An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Persevere, DON’T QUIT: Staying in business is not easy, there will be times when you want to quit and it is during those times that you have to persevere and stay focused on your goal.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peggy Brug.
Peggy Brug is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of MRNG, a luxury CBD-infused cosmetic wellness collection consciously-created with your body and spirit in mind. MRNG products are made with premium CBD from US grown hemp blended with nutrient-rich, organic, vegan and clean ingredients. The products are genderless, multi-use and make every morning worth waking up for!
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
At 91 years wise in 2018, “Ma” Helene Hermine Brug (co-founder Peggy Brug’s mother) managed an active “snowbird” lifestyle despite having Parkinson’s disease and congestive heart failure. In the summer of 2018, an unfortunate fall caused two pelvic fractures and havoc to Ma’s life. Excruciating pain due to the fractures prevented physical therapy and significantly limited Ma’s mobility. Doctors prescribed narcotics for that severity of pain, but Ma refused to take them. A family friend recommended and provided a cannabis topical. The cannabis salve worked wonders, and in a short period of time, Ma was able to restart physical therapy, her outings, and resumed her travels between New Jersey and Florida, until her passing due to natural causes in March 2021. Ma’s cannabis experience ignited her daughter Peggy’s curiosity and learning. Peggy and some friends started a cannabis journey that explored the inequities and the opportunities in the emerging industry. In 2019, the ladies established Ecquinabis, a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm, and in 2021 MRNG, a hemp CBD cosmetic wellness line.
Think of the African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child” then apply the principle to an entrepreneurial venture. The result is: “It takes a village to build a business.” The MRNG team is a village: not one individual but “The Collective”: we are multi-generational, culturally diverse, possess varied skills, work experiences and educational levels. Each member is gifted and talented with a unifying desire to be a positive force in the global cannabis industry.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
MRNG is a luxury, THC-free CBD, genderless, cosmetic wellness collection. MRNG tailored, independently tested, premium CBD from US grown hemp and other natural botanicals into custom formulas beneficial for all skin tones and hair textures. MRNG curated nutrient-rich: organic, vegan and clean ingredients, multi-use and simple unisex applications with a purposeful purchase.
MRNG is part of a disruptive industry — the cannabis industry. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 signed by President Trump ultimately legalized hemp (i.e., the cannabis plant with .3% or less of THC [tetrahydrocannabinol: commonly known as the psychoactive component of cannabis]) pursuant to a controlled regulatory scheme. So, consumers can purchase MRNG products from all 50 states.
What is most interesting in the United States and globally, prohibitions against cannabis are being repealed for both medical and recreational purposes. The legalization of cannabis is disruptive to the criminal justice system. In addition, the cannabis plant is being re-discovered: hemp-based CBD products are disruptive to the wellness, cosmetic and nutraceutical industries, recreational cannabis is disruptive to the alcohol and tobacco industries, medical cannabis is disruptive to the pharmaceutical industry, and hemp products are disruptive to textiles, paper production and much more.
As Black and Brown women in this globally emerging industry that is federally prohibited, highly regulated and financially burdensome, our mere presence is disruptive. It is generally acknowledged that Black and Brown individuals were disproportionately incarcerated for cannabis use, despite similar usage rates by the majority, and that communities of color were devastated by the failed War on Drugs. Black and Brown individuals/communities are nominally benefiting from the vast entrepreneurial and employment opportunities offered by the nascent cannabis industry. Nevertheless, MRNG and other Black and Brown owned brands work daily diligently to build sustainable economic opportunities for individuals/communities, working with allies and being vocal advocates, entrepreneurs, regulators and consumers.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
A wise member of the Collective was quite reluctant and scared to share with her religious Mother that she was involved with the cannabis industry despite being “grown.” Her fear was that she’d be admonished and reminded that she “wasn’t raised that way.” She didn’t tell her mother about the new venture until it was launch time. To our member’s surprise, Mom approved and is a staunch supporter of the MRNG line and a highly satisfied consumer of the MRNG Body Crème. The lesson learned — Don’t make assumptions: about your market, customers, suppliers, employees, or business partners. Share your story: loudly and proudly — you never know whose interest you will peak, what insight they may share and ultimately who will become a happy customer. If you are participating in an emerging industry, you never know who will be an “early-adapter” of your product/service and cheer leader for your business.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Absolutely, this statement is so true whether you need a little help or if it is something you think is monumental. Pamela Brug who is the sister of Peggy Brug, and John Bailey both have been instrumental mentors. We needed access to specific information for a client. Our resources proved limiting and unfruitful. We sought Dr. Brug’s assistance due to her expansive network and ability to build diverse relationships. Dr. Brug not only provided introductions to an influential contact but also shared the 7 points of contact theory. Her contact provided timely and necessary information for our client. We learned that the way we were using our network was limiting and that we need to be more proactive and continuously add to that network. Mr. Bailey is a national expert in the cannabis industry, focused on equity for Black individuals/communities. During the pandemic, he conveyed dynamic virtual conferences focused on the Black cannabis equity movement. At that time, we had just started and were completely green, but had a great desire to make a difference in this industry. At the close of the conference, I emailed a thank you and later called Mr. Bailey. He picked up the telephone and he said “who are you?” I introduced our business and he has been our mentor ever since. Through the year, he provided and continues to provide exposure, networks, wisdom, guidance, asks hard questions and expects results. That is how we met our Accountability Coach.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
From our vantage point, as Black and Brown career women, disrupting the system or structure of an industry is always good. As the late Congressman John Lewis claimed, we want to get into “good trouble.” Disruptive behavior opens doors, changes mindset, creates innovation and increases productivity. As noted, the cannabis plant is pushing boundaries and ushering in entrepreneurial opportunities that involve plant-touching as well as non-plant touching work. However, when it comes to the involvement of women and racial minorities, at all levels in the industry, cannabis does not produce a “high:”
According to the 2022 report, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry,” women holding executive positions in the cannabis industry grew by only a percentage point over the past year, to 23.1%. That’s down sharply from 36.8% in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The number is also below national averages for all businesses. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 29.1% of chief executives at mainstream companies in 2021 were women, a number that has been rising steadily since the government started tracking the statistic in 2003.
In the cannabis space, executive positions held by racial minorities fell to a new low for the group since MJBizDaily began tracking the number in 2017, dropping to 12.1% in 2022 from 13.1% in 2021. That’s well below the average for all U.S. businesses: The BLS estimated last year that racial minorities accounted for 20.1% of all CEOs.
Given these statistics, The Collective feels compelled to challenge the status quo and be a part of the solution to disrupt the cannabis industry.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
1. BE PREPARED
2. KNOW WHEN TO PIVOT
3. PERSEVERE, DON’T QUIT
Be Prepared: Become an industry expert and assemble a “bench” of resources/partners
Know When to Pivot: Incorporate flexibility: if what you are doing is not getting results, you may need to reach your objective in a different manner.
Persevere, DON’T QUIT: Staying in business is not easy, there will be times when you want to quit and it is during those times that you have to persevere and stay focused on your goal.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
We need to keep focused on our current business ventures. However, areas of interest always involve education and R&D.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Access to capital and bias in the business world (conscious & unconscious)
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
The Bible as a spiritual guide, not as religious doctrine, for maximizing individual and collective best lives. It provides hope and strategies for perseverance. Its principles can be applied to the community, our business endeavors and our everyday lives.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Self-Love: If we (individuals, systems and structures) gave each person the space to accept himself/herself/themselves collectively, we would open the door to massive creativity, innovation and productivity.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The “Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. We all want to be treated fairly and with respect.
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” If you want to accomplish something, you must do the work with a deadline — otherwise it is simply a wish.
How can our readers follow you online?
Website: https://goodmrng.com/
Instagram: @goodmrngcbd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodmrngcbd
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Female Disruptors: Peggy Brug of MRNG On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.