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Tiffany Chin: Blazing a trail as the CEO of Death Row Records Cannabis!
There are cannabis companies, and then there’s Snoop Dogg’s cannabis company!
When the global face of cannabis decided in 2023 that he wanted to launch the Death Row Records Cannabis brand, Leafs By Snoop brand, and S.W.E.D. retail stores; he turned to Tiffany Chin to help blaze the trail. In the multi-billion-dollar global cannabis ecosystem, there’s countless people jockeying for a seat at the table while Tiffany Chin sits at the head of it. Chin is the woman in charge of the growth & development of the Death Row Records Cannabis empire, and under her leadership the brand has grown roots in California, Michigan, New Mexico, Canada, Amsterdam and beyond…
I sat down with the unflappable brilliant mind who eloquently once told me, in reference to the tumultuous nature of the cannabis industry; to “Be A Duck!” to discuss her journey and the importance of women leaders in the space. Through this interview I gained more understanding of who Tiffany is and her mission/vision for creating a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse cannabis community.
How have your experiences pre-cannabis prepared you for your journey in building the global brand that is Death Row Cannabis?
I’ve had a very winding journey to my current role – a stint at Target Corporate, did some actuarial accounting consulting, and helped with a small black/grey-market grow in my early days in Los Angeles. I wasn’t working with Snoop yet in the cannabis industry and didn’t know where my future career path would lead, but my past experience has all helped me in some way or another in my current role.
Retail planogramming and learning to leverage human psychology in a brick & mortar store was invaluable at Target; managing a remote team as Chief of Staff of a tech start up increased my management and interpersonal relationship skills; learning the ins and outs of a boutique cannabis grow operation bolstered my understanding of the cannabis industry and better positioned me for the role I have now. On top of that, I grew up listening to Death Row artists on the radio while sitting in the back of my sister’s car, so the nostalgia is there.
The most successful people I’ve seen in both their careers and personal lives have been those who encounter a large breadth of experiences and jump into each opportunity with fervor – THOSE are the people who can then take bits out of every chapter in their life and leverage that knowledge into more.
How do women in cannabis continue to make their mark on the industry?
There are a lot of female founders, operators, owners etc. in the cannabis space, but we are often looked upon as not knowing as much or not being as strong leaders as our male counterparts. The history of the industry has been booth babes, scantily clad women smoking as a logo, and not about seeing women as players in the game – but rather as accessories to the industry.
We (as an industry) often forget that that Flower is Female – all aspects of how we are trying to commercialize and proliferate this lifestyle is around a distinctly dioecious plant. However, looking at market and general business data (for example the S&P500), female-led companies have significantly outperformed their male counterparts by 47%.
Companies with more women in leadership positions exhibit higher employee satisfaction, better financial performance and greater innovation, and something that we as an industry need to continue doing is highlight women who are at all levels of business in the industry, to keep elevating these stories, and promoting other women in the space. Exposure and representation matter in all aspects!
What message would you like to share with women in the cannabis space?
Be authentically yourself. Always walk into a room/call with ears and eyes open; listen more than you speak. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Always take at least one meeting; a 30-minute call could lead to something much bigger. For anyone going through a difficult time with interpersonal relationships (this applies to career or personal life), always remember that the best revenge is living well / succeeding, so focus on yourself and what you can control.
In order to combat gender bias and discrimination in the cannabis industry, what do you advise other leaders in the space to do?
Highlight women throughout the year and be loud about it. As I stated in a previous answer, exposure and representation are so important to change the perception of what is the norm – whether in life, culture, business, or entertainment. There is an assumption that women don’t smoke or partake in cannabis as much as men do; this may be due to stigma and non-disclosure, but trends for younger adults show that women use more cannabis than men and also show that women tend to try other forms of cannabis more readily and are the majority buyer at retail shops. This is your audience! Cater to them (us)! But don’t infantilize us by slapping a pink tax on it.
