Daily Inspiration: Meet Carlos Ceballo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Ceballo.

Hi Carlos, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born first-generation Cuban American, in Miami, FL, I was raised by my grandparents until I was ten years old. Both my parents worked full-time in the newly booming tech industry of the 90s, after having put themselves through school on full-ride academic scholarships to the University of Miami. In 1999, my mom had an opportunity to further progress in her position, and our family picked up and moved to Colorado. Here in CO, I went to middle school and high school in the Louisville/Superior area graduating in 2007 and enrolling at the University of Colorado Boulder. My whole life I had been told that completing my education was the most important thing. Up until College, I had fully intended on doing so but unfortunately just like lots of young people in my shoes I entered the workforce, and decided that making money was more important than school was. In early 2009 I dropped out of school to work full time thinking “this is it, I have made it, and I didn’t need school to do it”. Jumping job to job over the next six years, trying everything from the service industry to nightclub security, I came to find that my passions were not being fulfilled… I wanted to help people, I wanted to contribute at a higher level to society, and I was stuck in dead-end job after dead-end job, with no college degree at 26 years old.

I had a girlfriend(currently my fiancé), that I had met during that time. I knew that if I wanted the future that I had imagined of having my whole life, I would need to either go back to school or find something I was passionate about and turn it into a career. Some call it fate, I prefer dumb luck, but in 2015, just after recreational marijuana had gone legal, a group of friends of mine from childhood were presented an opportunity to start a cannabis company. Not knowing anything about the cannabis industry, I did not really see an opportunity for me. I was still working nightclub security when I got the call. One of my friends, that was part owner in the company, reached out to tell me he was having security problems at the facility at night. He asked if I would be interested in watching the place overnight for them on the nights I didn’t work the nightclub, and I accepted.

That moment in time, that decision to accept a position on the fly was, in my opinion, the turning point in my life that triggered a series of events that led me to where I am today. From night security to prep team lead, to production day manager, to cloning tech, to garden hand, to harvest manager, to Metrc admin and finally landing Cultivation Manager, I ripped through position after position in a short three years. Every time a new opportunity came up, I stepped into it seamlessly. I had finally found my passion and I knew what I wanted to do.

In early 2018, I was once again called on by my childhood friend, and at that time former owner in the company, I was working for. He wanted to know if I would be willing to make a life change for an opportunity in Nevada to launch a new company in the cannabis space, with more decision-making opportunities and a ceiling that neither of us could see. After consulting my gf, and asking if she would take the leap with me, we loaded up a moving truck and two cars and off to Las Vegas we went! This was yet again one of those pivotal moments in my life that lead me to where I am today.

What I was able to accomplish in Vegas was no small task, and little did I know what I had gotten myself into. Starting a grow, building a brand, launching said brand, expanding NV facility, launching said brand in OR, being acquired, moving into an operational role, and eventually going through a second acquisition. It truly felt like I blinked and nearly three years had passed.

In September of 2020, after our second acquisition had finalized in Vegas, I found myself making yet another life-changing decision. I was presented with an opportunity yet again to return to my company in CO and rejoin my old team in a more operational capacity. Thinking about our friends and families, and where we would eventually want to start a family of our own, my gf and I made the decision that moving home was our next step and we returned to CO. Since then I have taken full grasp of my role as Operations Manager with my current company. My gf and I bought a home, and we are now engaged to get married in August. It has been quite the journey thus far, but it is my story and I wouldn’t go back to change a thing!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Not everything was butterflies and roses.

Many times through my journey I have questioned my decisions. I feel like there were lots of times where my family questioned my career path, and that has left me with doubt at times. “Without a degree how can you start a career?” You could say I was rebellious in that sense because the more someone told me I couldn’t do it, the more I wanted to prove them wrong… (I know cliché right?)

Working night security (when I began in the industry) was probably one of the tougher times in my life. I was working two jobs for many months and all I wanted to do during the day was sleep. My social life suffered tremendously, and my depression was at an all-time high. It took me moving to day-time Production Manager, for me to really break that depression and start to live a more “normal” life.

Looking back now, I would also say the move to Vegas was a relatively rough one for me as well. I had envisioned it to be very simple, we move, I start working, make more money and life is good, but the reality was not that. When we moved we left our friends and family behind. We saw as our friends moved on with their lives, got married, started families, and continued living while we struggled to make new friends, and create a new life. My gf struggled to find her new career path, and I struggled spending 10-12hr days at the new facility getting the brand off the ground and expanding the facility.

Each time we moved I felt defeated. Moving home this last time in 2020 was a bag of mixed emotions. I felt tremendous relief, but part of me couldn’t help but feel like I failed a little. We had moved away to start a new life and though the decision to move home was ours to make, it felt a little like I had failed… almost like the move was a mistake to begin with.

Again looking back now there are definitely no regrets, but those were some of the instances I can remember as far from smooth.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work in the Cannabis industry. My official title is Operations Manager, but I specialize in Metrc (the marijuana tracking system) which is regulated by the state. I have experience in building teams, creating SOPs, developing products, launching in new markets, managing inventory, scaling businesses, and can speak to each part of the business from seed to sale.

What I am most proud of is being able to develop leaders within each organization I have been a part of. In my opinion, people are our greatest assets, and investing resources and time in those people are crucial in getting them bought in on the goals of the company. Without them, you will never reach efficiencies and ultimately profitability.

I believe what sets me apart from other people in my field, is experience. Until you have experienced a situation, whether it’s dealing with difficult employees daily or launching a new brand in a different state from a thousand miles away, it is impossible to predict what obstacles you will need to overcome. Experience is the best teacher and in the cannabis market, I would like to believe I’m in the top 1%.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is measured in so many different ways. If I had to sum it up to my top three, it would have to be 1. a healthy life-work balance (life first), 2. seeing the people that I surround myself with both at home as at work become the best versions of themselves (we all win together), and 3. continuous growth (learn something every day).

I think monetary compensation is always where people turn when they see this question, but I really believe if you have my top three the monetary will come given enough time and a few precise choices throughout your journey. Money plays a huge part but I think “success” is cultivated and earned through the choices you make each day.

Contact Info:

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