Cannabis culture has experienced many positive strides over the past five years: Innovative new hemp- and CBD-based products, vaping equipment, edibles and the legalization of cannabis in places like New York, are just a few. Throughout all the advancements in canna-culture, there have been those who haven’t been afraid to be at the forefront. One is these people is the founder and CEO of Boston-based business development agency Joint Venture Co. Ann Brum.
Brum has over ten years of experience in the cannabis and wellness industry. With the goal of building communities in spaces they weren’t before (in more ways than one), Brum and Joint Venture Co. are creating authentic, connected experiences through out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to public health/wellness knowledge around the medicinal plant
A daughter to parents from the Azores Islands in Portugal, Brum was exposed to medical methods that might seem unorthodox in the West. “My family’s history and their methods of natural self-care didn’t really engage in conventional health care. We had our folk medicine,” Brum states. “They were reliant on what’s been passed down from generation to generation. Natural healing was something I always grew up on.” Brum also explained that her father’s passing also played a role in the direction her life took. “He had stomach cancer and was in denial about his health. Part of my healing journey with my father’s passing was learning what it meant to be well and to self-care.” Brum goes on to say, “That led me on this journey of spiritual and wellness development, and included everything from energy practices, reiki practice, and even herbalism training.”
Joint Venture Co.
After working in a multitude of places, including dispensaries, Reiki and yoga studios and volunteering for 11th hour, a program where volunteers comfort hospital patients who are dying, Brum decided to launch Joint Venture Co. in 2018. When speaking on what exactly Joint Venture Co. is Brum explains, “It’s this intersection of business development, brand development, marketing and lead development. Anything to really start up or nurture a cannabis wellness brand in the market.” Some of the companies that Joint Venture Co. has collaborated with are MedWell Health & Fitness, Howl’s Tinctures and Bask, Inc. Brum and Joint Venture are also part of a program called Canna Careers, which helps supports, develops and nurtures BIPOC women looking to break into the cannabis industry and set them up for success.
Better Together
Even with working alongside all these companies, one of Brum’s major goals is integration. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she put together a cannabis-friendly yoga and wellness retreat. “Wellness and yoga practice came first and cannabis was really like an add on. Education and information was also a very important part of it,” Brum states. “Different brands Zoomed in and shared what their products were or what their service was so that attendees could make their own informed decisions on what they wanted to do.” She explains that this event led to what she calls the Yoga + Cannabis brand, a New England-based cannabis and yoga wellness community. “We really needed to have a place for yoga, wellness and cannabis practitioners to call home,” Brum states.
Brum has collaborated with people such as health, beauty and wellness publicist Jill Goldsberry to present a virtual event called Puff and Polish. “We wanted to do something informative and engaging as well as highlight different entrepreneurial women in the health, wellness and cannabis spaces,” Brum explains. “It was fun and educational, with money from those ticket sales going towards purchasing yoga towels for recipients of foster care programs.”
Unlocking Untapped Potential
At the end of the day, Joint Venture Co.’s mission is to bring people together and help them live their best lives inside and out. “It’s really seeing people have the potential to live a life well lived and to handle changes and challenges that inevitably are guaranteed to happen in our lives.” She continues by saying, “Just seeing individuals take the lead on their own well-being, seeing them make informed decisions and start getting on that train of being healthy and happy is what I do this for.” jointvco.com
