Meet Alex Al-Sabah | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Al-Sabah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from California, both northern and southern California. My earlier parts of my life were in northern california. My upbringing was challenging as we didn’t have a lot of stability. My mother did the best she could as a single parent raising three kids. I was very independent at a young age and had to figure out a lot. I think that helped me develop a tolerance for risk as I had nothing to lose.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am an entrepreneur at heart, I enjoy starting things and building them up and that’s what I do with businesses/companies. I would say Real Estate and Cannabis are my two major focuses though. My cannabis career started at 14 years old. I was in a single parent household and needed to find a way to make money. Selling cannabis was the least risky thing to do with the most upside. So, from a risk assessment, I thought that the consequences weren’t that bad and knew I needed to ease the financial burden on my mother. I also had ADHD, so I started selling Cannabis as a way to also pay for my use as it helped me in so many ways. After high school, I eventually received a college basketball scholarship to play at The University of California, Santa Cruz. This was a NCAA Division III school, but actually was a very liberal school and this area at the time was huge for Cannabis progression. I eventually started growing and later partnered with a group of retail operators in LA who were from Santa Cruz. We all met through our sports connection as they also played basketball. Our group later went on to start some very notable brands in Cannabis, and some would argue our group was one of the most influential in the early days of Cannabis legalization. One of the Companies we started revolutionized the Cannabis Packaging industry in 2010 and later we took it public as one of the first Cannabis Companies to go Public in the United States. We exited that business for $450M. After that Our group of partners all went on and started various brands in the industry that are iconic and staples in the brand space.

The hardest challenges was that everything I have ever built was created without any backing. I have always been scrappy and resourceful and had to go through hundreds of NOs before I got a YES. It only takes the right YES to supersede the hundreds or thousands of NOs. I always tell younger entrepreneurs you have to be determined and relentless and that is what separates successful people from those that just have ideas. To some degree you have to be obsessed with what you are building, and you will eventually find yourself in a position that you deserve. A lot of everything is just timing and you have to be patient, especially when you don’t have money and everything takes longer.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would start out with a walk on the Manhattan Beach Strand. This is one of the best scenes in LA. I usually do my morning runs along the pier followed by a fresh pressed juice from Kreation. I would go down to the arts district for dinner in Downtown LA with some nice restaurants. I think seeing the economic development in Inglewood is also quite the site. You have Sofi stadium the Forum and the new Intuit dome all within 1 mile and walking distance of another. My industry is cannabis and I think checking out one of LA’s staple dispensaries in DTLA is Stiiizy’s Flagship Retail Store. A walk along Melrose and a stop at the famous Pink’s Hot Dogs is another place to visit. Shutter’s in Santa Monica is also a top tier place to enjoy a sunset with cocktails and good company. If you are looking for an extraordinary scenery and good food then you can never go wrong with Nobu-Malibu. Low-key, but star studded, a place where all the celebrities hang out and of course amazing sushi. The view of the Pacific Ocean is breathtaking, and the low-key vibe of Malibu is resemblance of Stereotypical “California”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Mother, my wife and two sisters. I have a lot of respect for women and grew up in a house full of them. Until I had my son (recently), I had nothing but women in my life, including my first born daughter and even my dog lol. That being said, all of the women in my life played a different role in different times. My mother taught me strength and perseverance by watching her push through each day solo parenting. I didn’t quite realize the extent of this until I had my first child and it made me appreciate how difficult it was for her. My mom allowed me to be independent and have freedom that most kids didn’t have. While it could be a gift or a curse, I was able to learn a lot and gain a certain level of street smarts that helped me as an entrepreneur, I don’t think I would have been as successful without that freedom. My sisters have been a major support system as they always believed in me and gave me a lot of confidence and just showed me unconditional love–no matter the situation. Our bond is so strong because we share the same upbringing and struggles and it has made us closer and more appreciative of each other growing up. My wife I met when I was around 25-26 years old just starting my Real Estate career and when I met her she held me to a level and standard that I even didn’t set for myself. It forced me to be accountable, consistent and live a healthier life. Her support as a wife and mother allowed me to work hard at my craft and have the time I needed and flexibility to grow our various businesses and really took our family to the next level. Shout out to all the wonderful women in the world!

Website: https://www.the1937group.com

Instagram: happyvfarms

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-al-sabah-532066135