As the business of cannabis grows, look forward to people from other industries trying their luck at chance to become a weed mogul. Natalie Rochelle is one of those people.
A visual brand designer, corporate business marketing consultant, Facebook Ads expert, public speaker, podcast host, event and workshop curator, Natalie stays busy.
While the bulk of her time is spent assisting others with their branding, she didn’t hesitate when she was presented with a opportunity to rebrand herself.
A lifelong native of Chicago, when legalization came to Illinois, she jumped at the chance to learn more. What started as search for mental health relief quickly turned into a business opportunity. The result was Indo Hy Organics.
Indo Hy Organics is a Illinois licensed hemp processor, producing indoor grown premium hemp flower and pre rolled blunts.
Armed with confidence and plenty of business experience, Natalie is ready to carve out a new niche.
We had the chance to speak to Natalie Rochelle about her new venture into cannabis and what that can mean to others who are trying to mesh their skillset with this new industry.
CashColorCannabis: What made you think cannabis would be a good career transition for you.
Natalie Rochelle: Personally, I took an interest into the cannabis field being a person who deals with mental health. I personally was diagnosed bipolar type 1 in 2017 and after realizing the research done with bipolar type 2 (schizophrenia) and medicinal marijuana, I decided to give it a try for my disorder. After two weeks of CBD drops and the hemp marijuana flower, I was floored! I knew that I had latched on to something that not only heals, but also was a healthier herbal choice besides harmful medications. I began researching what I needed to do to start my own product line and eventually have my own farm. After a few months of gathering all the business essentials I needed to obtain a medicinal plant processor license in Illinois, I was awarded my license.
By law, all retailers, wholesalers, and dispensaries must buy from a licensed processor or cultivation center, and I am one of those in Illinois. As an official licensed medicinal marijuana/plants processor, I can handle, process, and transport medicinal marijuana in the state of Illinois. The difference with this license and a dispensary is that my business can be a product on the shelf in the dispensary and travel back and forth to move the product to any other licensed dispensary, marijuana farm, or marijuana cultivation center. I can also ship pounds of product to other states under my business name. My brand, Indo Hy Organics, processes, produces, and provides white labeling of indoor grown medicinal/hemp marijuana flower and pre rolled blunts.
CashColorCannabis: What it feels like to jump feet first into something new.
Natalie Rochelle: I am a serial entrepreneur with a media agency, not-for-profit, and a printing company so jumping feet first into something new is the norm for me. I think what really was nerve wrecking about entering into this industry was people associating this as something so negative. I want to change that narrative of marijuana and the fact that black do not have a foot in the door in the cannabis industry. That’s false. I know plenty of blacks in the industry with dispensaries, farms, and product lines. In Illinois its such a touchy topic due to minorities feeling they are not able to have a piece of the pie when it comes to the recreational sell of marijuana and dispensary ownership. After seeing the hefty price tag to acquire the dispensary and reading that they can only buy product to supply their stores by licenses processors or farmers, I no longer wanted to own a dispensary. My goal shifted to wanting to be a product on the shelf and a licensed processor. Hence, Indo Hy Organics.
CashColorCannabis: How the skills you learned in corporate America will help you be successful in weed.
Natalie Rochelle: The skills I learned from corporate America taught/teaching me business ethics, sales strategy, and growth plans. I didn’t start my business without first creating a financial business plan to continue to see an increase each year. I knew I wanted to make my first million with this industry and that comes with hard work and dedication. It has already been hard obtaining the license and knowing that I have a say so in the growth and production of my farm connection here in Illinois is huge to me. I have chosen the flower that is grown next and also provided legal advice to aide into the shipping and delivery of the product throughout Illinois for my farm connection.
This takes leadership and direction, which is something my master’s degree in business, my processing license, and my corporate jobs have taught me. I look forward to meshing those skills together to create my (hemp)ire.
Follow Natalie and her quest to launch her (hemp)ire here