Garden First started as an idea amongst friends working in Colorado’s burgeoning cannabis... The idea was simple— a company run by growers, where decisions were made in the best interest of the plants and the people that take care of them. In our minds, the garden is the foundation of every vertically integrated cannabis entity. Sure, there is great value in marketing. There is value in lowering overhead. There is value in scaling. To us however, none of this matters if the garden isn’t sound. Creating a garden-centric company to us means taking no shortcuts on equipment or growth style.
Eliminating greed from the process is a firm part of our mission. We believe in rewarding hard work, creative thinking, and open communication. We want to build a company based on sound management practices of both plants and people. We realized that this philosophy could not only be the key to efficiency and consistency in our operations, it could be what defines us as a company and as a brand. We believe our model, once proven will make an impact on how many production facilities are run across the industry. As co-founders, we created this list of commandments to summarize our business philosophy.
10 COMMANDMENTS OF GARDEN FIRST [1] Garden First
It is as simple as it sounds- put the garden first. When making any decision, prioritize the needs of the garden.
[2] One leaf at a time
It’s easy to get caught up and overwhelmed due to a variety of external circumstances and stimuli. Remember to take a step back, breath, and focus on one task at a time.
[3] Be passionate— love what you do
Remember always you are here doing what you love.
[4] Be honest, be transparent, and you will be successful
Honesty is the only way to create long lasting success. Communication is encouraged and welcomed.
[5] Respect every voice, even your own
Listen to others but don’t be afraid to express yourself. More importantly, know the difference between listening and waiting for your turn to talk.
[6] Always represent the brand positively
Work doesn’t end when you leave the garden. Always represent the company in a positive light.
[7] Act like an owner, become an owner
Those who act like owners and elevate the culture and the brand will be acknowledged, recognized, and rewarded.
[8] Be a Paycheck Maker, not a Paycheck Taker
There are those who work for a check, and those who work to contribute to something bigger. Aspire to be at your best.
[9] Sustainability breeds scalability
Scaling of an operation will only be successful if the methods and foundations are sustainable. This can be applied on both a micro and macro level.
[10] Don’t have an ego
Big and assumptive egos stay out of the garden. Nobody is the best grower in the world. Everybody can learn from everybody else, which leads to our last commandment.
[10.5] Never stop learning
Stagnancy is death. This industry is brand new. Never stop learning. Never stop evolving. Always stay on the forefront.
Garrett Leon is Head of Sales and Co-Founder of Garden First LLC, founded in March 2017 alongside Andreas Hero and Darren Cloud. He studied Horticulture and Soil Science at Colorado State University while pursuing independent research into cannabis until such a time he was able to work in the industry. After apprenticing at Native Roots in Colorado, Garrett spent a year as the manager of cultivation and warehouse operations for Tweedleaf prior to his migration to Garden First.
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