We were lucky to catch up with Scott Reiman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Scott, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I used to manage a cannabis dispensary in San Francisco, and my favorite thing was helping customers find products that would improve their quality of life. People wanted to consume cannabis for so many different reasons, and many new consumers were overwhelmed by all of the options on the market today. They also were hesitant to venture into the dispensary out of fear that they were not going to get honest answers from the staff. In starting Fog City Cannabis, I made it my mission to educate all consumers, from the novice to the connoisseur, on all things cannabis. I sit down with new consumers to find out their reason for wanting to use cannabis so that I can truly find the right product for them. Seeing people finally find that product that provides them with the effects and relief they desperately desire gives me so much joy, and it is the main reason why I do what I do.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got into the cannabis industry in 2015 when I was at a career crossroads. My time working in sports broadcasting was not going where I had hoped, and I was looking for a fresh start. My sister, Dr. Amanda Reiman, had been a leader in the cannabis industry for years, and watching and learning from her, I realized this was a space I was interested in entering. I knew how beneficial cannabis was in my life, and I wanted to share that knowledge and information with others. I got a job as a Member Consultant (Budtender) at the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center (SPARC), one of the most acclaimed dispensaries in the country. At the time, cannabis was approved only for medical use in California. I loved working with patients to help them find the best cannabis alternatives for what ailed them. Having customers return to SPARC to tell me how what I had recommended to them improved their quality of life was incredible. There were seniors wondering why it took so long for them to try cannabis. There were patients with serious ailments who saw amazing relief from cannabis products. I worked my way up from Member Consultant to Dispensary Supervisor and finally (after leaving SPARC to try and open a dispensary in Marin County, unsuccessfully thanks to the San Anselmo Town Council) returning to SPARC as Dispensary Manager. When the pandemic hit in 2020, working retail in an unsafe and unsavory part of San Francisco just wasn’t what I was looking for anymore. Luckily, my sister had an alternative that ended up working out great.
She was one of the founders and first instructors of the Ganjier program, a certification course for cannabis sommeliers. This was an intensive online course that included a two-day live training at the campus in Humboldt County, as well as a rigorous three-part final exam that included a 100 question test with subjects ranging from cannabis history, botany, chemistry, production, customer service, and other aspects of the cannabis industry, a live customer service role play and a blind flower assessment. I knew a lot about cannabis before entering this course, but it really helped me fill the gaps in my knowledge.
With this new certification, I decided to start my own company, Fog City Cannabis. At Fog City, I wanted to do everything I loved about working at SPARC without the retail umbrella over my head. My work at Fog City consists of three avenues: consulting, events and education. For the consulting part, I work with clients who are new to cannabis or want to try something new. They can fill out a brief questionnaire on my website which will inform me of the reason they want to use cannabis, their experience level, their budget, their preferred method of consumption and more. I’ll then get on a video call with them, pull up the menu to their local dispensary and walk them through the process. There are so many people, mostly seniors, interested in using cannabis, but walking into a dispensary with little knowledge can be very overwhelming. With so many different products on the market promising all sorts of different benefits and effects, it can be hard to know exactly where to start. I like to arm people with the knowledge they need to be able to confidently walk into the dispensary and make an informed decision.
For the events leg of Fog City, we do things like Bud Bars at weddings/parties, cannabis beverage tastings and live product assessments. These are fun because there are always people who are new to cannabis who figure there’s no better time to give it a try. I love educating these people on the benefits of cannabis, and people always walk away amazed at everything they learned. Most people who aren’t cannabis consumers aren’t even aware that low dose cannabis beverages are a thing, and it’s fun to watch their eyes light up as they learn about it. I love educating both new and old cannabis consumers, as there is so much to learn and so much to teach.
Finally, we do seminars that can cover pretty much any cannabis-related topic. Whether it is a group of seniors in a retirement community wanting to learn all about the benefits of cannabis from a beginner standpoint or a small group of cannabis consumers who want to have a little gathering at home where they can learn all about cannabis beverages, getting to educate consumers is really where my heart lies. There is so much to learn and so many benefits that most people are unaware of that I just love getting the word out and seeing how cannabis can improve people’s lives.
I have also recently begun working with a company called Budist, where many of the tenets of Fog City Cannabis are shared. From online product reviews written by both experts in the cannabis industry as well as members of the community (think Rotten Tomatoes/Trip Advisor-style reviews) to high-class live events, Budist is creating a culture of connoisseurship in the cannabis industry that is unmatched. They are currently located only in California but are looking to expand in 2025.
Between Fog City Cannabis and Budist, I am having a great time doing what I love most; educating cannabis consumers about the wonders of this amazing plant!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
As I mentioned earlier, I started my career in the cannabis industry in retail. I worked at the dispensary over two stints, eventually working my way up to Dispensary Manager. I really loved what I did, mainly working with consumers to help them find the best cannabis solutions for their needs. Seeing customers return to the shop to tell me that what I suggested for them greatly improved their quality of life was so rewarding. When the pandemic hit, however, everything changed. We were an “essential business”, so we stayed open while stores and businesses around us all shuttered. We were only two blocks from both the Uber and Twitter headquarters, and many of our customers were employees of one or the other. Once they started working from home, the area turned into a bit of a ghost town. This led to an increase in crime and overt drug use in the area, and the police weren’t really doing anything about it. We had homeless people shooting heroin in our back alley where we take deliveries, making both our staff and our vendors extremely uncomfortable. Add to that the uncertainty of the future surrounding COVID, as well as a staff of 20-somethings risking their health for minimum wage, and morale became extremely low. Although I tried everything I could think of to improve the situation, I stopped enjoying coming into work. It was bleeding into my family life. I knew I had to make a change.
It is never easy to leave a job where you feel comfortable, not knowing where your next paycheck will come from. I was lucky in that my wife had a solid steady job that provided us with enough income for me to explore other options. I wanted to find something where I could use my customer service skills and my passion for helping people with cannabis, without the retail umbrella over me. In a serendipitous turn, my sister was among a group of cannabis industry all-stars who were putting together a cannabis sommelier certification program. I became one of the first graduates of that program, and thus became one of the world’s first Ganjiers. I was able to use this certification to start my business, Fog City Cannabis, where I get to do everything I loved about my Dispensary Manager job without all of the things I did not love. If I had been scared to make that move from retail to the Ganjier program, I may still be there, working but unhappy. Taking that leap of faith, combined with my fortunate home income situation (I love you Shoshana!) and the kismet of the launch of the Ganjier program, put me in a place where I am happy with my growing business and my current work situation. Sometimes you just have to take the leap!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Fostering brand loyalty is all about providing a trustworthy service that exceeds the quality of any of your competitors. Give your customers a reason to want to return. I offer follow-up consults to all of my clients where we can discuss what worked and what didn’t work with the products I suggested. Sometimes, it only takes one visit for a client to find the perfect product for their needs, but oftentimes a client may require several follow-up visits to try different products before finding the right one. Even when my client’s needs aren’t met immediately, I try and carry myself with a demeanor that makes them feel comfortable and heard. Customers want to know that you are paying attention to their needs and taking them very seriously. When I do events, I want my clients to leave the event thinking that this was an experience unlike any they have ever had. That makes them more likely to refer my services to their network, hopefully offering me more future opportunities. As new products and innovations enter the cannabis market, I like to reach out to clients to let them know about these options and see if they want to do an event or an educational seminar where they and their network can learn, sample and experience these innovations. But really, a lot of it boils down to providing excellent customer service. If a client feels as though their needs are being met in a friendly and forthcoming manner, they are more likely to return and ask for your services again. I used to tell my staff at the dispensary, there are many other dispensaries close by where customers could shop, most offering the same products for the same prices. What keeps them coming back to OUR shop is the customer service we provide. Greeting with a smile, asking questions, actively listening and making the customer feel heard all go a long way in getting their return business. That is why I pride myself on my customer service and demeanor when dealing with clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fogcitycannabis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fogcityganjier/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073957074762
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-reiman-4a7161a8/
- Twitter: https://x.com/FogCityGanjier
- Other: Budist Profile – https://budist.com/share/profile/84fc9f081c4a98e8320abea33cb847f7.82b50c
