Managing Partner @ CannaBIZ Collects & CCA | 🌎 Travel | Innovative Disrupter | Helping companies collect their 💰

I’m driven by the challenge to build great businesses with great people to solve real problems. 

My career began in 2015 after being promoted to CEO of a vertically integrated cannabis company in Colorado, where I gained hands-on experience and deep insights into the industry.

Later, I co-founded a specialty child-resistant cannabis packaging business, where I served as CEO. In 2022, I sold my shares in the company, achieving a personal exit while the business continued operating independently.

Currently I’m the Founder & Managing Partner of CannaBIZ Collects, the nation’s first and leading cannabis-focused collection agency started in 2017. In this role, I work to support cannabis businesses in navigating the unique legal and financial challenges related to A/R and collections.

I’m also the founder of the Cannabiz Credit Association, the first trade credit group in the cannabis industry, where we provide tools for risk monitoring and credit assessments to help businesses make better financial decisions and manage risk effectively.

I earned a BBA in Finance from The University of Georgia, and today, I’m based in St. Petersburg, FL. I’m committed to exploring new opportunities, improving business practices in the industry, and mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to make an impact.

Brett Gelfand

I’m honestly getting tired of hearing cannabis professionals constantly complain about being owed money… while doing almost nothing to change how they operate.

Past-due A/R is not bad luck.
It’s not “just part of cannabis.”
And it’s definitely not solved by founders or sales leaders playing bill collector.

I fully sympathize with the challenges our industry face today. Which is why I take this so seriously. And passionately. 

Chasing invoices yourself is one of the worst uses of your time and energy:
-You have no leverage
-You have no system
-You delay escalation because it’s uncomfortable
-And you end up training customers that late payment is acceptable

That’s not grit. That’s inefficiency.

What actually works is boring, disciplined, and proactive:
-Clear credit decisions before product ships
-Defined terms with consequences
-Faster escalation, not endless “checking in”
-Delegating collections to people whose job is to collect, not hope

Every hour you spend sending “just following up” emails is an hour you’re not selling, operating, or fixing the root problem.

Cash flow is a strategy issue, not a personality issue.
If you’re constantly owed money, the system is broken, not just the customer.

At some point, you either course-correct with better process and accountability… or you keep complaining while funding other people’s businesses.

Your call.

Recovering unpaid 💰 and reducing credit risk for cannabis companies | Founder @ CannaBIZ Collects & Cannabiz Credit Association (CCA)

I used to think leadership was about force.

More effort.
More pressure.
More control.

That mindset worked early. Until it didn’t.

At some point, I stumbled into the ideas of Wayne Dyer, and it completely reframed how I try to show up as a founder and leader.

Not in a “woo-woo” way.
In a practical way.

Here’s the shift that mattered most:
You don’t build better companies by trying harder.
You build them by becoming clearer.

In business, that shows up as:
• Leading from intention, not ego
• Making decisions from alignment, not fear
• Letting go of outcomes you can’t control
• Creating environments where people rise naturally instead of being pushed
• Understanding that your inner state quietly dictates your external results

When I’m anxious, the company feels tight.
When I’m grounded, problems untangle faster.
When I trust instead of force, better people step up.

Wayne Dyer used to say:
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

That applies directly to leadership.

The best operators I know aren’t the loudest in the room.
They’re the calmest.
They listen deeply.
They act decisively without desperation.
They don’t confuse control with competence.

Modern leadership isn’t about dominance.
It’s about presence.

Pumped to have Seed Talent and Kurt Kaufmann onboard with the CCA.

CCA isn’t just for brands checking retailers. We support ancillary cannabis businesses as well, giving them visibility into the full B2B ecosystem. Whether you’re extending credit to retailers, brands, manufacturers, or service providers, better data leads to better decisions.

View company: Cannabiz Credit Association

We’re excited to announce that Seed Talent has officially joined the Cannabiz Credit Association community!

Seed Talent is a cannabis training and workforce enablement platform providing education and professional development tools to brands and retailers, helping teams perform better and scale with confidence. 🌱

We’re proud to welcome their expertise and commitment to advancing workforce excellence in cannabis.

#WelcomeSeedTalent #WorkforceEnablement #CannabisTalent #CannabisIndustry #CannabisBusiness #CCAMembers

CCA is only picking up steam starting of 2026. 

Appreciate the team at AE Global for prioritizing best practices for protecting their revenue. 

Being the first and only true credit reporting platform in cannabis. Shedding light on critical insights so operators can finally KNOW THEIR CUSTOMER. 

Members of CCA take their cash flow and A/R seriously.

They choose to take a proactive approach to collections versus a reactive one.

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to credit extension and AR collections in cannabis.

In fact, the opposite.

Chat with a member of www.cannabizcredit.com today if you want your team follow suit. And make a change to the way things were done in the past.

We’re excited to announce that AE Global has officially joined the Cannabiz Credit Association community!

AE Global is a leading provider of turnkey extraction equipment, engineering solutions, and processing innovation for the cannabis and hemp industry. Their high-performance extraction systems, automation platforms, and process expertise help operators scale production with precision, efficiency, and compliance.

From equipment design to systems integration, AE Global empowers cultivators and manufacturers to optimize workflows and elevate product consistency across the supply chain.

We’re proud to welcome their innovation and technical leadership.

#WelcomeAEGlobal #CannabisTech #CannabisExtraction #PostHarvestInnovation #CannabisIndustry #CannabisBusiness #SupplyChainCannabis #CCAMember

USG Insurance Services, Inc.

Producer/Broker: Team Lead, Cannabis

Patrick’s PALS

Honorary Chair

CANNACOVER®

President

Jencap

Vice President & National Product Leader - Cannabis Practice

Broker

DeCotis Specialty Insurance, Inc.

Beazley

Part of US Operations for global insurance company specializing in professional liability for Architects & Engineers (A&E).   Assists Underwriter’s in all aspects of the underwriting life cycle - from submission clearance, rating, quoting, binding and policy issuance to servicing of bound accounts and renewal solicitation/retention.
 
• Promoted after a year from the Private Enterprise Team to support the Product Leader and head of the US Professionals Underwriting Group, writing large risk policies with premiums in excess of $1M.
•  Selected to participate in several cross functional focus groups and other ad hoc project teams, serving as a product and process expert and liaison between the Operations and Underwriting divisions.
• Serves as Team Technical Lead, “Super User” and Business Analyst for new proprietary underwriting system. Conducts system release testing and data fixes; recommends and implements process improvements and provides user training for new releases.
• Recognized by the head of US A&E Underwriting Team for continually providing outstanding quality and professional customer service to internal clients and brokers.

Underwriting Assistant

Ultimate Staffing

Contract employee for MFS Investment Management in the Mutual Fund Transfer Agency. Responsible for processing financial transactions and maintenance services on individual and corporate client accounts with account assets in the $10M’s. Serviced up to 80 incoming calls daily, primarily from brokers and shareholders assessing their needs and researching answers to time sensitive questions in an extremely volatile market.
    
    *      Accelerated to multiple Retirement Plan Training classes and promoted to Retirement Plan Services Representative in less than (3) three months.

    *      Trained in the all aspects of Traditional, Roth, Simple, SEP, and SARSEP IRA’s as well as 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuity’s, Money Purchase Pension Plans, Profit Sharing Plans and Retail Accounts for individuals, charities, corporations etc.

Contractor

Schoenherr Rechtsanwaelte

Internship for the 2nd largest private law firm in Austria. Recruited by Herr Dr. Sascha Hödl, Senior Partner and the firm’s mergers and acquisitions specialist.

    *      Served as Data Room Supervisor, responsible for the supervision and disclosure of proprietary information and documents for Swiss Attorneys in the course of due diligence.

    *      Observed many important conference calls with lawyers and top management of major international firms, GE for example, and other firms with International interests.

    *      Under strict deadlines, functioned alone and on teams with associates to complete important research assignments crucial to the firm’s dealings.

    *      Reviewed and translated legal briefs and other salient papers and reports.

Intern

Experienced, solution driven E&S Broker and Underwriter with a demonstrated history of success working in the cannabis insurance industry. AKA “The Cannabis Insurance Ninja” 🥷 

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Brett Gelfand

Erich Schutz, CIC

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The Battle

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Erich Schutz, CIC

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