We recently connected with Paula Savchenko, Esq. founding partner of Cannacore Group and PS Law Group, and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Paula, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
I truly believe to be successful it is important to have a consistent self-care routine. When I started my career, I used to just wake up and go to work without prioritizing healthy habits such as exercise, sleep, and the like. Once I started my own business, I learned the value of having a self-care routine to ensure the longevity of my energy to avoid what is very common in most fast-paced industries — burnout. Although self-care is an umbrella term that can mean a variety of things for each person, for me self-care includes the following:
Meditation: I have found it incredibly valuable to start and end each day with meditation, sometimes guided and sometimes free flowing. Meditation has helped me with a plethora of things, including maintaining a clearer mindset, the ability to recognize opportunities, be more patient with myself and others, the means to be more connected to myself and those around me, and the ability to manifest my goals into existence.
Regroup/checklist: In addition, I start and end my workday by regrouping on what I got done that day and what I need to do the following day. This helps me stay organized, review what I achieved that day and see what’s ahead of me.
Move your body: Whether it’s a hard workout or going for a light walk it’s extremely important to move your body and get sunlight. I make sure to work out at least three times a week and strive to have the majority of my exercises to be outside.
Yearly and quarterly goals: I’ve found it exceedingly important to set time aside on a yearly and quarterly basis to write out each goal I set out to accomplish for myself and my company. This helps me to have a better vision of what I should be focused on, as well as a path to hold myself accountable. It helps me to have a better understanding of what we should be doing in the short term to achieve our long-term goals. Moreover, it makes me immensely proud of myself and my team when I look back at our goals and see how much we have achieved. At times, it’s really easy to always be focused on what’s next as an entrepreneur and it’s important to look back and celebrate your achievements.
Healthy and clean living: I watch everything I put in my body and around my body. I make sure to buy organic, when possible, read food labels and be mindful of toxins in products. In addition, surrounding myself with an organized and clean space to conduct my work is extremely important to me as it sets the precedence of putting the right foot forward each day.
Treat others as you would like to be treated: I do my best to treat all living beings the way I want to be treated. Although I understand this is easier said than done, I believe this would solve many problems if everyone could live with more love and compassion for others. It’s important for us all to do our part because when you give kindness and light to those around you then you empower and inspire them to do the same, creating a ripple effect.
Overall, all of these steps help me to hold space for myself to be able to bring the best version of myself to each situation.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the founder of Cannacore Group, a multi-state cannabis and psychedelic licensing firm, and PS Law Group, a regulated substances law firm. As an attorney and consultant, I primarily work in the cannabis and psychedelic industries, working with clients on multi-state expansion initiatives. More specifically, our team’s work involves competitive licensing and regulatory compliance in the cannabis and psychedelic industries. Through our success in attaining competitive licenses for my clients, we have acquired a good understanding of what regulators are looking for, as well as a strong network in the industries. Since entering the cannabis industry in 2015, we have worked on competitive applications for marijuana businesses in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Texas and West Virginia. Cannacore has accumulated an overall success rate of 85% in attaining cannabis business licenses.
Under PS Law Group, we handle administrative, regulatory, and corporate matters related to regulated substances industries licensing. Most recently, we are handling the appeal of a license denial for a client who applied for a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center license in Florida. The client worked with another group on their application and came to us to represent them in the appeal of the denial. The client applied for a license that was carved out for Black Farmer Litigants, and the Department has improperly applied the law and regulations to our client, disqualifying them from the licensure process. We currently have several cases filed in Administrative Court and the District Court of Appeals challenging the Department’s actions.
We are working on several new and exciting projects. One I am passionate about is identifying and applying for grants on the federal and state level for groups in the cannabis and psychedelic industries. This will help the industries in two main ways: First, these grants are usually research-focused, so the focal point of the work will help to bring new ideas to the market such as methods to expand patient education and access; Secondly, as it’s typically very expensive to get involved in these industries, my hope is that this will help those that have financial barriers and are passionate about adding value to the industries to be able to get involved.
In addition, we are working on setting up additional and stronger partnerships with social equity groups, including veterans, minorities, financially disadvantaged and women-owned businesses. Our team is working to create a cannabis social equity partnership program where we partner social equity individuals with others who are applying for licenses, so everyone can benefit.
As photographed below, Apothca/Artcan is a vertically integrated operator in Massachusetts, that operates its cultivation and manufacturing facility on 24 acres of a state-of-the-art former Bayer campus. They were one of the first operators in the state and are one of only a few operators in the state that successfully grows high quality cannabis flower in a hybrid greenhouse. The state’s climate and regulatory environment make cultivation difficult, however, Apothca/Artcan excels at this. We are also working on several expansion initiatives with Apothca/Artcan to help them expand their footprint into new markets.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I believe the following qualities have helped me the most to get to where I am now: taking calculated risks; being emotionally intelligent; and being an extrovert.
Taking calculated risks: One of my favorite quotes is: “Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. ‘Here, open it, it’s perfect. You’ll love it.’ Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They’re risky. They challenge you.” It’s extremely important to be able to identify opportunities, take calculated risks and work through any issues that come up, as you have to be willing to get uncomfortable to be successful. The ability to know when to save or utilize your money with an understanding at times the decision you choose may be the wrong one, but it’s all a learning curve. Such lessons will later afford you the ability to see opportunities for what they are and capitalize on them.
Emotionally intelligent: Many people focus on the monetary value of a person or company without understanding their personal goals, the struggles they underwent to achieve their goals, and what their brand truly means to them. It is important to get to know your clients and grow with them as each client you work with is an entirely new experience, which makes working in this industry so amazing. By creating these in-depth connections, it not only helps me develop a foundational relationship with my clients, but also a continued line of work as they either come back or refer their peers to me due to the trust we have built with them.
Extrovert: I am an extremely extroverted person, which helps me to continuously meet new people and groups, further expanding my network in various industries. As I am a “people-person,” this aspect of my personality helps me not fear reaching out or putting myself in uncomfortable situations like awkward small talk. Being extroverted aids me in optimizing each situation I am in and has led me to meeting people I never would have if I didn’t have the courage to make the initiative to speak with them.
An area of knowledge that really impacted my journey is working in an administrative law firm that specializes in regulated substances licensing and regulatory compliance. Such work has helped me to have a strong understanding of the regulated substances industries, and the ability to apply my knowledge to the cannabis and psychedelic industries to build successful operations from the onset of their creation. Having regulatory experience in these other more established industries, such as liquor and tobacco, has afforded me the aptness to provide better overall services for our clients, as well as developed a foundation that facilitates my understanding in some of the unchartered areas of the cannabis and psychedelic industries.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I truly believe our differences, strengths and weaknesses are there to be capitalized on. It doesn’t make sense to me to try to be good at everything (i.e.) “a jack of all trades is a master of none.” In my opinion, it is better to hone in on your skills in areas that you thrive in, and then build a team around you who pick up where your weaknesses are. If it doesn’t fit in your wheelhouse, refer it out and build a strong referral network. This way you can focus on what you’re good at and continue to get even better, which will make you an expert in such field/s. Moreover, when you are not trying to pull yourself in all different directions, you’re able to be more efficient and effective for your clients. For example, if you’re a big picture person and you’re not detail orientated, then partner with or hire someone who is and continue to do what you’re good at. In summary, it’s better to sharpen one knife to use than to have many dull knives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cannacoregrp.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannacoregrp/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-savchenko-a251ab64/
- Other: https://www.pslawgrp.com/
Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Paula Savchenko & Apothca/Artcan
