Today we’d like to introduce you to Martell Golliday.
Martell, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As you know, I founded Hashtag Hemp Co. in Bishop Arts District, we were and still are the first “farm to market” CBD company to come to the neighborhood. Also, the only CBD company to be on Oak Cliffs Chamber of Commerce, and oddly, we’re also the first health and wellness company on the Chamber of Commerce as well.
Retail wasn’t my driving passion in life. I opened #Hemp as an outlet for the supply-chain I had spent the previous six months building. We just wanted to be centered around education and aesthetically chic.
I’ve been homeless since I was 13, so in my adult life, I always make sure my taste is refined regardless of my origin story. It’s funny when I mention that people’s reactions are usually 1 of 2 things:
– “Awww, you poor thing!”
– “You were a problem, child. huh.?”
Honestly, I don’t bring it up often, and when I do, it’s not for the purpose of pity. I’ve been over it since I put myself through high cool and graduated early. At that point, being that young, you believe you can do anything.
But instead of anything, I ended up selling drugs. It was a money thing though not a drug thing. When you live in the streets, you have to do street things.
I got my first real job at age 22 after meeting my first mentor Kevin Standokes. His story is really incredible, as well. He was doing door to door sales and wanted to recruit me, and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I went with him the next day and sold two alarms on my first day. I made $1000 in like seven hours, legitimately. I studied every personal development book I could find and made a hundred thousand that year.
Did that for three years, until they randomly pulled-up my arrest record bc of a licensing issue and laid me off. I had never been laid off, I didn’t handle it well.
I started distributing drugs again like a natural-born idiot, but I did pretty well this time around. My clientele introduced me to Downtown Dallas and high-end living. I didn’t hate it!
That active life always comes to an end. There’s no riding into the sunset…after getting your loft raided by the police. I was sentenced to four years in prison for violation of probation, of which I served 23 months. I was 26 at the time. I spent my prison sentence teaching myself finance, investing, and the origins of surnames. I was not a typical inmate.
Kevin (my mentor) picked me up the day I was released. That same day I went back to door-to-door sales for seven years. That path brought me to my second mentor, and the best man I know, Lee Woods. Under his guidance, I became a pro at psychology-based sales ranking among the top 5% of reps in the U.S.
I was offered a VP of Sales position at Aloniu Solar in Tempe, AZ. This was my dream job (since you’re not usually able to get VP status with no degree and a criminal record). It was for that reason that my position didn’t come with any equity. I found myself working incredibly hard for someone else’s long term plan. I decided to resign and start a digital marketing agency in the Summer of 2018.
If you’re wondering when I went to school for that, I didn’t. I didn’t even have a laptop, and still, somehow, I lead that company into almost 100k in six months, which brings us to CBD.
I was marketing for an affiliate of one of the largest CBD affiliate/franchises and I tried a water-soluble CBD that changed my life and my ADHD, literally. I forgot to mention I have one of the highest levels of attention deficit disorder known to man lol.
That day I dedicated my life to spreading the awareness of CBD, and I set a goal to become the most notable marketer in the Industrial-hemp industry.
Initially, I headed out west and began vetting farms to gain as much direct knowledge as possible and to solidify a supply chain. When I came home I realized I was one of the only distributors in Dallas who actually did the work before opening. I had a price point and knowledge base that couldn’t be touched. So I got funded and signed a lease in Bishop Arts. Now I provide content industry wide, speak publicly and own a distribution company with my mentor Lee. February 1st 2020, I’ll start a Texas-based non-profit for cannabis marketers and start attempting to clean up this industry.
Wow that was long my apologies, I don’t know what’s considered valuable to readers, and I have ADHD.
Please tell us about Hashtag Hemp Co. Canna-Boutique.
I literally love what we’ve built. I went through a really traumatic situation just before opening so it meant a lot to just build it out. Like I said earlier “Being a seed to sale company is a total thing.”
Most (90% of) CBD store owners find some manufacturer online to sell them products, they don’t know how it was grown or what’s really in it. Most vendors can’t read a test result properly, I know because I consult a lot of them.
#Hemp is different because our product is guaranteed, and we don’t care if anyone buys anything. If they leave more educated then they came in, and they know why CBD works, then we’re happy. Plus the Dallas Observer named us the best place to get CBD in Dallas, which was validating. In an area that’s as well known for health and veganism as BAD, it’s kinda cool to be able to say that:
“We’re the farmers market of CBD in Oak Cliff”
It hasn’t all been peachy though, because that mindset of “responsible CBD” is still way ahead of its time. The public’s education isn’t at a high enough level to grasp the fact that they need to source their CBD like their vegetables. They don’t know that CBD works every time if it’s a quality product and correct dosage. It’s not their fault as the industry has done a bad job and the government has done us no favors. That’s why we do what we do, to inform. The hemp plant has been our primary resource as humans for 12,000 years, it’s been illegal for 100 years..
In addition, I’m a dumb ass for thinking retail was gonna be easy. I almost went out of business my first month. Thank God for good mentorship, Councilmen Chad West is my landlord and was kind enough to give me some great biz advice, as did my mentor Lee. Most of all my GM and business partner Marcus was stand-up during the struggle.
I had let go of employees and take a loan out, it blew my mind that we could have so little traffic despite a 5-star review rating, the best CBD in the city, and a family-friendly experience. Like I thought we had it all right.
That’s when it sat in that our neighborhood is so community-based I just needed to be networking, I started going out every night and handing out so much free CBD. I was just meeting all the local owners who were super supportive.
It really took off for us after I met Alycen and Paul at “The Local Oak” and we put together “The Oak cliff Craft-Cocktail Challenge”, we’ll be hosting the next CBD cocktail challenge the last week of January at “The Island Spot” in Oak Cliff.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Oh the laundry!…. Honestly, I hate to say it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but I wouldn’t have gone into boutique retail. I say that because I’m far more people-based than operations-based. I paint broad strokes.
I don’t regret it at all though, it actually worked out for the best considering the knowledge I’ve gained, that stuff is power.. Also I live to remind myself I can overcome whatever, manifest whatever.
Pricing:
- Mention this article and 15% off any item
- Get your first month of Alkaline water for $15
Contact Info:
- Phone: 972.807.2475
- Email: info@hashtaghempco.com
- Instagram: @hashtaghempco
- Facebook: @hhcannaboutique
- Twitter: @the_hempstorian
- Other: http:\\g.page\hashtagboutique
Image Credit:
Nesley Fudge (real name)
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