In the military
you're taught to do more with less so
within business model.
and within my business model,
I pretty much did the same thing.
And I believe that's
what kind of made me successful
within
My first couple of years
is because
we really did more with less
I'm your host,
the moderator, Rob Richardson,
my special guest here is Kern Alexander,
but before I get to him,
I want to do a
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All right.
So Kern Alexander
is with the higher collection.
He is also he's also served our country.
So he's a businessman.
He's a serviceman
and it's an honor
to have him on the show.
Kern, how are you doing, man?
Awe man I'm doing good.
Thank you so much for having me
today, man.
No problem. No problem
A pleasure to have you.
And you're out of Oakland,
California, right? Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yeah. Yeah.
My business is based out of
Oakland, California.
All right.
So how does one go from
serving our country?
And thank you for that to jumping into
owning a dispensary?
And like, how does that?
How does that happen?
How did that happen, though?
Those, you know,
those seem to be very different fields.
How did they get to collide?
Yeah, I'm just curious how we started.
Just jump right in.
How does one do that.
How do you get there.
How this path looked
Well,
what happened was, um,
I was based in California
a lot of my career.
I started my career in 2007,
and my first duty station was in Travis
Air Force Base,
which is in Northern California.
So I kind of had roots there
since about 2007.
Now throughout my time
being in the military.
Of course,
you know,
you get deployed all over the place,
but I've always seem
to come back to California.
It was like always my place
where I would come back to.
So even when I got stationed overseas,
I would come back.
I got stationed elsewhere
and I still came back. So,
you know, I got out
and my path wasn't really paved.
You know,
at first I
I knew that I didn't want to go back
to doing what I was doing before,
which is pretty much overworking myself
for the government.
I knew
I wanted to kind of
take that leap of faith
and get out there on my own.
So one of my buddies, he had a cannabis
dispensary back in the day in 2015.
This was more like the medicinal model.
Back in the day 2015.
That's now back in the day.
But go ahead, right?
Well, I don't.
I'll tell you this so much has changed.
I know, right? Right.
I tell people like we got like
COVID has changed like time.
You know, there used to be AC BC
and now it's like.
And now it's like a
a AC BC after COVID, before COVID.
And like, before Covid Right? I.
And that's real life thing
I feel like two years of my life
has just been missing.
I don't even know what really.
It just went so fast.
You know what I mean?
Doesn't seem like two years
I tell people, the last two years
it felt like 15.
Like it's like
feels like a time warp, bro.
But anyway, I digress. Go ahead.
Yeah, but but yeah.
So essentially back in 2015,
it was more like a
medicinal model in the cannabis space
where you could have like collectives.
So my buddy kind of did his thing
and he started his collectives,
so he kind of hit me up.
He was like, Yo bro, what you doing?
Now that you out.
You know you should hop into the cannabis
hop in the cannabis space.
At first,
I was against it
because my job in the military I was
I worked intelligence.
So for me, you know, we kind of
we I try to do things
the right way, right?
So for me, a lot of times.
So you got a lot of stuff you can't discuss with us
Oh, sure. Yeah.
But but, you know,
getting into the cannabis space,
it was just it was
it was a learning curve.
So at first, I didn't jump right in,
you know, I was a student.
I became a student to my boy,
learned the ways of
how it actually worked.
And then, um, I became a patient.
That's really
what won me over to the space itself.
I went into the VA
as I said, I'm 100% disabled
and I walked out
with a bag full of medicine.
Maybe maybe two bags full of medicine.
A lot of it was Motrin,
but a lot of it was upper and downer,
kind of like psychotics, you know,
or psychoactive.
So I didn't really want to put myself
through that
after having to put myself
through taking pills
throughout my whole career already.
So I actually sat down
with a cannabis doctor
and they gave me alternatives
for PTSD, alternatives for anxiety,
lack of sleep.
I wasn't sleeping
my sleep schedules, all jacked up.
So so that that's really
what won me over.
I decided to just become an advocate
for it in a positive manner,
you know, because in 2015 it was,
you know,
everybody was looking at it like a.
My God, you're you know,
you're a drug dealer.
but for real
Yeah, I know it's how.
They were looking at it, I remember.
Yeah, yeah.
But you know, for me, I had to like,
put a positive spin on it
and actually show
that this drug can actually help me,
and it can actually wean people
off of the things that
people were stuck on.
So spoke with
that cannabis doctor changed my life.
Pretty much.
I'm of the belief.
You know, so sorry to interrupt you.
I'm of the belief
that as controversial opinion.
But I believe it.
Like,
I think most drugs should be legalized
and regulated because it's
when it goes underground.
That's when we create a new
criminal element.
It helps that thrive.
I mean, there
obviously be some debates
about other types of drugs.
Certainly, marijuana has been
has put more black
and brown people in jail unnecessarily
unnecessarily than any other substance,
and it's been used as a reason.
Exactly.
And so what I like about you
being involved
is at least now
some of us are participating
in the opportunity
to make a return
because unfortunately,
you are the exception to the rule.
Most of the time,
we're not
we're not involved in the process.
We don't have an opportunity
to be involved in the process
unless we're
in jail with
some of us are still in jail for crimes
related to marijuana,
while mostly
everyone else is benefiting from it.
So I do applaud you for doing that.
And then you
know what we
do too, is we try to help with education,
you know,
because what I learned being within
a space is
you don't know what you don't know.
You know, like,
you don't know those opportunities
when those licenses open up.
You don't know when
those cities become legal.
Or like how much the actual cost is.
If people know the actual cost of things,
sometimes they probably wouldn't.
They probably wouldn't run away from it,
you know, cost.
In the beginning, it cost me about 2500.
But now, you know,
the cost has like
almost tripled quadrupled
in certain places
to get within the space.
So we try to push the education of
getting in the medical space
while we have the opportunity.
While we have the opportunity exactly,
because the medical space for me
was the lowest point of entry
and the easiest point of entry
to get in when it became recreational.
It was overpriced
and then
the barrier of entry became super high.
Yeah, no doubt.
I'll tell you, it's really
when we talk about
educating our community
and entering at the point of
where the opportunity is.
Like you said, it's
really, really important
for a lot of things
because that's where the
that's where wealth
opportunities are created.
And if we're ever going to really address
the racial wealth gap,
we have to move on these opportunities
as they present themselves.
So that that's an example
that you mentioned.
I'm big in the space of Web3,
I don't know if you know much about Web3.
But yeah, yeah.
And that's
yeah, yeah, I've been checking on it.
Yeah, yeah.
So we had the first black owned
and NFT marketplace on the globe
is built on flow
blockchain called Disrupt Art.
But I say that to say like,
I'm working to onboard people
because I don't want them to
be excluded from this opportunity
right now is a great time to get in.
And just the opportunity
is just ample, right?
But it won't necessarily be
that way in three to five years,
you know, had you been an.
No the barriers of entry are going to be
Way too high like this show
And then that
and then even
if not the barrier entry,
the misconceptions to entry
will be so rampant.
Well, that's it.
That's a really good point.
The biggest misconception to entry,
and I want to get back
to your point of view very quickly here.
But you know, the problem
that people are stopping people
a lot is two things
is this block in their mind.
It's either
it's a I'm not a technical person,
so I can't do that, which is not
you don't have to be a technical person.
I mean, you know how email works,
you're not technical person.
All you need to understand
is how to think basic work one or two,
everybody saying iIt's a fraud.
Well I said all right?
Listen,
it's not a fraud,
but it's 17 billion dollar
has been created this year,
so the best performing asset
right now
across the entire country, so right,
if it's a fraud.
You at least need to see what's going on
where. People are going.
Wow, right? Right. Like why?
And it's not a fraud.
But like getting people.
I think that's also a trap we have in our minds
Yeah that fear
You know, we. It's fear
We mentally block ourselves
from opportunities
before we even try them.
You know, like a lot of times I like,
I used to be in these clubhouse rooms
and I would hear
people like this discouraging people
so much on entry into the cannabis space.
And I'm like, Yes,
people are like,
Oh, you won't ever be able to get into
the New York
space is going to be too expensive.
There's not even any rules.
There's no rules to this space.
What do you mean
it's going to be too expensive?
You know what I mean?
Like,
there are no legislation
saying what that price tag is,
but it's all a mental psyche out
It's all a mental cycle.
I think it's a lot of trauma
passed down to so from.
Oh, sure.
Yeah, yeah, like
so like this fear has been ingrained.
Someone told me, OK,
you've got to think even with my,
my parents, you know, like.
And like
even on the successful with them,
I feel there's still like
like you, sure
you want to deal with that,
you know what I mean?
Like, it's like a mental block,
and I'm like, if they come for me,
then they got to come.
Everybody that's doing the same thing.
That's a lot of people.
I heard Gary B say this.
Like he said, our parents have been great
and they teach you a lot of great things
and I'll take your values.
But I'll apply my work
approach and ethics
like because we need to evolve, right?
Like we got to.
We take a lot of the values
about being a good person
about working hard.
Yes, but we also can't take their mindset
with us.
We'll take our.
Mindset, we'll take that.
We'll have our value,
we'll take their values
and apply our mindset.
And work mindset.
Right. Right.
Because their mindset is.
Based upon a world that they know
that it probably was an accurate mindset
to have when they were growing up.
It makes sense, right?
Just the government
said the same thing about the government.
I don't understand
why our government is
ran by 80 year olds.
They don't even understand
the technology era.
Like what?
Well, it's because we allow it.
The quick answer to that is that
when people can become more involved,
we'll see a change.
But the answer to that
is that 80 year
old and 60 year olds
vote and participate all the time, and.
We participate.
Sometimes and sometimes we get a power.
Sometimes we don't I mean that's the answer
I mean it's like we have.
But you know, back to the
point of that mindset,
I do think that's very,
very important
for us to challenge
the mindsets of some things
that were passed.
Again,
values have been great
in terms
of working hard, taking
care of your family, right?
But the mindset,
I'll give one example
that I've said before.
one of the mindsets that
black community is passed down
again and again and again
is to work twice as hard.
You've heard it to get what half as much?
I'm like, No, half as much.
No I;m like I work twice as hard
and I expect twice as much.
I mean, I won't be like this.
I mean, llet me talk to white guys.
They work twice as hard to expect
ten times as much. That's what I want
And then out,
man, I got in the Air Force.
Air Force taught me a whole new mantra.
They said, Work harder,
work smarter, not harder.
So essentially,
if you can make your mind, do it
and put it together,
there's no reason why
you should be physically
in the space doing it yourself, you know.
Amen
Yeah.
Using that mind work
smarter, not harder as well.
Yeah, I'm
definitely not going back to that.
Old mindset you know
You got everybody.
Out here and running up the check.
I can't do it.
So tell me about transitioning
from serving
in the military to being an entrepreneur.
It sounds like you did
learn some good lessons about
your mindset, but I imagine
it had to be a little bit of a challenge,
especially moving from
a military schedule where you
have essentially things mapped out
in a very structured way.
Then having to go out and you didn't,
you didn't.
You didn't just go get a job.
You went to be an entrepreneur,
which is really the
diametrically opposite
to having a structure.
It's like you, you figure out.
What you're structure is
trying to create that structure.
What was the challenge with that?
Or was it or was it
not a challenge
because you had that structure
kind of talk to you
in the military, right?
And that's exactly
what I was going to say.
So for me,
I feel like the challenge came
more on,
like figuring out the business
aspect of it.
I think the discipline
in putting in the hours,
I already kind of learned that
from the military
in the military,
you're taught to do more with less so
within business model
and within my business model,
I pretty much did the same thing.
And I believe that's
what kind of made me successful
within
My first couple of years
is because
we really did more with less
like I would be the dispatcher,
the packer,
the driver that dropped it off.
I'm everything in the beginning,
at least for the first year, year
and a half it was on me, you know,
and it would be so funny
because people would call in
and they're like,
you know, Hey,
I may have an issue with this product.
I'm like, Hold on,
let me get you to the manager
and then I'm picking back up the phone.
Hello.
Did you change.
Your voice like.
oh of course of course
Had to switch it up every now
and then
and change the voice
or pass the phone
to my shorty, and have my shorty talk
But you know, like in the beginning,
you got to do those different things
because I'm like, for me,
I didn't know how to create a payroll.
I didn't know how to create budgets
and things like that yet.
So I had to really
learn each aspect of the industry
that I was in,
just so that when it was time for me
to put people in place, couldn't
nobody tell me nothing crazy, you know?
So that transitional part was
that was the.
I don't want say. That's a challenge
Yeah.
And you know,
I said it on IG the other day.
I said, you know,
sometimes as entrepreneurs,
we make it look too easy.
I wish I could have like taking out
through that piece too
You know what I mean
ten times harder than it looks on.
Yeah. People out here, most people are.
Perfect
about the entrepreneurial lifestyle
and lied about it.
Yeah, it is not. It is not.
And I don't say that
to turn people away from it.
Because I feel like it's
a very freeing,
freeing thing,
but you got to know how to control it
and understand those freedoms
and know that yes, you may have freedoms,
but you still need
some sort of structure.
You still got to wake up every day,
you still got to answer the phone calls
and you still got to do things
to actually make
that entrepreneur lifestyle work
You have to be the hunter.
I mean,
I think that's the difference
between being
because you still often
have to work when you have a job,
you have a certain time,
but like nobody
is not no one else is going to figure out how
Nobody, nobody's.
Giving you that opportunity yet.
You know what I mean?
And you got to go out there and call.
Call, call.
Call pick up them phones.
And don't make it to where you have
a staff of people
who depend on you and people
you have to take care of,
then the stress is even more
because now you're the last person to eat
an entrepreneur.
Yep, I think
I think people forget that
piece like
I don't get my checks
until everybody on my team eats you know,
until everybody on my team eats because I know
and I understand that
that's my work force.
That's
the people who who keep me in place
and keep me sane
and make sure the operation
moves the way it needs to.
So you always want to make sure your team
eat first
and then,
you know, you know, in the back end,
sometimes that that plate ain't that big.
Yep, sometimes it's huge.
Exactly. You got it.
You got to roll with the punches
as they come.
Yeah.
What's a story or moment
that you can disclose?
Because I know you were also intelligence
in the military that
really stuck out with you.
Like that
was a maybe a transformational moment
that applied that you've applied
that through life
or you apply that through your business
if you can think of one.
Oh, yeah, no.
You know,
there's a time that stands out to me.
I went to a commander's call one time and
my commander brought a little rubber
ducky out.
He brought a little rubber ducky out.
He put it on the podium
and his speech was, he said, You know,
some people may look at this
and try to call it
a woodpecker or a bird or a, you know,
I call it a duck.
It's a rubber ducky, you know?
So his mantra was,
you call it what it is.
You call a duck a duck,
you call a spade a spade.
And I feel like that's helped me out
throughout my business and personal life
because you cut a lot of the minutia out.
You know,
a lot of times
things can be handled when you go direct
and you have those direct conversations.
And in business,
sometimes those are those conversations
that are the hardest
that people don't like to have.
But you call a duck a duck,
you know, as the boss, sometimes
even if his family
like I've had family work for me,
my sisters probably hate me right now.
They love me but
at the beginning,
like one of my, my very close
sister was working with me.
She was like, my, you know.
My right hand. Yeah you know I don't do family in business too much
My mother works there, My mother works only
because she's like my accountant,
but like, she's helped me but like. Right?
My but
but that's only because
she's my accountant for support, really.
She she's just doing it to help.
But like beyond that.
I don't know if you it's tough tough
and and you got to do that as the boss,
you got to call a duck a duck
if it doesn't work.
You can't.
You can't keep.
So you had to fire family.
Oh, for sure. For sure.
Yes, for sure.
I've had to fire family
Like I love you,
but you got to she going to see this
interview and be like,
Oh my God,
I love you, but we can't love you.
But like you.
That's how businesses
end up failing, though, right?
If you can't like
you can support your family like
this is the reason why I could
support you.
But like,
what you can't do is have someone.
Nobody's above the business
No yeah, nobody's above the business.
And that's a mantra
that we have on our walls.
Like, nobody's not even me.
You know,
even the person who created it, like,
if I'm in the way somebody's going to need
to tell me
I need to step out the way
to make sure
that the process moves
to that next level .
And that's what I built my team on.
That's what I built
the company on is
we call a duck a duck
that nobody's bigger than the business,
you know,
because this is how we plan on feeding generations
and generations and generations
and creating that generational wealth.
So we want to make sure
that we keep that intact.
So you I'm not the CEO, you know, Miss Ayana Young