We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ester Vigil. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ester below.
Ester, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Taking risks is an essential part of life and there are many instances when taking a risk is necessary or unavoidable in order to grow personally and professionally. My life has always been about taking risks. Whether I seek them or not, I have resigned to take them as they come and to allow myself to step up to the challenges of the unknown. The first risk I took leaving my native Iceland as a young mother and wife impacted my life forever. The year was 2001, and I took a leap of faith in leaving my home and everything I knew behind. I followed my husband, a professional basketball player, to the United States. Our move to the US took me away from my family, my friends, and out of my comfort zone. Not only did I need to adapt to a new country and culture, but I also needed to redefine myself as to who I wanted to be. Shortly after our move, our marriage ended in divorce, and I was faced with the choice of going back to Iceland or embracing a new life on my own in America. This was a defining moment for me and for my children and we have never looked back. The journey wasn’t easy and there were many times when I questioned my choices and whether I had the determination and drive to build a new life in a foreign country. But through the struggles I learned that I had the courage and discipline to go after my goals and dreams. This discipline and drive has spilled over to my 4 children. My son David was a pro skateboarder, My son Kristofer is a professional baseball player and is the first Icelander ever drafted to the Yankees. My youngest son Ethan is hopefully heading into a professional baseball career as well while my youngest child, Chloe, will focus on athletics. I am proud of them and of myself for instilling in them that strength of body and mind and that hard work will always be rewarded.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Cannabis products have emerged as alternatives to mainstream pharmaceuticals. Those working in the industry longed for a chance to prove that cannabis can be used to treat a host of conditions and the emergence of non-psychoactive CBD did just that. I work within the THC and CBD markets, but my passion lies in consumer-packaged goods. Working for many cosmetics brands in my previous career provided me the strong background in consumer-packaged goods that I have been able to apply to cannabis. My approach to sales has always been the same: listen to the needs of my clients and provide the absolute best products in the market. It sounds simple but it is not. You need to build trust, and you need to invest time to educate your clients and those who sell on our behalf about our products in order to deliver the brand message. In order to truly represent a brand, one needs to identify consumer behavior. Learning how to connect with consumers while providing outstanding customer service is always key. I am proud of having built a brand from the ground up. Canna Hemp™ products were developed to meet a need for natural wellness in the market. Our customers have tried everything else and want plant-derived products that work. They want to fall asleep without any side effects, they want to find calm and relaxation without heavy drugs and they want relief from sore muscles that lasts. I’ve had the opportunity to guide brand development and put my own stamp on a line of products that I am proud of. As an ingredient junkie, I strive to utilize clean, safe and effective ingredients in the production of our wellness line. I don’t believe in toxic skincare or bodycare and I could never put my name behind a product I wouldn’t use myself. We service a large market where young and old can safely use cannabis-derived products and our approach to marketing and branding is to gain wide appeal in a growing market. At Canna Hemp™, we take pride in the fact that we do our own manufacturing. This allows us to control the supply chain. Our internal processes and access to organic ingredients are important to our consumers as they know that when they purchase Canna Hemp™, they are getting the very best ingredients in the market. Consistency of product, premium ingredients and specific formulas that actually work are the reasons people trust our products.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
After building a successful 17-year career in the cosmetic industry, I decided to risk it all again and start from scratch in the then, bourgeoning cannabis industry. I was approached by a cannabis producer to head the sales efforts for the company. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but knew in my gut that I could utilize my years of experience and skills in a new industry. It was another risk that paid off. The journey hasn’t been smooth, and every day is met with a different challenge. But when you are as determined as me to succeed, you have to take the bad with the same discipline, in order to learn from your mistakes, adapt, improve, and eventually move forward. In my first year at 1933 Industries, I built sales from $350k to $1.9 million per month for the Alternative Medicine Association brand and built the Canna Hemp brand from $5k to $9 million in one year. I was promoted to president and this past year we achieved the highest sales revenues in the history of the company.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
To succeed in growing your clientele, you need to take a holistic approach. I am a firm believer that health and discipline go hand in hand and that one’s physical and emotional self being spills over to every aspect of our lives. Taking care of our body and mind as one unit is key as one cannot to survive without the other. I approach business in the same fashion. I listen to my clients and I do what’s best for them. I take care of them and build lasting relationships based on mutual trust. My business would not succeed if I did not help my clients succeed. I not only sell products to my wholesale accounts, but I help these accounts sell to their customers. The cannabis industry is largely based on relationships. I work closely with each dispensary in Las Vegas, analyzing their needs as an individual entity. I conduct market research with each dispensary, and we analyze their business together in order to deliver products that are targeted to their consumers. There is no one size fits all approach with regards to my clients in Nevada. My relationships with the purchasing managers are personal, and it is my goal to help them sell more product. Growing a clientele is also based on knowing your market. Keeping up with trends, utilizing market research, being ready to fill a gap in the market are strategies that I implement. My clients expect value, quality and customer service and I ensure that I meet these needs and that they know that we are in business together. Our strategy from inception has been to offer premium products that tick all the boxes, with quality and consistency and value at the core of our business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.1933industries.com
- Instagram: @estervigil
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ester.vigil
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ester-vigil-0a47925b/