Budtenders are the cannabis experts who typically stand behind counters in marijuana dispensaries, ans help people learn about and choose strains, dosage, product safety. The most exciting part of being a budtender is that many such opportunities have begun appearing in different parts of the world as more states and countries legalize medical or recreational marijuana
The studies show that there are more and more job opportunities arising in this field, but not many people have the skills or training required. If you’re undecided about whether to enter this career, then let this budtender study guide help you make the right choice.
You’ll learn everything you need to know about becoming a budtender, from how to get jobs in the field to how much you can expect to earn.
What Are the Requirements for Becoming a Budtender?
There are a few things you need in order to be a successful budtender. They include:
A Strong Passion for Cannabis Products and Culture
To become a budtender, it is important that you are passionate about marijuana culture and products. In your day-to-day interactions with customers, your priority should be providing them with comprehensive information about the marijuana products available. It is also essential that you be an attentive listener in order to offer tailored recommendations to individual clients. To be a good budtender, you need to have extensive knowledge about cannabis products. You should know all the common strains as well as new products like concentrates and vaporizers. Without passion for the industry, you won’t go far in this line of work.
Learning about your industry and staying up-to-date with the latest trends is essential to maintaining confidence from your clients. Set some time each week to read blogs and journals, as well as following influencers on social media. By being knowledgeable in the products you recommend, your buyer will believe in you more easily.
Have extensive and updated know-how about marijuana extracts, concentrates, and infused products. Furthermore, be aware of the process of how marijuana is grown, processed, and extracted. This includes having intimate knowledge of the physical descriptions, genealogy, effect on human body/mind etcetera for each product you carry. In other words: love what you sell!
Since the cannabis industry is still new, with changing products, standards, and regulations every other year, being willing to learn separates professional budtenders from their peers.
Customer Service Skills
The key to being a successful budtender is having great people skills–you’ll be spending most of your time interacting with customers and patients, after all. You should also be able to craft personal narratives (a few sentences long) that focus on your patient and the product(s) you’re recommending. These stories should create lasting relationships and сonnection networking opportunities for referrals ancillary services with your patients and customers.
If your dispensary offers false or unverified information to customers, you run the risk of losing credibility. If you’re unsure about product details, it’s always best to double-check with a more informed individual.
To succeed as a budtender, you need to excellent customer service skills. You should develop trust and personal relationships with clients, instead of pushing products on them. Your role is to provide the best possible cannabis information and let customers make their own decisions about what works best for them. Budtenders are not lazy stoners; they are hardworking people who are friendly and helpful.
Incredible Physical Appearance
While every marijuana dispensary has their own dress code for hairstyles, piercings and tattoos, a budtender should always try to look professional. It’s important to remember that your physical appearance will often create the first impression customers have of you.
Excellent Organizational Skills
Being a budtender requires you to be constantly on your feet and keeping up with an industry that’s rapidly-growing and always changing. You’ll spend most of your time working with customers, so it’s essential that you have a strong work ethic. Being trustworthy, reliable, and having no history of arrests or brushes with the law will help increase your chances of landing a job in this field.
Education & Training
You can’t work as a budtender unless you have a license, and you can’t get a license without completing training successfully. Training to be a budtender can come from attending Budtender School or taking an online course. Once you have completed the required training, only then can you apply for your license.
While many budtender training programs exist and offer a broad curriculum, you may not receive all of the necessary information to join the career from these courses. As mentioned before, it is essential that you are continually learning to keep up with the rapidly changing trends within the cannabis industry. Training provides a useful foundation and gives you the important basics required for success. High Maintenance Trim Co. is one of the best sites where you can sign up for online budtender training to launch your career. Their seasoned cannabis professionals will supply you with all the information and skills needed to be successful as a budtender.
Are Budtender Jobs Easy to Find?
Your next task after this training is to seek out employment. The cannabis industry has been rapidly growing in recent years due to the legalization of medical marijuana in numerous states and countries. According to a study by ArcView Market Research, the legal marijuana industry will create more than 400,000 jobs between 2017 and 2021. Of these jobs, budtenders are expected to be in high demand.
If you’re among the many people who reside in a state or country where medical marijuana is now legal, take advantage of this new opportunity by searching Google for “budtender jobs near me.” You can also find such positions on job boards and related platforms like Craigslist. And as we get closer to the global legalization of cannabis, budtender job openings are expected to skyrocket.
How Can I Expect to Earn as a Budtender?
The average salary of a budtender can differ based on the location. As an example, in California, you could make about $17 hourly. This is equal to a median yearly income of $32,000. It’s best to consider this as a means to enter into a more exciting and beneficial career within the cannabis industry. And since the cannabis industry is continuing its growth proceedings, budtenders will most likely experience improved compensation and work perks.