Former U.S. Army Medic Staff Sergeant committed husband, and father of two children, John Ramsay understood from a young age that he was destined to care for people and use his abilities for good while also being a strong leader. After graduating from high school in Southern California John knew he had to do something meaningful and significant, which led to him joining the U.S.Army where he enlisted from 1997 until 2006 as a Combat Medical Specialist serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Despite the battles John regularly faced, he was always there for his fellow soldiers and assumed a leadership role early, which continued to be a huge part of him as a person and as a professional upon returning home as a Disabled Veteran. The time he served in the military gave him the courage and tenacity to run a well-organized, streamlined, and passionate team of Infinite CBD employees today without losing sight of the mission to help people improve their quality of life.

As the former owner/CEO of the digital marketing agency Center Mass Media, John accumulated a great deal of experience bringing sleek designs and innovative strategy to the table in order to help destigmatize the cannabis industry while also educating people on cannabinoid relief. The Infinite CBD co-founder also focused his energies by building websites, helping with marketing campaigns, designing print materials, and offering his advice to increase user experience optimization. John is frequently chosen to speak at public events and expos highlighting cannabis marketing techniques and more specifically around removing the stigma attached to it.

In addition, John’s prior work exposed him to new technologies and made him aware of the fact that cannabinoids would be isolated at some point in the near future. John’s previous work in the cannabis industry helped him immensely when deciding to forge his own path. The marketing work John’s vast marketing knowledge guided Infinite CBD to capitalize before the extreme rise of most other CBD companies took place.

John jumped headfirst and made it all about CBD due to the medicinal impact and because it is non-psychoactive and non-toxic, so kids and adults alike could consume it without feeling ‘high’. John offered CBD products to military buddies returning from war for anxiety help. After receiving so much positive feedback from friends and family, John knew that launching Infinite CBD was something he needed to do.

In his free time, John is the coach of his 12-year-old son’s football, attends every band recital at school, and shares his love for cars with his son by working on/restoring a 1966 Mustang together.

How did you get started in this business?

Even before Infinite CBD, I had always been a serial entrepreneur, but I had always been in sales and marketing. As the CEO of Center Mass Media, i was constantly telling my customers how to do business better. How to capture more customers. How to deliver better experiences and I started to believe that we could follow our own advice and create something truly special. In my past startups, I had the drive and the ideas but never all of the resources to make them truly what I had envisioned, then I met Stephen Ryan. His eye for design made it easy to create amazing products.
In 2016 we made our very first sample of crystal clear CBD isolate capsules and sampled them out to some of our friends. My son’s best friend’s dad suffers from Lyme disease so naturally I told him to try them and he expressed he had not been so pain-free in 20+ years. It was then, Stephen and I knew we had to make these amazing products public.

How do you make money?

As Infinite CBD’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), I am paid what most people would consider a modest salary. I work hard to drive revenue for the company each day while I also luckily get to change more and more lives for the better every day. We work to make certain our product is consistently increasing the quality of life of all of our customers. In turn, it affects our quality of life in a positive way as well. When our customers are happy; enjoying more Infinite CBD Products; the happier and more profitable is Infinite and its employees.

How long did it take for you to become profitable?

We were profitable within six months of launch and have sustained that since.

When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?

I am the eternal optimist of the group whereas Stephen is the realist. I am the dreamer. I never think we will fail and I never doubted it would work. I still do not doubt it or us. I think the Infinite CBD Team of employees is an incredibly talented group and with a product, we have spent years perfecting and making it just that much more amazing… we have no choice but to thrive.

How did you get your first customer?

Our first big customer was a local shop in Lakewood whose owners Stephen and I knew having provided them marketing services in a Pre-Infinite CBD lifetime. When we were ready, we reached out and asked them for shelf space and they gave it to us. We spent a whole day telling the shop owners and their customers about us and our products.

What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?

Social Media is by far the best way to access ‘the many’ from one place. You get 15 more looks on IG than you do on FB and you need to take advantage of any platform you can connect with people everywhere.

What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?

We have learned over the years that there are no “Friends” when it comes to business. We have had close friends and family be the biggest threats to the company over strangers.

What do you think it is that makes you successful?

I believe in Infinite CBD. My determination to never give up no matter what helps me toward my success path.. I am also a great salesperson and talker.

What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Our second year when we broke the $1M mark. It was a huge milestone.

What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?

The future potential is endless. Infinite CBD is very excited to be participating in a clinical study that will be presented directly to the FDA on behalf of all CBD companies and the cannabis industry as a whole. Infinite CBD will assist in the new trial beginning in July 2020 in order to shape the correct facts and share real information about CBD. The clinical trial’s results will aid the FDA in collecting data to make its recommendations on current and future regulations on the CBD industry.

What business books have inspired you?

TITLE: The Hard Thing About Hard Things
This book was recommended by Infinite CBD CMO and my original co-founder Stephen Ryan. It definitely feels like the book was written for us and sometimes like the book was written about us.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

You can do ANYTHING to which you set your mind. You’ve had it rough up until now, but keep at it, because you have something amazing waiting for you on the other end! And, never ever stop yourself from doing something you want to do because you are worried about what someone else may think of it. No one knows how it should be done, so do it your way.

Are you willing to be a mentor? If so, how should someone contact you?

Between baseball games and band recitals, there is not an empty moment in my schedule.

 

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