What I Learned Going From Fortune 500 Brand Manager to Smoke Shop Owner

If you had told me twenty years ago that I would someday own a smoke shop in the North Georgia mountains, I probably would have laughed.

At the time, I was building a career that looked very different from the one I have today. I earned my JD and MBA from Northwestern University and spent the next two decades working across brand management, product management, e-commerce, business leadership, and P&L management roles. Along the way, I had the opportunity to work with some of the largest and most recognizable companies in the world, including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Nestlé Purina, Georgia-Pacific, Amazon, and Kaspien. I also spent time as a registered investment adviser, which provided another perspective on risk, value, and decision-making.

Much of my professional life revolved around understanding consumers. Why do people buy one product instead of another? Why do some brands become household names while others struggle? Why do customers remain loyal to certain products while abandoning others after a single purchase?

Today, I spend much of my time helping customers navigate pre-rolls, vapes, gummies, flower, glass, and 7-OH products at North Georgia Smoke Shop in East Ellijay, Georgia. On the surface, those two worlds appear dramatically different. One involved billion-dollar brands, national marketing campaigns, corporate strategy meetings, and large-scale business planning. The other involves serving customers in a local retail environment where relationships are built one conversation at a time.

What surprised me most is not how different those worlds are.

What surprised me is how similar they are.

The Products Changed, But Human Behavior Did Not

One of the first things I noticed after opening the store was that customers in a smoke shop ask many of the same questions consumers ask in every other industry.

The products are different, but the decision-making process is remarkably familiar.

Throughout my corporate career, I watched consumers search for simple ways to compare complicated products. Someone shopping for a television might focus on screen size. Someone shopping for a truck might focus on horsepower. Someone buying a computer might focus on processor speed or storage capacity. Consumers naturally gravitate toward metrics because metrics simplify decisions.

The same thing happens every day in our store.

Customers routinely ask questions such as, “What’s your strongest pre-roll?” “What’s the strongest mushroom gummy?” “What’s the strongest vape?” “What’s the closest thing you’ve got to the real thing?” and “What’s your strongest 7-OH tablet?”

Those questions seem straightforward, but over time I realized they are rarely about potency alone.

Most customers are looking for confidence. They want confidence that they are buying a quality product. They want confidence that they are spending their money wisely. They want confidence that the product will meet their expectations. Potency becomes the shortcut because it is visible, easy to compare, and easy to understand.

The challenge is that the easiest metric to compare is often not the most important factor driving long-term satisfaction.

Consumers Rarely Buy Products

One of the most important lessons I learned in brand management is that consumers rarely buy products simply for the sake of buying products.

Instead, they buy outcomes.

A customer purchasing a power drill is really buying the ability to complete a project. A customer purchasing lawn fertilizer is buying a greener lawn. A customer purchasing a truck is often buying reliability, capability, or peace of mind.

The same principle applies inside a smoke shop.

Customers frequently walk into the store asking about a specific product category. After a few minutes of conversation, however, it often becomes clear that the product itself is not the primary objective. Some customers are looking for consistency because they are tired of wasting money on products that disappoint them. Others are looking for value because they want confidence that they are making a smart purchasing decision. Some want transparency because they care about testing, sourcing, and quality.

The product is often the vehicle. The real objective lies beneath the surface.

Understanding that distinction changes the entire conversation.

We Didn’t Come Here to Build Just Another Smoke Shop

Long before North Georgia Smoke Shop existed, Selina and I already knew where we wanted to end up.

We loved the North Georgia mountains. We loved the pace of life. We loved the people. We loved the sense of community that exists here. Like many people who spend time in this part of the state, we found ourselves drawn back again and again until it became clear that this was where we wanted to build the next chapter of our lives.

Our long-term plan was always to retire here.

What we did not expect was that retirement would arrive in the form of a smoke shop.

When the opportunity to acquire Corner Store Smoke Shop presented itself, I did not see a finished business. I saw potential.

The store already had customers. It already had history. It already served a purpose within the community. At the same time, I believed there was an opportunity to build something more.

My goal was never simply to own a smoke shop.

My goal was to create a business that the community could be proud of.

I wanted the store to be reliable, welcoming, educational, professional, and fun. I wanted it to be a place where customers felt comfortable asking questions and receiving honest answers. I wanted it to carry quality products, provide exceptional service, and operate with integrity. Most importantly, I wanted to build something with staying power.

That objective continues to influence many of our decisions today. It influences the products we carry, the vendors we partner with, the educational content we create, and the investments we make throughout the business.

The easiest way to describe the vision is this: I wanted to take something that already existed and make it awesome for the community it serves.

There is still work to do, but when I look at where the business started and where it is today, I am encouraged by the progress we have made.

So far, so good.

More of My Corporate Experience Shows Up Than Most People Realize

People sometimes assume that my previous experience became irrelevant once I left corporate America and opened a smoke shop.

The reality is exactly the opposite.

In many ways, I use those skills every day.

When I evaluate inventory, I am asking many of the same questions I asked while managing large product portfolios. Which products are selling? Which products are stagnating? How quickly is inventory turning? Which categories deserve additional investment? Which products are consuming cash without generating meaningful returns?

Pricing strategy is another example. Most consumers assume pricing is simply a matter of adding a markup and putting products on the shelf. In reality, pricing requires balancing customer value, competitive positioning, inventory turns, cash flow, profitability, and long-term business objectives.

Marketing and promotions work much the same way. My years in brand management taught me that effective marketing is not really about advertising. It is about understanding customer behavior. Why do people buy? What causes them to return? What creates loyalty? What generates word of mouth? Those questions influenced billion-dollar brands, and they continue to influence decisions at North Georgia Smoke Shop.

My legal training also plays an important role. Between evolving regulations, age-restricted products, vendor relationships, licensing requirements, and ongoing legislative uncertainty surrounding hemp-derived cannabinoids and 7-OH products, compliance requires constant attention. Understanding risk, evaluating changing regulations, and planning for multiple scenarios has become an increasingly important part of operating responsibly.

Cash flow management is another area where experience matters. Many businesses fail despite generating revenue because they run out of cash. Revenue, profit, and cash flow are related, but they are not the same thing. Understanding that distinction influences inventory purchases, marketing investments, staffing decisions, and expansion opportunities.

Perhaps most importantly, my previous career taught me to think several moves ahead.

Markets rarely remain static. Consumer preferences change. Competitive dynamics change. Economic conditions change. Regulatory environments change.

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding hemp legislation is a perfect example. While nobody can predict the future with certainty, it is possible to prepare for multiple outcomes. Thinking through those scenarios allows us to remain adaptable and responsive rather than reactive.

Trust Is More Valuable Than Marketing

Working for large organizations taught me a tremendous amount about branding and marketing. Operating a small business taught me something equally important about trust.

Large companies communicate through advertising, websites, packaging, and media campaigns. Independent businesses communicate through conversations.

Every interaction matters.

When someone walks into the store and asks a question, they are not looking for a commercial. They are looking for guidance. They want to know whether a product appears reputable, whether a brand seems trustworthy, and whether the person standing across the counter is giving them honest information.

Over time, I have become increasingly convinced that trust is one of the most valuable assets any business can build.

Education Creates Better Outcomes Than Salesmanship

One of the reasons we invest so much time creating educational content is that education generally produces better outcomes than pressure-based selling.

Customers who understand what they are buying tend to make better decisions. They ask better questions. They develop more realistic expectations. They are less likely to be disappointed because they understand what they purchased and why they purchased it.

This philosophy influences both our in-store conversations and the content we publish online.

The goal is not to convince someone to buy a particular product. The goal is to help them make an informed decision.

When customers make informed decisions, everybody wins.

The Customers Changed Me Too

As much as I appreciate the lessons I brought with me from the corporate world, I would be telling only half the story if I stopped there.

The reality is that North Georgia Smoke Shop has changed me as much as I have helped shape the business.

When I worked for large companies, I spent a great deal of time analyzing customer data, market trends, sales reports, and consumer behavior. Those experiences taught me a tremendous amount about how people make decisions. What they did not provide was the opportunity to know customers personally.

At NGSS, I have that opportunity every day.

Many of our customers are not anonymous transactions. They are people whose names I know. They are people whose stories I know. They are people I genuinely enjoy seeing when they walk through the door. Over time, many of them have become far more than customers.

They have become neighbors.

One of the things Selina and I appreciate most about this community is how welcoming people have been since we arrived. The people of North Georgia gave us an opportunity to build something meaningful, and they trusted us enough to become part of their routines and their lives.

That trust means a great deal to me.

One of the questions I ask customers most often is, “How can I make you happy?” I ask that question because I genuinely want to know the answer. Sometimes the answer involves bringing in a new product. Sometimes it involves solving a problem. Sometimes it involves answering a question. Sometimes it simply involves listening.

The longer I own the business, the more I realize that our success is directly connected to the relationships we build with the people who walk through our doors. Every customer has choices. The fact that they choose to support our business is something I never take for granted.

Our customers have inspired me in ways I never expected.

I have met people from virtually every walk of life. I have listened to stories about families, careers, successes, challenges, and personal journeys. Those conversations have reinforced something I suspected throughout my corporate career but did not fully appreciate until becoming a small business owner: business is ultimately about people.

The products matter.

The inventory matters.

The financial statements matter.

However, those things exist in service of something larger, which is creating a business that provides value to the community it serves.

When customers support North Georgia Smoke Shop, they are supporting our family, our employees, and the future of a business we care deeply about. I hope they know how much we appreciate that support, both personally and professionally.

Final Thoughts

When people ask whether my background in brand management, e-commerce, finance, law, and consumer products prepared me to operate a smoke shop, my answer is yes, although not necessarily for the reasons they might expect.

The most valuable lesson from those experiences was not how to build brands or manage products. It was learning how consumers think, how businesses succeed, how markets evolve, and how important trust becomes when customers have choices.

After thousands of customer conversations, I have become increasingly convinced that good business is not really about products. It is about understanding people well enough to help them solve problems, achieve goals, and make decisions they feel good about long after the transaction is complete.

At North Georgia Smoke Shop, we believe informed customers make better decisions. That philosophy is rooted not only in our experience as retailers, but also in decades spent studying consumer behavior across some of the world’s largest brands. Although the products may be different today, the principles that guide thoughtful decision-making remain remarkably consistent.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Products discussed have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always research products carefully and purchase from reputable sources.

Author Bio

David Sayyed is co-owner of North Georgia Smoke Shop in East Ellijay, Georgia. Before becoming an entrepreneur and owner-operator, David spent more than two decades in product marketing, e-commerce, brand management, and P&L leadership roles with multiple Fortune 500 companies, including Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Georgia-Pacific, Nestlé Purina, and Kaspien. Today, he combines that experience with a hands-on retail perspective, helping customers navigate an increasingly complex marketplace through education, transparency, and straightforward advice.