Why I Joined Inner Circle - Kyle Dammann's Story - Part 1
Rewind: It’s spring 2019 in Pennsylvania, and I’m observing a bee colony (at a friend’s farm).
“Bing!” I get a text:
“Call me when you can.”
It was the founder and CEO of Inner Circle, Matt Ritchey.
“Bing,” at that exact moment, a bee flew right into the middle of my forehead and harmlessly bounced off.
*Some colonies of bees are more aggressive than others, and this was a warning shot. *Bees are not careless flyers. **I was warned that this colony specifically had an…attitude.
This article is also about the crime, aggression, and depravity present on our city streets and what we are doing about it.
Scarcity breeds aggression. Aggression breeds more aggression.
Leaders are cycle breakers.
Are you a cycle breaker?
Our cities are concentrated culture farms, and we must nourish them diligently.
This two-part series provides clear, science-backed answers that we are already building inside our network of plant medicine pioneers and leaders.
For me, it all started with that text.
A team-building strategist for companies like Airbnb, Facebook, and his family businesses, I knew Matt knew his stuff.
The trouble was that I had just exited a project and was taking a much-needed break.
I was busy bee-watching.
His text that day was to ask me a question.
A question that would change my life.
On our call, he said: “Kyle, I want you to lead our operations and marketing for our plant medicine accelerator network Inner Circle.”
From a previous convo, I knew what he was up to (generally,) and as honored as I was to receive the invitation, I hesitated.
I knew full well the industry was a Wild West, (and told him as much), to which he then said EXACTLY. That’s why we need to get started NOW.
I knew he was right.
What to do?
I was already convinced that I wanted to focus on tech and sales automations, and again, Matt said, “EXACTLY! That’s why we need your help.”
As someone who clearly had options for who he wanted to work with, I felt honored, but I told him I needed a few days before I made a decision.
It wasn’t more than a few days, and I got another text from him:
When do you want to get started?
“Now,” I said.
From that moment in the Spring of 2019, we started building, and we haven’t looked back since.
THEN : Just about the time we started, so did COVID, and our in-person marketing plan collapsed and drove us (*and everyone else to primarily online.)
To succeed in business, you have to be able to stay in business.
It turned out to be perfect.
It saved us money and allowed us to scale our impact.
Now, here we are 80 members strong, and there is no sign of slowing down.
“Inner Circle 2.0” is almost ready to launch, and I couldn’t be more excited.
It’s the biggest, most dynamic membership platform build I’ve ever directed.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but Matt knew it would be worth it.
Inner Circle Commercial (who should apply)
100% of our platform is geared towards helping teams make meaningful progress in key areas.
We Cover : Funding – Compliance – Team Building – Sales Funnel Dev. – Automations
Inner Circle is a place where leaders running legal businesses can learn, network, verify, and do good business together while navigating (carefully) both local and federal policy, which is a rapidly shifting landscape and will be for some time.
Your business (or business idea) probably isn’t as different as you think.
Psychedelics and (emerging plant medicines) work a lot like any restricted industry in the USA.
We are seeing incredible things happen that many said were impossible.
Don’t let your current sample of the landscape prevent you from moving forward if you feel called to plant medicine like we did.
Also, do not hide behind the “my business is different” illusion. Most of the problems you need to solve, we’ve already mapped and have easy installation and set-up SOPs ready to teach you and your team.
If you are in plant medicine, are thinking about starting a business in the space, or are thinking about bringing your professional service to the leaders in this space, take these words to heart :
1. Register your business and base your bank account in a region where you feel you will be best supported by your community. Then, run your business with the standards and integrity of a business in the medical industry.
With 100,000 people dying per year our leaders need your insight and commitment to providing high-integrity services and products for your community.
As someone who has personally been affected by a family member and addiction, I know two things for sure :
2. We shouldn’t treat people seeking relief, healing, and help with a criminal system. Otherwise, we turn them into criminals.
3. We don’t need to fund another billion dollars in research to give our communities safe, healthy, and easy access to nature’s pharmacy.
***Yes, of course, these compounds must be researched and appropriately regulated (relative to their safety/risks), and from there, we need to largely get out of the way.
At all times and in all economies, it’s the people who take a stand and lead with courage (and intelligence) that win in the long run and (typically) stand in the right “place” as our industry fully comes online.
These are the very early days of this new form of therapy, treatment, and medicine.
Because of our platform, Matt and I get to sit at the table where lots of deals are made and money is moved.
To grow this industry, we need your help, skills, and services. The people have already spoken, and the demand is already there, but it’s still very much “Wild West.”
To learn all our hard-earned secrets, you’ll need to become a member, but if you want to do a high-tempo summary, we will continue in Part 2.
Is your legacy calling?
Are you tired of corporate money-chasing and traumatized “greed is good” leaders who expect you to serve at the altar of power and money?
We are hiring and training more people than ever.
The Apply button will fill you in on the rest of the story.
The TRUE wealth of a nation is not in its currency but rather in the heart, health, and spirit of its people.
Here is what we are doing about it.
Please join us at our next event or apply to join the network.
Is Inner Circle Right For You?
Kyle Dammann
Kyle Dammann is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, team builder, and automation expert.
After a family member fell into a life-threatening addiction and his own experiences with plant medicine, he decided to dedicate his time and skills to legitimizing and accelerating the birth of the plant medicine industry.
Kyle believes that access to nature’s pharmacy is a fundamental human right and that all adults should have reliable access to these proven and safe compounds.
