As marijuana legalization goes mainstream, entrepreneurs have rushed to develop businesses in the recreational and medical consumer markets, as well as several other auxiliary niches. One such entrepreneur is Mike Siffin, founder of Hash Brothers Entertainment LLC, who recently unveiled his plan to create a crowd-funded board game for adult cannabis consumers. Siffin was interviewed by the cannabis business news website Ganjapreneur.com as part of an ongoing series of interviews that the site conducts with cannabis start-ups, business experts, and investors.
In the interview, Siffin discusses how he gave up a long career in software sales to start his new venture in the cannabis industry. “Prior to founding Hash-Brothers, I had a 25-year career in software sales in Silicon Valley. It was a good, solid career but I can’t say I honestly loved selling software. Plus, being in sales in the Valley is a grind. I wasn’t an executive, I was a guy carrying a bag for 25 years and that bag and its associated quota didn’t get lighter year after year, it got extremely heavy.” Siffin also explains that part of his mission is to normalize cannabis in the sphere of public consciousness. “Cannabis is a simple herb, grown naturally on our planet and, if allowed, can provide both recreational as well as medicinal benefits. I felt that I might be a good candidate to help lead the charge and advocate for legalization and legitimization.”
Siffin’s board game, “Pipes and Lighters,” is designed for cannabis consumers of legal age and includes elements of chance, strategy, and creative input from the players. The game uses a unique “lazy Susan” board and pits players against each other in a constantly-evolving cycle of trivia, performance, and rules that are made up by the players themselves. “I see Pipes & Lighters as an experience,” Siffin explains, “that can be played across multiple adult generations from the 21 year old grandson to his 88 year old grandma.” So far, the Pipes & Lighters Kickstarter campaign has raised over $10,000 and has just under two weeks remaining.
The full interview is available on Ganjapreneur’s website.
About Ganjapreneur:
Ganjapreneur launched in July 2014 and has since established a significant presence in the cannabis business world. The website regularly publishes interviews and commentary from leading minds in the industry, and has also launched a B2B business directory, a live feed of job listings from marijuana job boards, a domain name marketplace for start-ups and venture capital firms, and a mobile app for Apple and Android devices which aggregates daily cannabis industry news, business profiles, and other information.