Aj Agrawal Shares Secrets For A Series of Exits

It is among the greatest names in CBD: Verma Farms– the nationally well-known ‘hempire’ that was recently bought for an (undisclosed) eight-figure sum. Among the most well-valued e-business M&A consultants, FE International agented the bargain. And also the name behind that name? AJ Agrawal, the 31-year-old entrepreneur who grew Verma from the ground up in just two years.

While that could seem like a breakneck speed, Agrawal has a background of huge achievements reached basically a number of times. Cofounding a service in 2012 and ending up being a chief executive officer of an additional one by 2013– all before graduating from the University of San Diego’s business college– was just the beginning of Agrawal’s entrepreneurial success.

His approach, skillset, and also acumen have set him at a very early age. Hardly out of university, he was 24 when the world first started taking note of his “risky” as well as out-of-the-box leadership design– dangers that repaid, plainly.

He founded (and still presently owns) the advertising firm Verma Media– an organization Forbes called “unusual” and also “San Francisco’s biggest blockchain advertising company.” Cutting his chops in branding, associate, and digital marketing, he shares that he obtained his beginning at Verma Media, collaborating with brands like AmEx, Shopify, Juul, and Expedia. “This allowed me to have experience in scaling as well as structure brand names, which gave me a significant advantage when starting my own DTC [direct-to-consumer] brand,” he says. “And in addition to Verma Farms, I have actually built four other direct-to-consumer brand names that correct $1M in profits annually,” he says.

Yet his next endeavor wasn’t something he planned on; the concept pertained to him vacationing.

Stating Aloha to CBD

On vacation to among Agrawal’s preferred places– the lavish, laidback islands of Hawaii– Agrawal encountered an unanticipated prize that would change the trajectory of his career and legacy: CBD.

“The first time I attempted CBD, I was in Hawaii,” he states. “Spending quality time in Hawaii is currently a unique experience– adding an extra element of leisure with CBD made it so clear that I intended to capture the experience, bottle it up, and share it with the world.”

A brand was birthed because of the moment: the sensation of tranquility and tranquility several looks for on a getaway, available anywhere. “It helped that I already had a huge focus on health and wellness in my individual life,” states Agrawal. “I was a D1 college athlete, which was where I was first revealed to taking my health seriously– however, in my late twenties, I encountered what a lot of young adults do as we begin to age: a struggle to kick back, recuperate well after workouts, as well as rest.”

“As a way to thank the state for introducing me to CBD, I based the entire Verma Farms brand name off it– the culture, the appeal, the lifestyle, the colors, the flavors,” he states. “Hawaii has such a special area in my heart.”

Verma Farms Is Birthed

Agrawal saw possibility in the hemp field, and soon after his trip, the 2018 Ranch Bill passed. Hundreds of new brand names exploded right into the once-fledgling market.

” I recognized it was sink or swim,” he says. “This assault of brand names surged right into this space, the hemp and also CBD space, as well as I knew if we really did not distinguish ourselves from the start, we would certainly never make it,” claims Agrawal.

The good news is for Agrawal. Branding was his support. “Because there were numerous fake, faux-brands from abroad that really did not also put CBD in their products, we clearly started the differentiation process by stressing top quality as well as safety and security; we were using a premium item. High quality, controlled and also checked items utilizing US-grown hemp.”

A way of the living brand quickly developed with impressive branding experience, creative methods, and an actual tale to inform. “I decided to really lean into the Hawaiian narration,” says Agrawal. “In our product packaging, branding, an option of flavors as well as products– but also in our approach to business, the farming, the whole thing. Hawaii is all about purity, maintaining the native environment beautiful– it really feels so pure, untapped. We used a socially as well as eco-aware focus.”

CBD gummies with tastes like Blueberry Wave, Maui Melon, and Beary Coastline were sold together with dried-out fruit-plus-CBD offerings– pineapple, mango, and papaya. “We were offering people an actual preference of the island lifestyle,” he states.

The promise of the aloha spirit and some relaxation in a container or jar worked; Verma Farms was building a large following. “We had consistent 20% mama growth,” he claims (which, deserves keeping in mind, mainly took place throughout a pandemic and recession). “We did $1 Million in profit in the initial year alone.”

At a time when Americans couldn’t see Hawaii, Agrawal offered them a preference for it in their home– an escape from the reality around them. He rode the typical environment-friendly wave of hemp’s national development; the CBD gummy market alone is expected to get to $14B by 2028.

Growth as well as the Sale of a CBD Realm

Verma Farms was entirely bootstrapped, states Agrawal, which took full advantage of productivity as he took no outside financial investments. He points out freedom and efficiency as critical guideposts that permitted his organization to make it through the pandemic and grow enough to obtain a second firm: Penguin CBD.

The purchase of an additional business in 2021 enabled Verma Farms’ assessment to escalate, so much to ensure that six months later, mergers and procurements giant FE International led a remarkable deal, offering the business (that as soon as had only $200) for eight numbers.

” I couldn’t be extra thankful for the past two years– as a business owner and as a private,” claims Agrawal. “From the very first time attempting CBD on the beach in Maui to product testing as well as tasting the Verma Farms gummies we made, to keeping service to life in 2020, to obtaining Penguin CBD, to the sale now, it’s been such a profound trip. I can’t wait to share what’s following with the world.”

Agrawal remains to possess and run Verma Media and has several DTC jobs in the works.

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Christophe Rude
Christophe Rude
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