Given the draconian and restrictive nature of Texan cannabis laws, one can easily imagine the challenges faced by the few pioneering cannabis businesses that currently exist in the Lone Star state. Due in part to this, the Texas Cannabis Collective sought out an interview with a rising star in Texas’ growing CBD market to get an insider perspective on what it takes to survive and thrive in a state like our own.
I was able to have an insightful conversation with Hans Enriquez, the founder of the CBD-infused coffee franchise LazyDaze Counterculture, about his experience as a successful Texan cannapreneur. He first started his business in 2004 as a headshop based in Laredo, TX that primarily sold smoking and vape products but eventually expanded into offering a CBD cafe along with countercultural retail items. They have a varied selection of CBD-infused items such as coffee, tea, kombucha, cookies, and other tasty treats. For those interested in combining CBD with alcohol, at one of his stores they actually offer a full menu of CBD-infused beer, cocktails, and other alcoholic beverages.
This gradual transition into a cafe and dispensary occurred four to five years ago and played a pivotal role in his store’s growth into the sprawling franchise that it is today. There are now nine LazyDaze locations scattered mostly throughout the state of Texas and one in Ohio with seven more locations planned that will be based in Pittsburgh, Deep Ellum, Denton, and even Australia. If anyone is curious about starting up one of these stores, you’ll need between $150,000 to $280,00 in capital depending on the state as markets and regulatory practices vary significantly across our country.
Hans had some very exciting ideas about the future of his business. For instance, he essentially wants to make the ‘Starbucks of Weed’ and provide people with a social and public place to consume their legal cannabis or CBD products, similarly to bars or even better, Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes. He said that this goal was inspired by his own experiences going to states where cannabis is recreationally legal yet there lacks a safe space for those who wish to consume their cannabis products in a more social and public manner.
Unfortunately, due to the current legal climate where only Alaska has recently legalized social and public use of cannabis, his cafes only offer CBD right now but he wants to also offer more psychoactive cannabis products as soon as the right legal framework emerges in the states where the stores are to be found. 
Additionally, in his role as the founder of Texas Green Rush, a networking group of cannabis professionals and activists in the Austin area, he has helped fight for more sensible drug laws. While this group has members throughout Texas, it is primarily based in and around Austin which gives these activists great access to the ears of our state representatives. As someone with years of experience running a successful cannabis business in Texas, he has offered his knowledge to help other budding entrepreneurs who wish to enter this kind of market.
Although he went to business school and had some retail experience before creating his company, there are several important lessons that could only be taught by facing the inevitable ups and downs of owning a business. For starters, he says that it is incredibly important to be prepared to face significant setbacks but instead of seeing that as a failure, try to understand each business experience as a learning lesson. Another key piece of entrepreneurial wisdom that he shared was to focus on developing your brand identity. With LazyDaze, one can easily see from their psychedelic-inspired logo that the store embraces a countercultural aesthetic which is quite befitting for any business based in that market. They maintain a strong presence online and through social media as well, so there are many different ways to promote your concept once it’s created.
