A lifestyle brand with medical and recreational products including flowers, edibles, and concentrates, Sweet Leaf is changing the game with it’s plug-and-play retail chain model.

So how did it’s trio of founders go from maxing out credit cards to building a $60M empire with 9 retail locations across Colorado and Oregon, with upcoming plans for expansion into Nevada and California?

In 2011 as the country slowly began to rise out of recession, Matt Aiken, Christian Johnson, and Anthony Sauro put all their chips in, bought 40 grow lights and rented an 8,000 square foot warehouse in Denver. Opting against outside capital, they boot strapped to get their business off the ground, $9,000 in cash and two maxed out credit cards, and a whole lotta elbow grease later, they had wings. 80% of profit was invested right back into the business. Expansion was aggressive. As a matter of fact, now that they’ve reached juggernaut status, they’re slowing down to make sure they continue to pay attention to detail. It’s one of the things they do best.

So what is it about Sweet Leaf that sets them apart from the sea of other dispensaries, and has allowed them to grow where others have faltered? Lets take a look.

Consistency

Every aspect of Sweet Leaf’s branding is so on point. They use the same jars, same displays, same signage across all their platforms. The experience is curated down to the music and the way the buds, concentrates, and edibles are arranged and displayed. All the employees go through the same intensive training program, and provide the highest level of knowledge and customer service. Every store brings their A game daily.

Location, Location, Location

Sweat Leaf VP Nicole West stated “We like to use main thoroughfares…If it’s the route you take to work, that’s an obvious for us. They have a location around the corner from my apartment, and another near my girlfriend’s job, they know what they’re doing. And they like to focus on being in working class neighborhoods. Right where the people need it most. Their locations are always inviting, easily accessed, with really easy parking, which they’ve learned is key. People will drive pass for the place with more convenient parking. They’ve gotten really good at acquiring businesses from owners who wanted out of the game, and then giving those locations that signature Sweet Leaf feel and experience.

Quality Control

Sweet Leaf has a full on product testing process that keeps the employees involved. Budtenders are selected to test product and fill out a form rating it on everything from aesthetic, taste, effects, and price. This data is passed among all employees so that they are all on the sam page with customers. This data is also used to determine how products get their shelf placement. This also helps vendors, because they get a comprehensive product review for free. Most importantly, customers get they highest quality, and the best bang for their buck.

Never Forgetting Where They Came From

All three of Sweet Leaf’s founders come from pretty modest backgrounds, and they don’t let the success get to their heads. They don’t focus on the boutique high end marijuana market, but rather they aim to be the healing center for the everyman. It’s one of the things that makes the Sweet Leaf experience so sweet. You walk in and your greeted and well treated and made to feel at home. There’s product of high quality in all price ranges. Their goal is that everyone can walk in and get something – college students, veterans and the elderly, working moms grabbing edibles for a girls night out – they make it so everyone can reap the benefits of that sweet leaf.

string(4070) "
A lifestyle brand with medical and recreational products including flowers, edibles, and concentrates, Sweet Leaf is changing the game with it's plug-and-play retail chain model.
So how did it's trio of founders go from maxing out credit cards to building a $60M empire with 9 retail locations across Colorado and Oregon, with upcoming plans for expansion into Nevada and California?

In 2011 as the country slowly began to rise out of recession, Matt Aiken, Christian Johnson, and Anthony Sauro put all their chips in, bought 40 grow lights and rented an 8,000 square foot warehouse in Denver. Opting against outside capital, they boot strapped to get their business off the ground, $9,000 in cash and two maxed out credit cards, and a whole lotta elbow grease later, they had wings. 80% of profit was invested right back into the business. Expansion was aggressive. As a matter of fact, now that they've reached juggernaut status, they're slowing down to make sure they continue to pay attention to detail. It's one of the things they do best.
So what is it about Sweet Leaf that sets them apart from the sea of other dispensaries, and has allowed them to grow where others have faltered? Lets take a look.


Consistency 
Every aspect of Sweet Leaf's branding is so on point. They use the same jars, same displays, same signage across all their platforms. The experience is curated down to the music and the way the buds, concentrates, and edibles are arranged and displayed. All the employees go through the same intensive training program, and provide the highest level of knowledge and customer service. Every store brings their A game daily. 
Location, Location, Location
Sweat Leaf VP Nicole West stated  "We like to use main thoroughfares...If it's the route you take to work, that's an obvious for us. They have a location around the corner from my apartment, and another near my girlfriend's job, they know what they're doing. And they like to focus on being in working class neighborhoods. Right where the people need it most. Their locations are always inviting, easily accessed, with really easy parking, which they've learned is key. People will drive pass for the place with more convenient parking. They've gotten really good at acquiring businesses from owners who wanted out of the game, and then giving those locations that signature Sweet Leaf feel and experience. 
Quality Control
Sweet Leaf has a full on product testing process that keeps the employees involved. Budtenders are selected to test product and fill out a form rating it on everything from aesthetic, taste, effects, and price. This data is passed among all employees so that they are all on the sam page with customers. This data is also used to determine how products get their shelf placement. This also helps vendors, because they get a comprehensive product review for free. Most importantly, customers get they highest quality, and the best bang for their buck. 
Never Forgetting Where They Came From
All three of Sweet Leaf's founders come from pretty modest backgrounds, and they don't let the success get to their heads. They don't focus on the boutique high end marijuana market, but rather they aim to be the healing center for the everyman. It's one of the things that makes the Sweet Leaf experience so sweet. You walk in and your greeted and well treated and made to feel at home. There's product of high quality in all price ranges. Their goal is that everyone can walk in and get something - college students, veterans and the elderly, working moms grabbing edibles for a girls night out - they make it so everyone can reap the benefits of that sweet leaf.


"

Experts agree: it’s time to clean your workspace for your most creative era yet Spring cleaning is overrated. In the Spring, I want to go-go-go! Not get bogged down in the minutiae of tidying. But once I get started, I’m one of those people who can’t stop decluttering. So I carve out designated days for

Despite the fact that late-stage capitalism is an amoral hellhole driven by a borderline religious belief in the sanctity of brands, we would never, ever suggest that anyone should shoplift from big-box stores, or even imply that doing so is morally okay or a victimless crime. But hypothetically, if we were to give any tidbit

The Momager May Be Worth More Than You Think… Kris Jenner is a pop culture icon for many reasons. While you may have watched her meteoric rise to fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians — which originally debuted on E! — she’s actually been a fascinating figure in the public eye for ages.  As

In the 1980s movie Little Shop of Horrors, the protagonist Audrey fantasizes about owning a house of her very own. She doesn’t ask for much: just a simple one-storey place with a washer, dryer, and bedding will do.  And while this moment in the film is intended to satirize the American Dream by underlining how

The Kar-Jenner family is loaded thanks to their business prowess (and fierce momager, Kris Jenner.) Kim Kardashian said it best when she lamented that it “seems like nobody wants to work these days,” but these sisters never have a day off. And that’s why the topic of Kylie Jenner’s net worth is so intriguing.  But

If your business offers corporate credit cards or expense accounts to employees, there’s a good chance there is unethical spending going on. 33% of corporate credit card holders admit to blatantly defrauding the companies they work for, and twice that amount confess to making “risky purchases.” But a thread on AskReddit reveals some of the

Taylor Swift is a megastar singer-songwriter known for her narrative songwriting, catchy pop tunes, and versatility across genres like country, pop, and indie folk. She breaks every music record with ease, partially thanks to her die-hard Swiftie fans who follow her with vigor and buy out every single show. And with Taylor Swift’s net worth

Traditional weddings can be incredibly stressful, not to mention super pricey – many newlyweds couldn’t buy a house with that money. What’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life can often feel like an endless quest for absolute perfection – almost as if the ceremony doesn’t come off flawlessly, the marriage itself will

I can’t remember who gave me this personal finance hack, or, rather, advice: but one juicy tidbit was that I should keep a balance on my credit cards and that it would up my credit score. I’ve even wiped out the balance on a credit card debt and then purchased something that I slowly pay

By Massimo Tornambe Scott Disick, aka “Lord Disick” has gained fame and a devoted following since his appearances on the reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Disick is renowned for his expensive taste in clothes, cars, and women. The question that millions of fans are asking is: where did his fortune come from? Scott