We had the good fortune of connecting with Lucas Gould and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lucas, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Spendr with the simple belief that people should have an easier time finding and buying legal (& medical) cannabis. For me, it was not just about starting a business, but more about how we could improve an experience that impacted so many, including myself.

I personally faced the problem & pain of buying legal (& medical) cannabis, both in OH and in other legal states. It was through that personal experience that spurred the idea that it could be better. I believed that if I made a product that I would want to use, then others would want to use it as well. And by relentlessly focusing on the customer, we could build something that would actually improve their lives & overall experience with the plant.

The thoughts then came about how to build that product. What it takes, the people we need, the partners we must land, and the money that is sometimes required to build these things. We found people with similar beliefs to us and this allowed us to move quickly and bring an effective & valuable product to market in less than a year.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The business I started is called Spendr, which is a technology platform offering financial services, marketing, and rewards/loyalty solutions to consumers & businesses in/around the legal cannabis industry. Consumers use Spendr to pay for their cannabis (& other goods) with their phone while earning rewards for everything they purchase. Businesses use Spendr to offer compliant, cashless payments and engage more effectively with their customers.

What makes us different is our product, our approach, and our why. We have a best-in-class product that’s made by consumers for consumers. We engage both consumers and businesses directly and constantly seek feedback to make our offering more valuable. We are doing this because we care deeply about the plant, our customers, and the participants in the broader industry. We believe we make a difference, and we do everything we can to show more people how we can help them.

The journey to where we are now was certainly not easy. And we imagine it won’t be any easier going forward. We had to scrap & claw to get to where we are now and at times it was slow. Much slower than we wanted. But it allowed us to listen, learn, think, and ultimately, create a better product that is now being shown to the world. We want everyone to know who we are and why we do what we do. We want to show people the value of Spendr and ultimately help get our industry to a much more sustainable and normalized place.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I grew up and currently live in Cincinnati. So much has changed in this city over the last 2 decades, but it continues to surprise me with new & exciting places to visit.

Some of my favorite food spots are Eli’s Barbecue, Gomez, Mazunte, Forno, Sleepy Bee, and Arthur’s to name a few. I like to walk around the various parks (Washington Park, Ault Park, Eden Park, etc.) and explore OTR, Mt. Lookout, Oakley, and other neighborhoods.

Depending on what you like, Cincinnati has a lot to offer. We have museums, great art, ballets, professional sports team, and other things that keep all types of people enjoying a trip to Cincinnati.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people that I feel gratitude towards and would like to recognize for their contributions and support of Spendr’s success so far.

Too many name, but the ones that I’ll focus on for this are our early partners – our first employees, advisors, investors, partners, etc. all believed in me & Spendr before we had anything but an idea.

These people heard our beliefs and saw our vision for a better future…they took a chance on us being the ones to deliver that future. We work endlessly every day for the chance to live up to those expectations and deliver to people the cannabis experience they deserve.

Website: www.spendr.com

Instagram: @GetSpendr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getspendr

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutOhio is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.