Movers & Shakers Interview With Debra Borchardt

Tell us your name and a little about yourself.

My name is Debra Borchardt and I’m the Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief at the cannabis financial news website Green Market Report. I began my career on Wall Street before leaving the industry to get my Masters degree in Journalism from New York University. Since receiving my degree, I have worked as a financial journalist at TheStreet.com, Forbes and Seeking Alpha before creating my own media company.

What exactly does your company do?

The Green Market Report is a news website that is hyper-focused on covering the cannabis industry from a financial point of view. We create original written and video content on cannabis companies both public and private. www.greenmarketreport.com

What were the biggest challenges you have faced and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenges we have faced have to do with the stigma of working with the cannabis industry. We were initially blacklisted by Facebook as promoting illegal drug use, even though we were clearly a news organization. We eventually overcame this problem by hiring a company that was able to reach into the inner machinery of that company to correct that wrong. Our next biggest challenge will be to convince the major stock exchanges to let us report form their locations. Right now, they will let mainstream news organizations report about cannabis from their floors, but they won’t let GMR. I feel certain at some point we will get treated equally, but for now, the stigma of cannabis remains.

What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?

Look longer range when making decisions as opposed to focusing on the benefits of short-term results.

Who are your biggest influences and people you admire and why?

One of my biggest influences has been Jim Cramer. I admire his work ethic and his ability to do so many things within his life. He’s a best-selling book author with a long-running business television program. He is such a public figure and he somehow manages to deal with the haters that come along with that level of visibility. I love that he also owns a restaurant, which is so outside the box of what you think this person should be. This is a person who lived in his car at one time and now is a successful financial media personality. I truly admire how much he has accomplished.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?

I could not have started my company without the help of my business partner Cynthia Salarizadeh. I am truly grateful for her motivation and support that enabled Green Market Report to come life and quickly gain the respect of our peers in the industry. This company could not have been created without her belief in myself and her dedication to making it happen.

What do you see as your greatest success in life?

My greatest success in life is raising my son to be a good, honest, hard-working person that cares about others. No professional experience can top that achievement.