Tell us a little about your business. What is it about?
Accoutrements is about having cannabis accessories for everyday living,
What is the change that you would like to bring to society?
More awareness around the benefits of cannabis over alcohol.
What happened to make you want to do this? Tell us what drove you to start this.
I was sitting in my living room enjoying a little Sunday afternoon sess when I realized that none of the cannabis tools I use really matched my lifestyle. I took a lot of care into designing a beautiful home but my cannabis tools were not reflective of my surroundings. I then did some research, crafted a concept, then took about 6 months to turn that concept into reality. At first I thought it was going to be a small side business but after doing a Christmas Market in Toronto's Bloor West Village and the Lift Expo in Vancouver I realized there was a huge demand and a lot of interest in cannabis accessories that were first and foremost discrete and could substitute as home decor. Fast forward a year later and Accoutrements is now carried by the BC Cannabis Store, set to be carried by the OCS, and is expanding nationwide and into the US.
Have you achieved some of your goals or has something happened in the world to make you want to work even harder?
Yes, I've achieved some major milestones and the brand continues to grow. My biggest driving factor is that I love my business and what I'm building. I truly believe in the need for Accoutrements in the industry as a gateway brand for people who may be cannacurious or returning after a long hiatus.
How do you think being a woman of colour has impacted your journey?
Being a woman of colour has presented it's own challenges but nothing that I haven't experience in the rest of my professional life. Something that I've been reminding myself of as I continue to grow the business is that I'm not powerless. While there are definitely barriers that are unique to being a POC/Woman of Colour those things don't discount me from elevating myself to an equal playing field with other cannabis entrepreneurs.
Have you had a remarkable breakthrough or a win that you would like to share with our readers? We all love hearing success stories! Tell us yours!
Growing the business from an idea to being carried by provincials retailers has definitely been a big win. This is my second company, (my first is in tech) so I understand what it means to go from a small business to a big business. Creating a mindset of a multi-million dollar company has definitely been a big accomplishment even just from a personal mindset perspective.
To check out Heidi's modern Accoutrements go to www.accoutrements.co