Skills
About
Summer Westerbur, CEO of Kairos Insurance Group Cannabis Division, celebrated 19 years of running her own insurance agency in January. The boutique employee benefits firm was one of the first agencies to work with cannabis business owners in Colorado and has expanded nationwide. Summer is co-founder of Simcha, a kosher CBD/CBG company, bringing Boulder-grown kosher CBD to the Jewish community. A serial entrepreneur, she is in the process of opening a woman-owned retail dispensary in the Northeast. She serves on the Tri-state Regional Board of Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, bringing her cannabis experience in Colorado to the emerging regulated markets in the Northeast. She is a regular speaker at U.S. and international cannabis conferences. She is passionate about seeing the end of the drug war. Summer and her son travel obsessively, visiting a dozen countries or more each year knowing that a real education and perspective is only available to those who take the time to understand the world around them.
Summer Westerbur
Published content
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The business community at large can learn from these missteps, using them as a foundation for broader conversations.
expert panel
Building the brand image you want starts with smart PR moves. In business — and especially the culture space — what the public thinks of your brand is everything. Do they find you trustworthy and reliable? Do they think of you as innovative, cool or luxurious? Controlling the narrative around your brand is key to ensuring you create the image you’re after — and to ensuring you’re reaching your desired target audience. However, public relations is an art as much as it is a science, and many businesses that don’t have experience in this particular area can end up making mistakes that could damage their reputation in the short and long term. To avoid these same blunders, consider this list of common mistakes as outlined by the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Below, they detail why these mistakes can be detrimental to your brand goals and advise what actions you should take instead.
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May 13, 2024
In the cannabis industry, companies face unique challenges providing comprehensive employee benefits packages while managing compliance and complex ownership structures.
expert panel
Introverts bring a unique set of skills to the table that other leaders may not possess. When frequent networking, public speaking and an outgoing personality are so often praised as necessary for effective leadership, it can be difficult for introverts to see themselves running a business. But extroverts aren’t the only ones who have great ideas to share with the world, and it’s just as important for introverts to have their voices heard in the business space. By honoring their strengths — like listening and empathy — introverts can not only be effective leaders but great ones as well. Below, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their best tips to introverts looking to lead a successful business in the culture space and explain why they can do it just as well as anyone else can.
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Anticipation among cannabis industry legal and policy experts is high, with many expecting rescheduling and foreseeing substantial implications.
expert panel
Your team needs a clear plan of action if they’re going to help you succeed. Individuals aren't the only ones setting resolutions for the new year. Throughout the month of January, even business leaders are reviewing their major goals for the year, setting timelines and creating plans for how to achieve them. Without such plans, business leaders aren’t likely to see success, as it takes intentional effort from them and their teams to accomplish the potentially challenging tasks they’ve set before them. To ensure you’re setting you and your business up for success in 2024, taking the following 11 steps can be a good place to start. Here, Rolling Stone Culture Council business leaders each suggest one thing their fellow business leaders can do to ensure they meet their goals for 2024 and beyond.
Company details
Kairos Insurance Group Cannabis Division
Company bio
Launched in Colorado, Kairos Insurance Group has expanded to include the majority of states that legalized adult-use cannabis. Kairos focuses on providing affordable employee benefits packages to cannabis retail dispensaries, grows, and product manufacturers. Summer understands the unique challenges facing the cannabis industry and works with business owners to decrease cost and increase benefits. Employee turnover is above average in the cannabis industry; designing an attractive benefits package retains key employees. A boutique independent agency, Kairos quotes employer's benefits plan at renewal.