also a time to think about the face of the business and the message you want to send to customers, says Hoffman. Brinkley and Hoffman used the winter time in the early seasons of their business to rebrand.
“We teamed up with a very experienced firm in the alcohol and tobacco industries based in New York. We spent a lot of time developing our message, image, reflecting who we are in a professional way. That’s something we’ve done during a slow winter season,” says Hoffman. “Whether it’s big and slick, or home grown from your kitchen table, the message doesn’t matter so much as its authenticity to you,” says Hoffman.
You don’t have to hire a marketing team either, starting a blog, hiring a graphic designer to update your logo, or updating your website are ways to keep your business relevant.
“Our big goal was to get the help we needed to portray an authentic image of who we are. As farmers and as business people, we always try to refine and improve who we are,” explains Hoffman. “Not changing course or being different than who we are, however, being able to communicate to the public who you are and what you’re trying to achieve does matter.”
Networking
A grower can certainly keep themselves busy in the winter doing things like monitoring cover crop, but Hoffman warns that it can be all too easy to isolate yourself and your business. She reminds growers and business owners to step out of their bubble occasionally and meet other professionals in the hemp and cannabis industry. “It’s easy to get into a silo in your own work-life. Every once and while, you really do need to reach out and connect and see what other folks are doing and share, compare, and learn from each other.”
There are two main avenues through which hemp professionals can network successfully: local and national conferences and events. Major hemp and cannabis associations know that for outdoor growers, winter months leave more time for travel. This is when they tend to plan national and regional conferences where attendees can meet other cultivators, vendors, and leaders in the industry.
However, you don’t have to travel across state lines to network; there many states have local or regional networking opportunities that support growers on a local level, and Hoffman recommends taking advantage of those events, too.
“Meet the people in your area; there are 30 or more states that have programs of one kind or another for hemp. Meet the local folks who are makers, farmers, and the CBD shops, and retailers because that’s a whole piece of what you can do in the winter.”
Take Advantage of Opportunities, Especially the Chance to Share the Love and Health Benefits of Hemp
In a burgeoning and thriving industry, hemp professionals are continually thinking of ways to improve their business. Slower winter months provide much needed time for reflection to take advantage of ideas or opportunities that a grower may not have time for other seasons of the year.
“I think there are general feedback loops that a good business person is constantly cycling through and reflecting on,” notes Hoffman. “When I’m in the field, I’m thinking about strengths and weaknesses there. When I’m next to the fireplace, I might be thinking about other issues around the business.”
Hoffman says that especially this time of year, when we’ve been traveling to and from the hugs of our families within holiday gatherings, this season is a time for sharing and caring for others. Why not share with them your knowledge of cannabis, says Hoffman. “There is a benefit for so many people. Especially in the winter when people aren’t feeling great, it’s a friendly reminder that cannabis or CBD can offer some relief. Share the love, share the knowledge.”
Winter is a time to be thoughtful, Hoffman says. "This is a time when we’re thinking about others, when we’re sharing and giving and caring about people, I think it’s a good opportunity to share cannabis. It's also a time when you know, people are indoors. It's dark and people aren't feeling healthy as often. It’s just good to be thoughtful. Use winter to be thoughtful. Maybe that's part of all of this.”
