Meet A.J. Sullins | @highgrade.usa @a.j.sullins

We had the good fortune of connecting with A.J. Sullins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi A.J., do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Great question! As an entrepreneur you MUST have the mind set that failure is not an option. You MUST have faith that even in the hardest times, you can lead a team to over come any obstacle. You MUST have confidence in the lessons you have learned in the past, and confidence in the structure you have built to over come adversity. Compared to being reactionary you must be pro active and confident that you are educated on potential hard ships and your exit plan is always available.

As a business owner, you will face hardships and for me, it always comes down to the numbers. If your analytics and KPI’s show that more money or time invested will not show a return, then your pre created exit plan kicks in. This will still achieve the original goal of receiving the highest return for your efforts. Please don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that you have given up. This means that you had a plan for multiple outcomes for your business and you have now chosen to execute plan B instead of plan A.

After this happens, I suggest you take a second to re asses and determine where your focus will lie. You should pat your self on the back for pushing as hard as you could and that you were prepared for all possible outcome. Having this mind set will ensure that you ELEVATE HIGHER in all that you do.

-A.J. Sullins (High Grade)

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?
I own and operate a large scale cannabis company spread over 4 states. We cultivate, manufacture, extract, infuse, and distribute cannabis with 230,000 sf of cultivation space.

At High Grade, our mantra is to “Elevate Higher.” This mind set is centered around striving do your best in everything that you do in your professional, personal, and spiritual life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Eat: RnR for Brunch in Scottsdale, Chula Seafood for lunch, and Bourbon and Bones for dinner.

I’d take them to lake Pleasant for a day trip and Sedona for a night to hike Devils Bridge.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate this to my Dad, Walter Sullins. As a 40 year entrepreneur and small business owner, he taught me life long personal and professional lessons at an early age. He taught me to prepare for the best and worst but never quit. He taught me to chase my dreams and always stay grateful for my faith.

Website: highgradeusa.com

Instagram: @highgrade.usa @a.j.sullins