When entrepreneurs succeed, the world is made of sterner stuff. But when they fail and face rejection after several failed attempts, it is hard not to feel failures are more than just an empty tag on your coat because what good would that do if you’re struggling right alongside them? It is true, though failure can teach us important lessons about ourselves as people who strive for success in anything we put our hands to. But in this age and time, successful entrepreneurs are detailing their success stories and challenges overcome on the way to inspire the future generation.
Joshua Haupt is not referred to as “The Steve Jobs of Cannabis” for nothing because, like Jobs, Haupt is a pioneer and an expert in the field of cannabis for medical products, and more so importantly, a patient who remedied his situation using medical marijuana.
At the age of 14, Haupt was diagnosed with Epilepsy, and he spent a sizable amount of time battling the ailment, which had both physical and psychological effects on him. However, a friend had told him he could take advantage of the fast-rising cannabis industry for his treatment, as recalled by Haupt coincided with the legalization of cannabis in most states in the US, and luckily, Colorado was one of the first states to pass the law. From then on, his entrepreneurial journey began.
However, capitalizing on the existing laws and availability of industrial warehouse space for large-scale indoor farming, the Colorado-based entrepreneur pivots into commercial farming. According to him, being born in a family of entrepreneurs inspired him to take up the path in his words. “One of the earliest memories I have is my father coming home one day and telling my mother he quit his job and that he would never work for anybody again. I’ve grown up with that mindset ever since,” he recalled.
In 2011, Haupt began taking his small-scale patented and innovative growing methods through trial-and-error. After seeing impressive results, he began to apply these techniques at several large commercially licensed growing facilities. Four years later, Haupt began the process of establishing three new business parallels.
Pono Publications, where he wrote the first beginners guide titled Three-a-Light, a cannabis “how to grow” book. Through which he released in November of 2015 and began selling hundreds of copies of his new book via the Internet for $500. On the other hand, Success Nutrients is a compendium of Haupt’s cannabis growing methods. This was necessitated by the apparent lack of information on nutrients needed to support substantial cannabis plant growth. And lastly, a new packaging, apparel, and craft cannabis line called Artsy which began its journey of coming to life fueled by hard work and a sizable investment.
Midway through 2017, Haupt sold Pono Publications (Three-a-Light and Cultivation Max) and Success Nutrients to Medicine Man Technologies (MMT). After the firm acquired his brands, Joshua Haupt became the Chief Cultivation Officer of Medicine Man Technologies, one of the top-leading business consulting firms at that time. It’s a position he held until late 2020, when he founded Artsy Colorado, which is a new packaging, apparel line, and Cultivation Intellectual Property platform serving the recreational and medical market in Colorado.
