Liz Forster
City Editor
Next time you’re craving Bubba Kush or want a deal on pot, a pipe or a cannabis plant of your own, contact Errl Henry, the cannabis expert on Leafbuyer.com.
CEO Kurt Rossner and his partners, Mike Gonnr and Mark Reen, created Leafbuyer.com and their fictional cannabis farmer, Errl, just after the passage of Amendment 64 in November 2012. As a venture capitalist in private equity and a veteran in the technology business, Rossner saw vast potential in the cannabis market.
“At the time, we were a group of entrepreneurs looking for an exploding market,” said Rossner. “When Amendment 64 was passed, we saw nothing in the cannabis business except the opportunity for a professional business.”
Users of Leafbuyer.com can filter their search by selecting either a dispensary, head shop, or grow store, specifying their location or looking up a store by name. Buyers can find deals on most everything cannabis related, from marijuana to paraphernalia.
“We’re involved with head shops, stores, companies that supply edibles, basically everything from A to Z in the market,” Rossner said. “The main thing is that the user on the street is coming on our site like they would on Priceline, and we match them with the vendors related to their search.”
According to Rossner the instant boom in Leafbuyer.com’s success is comparable to the Internet boom in the late ‘90s. So far, they already have offices in Denver and Washington, and are planning on expanding to California soon.
“Quite frankly, we’re exploding. We can’t hire people fast enough for sales,” said Rossner. “The California market is much bigger than it is in Colorado and Washington. Obviously managing growth is another challenge.”
Rossner stressed the focus on professionalism in all aspects of his business, in particular complying with federal standards. The website includes a banner in the top right corner stating that they have no intention of marketing to anyone under the age of 21.
Leafbuyer.com is yet another indication of the increasing corporatization of the cannabis industry by people like Rossner and his partners who have backgrounds working with Fortune 500 companies.
“Sites like ours allow for a lot of professionalism rather than some of the ‘mom and pop shops’ that go in and out of business because of their lack of business experience,” said Rossner. “Small stores are turning into really big outfits. If it’s legal, there should be a professional market for it.”