In Conversation with April Hatch & Heidi Trout of Cannabis Care Team

Describe Cannabis Care Team in a few words?

Cannabis Education, Support, & Advocacy.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

A passion for the plant and a need for evidence-based cannabis education.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

April Hatch- RN, Heidi Trout, Management & Sales

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes! I had to find a way to get out of traditional healthcare and help people! -April

Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Our marketing strategy was to share our mission, vision, and values with patients and the cannabis industry to introduce them to who we are and how much we value science and professionalism in the cannabis industry. 

Often in the cannabis industry your marketing strategy is just hitting the streets and hustling.

We always learn the most from our mistakes, share a time with us that you made a mistake or had a challenging time in business and what you learned from it?

The biggest mistake we made in the beginning was not scheduling time for our self-care. We learned that we are our best asset and we need to take time to recharge. So, this now means no meetings on Fridays.

What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

Each patient’s success with cannabis is an accomplishment we celebrate!

When hiring for your team, what is your go-to interview question? Please share any hiring tips you can share from your experience?

What are your potential conflicts of interest? We are dedicated to remaining objective and unfortunately we have had to eliminate candidates who interviewed very well, but had a product they wanted to sell or promote to our patients. 

How has your business or industry been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

It has been heart-breaking to lose our direct contact with patients, but a wonderful learning opportunity. We can now provide all of our services through a secure tele-health platform and have successfully cultivated relationships with cannabis industry leaders nation-wide all from our home offices. 

The cannabis industry has seen an increase in sales with the increased amount of anxiety, depression, and isolation.

What’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Accredited education for healthcare professionals and cannabis products for both new and experienced consumers in medical cannabis states.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned in 2020?

Be flexible and have fun!

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting your business?

We can’t do it all! We need a whole team of people to make a business work!

How have you managed to stay grounded this year?

Cannabis of course! Also self-care and focusing on our North Star, the patient, has helped us stay both focused and grounded.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

Heck yeah! To truly teach patients how to maintain balance we have to first understand how to do this ourselves. 

Number one tip- Learn how to heal your endocannabinoid system!

What’s something our audience would be surprised to learn about you?

We’re a mom and daughter duo! 

I have two kids who are virtually learning and you can sometimes catch me give them the evil eye if you look closely on our YouTube videos. -April

What are your top 3 tips to stay productive each day?

Have a healthy endocannabinoid system, work with a group of people who energize and motivate you, and don’t commit to more than 3 zoom meetings a day. Zoom fatigue is a very real thing!

What does being an Entreprenista mean to you?

Having the confidence to sell yourself, not taking no for an answer, and showing others how much you love what you do!