Founder Spotlight: Hope Wiseman
By: JourneyOne Ventures
In celebration of Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and the incredible entrepreneurs from these communities, we are excited to host this Q&A session with Hope Wiseman, a talent of many and a cannabis industry trailblazer on several fronts. As the CEO of Mary and Main, a dispensary in the limited license medical market of Maryland, Hope became the youngest Black female cannabis dispensary owner in the US at the age of 25!
She is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where she majored in Economics in hopes of becoming an investment banker and worked for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey upon graduation. Less than a year later, Hope reassessed her path and found herself coming back to her true purpose: to help Black people in her community and across the country through her entrepreneurial spirit.
In September 2018, she opened Mary & Main with her mother, Dr. Octavia Simkins-Wiseman and Dr. Larry Bryant to pursue her vision of creating opportunities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and excluded from cannabis business ownership.
This is what drives her passion for the industry and this is what makes us so excited to highlight her work!
What makes Mary and Main a unique business? Are there any initiatives or policies that you stand for that others don’t?
We are unique for a few reasons. The first being that we are one of the first licensees in Maryland and we are 100% black owned in an industry that only has ~1% black ownership. Secondly, we are a true family owned business founded by my mother, myself, and a close family friend. As proud as we are about these facts, we are most proud of our community initiatives. We have hosted expungement clinics, educational seminars on cannabis and business, and an annual farmer’s market. As we expand, we plan to work directly with the communities we are located in to give them back the resources they need.
What do you do to celebrate Black History Month? Are there any traditions that you, your family or business uphold?
My family has always been involved in entrepreneurship. We are living black history! We celebrate Black History by highlighting others that have come before us, and ensuring that we focus on advancing ourselves as much as possible. The more that we grow, the more we can help blaze a trail and leave a blueprint for those to come behind us.
What legacy do you want Mary and Main to leave in the cannabis industry?
I want Mary and Main to be an inspiration to every black person, every woman, and every millennial out there. Our message is that you can do anything that you put your mind to and prepare for.
What would you change about the industry if you could?
If I could change anything about the industry, I would love to see it be more inclusive of women and minorities. Women-led startups received only 2% of the total VC dollars that went into startups across all industries in 2021. With only 1% of the cannabis industry being black owned, this leaves founders like myself in an impossible situation. We need funding, support, and resources, many of which our peers have built in through a long lineage of business success.
How can the industry support you and your endeavors?
The industry can support us by helping to push social equity and small business efforts. We are only in the beginning stages of what the industry will become, and we need everyone to fight to make sure that this space is one that is inclusive for all.
To support Hope and her team at Mary and Main, check out the links below: