CBD Nation
Photos By: John Burns
Ken Hausler will tell you that his business, CBD Nation, has given him a new passion for helping people, including veterans like himself, find a new way to ease their ailments.
When Hausler ended his 18 years of service in the U.S. Army, he was ready for a new chapter. After his wife, D’Andrea, suggested starting a business, their first step was finding an industry that wasn’t already saturated. Seeing the exponential growth of CBD, they dove in and opened their first retail store, CBD Nation in 2018. Less than two years later, the Hauslers grew their business to a national scale through their retail, wholesale and white-labeling services.
At the time they opened their store, Hausler was new to CBD. At D’Andrea’s suggestion, he tried a few products and found he was eventually able to replace some of the pharmaceutical medications he’d been taking for years. Hausler said many of his customers have had similar experiences, including those who have ailments from their time in the military.
“The benefits for PTSD, once people find the right dose, have been really surprising,” said Hausler. “We have nothing we can show as a medicinal claim, just the people who come in and see differences. It helps them process through things and relax a little bit.”
After selling other companies’ products for a year, the Hauslers got the itch to create their own. Based on their extensive research and D’Andrea’s experience as a certified CBD nurse (the only one in the state), they made their own blend of CBD. Starting with capsules, their bestselling product, they created an organic formula that eliminates synthetic ingredients.
Now CBD Nation exclusively sells its own line of CBD products, which include tinctures, gummies, vapes, salves and roll-ons. The Hauslers take an active role in harvesting the hemp that goes into their products, spending hours helping farmers cut, dry and hang it.
“It’s a huge process,” said Hausler, “but it helps us build good relationships with our farmers.”
BIG GAINS AND GROWING PAINS
CBD Nation’s business model took a pivotal shift when one customer, a hemp farmer, asked if the Hauslers would help him create his own blend. Not seeing any reason to object, the Hauslers worked with him to make his own products. From there, word of mouth spread.
Soon, CBD Nation added manufacturing and white-labeling to their list of services. Their new business models demanded more equipment and more expertise. Not exactly sure what they needed, the Hauslers learned as they went. But when the demand exceeded their capacity, things got strained.
“It caught us off guard,” said Ken. “People were asking for thousands of particular items, and it was a lot more than we could manage just manually doing it.”
A pandemic-related equipment shortage made things even more strained. But the Hauslers kept at it.
“I’m not really good at quitting anything, and I think that’s because of the military,” Hausler said.
Today, CBD Nation has the ability to produce 100,000 units a day, for themselves and for their white-labeling clients that span the country.
Photo by: John Burns
ADVERTISING WITH STARS AND STRIPES
When developing their brand, Ken and D’Andrea made a conscious decision to brand their business as veteran owned. The decision resonated with their veteran customers, several of whom would bring their coffee into the shop to talk with Hausler.
“When you can relate to somebody, it’s beneficial for everyone,” Hausler said. “When you’re a veteran and you talk to another veteran, it doesn’t matter where you served, we all have commonalities.”
The “veteran owned” part of their brand also helps add legitimacy among those hesitant about CBD.
“When you come into our store, you see professional people,” said Ken. “You don’t see people who are going to sell you meth outside.”
As CBD has become more widespread, Hausler says they see that hesitation less often. But the normalization has also led to more competition. While the manufacturing and white-labeling side of the business skyrocketed from word of mouth alone, driving customers to their retail store has been more of a challenge.
Hausler stays motivated by keeping focused on the big picture. CBD Nation product lines include capsules, tinctures, gummies, vapes, salves and roll-ons.
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned is to just stay true to your goal,” he said. “This is your business. Don’t let anybody dictate it to you. That has been huge for me.”
Photo by: John Burns
LOOKING BEYOND HEMP
Now in their fourth year, CBD Nation hopes to eventually branch into medicinal marijuana, when and if it becomes legalized in Kansas. Hausler has lobbied for the legalization of marijuana severaltimes over the last couple of years, driven by what he’s seen with his veteran customers.
“It’s a natural progression for us,” he said. “When we’re helping veterans, they talk about marijuana use and how it’s benefiting them.”
While Hausler has many other demands on his time, serving his customers remains a key priority.
“That’s the big reason we do this,” he said. “We work diligently to make sure customers get the best benefit. We’re always there to listen and help.”
