We had the good fortune of connecting with JM Balbuena and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JM, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks is scary, whether you go against the grain on a creative piece to be displayed in front of a crowd of strangers or taking the leap to quit the rat race in pursuit of your promising business ideas. Most people tend to avoid risks whenever possible, because inaction is frequently safer than taking action, but what most successful people have in common is that they got to where they are because they were willing to take risks no one else was “crazy” enough to take. I believe taking risks is super intimidating, especially for new entrepreneurs. But it’s more convoluted than just “doing something that might go wrong.” It is impossible to start your own venture without a high metabolism for risk. Matched with resilience, intelligence, and a dose of intentional luck, high risk tolerance has the potential to lead you to greatness. On the other hand, low risk tolerance can keep you stuck in patterns that will leave you unfulfilled as you watch others take the leaps and dives you dream of, while you remain in your comfort zone. When I took the leap of faith and ventured into entrepreneurship in the Californian cannabis space, oddly enough, everything seemed to begin to operate in synergy despite the industry’s volatility. It is still a new industry so there are and there will be a lot of growing pains for the foreseeable future, but the canna-preneurs that help to pave the way and to build the economies of scale within the infrastructure of the current commercial cannabis ecosystem will be the owners of the majority of the market share. The potential is colossal and oozes with the good kind of disruptive characteristics in this space; and in 2020’s election cannabis showed out as the real winner swiping with wins across the board in all the states that put it on the ballot. It’s a great time to witness the fact that our generation is zoned into the opportunity to not only build an industry from the ground up, but to do it in a way that hasn’t been done before: creating a win-win situation from seed to experience, in other words, a beneficial situation for the consumer, the business, and the community. <<

What should our readers know about your business?
Synergy, a full-service cannabis consulting firm, specializing in commercial cannabis license and permit acquisition is taking the leap into Canna-Tech, Canna-Content Creation, Canna-Education and Canna entertainment. We partner with brands to engage the canna-curious, canna-experienced and canna-preneurs through on-demand content, media distribution, production integration, content marketing, and brand advertising. Our mission is to curate and create content that is a true reflection of the global cannabis space versus what we may sometimes see in mainstream media. We created Synergy to be a platform that empowers canna-experts to pour onto the canna-curious AND get paid for their work through a revenue share-program. We are excited to be a catalyst for change: a space where big ideas are shared and implemented; a place that is a mixture of entertainment and education. Synergy is a means to take control of the cannabis narrative and give the industry’s thought-leaders, journalists, advocates, filmmakers, activists, teachers, historians, designers, etc., a space to have a voice and make a positive impact.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Brunch: Atypical Waffle in North Park Urban Campting: KOA Camping Grounds In Chula Vista Mid-day desert: Extraordinary Deserts in Bankers Hill End of day Hang out: Sunset Cliffs Dinner: Barrio Star Mexican Food in Bankers Hill Random: Salt mountains in Chula Vista

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to Adesola Akindele for mentorship, partnership, and support. She’s a serial entrepreneur and mentor.

Website: www.synergyuniverse.io
Instagram: @_JMBalbuena
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/johannbalbuena
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cannabissynergy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jm.balbuena.102
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCze_x3CDc6MG51v1O3eBW4A
Other: Other Instagram communities @cannabis.synergy @boycottshittyweed

Image Credits
Photos: @hazeylioness

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