How To Empower Your Team to Elevate Your Cannabis Business

  • Empowerment builds trust and accountability, allowing employees to take ownership of their roles.
  • Autonomous decision-making leads to faster, more personalized customer service, improving overall satisfaction.
  • Recognition and continuous learning foster a motivated and loyal team.
  • Empowered employees are more likely to drive profitability through increased engagement and proactive business improvements.

Your team is the face of your cannabis business, but how do you turn knowledge into lasting success? To truly set your business apart, you need to empower your team to take ownership, innovate, and push your business to new heights. Empowerment isn’t just about giving your staff knowledge—it’s about instilling confidence, autonomy, and a sense of ownership in their roles. By doing so, you’ll create a motivated, invested team that drives your business toward long-term success.

According to Kurt Kaufmann, Co-Founder and CEO of Seed Talent, the secret to retail success lies in how well you empower your team. “It’s not enough to just train them on the products,” says Kaufmann, “You need to give them the tools and autonomy to make smart decisions and take your business further.”

Explore the Power of Autonomy and Ownership

Empowering your team begins by giving them the autonomy to make decisions. According to Salesforce reports, employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. 

When employees feel trusted and valued, they’re more likely to take initiative and offer suggestions that could improve business operations. Kaufmann stresses that retailers need to go beyond the basics: “Ask yourself, does your team feel they have the authority to make decisions that benefit the customer and the business?”

Here’s how you can empower your team with autonomy:

  1. Encourage Decision-Making at Every Level: Allow your staff to make customer-focused decisions on the spot, whether it’s offering a personalized recommendation or solving a customer issue. This will build confidence and show that you trust their judgment.
  1. Promote Accountability: Empowerment doesn’t mean losing control. It’s about giving employees the freedom to act, with the understanding that they are accountable for the outcomes. This ownership culture pushes your team to perform at their best consistently.
  1. Provide Resources for Growth: Whether it’s tools for improving customer service or further product education, giving your team access to the right resources helps them grow into their roles and make more impactful contributions.

Why Empowerment Elevates Your Business

When your team feels empowered, they aren’t just doing their job—they’re thinking of ways to improve it. Empowered employees are more likely to suggest improvements, provide superior customer service, and advocate for the brand. This level of engagement translates directly to business growth.

Kaufmann highlights that empowered employees tend to outperform because they are more connected to the business’s success. “When your team feels they are part of the company’s success, it shows in the way they treat customers and approach their work,” Kaufmann says. “It creates a cycle of positive reinforcement, where success breeds more success.”

Key Strategies to Empower Your Cannabis Retail Team

Building an empowered team isn’t an overnight task. It requires thoughtful strategies and consistent efforts. 

Here are key strategies to ensure your team is empowered to elevate your cannabis business:

  1. Lead by Example: Leadership sets the tone for how employees feel about their roles. If leaders show confidence, transparency, and a willingness to trust the team, employees are likely to mirror those behaviors.
  1. Set Clear Expectations and Trust Your Team: One of the most significant barriers to empowerment is micromanagement. Set clear expectations for your team, then step back and allow them the space to achieve those goals in their way. Trust is key to building a confident, self-sufficient team.
  1. Recognize and Reward Initiative: Encourage your staff to take initiative, then publicly recognize and reward those efforts. Whether it’s a shout-out during a meeting or tangible rewards, recognition reinforces the value of empowerment.
  1. Provide Continuous Learning Opportunities: Much like training, empowerment requires ongoing support. Give your team access to new learning materials, whether through courses on platforms like Seed Talent or in-house workshops, to help them develop new skills that benefit both them and the business.

The Connection Between Empowerment and Profit

Empowered teams are engaged teams, and engaged teams drive profitability. Kaufmann explains that employees who feel like active participants in the business are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, whether in upselling products, creating exceptional customer experiences, or streamlining operational processes. Research from Gallup found that highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability. 

“Empowered employees become brand advocates, and that’s where you see real growth,” says Kaufmann. Investing in your team’s personal and professional growth fosters a culture of success that reflects in your bottom line.

What’s Next?

Ready to take your cannabis retail business to the next level? Part 3 of this blog series will explore winning strategies to boost long-term success and profitability through a high-performance team.
In the meantime, check out the full episode of High Profit, featuring Kush.com CEO John Lynch and Kurt Kaufmann. They dive even deeper into strategies for empowering your team and building a thriving business.

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