Why You Need to Go Pro, Not Bro

How to vet advisors, vendors, and team members before they cost you time, money, and momentum.

‘Go Pro, Not Bro’ is a simple rule that essentially means having the conviction to make tough business decisions no matter what stage of cannabis production you’re in. Whether you are building from the ground up or you’re an advanced operator, having the confidence to do the proper vetting for your internal staff, vendors, and advisors is paramount.

Time and again, I’ve witnessed the fallout of operators making ‘buddy decisions’ over business decisions. A classic example is bringing on someone who has been growing for a long time in a small basement or garage, assuming those skills will automatically translate to a scaled commercial operation.

Scaling from a small space to managing critical, pro-horticulture systems doesn’t always translate. Going with a bro instead of a seasoned pro often leads to hemorrhaging money, setting the business back months financially, and, in extreme cases, the company’s demise. When you are trying to pump out super high quality products in competitive markets, you simply can’t afford this situation.

When you rely on inexperience and people start winging it on facility design, the errors can be incredibly costly. This is particularly true when it comes to the complex math and engineering behind proper mechanical formatting. Like sizing HVAC coordinated with horticultural lighting and dehumidification equipment.

Failing to do the math can lead to those terrible “oh snap” moments where you realize, for example, you actually need a lot more cooling capacity because of your particular lighting choices. That sucks to realize after the fact, and can cost you tens or scores – or even hundreds – of thousands of dollars to fix it, depending on the scale.

I’ve witnessed costly (and frankly dangerous) scenarios where electrical load calculations were ‘approximated’ by a buddy. Persistent tripping of circuit breakers supporting critical systems, melted sections of panels, the list goes on. In all cases: Costly repairs, unnecessary downtime, preventable rework.

I’ve also seen plumbing flaws where a scaled fertigation system is designed on a whim rather than factoring in the pump curve, volume capacity, or pressure decay. It’s a real bummer when there’s non-uniformity of fertigation volume delivery across zones where uniformity is our #1 primary goal. In instances where under-slab plumbing is done wrong—whether it’s the wrong elevation or the wrong sizing of pipes—you are literally jackhammering up concrete to rework it, which costs massive amounts of labor and materials.

That’s why vetting the people designing, building, and advising your operation is so important. The right expertise upfront can prevent months of setbacks and expensive rework later.

How do you avoid these mistakes? Treat hiring a consultant, facility designer, or cultivation leader like simple business basics. The main questions operators should ask are simply put: Have you done this before? And can you connect me with some examples?

You need to know if they have operated at a similar scale and in a similar context or climate. Ask for references that you can contact who are not related to them. At the end of the day, it’s about properly screening them to make sure they align with your principles and simply implying: Prove it.

This vetting exercise is generally not an issue for a trustworthy Pro.

In an industry full of strong personalities and big claims, learning to recognize real expertise is a valuable skill in itself. What separates experienced cannabis professionals from people who simply sound experienced is their willingness to get granular about business and yield metrics. Real pros have a general familiarity and comfort with having actual business conversations.

On the flip side, I find that those who only sound experienced generally get squirrely or evade questions of actual substance. They’ll try to hide behind veils of proprietary information or trade secrets when discussing general industry benchmarks or best practices that should be casual to talk about.

The professionals I know and respect don’t need to flex an ego, brag, or be overly promotional. They are a little more sober in conversation and have humility, letting their actions and reputation speak for themselves. There is simply a demeanor of seasoned wisdom, calm, and confidence.

The professionals worth working with aren’t trying to impress you. They’re trying to solve problems, create value, and leave your operation better than when you met them.

The right partners can massively impact your cultivation performance, profitability, and long-term growth because they genuinely care about your business. If they are a vendor, they aren’t a leech trying to oversell you on stuff you don’t need. Instead, they try to sell you only what will directly impact the volume and quality of your output so your bottom line is healthy. Vital.

Look for people who may have had skin in the game in the past, giving them a more empathetic understanding of what it takes to run a cultivation business. These partners act as a synergistic element to the business. They generally offer a Goldilocks amount of practical, pragmatic advice—not too much, not too little—that is rooted in real experience. And helpful observations across a wide network of customers.

Ultimately, these are the professionals who will provide vetted, valuable information to stoke that flame of value. They aren’t just trying to make a quick buck and move on to the next sale; they are actually helping you cultivate and grow the holistic vitality of your business. Going pro instead of bro is about surrounding yourself with people who have the experience, integrity, and commitment to help your business thrive for the long haul.