John Ramsay

Former U.S. Army Medic Staff Sergeant committed husband, and father of two children, John Ramsay understood from a young age that he was destined to care for people and use his abilities for good while also being a strong leader. After graduating from high school in Southern California John knew he had to do something meaningful and significant, which led to him joining the U.S.Army where he enlisted from 1997 until 2006 as a Combat Medical Specialist serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Despite the battles John regularly faced, he was always there for his fellow soldiers and assumed a leadership role early, which continued to be a huge part of him as a person and as a professional upon returning home as a Disabled Veteran. The time he served in the military gave him the courage and tenacity to run a well-organized, streamlined, and passionate team of Infinite CBD employees today without losing sight of the mission to help people improve their quality of life.

As the former owner/CEO of the digital marketing agency Center Mass Media, John accumulated a great deal of experience bringing sleek designs and innovative strategy to the table in order to help destigmatize the cannabis industry while also educating people on cannabinoid relief. The Infinite CBD co-founder also focused his energies by building websites, helping with marketing campaigns, designing print materials, and offering his advice to increase user experience optimization. John is frequently chosen to speak at public events and expos highlighting cannabis marketing techniques and more specifically around removing the stigma attached to it.

In addition, John’s prior work exposed him to new technologies and made him aware of the fact that cannabinoids would be isolated at some point in the near future. John’s previous work in the cannabis industry helped him immensely when deciding to forge his own path. The marketing work John’s vast marketing knowledge guided Infinite CBD to capitalize before the extreme rise of most other CBD companies took place.

John jumped headfirst and made it all about CBD due to the medicinal impact and because it is non-psychoactive and non-toxic, so kids and adults alike could consume it without feeling ‘high’. John offered CBD products to military buddies returning from war for anxiety help. After receiving so much positive feedback from friends and family, John knew that launching Infinite CBD was something he needed to do.

In his free time, John is the coach of his 12-year-old son’s football, attends every band recital at school, and shares his love for cars with his son by working on/restoring a 1966 Mustang together.

Where did the idea for Infinite CBD come from?

Infinite CBD’s entire story started when I was the CEO of Center Mass Media, a company that provided full-service digital marketing to the cannabis industry. Our mission was to work toward destigmatizing cannabis culturally by running traditional marketing campaigns and creating cutting edge content which was quite refreshing from the underground where it had come from. At the time, extract methods were getting more finely-tuned and refinement methods were also gaining traction.

I remember when the first CBD Isolate sample arrived. I was so enamored with it being white crystalline and melting clear. Immediately I melted it down in refined coconut oil to put it in clear capsules.

We knew we were onto something, but we didn’t have a clue just how big. My son’s best friend’s father (I know… My sister’s friend’s cousin’s uncle’s dad’s… Lol) has suffered from Lyme’s Disease from a young age.. He is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, camper, dad,. etc. He works for the city I live in and plows the streets in the winter time. He is the Dad everyone wants and the friend everyone hopes to have. He suffers from such pain from Lyme and cannot take anything besides motrin or tylenol providing little to no relief. I suggested he try our CBD capsules, assuring him he would not fail a drug test or put his family in harm’s way.

The next morning, I received a phone call from my friend basically in tears, telling me he slept soundly through the night and has experienced more relief with the CBD product than he had in 20 years. It was then, that I knew that everyone needed access to the very same wellness opportunities. So, along with Stephen Ryan, CMO, and Co-Founder, I created the Infinite CBD brand with the hope of helping infinite people in infinite ways.. And Infinite CBD was born.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Since I was in the Army, my circadian rhythms ensure I am up and at ‘em promptly at 5:00am. I feed my pups, and enjoy a cup of coffee with my wife, Heather. After my morning routine, I jump straight into the mix by examining Infinite CBD’s website for any SEO needs, broken links, etc. Then, I basically run the Infinite CBD ship until 5:00pm (sometimes later).

I push to stay proactive and get out in front of issues that arise daily. Sometimes curve balls come and we are able to make fast moves and pivots to ensure there are no issues. I spend the majority of my days talking to Infinite CBD team members, asking them questions, keeping spirits up, and maintaining the most positive and productive workplace possible. I ask regularly what we could be doing differently and how we can become better and they always have great feedback.

Whenever I find myself with idle time, which is rare ( Example. #1 – Just while writing the answer to this question I was sidetracked four times to consult on other Infinite CBD-needed tasks) – I like to go back through my notes and always ensure I did not leave anything out.

We also use a pretty amazing piece of software that CMO Stephen Ryan identified to keep everyone on the same page and it provides access to everyone in one place. This makes it a little easier.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I am a big idea guy so this one is fun.

Usually, I bring ideas to life by listening to and utilizing the wisdom of my Infinite CBD team members. My chemist for formulation, my partner Stephen and the marketing department for design/package/PR of all products, Then it’s my production manager/team to make the products and my sales management team to sell it. There are so many moving parts to running an organization that already has official functions to add another to bring one of my many (thousands) to life.

As a CEO I am the visionary and the team helps bring all of those things into focus and further into reality. To simplify this process, we have specific procedures to vet new ideas and quickly identify if they would or would not work well in the CBD market. As a team. we will always formulate new ideas and that is one of the many things that sets Infinite CBD apart from its competitors.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I’m excited by our country’s gradual movement toward the end of cannabition. For 70+ years, generations before us stirred up unwarranted societal fears around cannabis, a natural plant that grows directly from the ground just like carrots, beets, or potatoes. Now, 70 years later, we are testing and proving that there very well may be medicinal value in cannabinoids and they might very positively affect the endocannabinoid systems of the human body.

No one ever dreamed when they were 16 years old and covertly buying “Pot” from the neighbor down the street, the true potential for cannabis to help and heal. I am in no way making claims or suggesting that cannabinoids cure or treat any specific conditions or illnesses, but that we could see the end of the criminalization of this plant in the near future is super exciting. The baby boomers were the generation to first open up the narrative. Now, making it publicly acceptable to consume CBD and THC is our job and lights a fire inside me.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

The energy provided from my Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
I like to joke about how my ADD works to my benefit and makes me able to multitask better than most. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was five or six years old. My mom did not trust the pharmaceuticals doctors prescribed for me (likely adderall) and so she just raised me without them. This made school tough at moments and has created challenges throughout my life, but I learned to live with the disorder and make it work for me. Today I consider ADD my super power. I can literally hold multiple conversations at the very same time (without slowing down) and can confidently stay current with all of them.

What advice would you give your younger self?

You can do ANYTHING to which you set your mind. You’ve had it rough up until now, but keep at it, because you have something amazing waiting for you on the other end! And, never ever stop yourself from doing something you want to do because you are worried about what someone else may think of it. No one knows how it should be done, so do it your way.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I cannot think of anything for this question. See, you don’t believe me either but it’s true. Right now, there is not an answer i can come up with for #7.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Take risks – without them you will get nowhere fast..

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Our customer’s experience with our company and the product is our biggest concern. We do everything in our power to ensure that the customer experience provided directly echoes the experience that we originally intended. If not, we actively apologize for missing the mark in that one, isolated circumstance and quickly get to work to provide the customer with the Infinite CBD-level and style of product that we are now known to create..

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Learning the hard way! There are no classes you can take to prepare you for being a pioneer or trailblazer in a new industry.

We bought a softgel encapsulation machine from a Chinese company (to save money) and to make softgels for our customers. As a self-funded startup, we could not afford much, so this machine from China was the most-lucrative, smartest choice. We ended up spending $20K on the machine, $5k in tariffs, and $2.5k in shipping. $27.5k and the machine has never worked once. We never heard back from the vendor and were left with a $27.5K paper weight. We learned quickly that you get what you pay for and sometimes being first to market doesn’t matter when you have not taken into consideration all of the variables for success. Had we planned it better and done our due diligence we would have a working machine now. In the meantime, we pivoted to making a dry formula capsule that works amazingly well within the Infinite CBD brand framework.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A Food Truck concept that only serves cereals from around the world and call it Cereal Killers

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

To preface, I have a back injury from my time in the Army.
I recently bought an Inversion Table for $180 (I know $80 over budget. I am sorry.) and it has changed my life. I spend three minutes on it every day and my back feels stronger than ever.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

SamePage Team Management Software & FreshSales CRM.
SamePage is a team communication software on which all team members from Infinite CBD can hold professional conversation and share Infinite CBD files when needed.
FreshSales is a CRM tool used to manage sales team relationships with our customers..

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things. This book was recommended by Infinite CBD CMO and my original co-founder Stephen Ryan. It definitely feels like the book was written for us and sometimes like the book was written about us..

What is your favorite quote?

“A true leader does not follow the beaten path. He leads from the front and burns a trail behind him.” (I heard it in the Army and never knew where it came from or who said it.).

Key Learnings:

• Don’t be scared to try new things, you never know the path it will take you on
• Always put in the effort, no matter how little or big the task
• Be calculated with your execution. Anyone can have ideas but not everyone can execute