If you do a deep dive into the Instagram account of Alexis Rosenbaum, you’ll soon start to feel like you know her … and want to be best friends with her. Scrolling through personal posts — whether at the Crossfit gym, with her high school sweetheart husband, in her beloved hometown of Cincinnati or traipsing through the streets of her new city — Rosebaum’s life looks picture-perfect. But if you read the fine print, you’ll learn she’s going through the struggles of IVF, weighing the pressure of social media itself and facing the challenges of building a business by herself.
As founder and CEO of Rosebud CBD, Rosenbaum, 31, has emerged from a sea of subpar new products with a magnetic personality that jumps straight through your screen and a full-spectrum line of highly concentrated oils and salves to back it up.
In 2017 Rosenbaum and her husband, a former Major League Baseball player, left life in Ohio and landed in Hoboken, New Jersey so she could embark on a new career in cannabis. After first finding a reputable, sun-grown hemp farm in Oregon to produce, process and bottle for her, Rosebud CBD was officially born in April of 2018.
As a one-woman show, Rosebaum has self-funded the entire company and has already started bringing in six figures a month in sales. Her brand is only beginning to bud and with the momentum of the CBD wellness movement, immediate plans are in place to expand her team.
Fresh off of hosting an “Intro to CBD” seminar at The Wing in SoHo, where she also co-works out of a few days a week, I caught up with Rosenbaum to get to know the beautiful soul behind Rosebud CBD even more:
KS: You’ve shared that you were previously anti-cannabis. Why?
AR: I grew up at the height of “Just Say No” and D.A.R.E. programs. I went to public school where I was consistently fed the image that those who consume cannabis were lazy, dumb and worthless. I was so afraid of the plant and the people who consumed it that I had pushed an entire side of my family away.
KS: How did you decide to first try it as an adult?
AR: I was losing interest in a company I founded with my youngest sister and wasn’t sure how to handle that. My husband had just been released from his pro [base]ball career and I was going through a personal identity crisis dealing with an immense amount of stress in my life. At that point, I had tried all options for managing it and kept coming up empty-handed until my sister suggested I try cannabis. We discussed the number of ways it had impacted her life for the better and why she thought I should try it.
KS: Was it love at first smoke?
AR: It was my 29th birthday. As a gift, she gave me my first pipe and a small amount of flower to smoke. We packed a bowl sitting on the back patio and I smoked for the first time. I’ll never forget waking up, rolling over to my husband and shouting in shock about how much we had been lied to about cannabis!
KS: What was the impetus of actually starting a cannabis business?
AR: Knowing the impact cannabis and CBD played on my mental and physical health, it really fueled a passion for me to give others access to the same life-changing benefits. The lack of genuine connection and transparency in the market pushed me to bring a brand to life that customers could personally connect and relate to and organically trust.
KS: What is the biggest benefit you’ve experienced?
AR: Before experiencing the benefits of cannabis, I had always felt as if life was so heavy and burdensome. When experimenting with CBD specifically, it finally felt like I could live a lighter day-to-day life without mind-altering effects.
KS: Who did you look to for guidance?
AR: My mom is a huge source of inspiration and guidance. At a very young age, I watched her walk out on our family and start a new life for herself. She got her first real job as a car salesman and moved into her first apartment on her own. Fortunately, my siblings and I were still very much a part of her life and although it deeply affected us and was oftentimes hard to live through, I am truly inspired by her decision to do what was best for herself, first and foremost.
KS: How has your family’s long line of self-made success impacted your own path?
AR: I grew up surrounded by multiple family-owned businesses that both thrived and failed, learning first hand what self-employment could offer and the sacrifices it took to be successful. My mom eventually remarried to my now stepdad who owned a construction company. She soon became a partner and the first move she made was making it certified woman-owned and went on to be a big influence on its growth into a multi-million dollar company. I saw what success felt like when earned on your own.
KS: I admire your openness on social media!
AR: I’m giving the consumer the opportunity to put a face with my product, enabling me to earn their trust. Cannabis is up against centuries of misinformation. If I am going to play a role in changing the stigma, showing the people behind the brand only encourages trust with potential and current customers.
KS: Why do you think having such a presence is essential to brand-building?
AR: Today’s consumer is hungry to connect with the businesses they choose to support. Sharing who I am … where I have come from and my personal experiences … opens the door for relatability.
KS: Are you worried about Instagram’s anti-cannabis stance?
AR: Their notorious cannabis page shutdowns are always lurking in the background. I have spent an enormous amount of time, energy and money to build our Instagram following completely organically. To lose that would be a huge hit, but we have to prepare for that within this industry by diversifying our marketing efforts.
KS: Tell me about the genesis of the branding and what your hope is that it conveys?
AR: In the exploration phase, I spent a lot of time considering the symbolism of possible icons. I had recently lost my best friend to Leukemia and at such a sad time in my life, her casket arrangement brought me peace and joy. It was such a beautiful spray of roses that I tattooed them on my wrist. When I thought about cannabis, it felt like a mutual relationship between the two. Like a rose, cannabis symbolizes promise, hope and new beginnings.
KS: How has co-working out of The Wing helped you grow your business?
AR: It’s an amazing space aesthetically and is overflowing with women-owned businesses. The energy in the space is unlike anything I have ever been a part of. Meetings, phone calls, work sessions and events are all happening at the same time, resulting in unlimited networking opportunities. As they expand nationwide, I am excited to connect with more female-run, cannabis-focused businesses!
KS: Biggest challenge so far?
AR: Maintaining the momentum it takes to run a business all by myself. And since marketing is a huge part of growth for businesses, a hemp-based company like mine, while completely legal, is not allowed to promote itself on Facebook or Instagram. This means no paid posts, boosted posts or retargeting.
KS: Why do you think CBD works?
AR: I believe in CBD and cannabis because our biology says so. Our bodies naturally contain an endocannabinoid system that is responsible for regulating physiological processes like mood, appetite, sleep and digestion. When our bodies have a deficiency in endocannabinoids we can supplement with compounds like CBD.
KS: And how does it help you personally?
AR: I have repeatedly experienced the profound effects that cannabis and CBD have had on my own life. I regularly dose CBD every morning and late afternoon to help my mind and body feel relaxed and prepared for the day ahead. I supplement with edibles and full-flower cannabis a few times a week.
KS: Why do you think CBD has exploded onto the wellness scene without as much of a stigma as THC?
AR: I think a large portion of our society is sick and tired of living a life of prescription pills and we’ve grown up watching the opioid epidemic unfold. At large, we are interested in plant-based alternatives for everything and it only makes sense that this would trickle into our medicine cabinets. The biggest benefit to using CBD is that it’s non-intoxicating, meaning it does not get you high. Name one other promising health supplement that comes with nearly no major negative side effects?
KS: Do you still face challenges from the stigma overall in the path you have chosen?
AR: I truly believe the majority no longer believes the stigma of stoner culture being lazy because so many of us are consumers. I am surprised daily at how many people consume in the closet. We just aren’t all “out” yet, and that’s ok, take your time, but I am really excited for when more people do, because that’s what will shift our government and political foundations toward change.
KS: Since you you also enjoy THC, will Rosebud ever enter the recreational market as well?
AR: I’ve always been told it’s good practice to have a balanced cannabis diet. Our goal has always been to eventually enter the legal market and hopefully, we will be able to do that soon in New York and beyond.
