What I Learned From Watching 'Weeds'

The TV show Weeds will kick off its eighth season on Showtime in July. The show, about a widowed mother of two who turns to selling marijuana to make ends meet, has lost a bit of its edge since debuting in 2005. Still, the show has its moments, and there have been some great business school lessons embedded in several episodes.
Doubtful? In the season one finale, Nancy Botwin (played by Mary-Louise Parker) is getting ready to take her pot dealing business to the next level. She assembles a team of specialists, who are then assigned very specific operations. How about that for a lesson in Organizational Behavior, not to mention the concept of creating separate departments for key tasks ranging from R&D (Conrad), legal (Dean), accounting (Doug) and sales (Sanjay). There are profit centers, such as the grow house, and cost centers, such as Andy.
The grow house represents an evolution from selling pot to manufacturing it. Talk about vertical integration! Nancy and Conrad cut out suppliers by developing and producing their own strain of marijuana – the interestingly branded milfweed. They even “secure” a celebrity endorsement from Snoop Dogg (click here to view the scene).
Financial management also becomes a critical part of the storyline. Nancy constantly finds herself doing undesirable jobs because emergencies come up and she is short on cash. Having a reserve is critical to surviving difficult periods in a business venture.
Finally, it is important to know your customer and your competition. Often, Nancy is shafted by rival dealers, rogue agents, and even buyers. Nancy’s naivety dissipates more and more every time she is ripped off and cheated by those around her. It hardens her and makes her a more determined entrepreneur.
Establishing a strong brand is also important. The show’s initial theme song, though initially grating, is almost  as addictive as the show.