When I look back into the past and my path to becoming the person I have finally become, it’s important to remember the people who I’ve bonded with along the way. Two of these people knew me when I worked for that business-centric magazine because I wrote about them. Now, more than a few years later, I had a dream. And in the dream, I was smoking a perfect .25 gram Selfies: The Lime. The next day, I was going through my cabinet, and what I thought was an empty box of The Lime/Selfies dropped out onto the floor. I thought it was empty because it’s been a year since I’ve been out west and had the opportunity to procure a few packs. But getting back to the box, which I thought was empty, I found a perfect little preroll for selfies inside. It was calling me as if to say, please savor me. Smoke me. Enjoy me. And the back story is, lately, the cannabis I’ve been enjoying has not been from California. It’s someplace different. And when I lit up that perfectly stuffed, delicious “the lime,” it brought me back to the place where I bought it in Los Angeles when I developed the liquor and non-alc program at Love, Life, Nourish in LaLa… This brought me back to square one professionally and gave me the ability to pivot right back to the people who still influence me.
The people behind Selfies, that is.
I’m the lucky one to be able to be influenced by their passion for the finest California-grown cannabis, stuffed into a .25 space with a paper filter and the marvelous box around. They have succeeded and found their niche amongst many. I wish they were available in New York or New Jersey. Or anywhere near me. I’m a massive fan of the brand, yes. But more importantly, the people behind the brand resonate with a very special place in my experience, and their interview is from the heart. Glad to have done this interview with you, my friends.
Cheers! WB
Warren Bobrow: Please tell me about yourselves. Where are you from? Where are you now? How did you choose to open your business in California?
Kristen and Chad Heschong: We are the co-founders of SELFiES. We’re both from California: Chad is from the Bay Area, and Kristen is from Orange County, CA. We’ve both lived in California our whole lives, and our families are here. California has our hearts, so deciding to start our business here was easy and natural.
WB: Please tell me about your business. What do you do? What are your strengths? Please tell me about Selfies. What’s in the name?
KH: Heshies is our parent company, specializing in contract manufacturing and white-label services. We collaborate with some of the most respected brands in California, building our business on a foundation of strong relationships and exceptional product quality. Our commitment is to consistently exceed client expectations, ensuring the success of every partner we work with. Rather than focusing solely on financial gain, our priority is to deliver premium, clean products that California consumers can trust and enjoy.
CH: I oversee all aspects of the business, with a primary focus on manufacturing, inventory management, and sales. In addition to my day-to-day responsibilities, I dedicate significant effort to identifying and cultivating new partnerships to drive the continued growth of our company. Given the dynamic nature of our industry, we all wear multiple hats to ensure success. While we launched over seven years ago, the challenges of operating within California’s evolving market make it feel as though we are still navigating the early stages of a startup.
KH: I oversee the creative and marketing divisions of our business, while also stepping into various roles as needed. With a background in public relations and marketing for consumer brands, I was eager to merge my professional experience with my passion for the plant. This has allowed me to create a product offering that I am truly proud of.
SELFiES started due to Chad constantly bringing home new products to try and me not wanting half-smoked joints on our coffee table. I wanted to try everything, but in a smaller format, so Chad started rolling and bringing home smaller and smaller joints. When he got to the .25g minis, we both knew we were on to something- there wasn’t anything in the market like this, this size, this quality – it was unmatched. My biggest issue at the time with the cannabis market was the creative/ marketing; it was either super stoner-like or apothecary-like. I wasn’t drawn to the super-stoner branding, and as appealing as the apothecary-like branding was, I saw it as a disservice to our biggest goal in the industry, which was the destigmatization of the plant. Masking cannabis in packaging that is fit for a pricey candle at a high-end store felt insincere to me. I wanted to shine a light (this is where holographic came into play) on this amazing product we have, and on destigmatizing this wonderful, magical plant we have on our beloved earth. We have a great quality product, and we’re fun and approachable. It was so important to articulate that in our branding.
WB: What about the name?
KH: Chad came up with the name SELFiES, but to be honest, at the time, I wasn’t completely sold on it. Having spent so much time in fashion and being so excited for a meaningful career change, it was hard for me to detach my conceptions at the time of being self-absorbed and the term selfies. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I vividly remember a long conversation Chad and I had about the need for small joints in a pack you could share. We chatted about all the times we shared a joint with strangers and realized, wow, how awesome would it be to be able to share a joint without sharing YOUR joint? Everyone keeps their germs to themselves, but everyone gets to smoke and share the experience together. We also loved the idea of treating yourself whenever that made sense! The size makes it so non-committal I would never feel bad about lighting and enjoying one solo.
WB: What are your six and twelve-month goals? What obstacles do you face? How do you anticipate removing them? Do you have a mentor? When did you first discover cannabis?
KH/CH: 6 Months: Continue to expand and capture market share in California. 12 Months: Expand into other states with the right partners that share a similar vision.
Obstacles: Ever changing regulations, TAXES & AR collections. One of the most significant challenges for brands in California is collecting payments according to the agreed-upon terms. This unpredictability makes it incredibly difficult to maintain an accurate financial forecast, as we’re never certain when—or if—we will be paid. It’s the primary source of stress for us. We are fortunate to have an exceptional, dedicated team, and ensuring we can retain and compensate them fairly and on time is a non-negotiable priority. To mitigate financial uncertainty, we rely on our personal savings to continuously bootstrap the company, taking on the larger financial sacrifices ourselves, along with Tyler, the other co-founder of Heshies. Additionally, we are constantly navigating the complexities of an oversaturated California market (both legal and illegal).
Removing Obstacles – The majority of the obstacles we face are unfortunately beyond our control. Addressing these challenges will require significant policy changes, such as the de-scheduling of cannabis, the passing of the Banking Act, the removal of Section 280E, and improvements in funding—though we are determined to avoid external funding for as long as possible. What we can control, however, is our response to these challenges. Adapting and overcoming the numerous hurdles thrown our way has become our greatest strength. One area where we do have control is in how we navigate the saturated market, continually setting ourselves apart by offering unique, high-quality products.
WB: When did you first discover cannabis?
CH: In high school, I injured my back while lifting weights, and the only relief I found from the pain was through cannabis—rather than the prescription medications my doctor recommended. The day I turned 18, I took my medical records to a physician, obtained my medical cannabis license, and have since been dedicated to creating a product that can provide the same kind of relief for others dealing with pain, anxiety, depression, and other challenges.
KH: My parents may read this, so let’s say I first discovered cannabis at 18 in college in San Francisco (shoutout to Hippie Hill!). I had always struggled with anxiety, although at the time, I didn’t know that was what it was. I just knew that cannabis made me feel better, more at ease, able to process hard things better, and overall just live a better life. And I enjoyed it! Much more than drinking or anything else people were doing.
WB: Circling around to a more personal question, What kind of food do you enjoy when imbibing your products? Do you have a favorite restaurant or meal you like to enjoy when imbibing?
KH: We’re both trying to be healthier currently (it’s the beginning of the year, right?!). After COVID-19, the stresses of the industry, and a heartbreaking 3-year fertility journey, we’re trying to make a concerted effort to prioritize what we’re giving our bodies. Recently, we’ve been devouring The Good Soup by Caroline Chambers. It’s full of veggies and the best thing I’ve made in a while. Maybe it’s ever? I have a huge sweet tooth, so I am constantly trying to find healthier sweet alternatives- currently, lots of dates and chocolate recipes, and we both love popcorn to satisfy any late-night cravings.
More than food after smoking SELFiES, we LOVE experiences. THRIFT SHOPPING- flea markets all over California are one of my favorite things to do and have become one of Chad’s favorite things as well (Long Beach Flea and Alameda are our top picks). So much of our furniture, decor, and clothing comes from thrift shopping; we love the hunt, and we love buying preloved items to help our beloved earth. We also love getting out in nature after enjoying our products; they make us both stop and really appreciate all the beauty around us and focus on gratitude no matter what we are dealing with in life at that time.
WB: What is your passion?
KH: To destigmatize the cannabis plant and provide exceptional products so that many more can experience the incredible healing properties it has to offer because that will make the world a better place.
All photos credit: Selfies
Follow online: https://selfiesbyheshies.com/
