The goal of Hardly Hustle is to provide inspiration, drive and motivation in a 10 minute read or less. What you see is what you get. This is hot off the press without an editing team.
Chris Whelan is up.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Chris and here is my story. Everyone's journey begins the day they are born, but each person's journey takes off at different times. I grew up, graduated high school and went off to college. Little did I know in my third year of college, instead of trekking to class or standing in line at bars, I would be in a hospital room along with dozens of other cancer patients. I kicked cancer's a$$. When I was sick, the doctors put limits on what I could do. So the only way to make up for that after graduating, was focusing on my health, training daily and pushing myself to the limits. I then went off to law school, finishing top of my class, but most importantly met my best friend and wife <3. My law school and legal career was fulfilling. I had the opportunity to work for federal judges, argue in court, and learn from amazing colleagues. Although satisfying, my legal career was not absent of both pressure and stress … a reality that is too true for most careers. During my journey, there was one consistency. I spent my free time learning about the hemp (and cannabis) industry, speaking with experts, taking courses, reading everything I could get my hands on, and seeking out a product that would work for me. I sought something natural, clean, and effective. I began implementing hemp into my routine as I took on each new challenge life brought. Whether during the rollercoaster of my college career, the extreme soreness during my long hours of training, or late nights and high stress from my law school and legal career. Although the hemp products I incorporated into my daily routine assisted me in many ways, I was never fully satisfied. Whether it was a certain product's ingredients, the company's mission, or product offering, there was always something that wasn't right. Not being fully satisfied, I learned everything I could about what works and what it takes to build a quality product and created my own, launching nama in the spring of 2021.
What did it take / how did you get started?
Problem solving, determination and long nights.
What does the future look like for you and your hustle?
Nama has grown a lot, my brand can now be found in over 150 store locations and thousands of households nationwide. So the next step is hiring.
What drives / motivates you?
The love for creating things, helping customers and making people happy.
What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?
Start now and start small. For example, start with a blog and build an audience by educating them. Then learn from them and create a product they would enjoy. Don’t make it about you, but only do something you know you’ll enjoy.
What has been the hardest part of the hustle?
I loved my last job, but the timing was right for this. If I could do both I would, but it wasn’t possible.
What are a few resources that you'd recommend?
Good music, a good sound system and some outdoors. Sometimes it’s good to step away from the hustle or the indirect hustle (learning).
The STATS
Side or full-time hustle?
Full Time
List the founders
Chris Whelan (me)
How many hours a week do you work on this hustle?
A LOT, but it's fun
# of Employees?
1... I need to hire
When did you start?
Launched in April of 2021
How much did it cost to launch?
Not provided.
What were your funding methods and ballpark amount raised?
Just used my savings at the time.
Annual Revenue?
6 digits, hopefully will break 7 soon.
Projected Revenue?
Unless you're a massive company with a ton of data, projections are nonsense and rarely grounded. Thus, I don't make projections -- I live in the present.
Any call to action?
I'm going to flip the switch here, if you are great at something and think my company can benefit from your skills, shoot me a pitch of what you would do and how would you do it and how many hours you would need per week (or month) and I’ll see if I can hire you for it.
Social:
IG @nama_cbd Website – www.namacbd.com