NY Cannabis Insider’s conference schedule for the rest of 2022 is now available! Get tickets to our Syracuse half-day conference on Sept. 23 and our full-day conference in Tarrytown on November 4.
Michael Zaytsev is the academic director of LIM College’s “Business of cannabis” degree as well as an executive coach and consultant for cannabis companies and people. He answered eight simple questions for NY Cannabis Insider’s “People to know in NY cannabis” series.
1. What is your position and what do you/your company do in the cannabis space?
I currently serve as Academic Director of LIM College’s “Business of cannabis” degree programs. My responsibilities there include recruiting our cannabis faculty, designing curriculum, creating industry partnerships, advising students on cannabis career options, and, best of all, teaching our wonderful students. Outside of that, I’m an executive coach and consultant for leaders and teams in cannabis, tech, media and more.
2. How long have you worked in the cannabis space?
Since 2014, I’ve worked in service of New York’s cannabis community as a grassroots organizer, producing High NY events and bringing cannabis leaders from all over the world to NYC and creating safe spaces for the community to gather. High NY has lit up the lives of thousands of New Yorkers with cannabis education and cannabis business networking events. High NY has generated millions of cannabis-positive media impressions to undo cannabaphobia and end the stigma against cannabis consumers.
Sign up for the NY Cannabis Insider newsletter
3. What did you do before you were involved in the cannabis industry?
Prior to discovering my calling in cannabis, I started my career as an analyst in J.P Morgan’s Private Bank. From high finance, I moved on to high tech and spent a few years selling SaaS technology and marketing services to both SMBs and Fortune 500 companies for Google and other enterprise tech companies. I quit my tech job to become a coach and small business owner. And then everything changed when I discovered that I could do a lot more with cannabis than just smoke it.
4. What led you to the cannabis industry?
My love of cannabis and my excitement for being an entrepreneur at the forefront of an emerging industry led me to a cannabis networking event. There I met activists and advocates who gave me my first real dose of cannabis education. I learned about the endocannabinoid system and understood that cannabis was life-saving medicine. I also learned about the War on Drugs and how cannabis had been used as a scapegoat to institutionalize the harm and destruction of targeted communities. I was outraged and decided that I would commit myself to cannabis education and advocacy. In my view, cannabis is one of the world’s most powerful, versatile, and renewable resources and can and should be used to uplift and better humanity.
5. Do you have any advice for someone looking to get into the NY weed industry?
Get on the www.HighNY.com email list ASAP so you’re in know about NY cannabis events and can start building your cannabis network.
Forgive the shameless self promotion, but I always recommend my book, “The cannabis Business Book” as a low risk, low barrier entry point to learning more about the realities of the industry. I interviewed 50+ prominent industry leaders and asked them for their best advice on how to succeed in weed. It’s like a Think and Grow Rich for cannabis.
If you’re a professional in another industry who wants to switch careers into cannabis, I’d urge you to seriously consider the fully online, one-year master’s degree program in the Business of Cannabis at LIM College. Or, if you have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree, LIM also has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree program in The Business of Cannabis.
6. What do you think the NY cannabis ecosystem will look like in five years?
Too big for me to wrap my brain around. Massive growth lies ahead. I hope it will be diverse, vibrant, and responsible for making New York a more safe and beautiful place to live. I’m super excited to see the innovations, brands, and products that will be born and bred in New York. In five years, the NY cannabis economy will account for billions of dollars, over 100,000 jobs, and millions in tax revenue to repair the communities disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs.
7. Do you use cannabis? If so, what’s your favorite method (flower, dabs, edibles, tinctures, etc.), and why?
Cannabis is an important part of my health and wellness regiment. I live with nerve damage and chronic pain from a traumatic accident and subsequent surgery I had in 2013. Cannabis helps me with pain management. All the methods or form factors are welcome, as long as the source material was grown and processed with integrity, care, and the highest standards of safety in mind.
8. Who should contact you, and what’s the best method (i.e. email, phone number, LinkedIn handle, etc.)
Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. Anyone who is interested in learning more about LIM’s degree programs in The Business of Cannabis can email michael.zaytsev@limcollege.edu.
Recent Comments