Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Carrillo.
Hi Kevin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Thanks for having me! I’ve been an advocate and consumer of cannabis for over 15 years. After retiring from collegiate wrestling in 2008, I found relief in the psychoactive, therapeutic properties that THC offers while also utilizing the other minor cannabinoids such as CBD for pain/muscle relief, inflammation and anxiety. As I’ve experienced the benefits of cannabis first-hand since I’ve made it part of my lifestyle, I knew I wanted to be part of this burgeoning industry, but I needed to find a space that best fit my particular set of skills.
In March 2020, I started Cannabinoid Connect, a cannabis podcast that aims to remove the stigma associated with cannabis by having industry-facing conversations with leading experts to educate and inform the public regarding the plant’s endless benefits. For too long we’ve been fed misinformation regarding the efficacy of cannabis and have experienced a severe lack of information regarding the therapeutic benefits of the plant and its infinite applications for producing material goods. Podcasting has been a great medium because it allows me to educate myself and others about the numerous opportunities, challenges, injustices, therapeutic, economic, and environmental benefits the cannabis presents while building meaningful relationships with industry experts.
After recording almost two hundred conversations with industry leaders and operators over the past year, I quickly realized that cannabis and hemp are undoubtedly the most challenging industries to operate in and, most importantly, that these operators need help. That’s why my business partner, Gene White, and I decided to start our brokerage and consulting firm, Cannabinoid Nation. Cannabinoid Nation is a Dallas-based hemp brokerage and consulting firm that aims to increase the likelihood of success for growers, processors and manufacturers as well as offer consumers the opportunity to shop the highest quality hemp products in the country via our online CBD store.
Due to the current federal regulatory framework (i.e. lack of SAFE Banking and IRS Tax Provision 280E) and lack of consumer oversight from the FDA for CBD products, cannabis and hemp operators face unique sets of challenges that can be overwhelming and, in most cases, not the best use of their time. These challenges include keeping up with regulatory compliance, having an adequate business plan, developing a sales and marketing strategy, designing a website or creating an e-commerce store for their CBD or THC products, etc. Within Cannabinoid Nation’s affiliate partner network, we provide best-in-class industry solutions for growers processors and manufacturers, which include: Grow Assessment Consulting, Business Registration Consulting, Regulatory Compliance Consulting, Licensing for Retail and Manufacturing Hemp or THC Products, Website Design, Development and E-commerce, Digital Marketing Services, White Label Services.
In addition, the need for Federal consumer oversight from the FDA for CBD products is top-of-mind for most producers, manufacturers and retail operators. The lack of regulation has resulted in unscrupulous lab testing practices and products flooding the market that are either harmful, low-quality and contain little to no CBD or any of the other minor cannabinoids they are promoting. It’s important for consumers to know the origin story of the company they are purchasing from and the methods in which the product they are consuming was cultivated, extracted, tested, manufactured, and distributed. That’s why we launched the Cannabinoid Nation Online Hemp Store. All the brands and products we carry are U.S. Hemp Certified, which means they meet the most thorough independently verified standards available in the hemp supplement industry. Our products include edibles (i.e. gummies, carmels, and lozenges), Softgels, Tinctures, Topicals (i.e. salves, creams and balms) and Pet Care.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is so much we are still learning about cannabis due to federal prohibition, and quite frankly, it can be a lot. One of the biggest challenges we face as a business is keeping up with all the cannabis news that is continuously being published, including science, legislation, finance, economics, social justice, the environment, lifestyle trends and much more.
I’m constantly following news outlets and trusted industry sources who are sharing information that is relevant and adds value to our clients, retail customers and the overall, industry-facing conversation.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Before entering the cannabis and hemp space I held several social media manager positions with various DFW-based, fortune 500 companies, which include Dell Services (now NTT Data), Sabre, and AT&T, to name a few. During my time with these companies my main focus was to provide my internal clients with strategic guidance, support, and content development that capitalizes on the power of digital media to boost awareness and create a lasting impact for the brand.
Two career milestones that I’m most proud of include 1) leading the digital marketing strategy for Sabre Corporation’s official public listing within the NASDAQ exchange on 4/17/2014, which reached over half a million people online; and 2) leading the digital marketing strategy for Mark Cuban’s in-person, Q&A event at SXSW in Austin, TX on 3/13/2016. The Cuban session was broadcast live via Facebook and generated 227,815 total video views and 3,119,875 total online impressions.
After spending six years in Corporate Marketing, in December 2016, I decided to branch off and start my own consulting agency, KC Consulting, which is a premiere digital marketing agency based in Dallas. We specialize in social media strategy, content creation, channel management, paid advertising, graphic design and website design, development and e-commerce services. We have helped higher education and nonprofit institutions as well as Fortune 500 companies navigate the complex challenges of social media, with a special focus on leveraging messages for maximum audience reach and segmentation.
How do you think about luck?
I’m a firm believer that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. As an entrepreneur, there are no guarantees, no set formulas for success and lots of variables that you cannot control. Having said that, there are things that entrepreneurs can control like their work ethic, the people they hire, and their focus by prioritizing tasks.
As an entrepreneur for the past five years, I’ve come to the realization that (in addition to focusing only on the things I can control) timing is everything. Hemp became fully legalized in 2018, through the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act. As a cannabis consumer for the past 15 years, I’ve understood the efficacy and potential for the plant from a medicinal, economic and environmental perspective. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can add value by publishing informative conversations with leading experts and operators via Cannabinoid Connect as well as offer high quality CBD products for consumers and best-in-class industry solutions that aim to increase the likelihood of success for industry operators via Cannabinoid Nation.
Contact Info:
- Email: kevin@cannabinoidnation.com
- Website: https://cannabinoidnation.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CannabinoidNation1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/canna__nation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6L_rpYPWu2gyfzVhTCe2yA
