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What It's About
A pharmacist starts prescribing her own CBD products for impressive sales.
Words of Wisdom
Najifa shares some important words of encouragement, "Having a business is hard but don’t give up – moving the needle little by little every day will pay off in the long run."
Fun Fact
It's expected that the US CBD market size will reach 20 billion by 2025. [Source: Forbes]
Notes from Chris
Episode 1802
As a pharmacist, Najifa Choudhury was no stranger to stress. She was responsible for the health and well-being of a large number of geriatric patients. She had to get their prescriptions right, every time. So, it’s ironic that when her anxiety required treatment, Najifa didn’t turn to traditional medications—she used CBD oil instead. In case you don’t already know, in the cannabis plant, there are over 100 different cannabinoids, or chemicals. After using CBD oil for several months and talking to others, Najifa realized that most people didn’t know what it was or how it could help them. She also learned that the CBD industry was unregulated and wide open to confusion…you could put anything in a bottle, slap on a label that said CBD, and sell it. As a pharmacist working in a corporate job that could do random drug testing at any time, she was nervous. She didn’t want to stop using CBD oil, but she wanted to know exactly what she was putting into her body. Since she was passionate about it, and how well it had helped with her anxiety, a friend suggested she start her own brand. Najifa officially launched in the spring of 2019 with three products, all organically grown and manufactured in the United States in an FDA registered lab. Najifa put her focus on building brand recognition and developed a strong public relations campaign. News media outlets were interested in learning about CBD from a health care provider. She was featured on a local TV station, several radio shows, and many podcasts. With business picking up, in April 2021 she decided to leave her corporate pharmacist job to focus on Dr. Peace Lily full-time. Najifa had been filling all orders herself until September, when she hired an operations manager to process orders and inventory. She now has three employees. The business brings in around $9,000 per month in sales and expects to have $50,000 in profit this year. An excellent start, of course, but Najifa has big plans for the future. She’s currently looking for a strategic partner who will help her scale her business to a national brand.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Learn more about Dr. Najifa and pick up your own CBD products from her website, DrPeaceLily.com.
- Fulbright Scholar Earns $2k/Month Selling CBD Oil: A lifelong interest in hemp leads a Kentucky woman to start an online marketplace for CBD oil.
- Professional Boxer Packs a Punch with Quality CBD Oil: After years of dealing with chronic pain, an athlete discovers the magic of CBD oil—then teams up with his sister to become a ringside evangelist for it.
- Customer Service Agent Becomes CBD Affiliate: A long time software company rep spends ten years learning the affiliate marketing ropes, eventually cracking the code with a site providing reviews of CBD products.