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STORY ADVISING
The links listed below take you to each responsive Case Study.
Click on client's logo or name to be directed to their company site or individual page. Feel free to reach out to them directly for questions and to expand your network.
Dodi Blunts was Oakland’s premier craft blunt founded by retired NFL Player Marshawn Lynch and Abacus Strategy's former Co-founder + Chief Strategy Officer Jeff Goldenberg. It’s the bridge uniting cannabis, sports and culture and is paired with its apparel brand Dodi Supply.
(This product was launched Spring 2021. They rebranded to Flower + Apparel in April 2024.)
THE CHALLENGE
My role wasn't an Advisor here. I was a Creative Strategist and Copywriter working remotely with a varied team scattered across North America.
Jeff was working with multiple teams, so mine was narrowed to him, PR Strategist Crystal, an Executive from Marshawn's company Beast Mode, and Mr. Lynch himself.
I was the anchor for the messaging of the campaign with a vague deadline. I tasked with devising the Key Messaging Strategy and drafting Website Copy PLUS I was to interview Marshawn, then write a manifesto in his voice.
The imaginative challenge wasn't just writing well. It was writing as someone else while staying true to the brand's soul.
Once invited to the Dodi Slack Channel, I set up an Asana Calendar to schedule deadlines and feedback meetings.
Our feedback meetings were video calls. Prior to hopping on those calls, I sent over the draft for the key messaging strategy deck via Canva for commenting, and did the same for the Dodi Blunts website and Marshawn Manifesto in Google Docs.
This allowed meetings to flow easier as there were touchpoints to discuss within our allotted time. Organization, Preparation and consistent lines of Communication through Slack, Asana and Email kept the project moving smoothly.
THE WINS
Our combined efforts set the foundational language for Dodi Blunts to evolve into Dodi Supply and the emergence of Sports Cannabis.
I had an in-depth discussion with the team, including Marshawn Lynch, to get a clear idea of their vision. I then crafted a deck that clearly laid out the key messaging strategy for the website, social media, and press releases.
My work defined the product as "Oakland's premier craft blunt." My copy was paired with stellar photographs for the initial Instagram posts, providing a powerful launch that set the stage for their brand identity.
With a solid story strategy in place, Dodi Blunts launched with a clear, resonant voice that set the foundation for the Dodi Supply rebrand.
"It was a pleasure working with Malainayo. Her ability to translate our ideas and our aesthetic into words was critical to the creation and launch of the Dodi brand.
"By understanding our strategy objectives, Malainayo was able to craft language that created the mood and the vibe of our brand, which was a very challenging task. Would definitely recommend Malainayo for your project"
Jeff Goldenberg, Strategy Director + Co-Founder
Peake ReLeaf (PRL) is an independent and locally owned medical cannabis dispensary in Rockville, Maryland. Founded by 3 friends and Maryland natives Company President Warren Lemley, Executive Vice Presidents Tracey Lancaster-Miller and Nate Miller with the marketing leadership of Kevin Johnson, Peake cultivates a friendly, transparent relationship with patients and influences policies that foster a Colorado-like experience in the Crab State.
THE CHALLENGE
PRL was a frequent business partner from 2018 - 2025. I worked directly with their Director of Marketing, Kevin, who had run into a storytelling and visibility problem.
He was underresourced with executing the dispensary's Video Series "Inside the Industry" and adding In-Store Inventory from their Print-on-Demand Apparel brand.
The hindrance was a lack of Executive buy-in due to budget and staff limits and a content narrative that hadn't been clearly communicated to the people who needed to champion it.
THE SOLUTION
Jeweled Hibiscus Advising
(this was a prototype that shaped this service)
I originally came in for Marketing Operations and Strategy Development, but quickly recognized the deeper issue: the brand's story wasn't landing internally, so it couldn't land externally either.
Aside from Kevin, I had great rapport with the Executive Vice Presidents Tracey and Nate, and a positive in-person experience with Company President Warren. So I was familiar with temperaments. Emily, the Director of Operations, was a bit of a mystery, but she ultimately proved to be level-headed.
The real problem was a lack of clarity on the brand's initiatives and narrative. Everyone deferred to Kevin's marketing expertise, but didn't actually see nor were directly involved with his projects. That meant they couldn't advocate for them.
I established bi-weekly remote meetings with the entire executive team. I invited them to the Asana Calendar I set up, referred to it during meetings where I took notes, and asked for their input. That meant getting them featured in the Video Series and including their concepts for Apparel: they became part of the story, not just observers.
What was most vital was empowering Kevin to view his role not as staff, but as an Executive and to improve how he presented the brand's vision and needs.
THE WINS
Kevin's ideas and resources thrived after my time with PRL. Originally, he was on his own without a marketing team.
Once the EVPs and President could experience what was involved with the content operations, he received support from staff interested in developing content creation skills.
Nowadays, Kevin has a dedicated marketing team that's helped them expand from Instagram onto TikTok.
I also introduced him to my friend John Shute at PufCreativ to refine their Brand Strategy and provide additional marketing support. They're still working with this award-winning cannabis full-stack marketing agency.
Once Tracey got involved with promoting merch that aligned with Maryland's bid for Adult Use, Nate allocated a $1,000 budget to have apparel printed and sold in-store.
Overall, Kevin developed more confidence in his position and increased his visibility in company content and at events.
"We approached Malainayo because we needed additional support with our content strategy and distribution. Her robust and sustainable marketing strategy has fueled our efforts—enhancing our community engagement and brand visibility efforts.
We’ve been extremely happy with the level of professionalism, and overall genuine care, that Malainayo has for her clients’ interests."
"Malainayo's intervention was the catalyst we needed to transform an ambitious but stalled internal creative vision into a high-functioning, scalable content engine that directly supports our community engagement efforts and our long-term market expansion plans.
"By creating a strategic framework and helping to restructure our production workflows to align with our current resource capacity, she ensured that Inside the Industry is a real, sustainable pillar of our growth strategy."
Kevin Johnson, Jr., Director of Marketing
CANNA-HOUSE: Dirty Lemonade
CANNA-HOUSE: Dirty Lemonade
Canna-House is a lifestyle cannabis brand and parent company of the beverage "Dirty Lemonade." Led by the Black male collective of Reggie Keith, Valentino Shine, Rich + James, they successfully transitioned from a Legacy to Legal company in New York's Cannabis Industry.
THE CHALLENGE
Reggie and Kenya had talked for almost a year about setting up Canna-House's bookkeeping. But neither could conceptualize how to make that a reality for the newly legalized business — which meant the brand's operational story wasn't matching its public one.
Another source of conflict was Reggie's workload. He was responsible for picking up and delivering his main product Dirty Lemonade all over New York, plus managing a myriad of other tasks and decisions as a cofounder, husband, and father.
Sitting down to focus proved difficult. Kenya had her own lifestyle demands as a wife and mother of 3. After witnessing my process with taking the lead on cofounding our startup Stash Bag Data a month prior, she asked for my assistance with addressing this operational gap.
THE SOLUTION
Biz + Chill Lore Workshop
(this was the experience that influenced the service)
Reggie, Kenya and I carved out 3 days to establish this new system.
I pinpointed the anchors: New York tax deadlines, weekly check-ins with Kenya's assistant who would handle the bookkeeping, a set day each for Reggie to record receipts.
From there I led our meetings remotely while screen sharing an Asana Calendar, establishing deadlines and assignments for each of them to complete.
THE WINS
Canna-House is a successful brand with a powerful collective and product behind it. This win strengthened their legal staying power and freed up their story to be about growth rather than survival.
I implemented an intensive 3-day sprint to establish their entire accounting system: a sustainable solution built in a matter of hours.
We transformed Canna-House from a brand whose founders were still making deliveries into a structured company, freeing up their time to focus on strategic growth.
By empowering Kenya's assistant with a clear role, we built a reliable bookkeeping system that ensures the brand's financial health without pulling the founders away from their priorities.
"Malainayo really brings a playful but thoughtful perspective to any project. Besides having an insane depth of creativity, she also has the ability to harness that creativity. She’s been instrumental in making sure our project moves forward by providing a structure that holds us accountable while also allowing flexibility when plans or ideas change.
"Every conversation that I’ve ever had with Malainayo has empowered me and given me the confidence that I need to keep moving forward. And not in a fake, motivational way because she’s not the type to tell you what you want to hear. But she sees things from a lens of realistic possibility and that’s amazing.
"I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND MALAINAYO’S SERVICES! If you’re serious about moving a project forward, this is the person to bring on board."
Kenya Alexander, Partnerships + Marketing Specialist at NECANN
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