We recently connected with Sakara Barnes and have shared our conversation below.

Sakara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I was looking for a way to pioneer in a new industry , cannabis was not legal in most states in the U.S and stood out to me. In 2016, after reading a book called The Outlier’s by Malcom Gladwell I quickly realized the opportunity of my time; which was cannabis. I decided to move to California from New York in 2017. Los Angeles was already ahead in allowing cannabis and they were opening up a new round of applications to license operators. I starting taking part time jobs at a dispensary and a farm. One of my har dressers introduced me to a woman who owned a farm in Riverside, CA. I would drive there on the weekends to learn how to grow. There were many attempt to friends and family to invest in the upcoming applications which were $12,000 to apply and was non refundable if you weren’t approved. No one wanted to take the chance. The part time jobs were just to gain more understanding of the business I wanted to get into. But Now I had to figure out how to get the money to apply for the license. I started selling cannabis that we grew on the farm to local shops and was able to get enough money to apply for the cultivation and distribution license in 2018. I met with a woman named Kathy Smith who owned a Pre ICO dispensary license at the time, we would meet weekly. She helped me understand the politics and the application process. I put all my energy into learning the business, the people involved, the rules etc… God blessed me with the money to apply for both licenses. I got passed the first step and now in 2019 it was time to acquire a property to be considered for approval. That took the entire year of vetting investors, traveling to meet people and no – one came through. When it came down to it I had to invest in the property myself in order to get to the next phase. $40,000 later I had an empty warehouse and a pending application. Now I had to get architectural plans which were quoted at $35,000 and to build out the warehouse into a fully operating Cultivation Facility I needed another minimum of $300,000. I spent everyday working on business plans, numbers and meeting with potential investors until I found someone who came in and helped me cover the architect and some of the building costs. In 2020 I finally got approved to operate. By that time my first investor ran out of money and I had to find another investor. I was able to find another investor and its been history ever since. We built out the warehouse and by 2021 we were fully operational. Ive been managing and operating the cultivation and distribution for the last 3 years day to day. We recently launched our in House brand Mother Exotic Flower. Ive employed my brother and father and have a staff of 7 employees. We are anticipating making 1.5 million dollars this year.

Sakara, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am from New York , I am a bi – racial woman in my 30’s. Im an entrepreneur , creative and visionary at heart. I am most proud of keeping my word to myself, not giving up in the darkest and most uncertain times, bringing my family along for the journey and creating a new pathway for us to achieve new heights. I love God and give all praise to my higher power for every accomplishment , every vision and protecting me on my journey.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This may be a personal lesson , but I feel it applies all across my life. Ive always been prideful, in some instances it can seem good to have pride and be proud of all things like our culture , or our work ethic , character etc. But there is a fine line between Pride, ego and being proud of a characteristic that may be blocking your next blessing. Having confidence in myself and what I am able to achieve even when I haven’t achieved it yet is a trait that kept my fuel going, but can be humbling when trying to convince others to believe in me.

There was a time when going out of my way to approach someone who may be able to help me seemed lame. Even double texting or calling made me feel like I was doing too much. This is something I Had to unlearn, if I wanted things to happen and if I was passionate about getting results I needed to be consistent and fearless of anyones opinions. If I needed something or if I was trying to connect with someone I am now relentless in my approach. I do not care what anyone has to say including myself and how I may perceive it be.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Starting in 2022- 2023 prices of wholesale cannabis dropped from $3,000/ unit to $1100 max a unit. I was dealing with this price shift all year. I wasn’t able to take any money from the business and pay myself or my partners or investors. On top of the declining industry it seemed like I was in , I had 4 break ins. I was almost at a breaking point. Every dollar I was getting in, was going out the door in repairs , debt and taxes. It seemed like I made the wrong decision. I started questioning myself and why I was even doing this. I started looking to sell my business and began to get offers left and right. Everyone seemed to be looking to buy my business. Truly I didn’t want to sell, anytime I got an offer my stomach would drop. I got an offer of 1million and decided to turn it down and continue to finish what I started. I mentioned I wanted to be a pioneer, it doesn’t happen over night and there is always resistance. 2024 the prices are going back up and the business is in good shape.

Contact Info:

• Website: motherexotics.com
• Instagram: _ sakara , motherexoticflower , fourtwentyllc