This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 135th installment visiting with Michael Wright, owner of Your CBD Store of Maryville, provide a natural holistic approach to medicine.
Describe Your CBD Store. We provide a natural holistic approach to medicine. There are many different medications that are prescribed everyday that have many side-effects and long-term issues that are associated. At Your CBD Store, we believe in bringing the highest quality CBD products to market. We formulate our products with our customers’ needs in mind, using other cannabinoids and terpenes, creating unique synergies that increase efficacy, target specific ailments, and increase the binding of CBD. We believe you the customer should see our product from soil to oil and should be seeing the best product on the market along that journey. By setting the standards in the CBD industry, Your CBD Store is moving plant medicine to the 21st century.
Tell me more about CBD? The reason that we are in business is because we have always had a passion towards bringing more to the community. For many years my wife and I were surrounded by very successful business owners and entrepreneurs. While working in retail, hospitality, and even healthcare, I hit a point where I wanted to be able to do more. We lived in Colorado for a few years and during that time we learned about the beneficial effects of the hemp plant. I read and learned a lot about what this can help and have seen many testimonials from minor ailments to more severe ailments. This alone made us want to be someone that these people can turn to. We both love to help and live to help other people. Your CBD Store of Maryville truly allows us to provide an alternate option for those searching for natural solutions.
How did you get started? It all started as an idea that I came up with years ago. While on a phone call one day with my mother, the owner of another CBD store was listening in. We got to talking, one thing led to another and within a month my wife and I decided it’s time to get out there. Now, we are here and planning to grow more and more each year.
What is your background? Audible is an incredible resource! I have always enjoyed reading and learning. I have read many books regarding business however, the majority of my skills comes from hands on experience. I’ve worked with people since I was young and have done both the management side, as well as the front of house customer service. Over the years, combining the knowledge obtained by both together helped to teach me how to both run, and work within the business. Living in Colorado provided me a chance to learn about all of the many possible benefits of CBD.
Who is your mentor? My mentor and biggest supporter in life has been my mother, Shari. I’ve watched her struggle, succeed, struggle, and succeed again. The biggest thing that she has taught me is, always follow your dreams and never give up. She has always seen the motivation that I have and knew that one day something would come from that. For many years I couldn’t understand why it would seem that she was hurting herself to help others. As I grew older, realization hit me. She wasn’t hurting herself because, helping those people provided her with happiness and peace of mind. Shari taught me that if you love helping people, don’t stop just because they tell you to. There is many obstacles in life however, if you never break out of that comfort zone and just do what you feel is right, you will never know if it was or not.
Describe your customers. Our customers’ come from any and every walk of life. Whether they deal with daily pain, anxiety, or any other ailment, they come to us for a more natural holistic solution. The customers’ are what drive this business and that will always be the case as will their needs coming first.
What environments impact your business? We live in a world where many people are unsure. Uncertainty and fear has been a large part of culture for many years. With the advancement of technology, new studies and tests can be performed to show advancement of natural healing. There has always been a stigma behind Marijuana and because of this, Hemp is directly tied to THC which is the psychoactive component that is associated with a “High”. Legally, this has been an uphill battle for many years however, it does seem that this is changing. Our products provide healing without the “High”. To be at the ground floor of a movement as large as CBD, is an incredible opportunity and learning experience. Things change so rapidly, you are constantly learning and running into issues as with any business.
Name three things you wish you knew when you started. There isn’t many things that I wish we had known however, it has all been a very big learning experience! Marketing, networking, and flooring are 3 things that I could definitely have benefited from knowing more about. I put the flooring in at our location and it was something else! The general concept of marketing your business is one thing, learning to market yourself is completely different. Talking with people is very easy for me, making those interactions more meaningful is always worth learning more about.
What do you enjoy about running CBD? I enjoy hearing success stories where people have not been able to move a joint, or be able to live to their fullest and after use of our CBD products they have gained what they had once lost or never had. I really enjoy getting to know each and every customer that we have. Honestly, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I was not working. The best part about running and working within the business is, we are doing what we love. Helping or providing options for those in need that couldn’t find it elsewhere. I also enjoy the ability to educate our customers on what they are purchasing.