To survive in the Cannabis industry, you have to learn how to wear a whole bunch of hats. That’s exactly what this month’s featured budtender, Amanda Ferron, has done.
Over the last 10 years, Amanda has worked with farms, Cannabis software companies, publishers and extractors. She is also the co-founder and writer of the Cannabis normalization blog For:20 Minutes and was highlighted by Nor-Cal Women in Cannabis as one of the “Queens of the North.” When we asked her how she’s been able to accomplish so much in such a short time, she told us you have to be ready for whatever opportunities are coming, even if that means starting at the bottom. “I started on farms in the trim room. I started in the industry from the packaging room. Don’t be afraid to put in the work on your way up,” Amanda said.
Though she shopped at Lytt for years, Amanda told Leaf she reached a moment where she needed some extra work hours and joked with a store employee friend about whether they needed any help. To her surprise, her friend immediately asked her to apply, and before she knew it, Amanda was a budtender. In the little over a year she’s been budtending for Lytt in Pacifica, she has put her own advice to use, rising to become a lead budtender and then an assistant manager. Now finding herself in the world of retail, Amanda says, “I think I’ve really found a home at Lytt. I feel like I’m genuinely making a difference in this job. Getting to take my decade of experience and apply it towards making people feel better feels incredible.”
She says one of her secrets to budtending success is learning how to personalize each interaction to the consumer and concentrate on how Cannabis can or can’t help what they’re going through. “It’s important to be empathetic and listen to what the person’s saying,” Amanda said.
As someone who has used Cannabis medicinally to help her with PTSD, a graduate of the Ganjier program and a mom, Amanda says she’s found countless ways to relate to the wide array of people who come into the store. “I wouldn’t be able to eat if I didn’t have Cannabis. It’s changed my life completely,” she said. “I want to normalize the plant and also help other parents realize you don’t need to hide this from your kids.”
Amanda says her favorite way to consume weed is a good old-fashioned jay. “I love rosin and resin, but nothing helps like smoking flower. A joint just calms my anxiety and stomach,” she said. When we asked for some of her favorite strains, she fired them off quickly. “I’m an OG Kush Girl, so when I can find some, I grab it,” she said. “Otherwise, I like God’s Gift for anxiety (Happy Trails has a great God’s Gift) and anything from Huckleberry Hill Farms or Ridgeline Farms; they’re two of my favorites.
When we asked what her dream gig in the industry would be, Amanda said, “I really feel like I’ve found my niche, but I guess one day I’d love to have my own Cannabis lounge. I think that would be the ultimate goal, to have a place to sit and smoke a joint while enjoying dinner. Until then, I’m relishing this feeling of helping people.”
