JULIE DOOLEY
PRESIDENT & PIONEER, JULIE’S NATURAL EDIBLES
“Don’t be afraid! Being a women is great!”
THE PIONEERING PARENT – Julie Dooley is not your stereotypical “stoner”. She is the President of Julie’s Natural Edibles, which was founded in 2008. She was diagnosed with Celiac disease and cannabis was the only medicine she would use as a therapy. She began by making butter with her Co-Creator Kate and it grew into so much more.
Julie’s background is in science. She went to college for Human Genetics and she actually joked about her degree, “The only thing I did with that, was have babies.” She has three children that she could not help but gloat over. Julie then went on to explain that she simply got bored and began working at the University of Denver as the Budgeting Director. There she learned how to manage millions of dollars for a large entity.
Julie and I discussed the importance of working together to further the industry. She explained that in Colorado the large edible manufacturers decided a long time ago that they were not competitors. The big players decided to ban together in an edibles council of sorts in order to be sounding boards for one another and conquer the ever-changing reforms together. According to Julie, “You have to work together to stop regulations before it happens. You can save yourself thousands.”
Julie is an incredible self-made businesswoman. She explained to me that she continues to educate herself on everything. After deciding to make granola she had to learn how to scale that recipe to accommodate thousands of orders.
Clearly, she is a proud mama. She spoke about her “wonderful children” and how her children help to keep her feet on the ground. I asked her what it has been like to go from housewife to international cannabis expert, “I know a little bit more than other people. It is very humbling to be a part of this industry. We’re creating it. My kids have benefited by watching mom go from an idea to a company. They have a deep respect for cannabis and me.“
To finish off she gave me some extremely valuable advice for new entrepreneurs:
1.”Take heart regarding the things you don’t know or understand. I knew nothing about marketing. Looking back I should have hired an expert in the field instead of assigning a friend to ‘help out’ and of course, always think of the future and try and plan out with a 2 year plan and a 4 year plan etc.”
2. “Don’t make a decision when you are fearful. Wait until you are calm and confident before you make a jump. I didn’t think about a risk, I didn’t have fear, I did not think about anything past tomorrow….”
3. “You have to get rid of ego and work together”
4. “Work with people that you can trust. You don’t necessarily need to like them, but you need to respect them. Before you take a leap into this industry, get some solid people in your life, and listen to them.”
For more information about Julie Dooley and Julie’s Natural Edibles please go to:
JuliesNaturalEdibles.com
IG: @JuliesNaturalEdibles
Twitter: @JuliesNatural
Facebook: /JuliesNaturalEdibles