Conversations with Jennifer Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Wilson.

Hi Jennifer, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I currently own a grooming salon in Raleigh. Top-Notch Pet Spa has been operating for seven years. We were approached by a customer to start carrying CBD for pets. I started doing some research and thought, “If this is true, it can be a game-changer.” Top-Notch was known for taking pets others refused to do; we took the bad of the bad, and even the ones the vets refused. That all changed after we started learning about CBD. We gave out free bottles to see if it really worked. One of our clients had been spending 10’s of thousands of dollars trying to find out what was wrong with her dog.

Hickory was a 9-year-old Airedale. His feet were swollen, busting open, bleeding and super painful. We gave her a free $110 tincture because we really wanted to help him. Within two weeks his Mom brought him in for a bath. Hickory came bounding into the shop. Full of energy and super excited. He was a completely different dog. His Mom burst into tears and thanked us over and over. She told us that she had come home and there was dog t0ys all over the house. She thought someone broke into her house. Then Hickory came prancing towards her. He was carrying a dog toy in his mouth. Hickory was in so much pain, he wouldn’t even want to go outside to pee. He hadn’t touched a dog toy in years. We finally found something that helped him. I decided at that point to open a CBD store. At first, we wanted to do a tiny space but realized that we wanted to be different. Most people are worried about Cannabis and Hemp. There has been a huge stigma on the products. However, humans have used Hemp and Cannabis for medical purposes. This was due to lack of knowledge and understanding. I wanted to open a store that was bright, inviting, and had the most knowledgeable associates. Nature’s Releaf was born.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been bumpy. Most real estate doesn’t want hemp or cannabis in their complex’s. We had the hardest time finding a location. Once we established a relationship with our realtor, he took care of everything. At first, we were begging for a space. Promising we would bring customers to the other shops. They didn’t care. Then my agent starting telling the companies that we were taking the space. It took six months to find location 2 in Morrisville. The other obstacles we have had relate to our logo. Our logo has a leaf and some people are concerned. It’s just a lack of education. Opening wasn’t easy; growing has been more difficult. However, now that we have three locations, we are getting better deals.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started working at the age of 12. My family was poor and someone needed to help out. I told myself that I could change my destiny. I started my management career at the age of 16; It took me 20 years to become a leader. I have worked for many big-box retailers. Starting at the bottom and working my way up. I have experienced many passes for promotion for many reasons. I finally landed my “dream job” at Petco in 2010. I was finally a Store Manager. I knew I was being paid less than the male store managers but I didn’t care because I finally made it. I learned within three years that this wasn’t what I wanted. I decided to focus on what I always wanted, to be a store owner. I walked away from Petco in 2014 and even gave up a $16k bonus. (My store was #1 in many metrics and I even won a trip. However, I walked away from that to do what I really wanted to do.) Top-Notch has now been open for seven years. We have never spent a dime on advertising. My entire team at Top Notch is women. We are successful together. Nature’s Releaf is growing quickly too. I couldn’t be more surprised.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Integrity. I’ve always believed that doing the right thing for the right reason will always give you the best reward. So if that means me sending a customer to another store, to but their products, is the right thing, then that’s what we do. For example We sell Lazarus Naturals in all our stores. They offer an amazing discount to all veterans. We offer 10% but they offer 60% off retail. We have told every veteran about the deal. It doesn’t feel right to not tell them. I can elaborate on that.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.naturesreleafhempstore.com
• Instagram: @naturesreleafhempstore
• Facebook: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FWww.naturesreleafhempstore.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0ApjX28257CH7EinY0edZxFiDmvCCwoNrG7-EHHWVlpfkyc1ETSCcWXyk&h=AT1TOuNDcg7Q_p2qzz3uJDjWEs2rfO2iJfZ88LCutYZyrOg1wIaqBCiQHKfNNL3jSOMF4YmNl3fEXYReSs_k2a7l6Esi2-0VWjK3B_ItxKEibfKaMxN8iOPSdNMZPWXpXaE&__tn__=%2Cd