Hidden Gems: Meet Michael Larson of Summ1t

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Larson.

Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the mountains of Santa Cruz, CA. I decided to pursue a career in Firefighting at the age of 19. I graduated from College of the Siskiyou’s with a 4.0GPA. I then began working as a volunteer Firefighter for Loma Prieta Fire & Rescue. I ran hundreds of emergency calls and was able to help my local community. After a couple of years, the entrepreneur in me wished to challenge myself with new goals. I left the fire service at the age of 21 and began working at a cannabis dispensary Capitola Healing Association (CHAI) in Santa Cruz, CA. I also began working full-time on producing music. In college, I took a music production course at Cabrillo and learned the ins and outs of a daw called Logic. I was hooked ever since! I released some music and after a lot of work, I started playing multiple out of state shows and festivals throughout the west coast. I’ve featured on lineups alongside top-notch talents such as Deltron, Minnesota, Datsik, NastyNasty, G Jones, Love And Light, Mimosa, Brillz, Wreckno and many more. I released music with MalLabel and UnltraGore Records. Life was great but I wasn’t making good money as an underground DJ/Producer. I ended up sleeping on my friend Brennys couch in Felton, CA. I knew I needed to make a change to really set myself up later in life. I wasn’t an A.List artist and I needed to make some money to survive. I learned the Ins and Outs of the cannabis industry at CHAI. I went from an entry-level trimmer to budtender. I was also helping out the owner with events and indoor cultivation. I also learned to extract cannabis there through knowledge from my co/workers. I put in my two weeks notice at CHAI once I knew I was ready to start my own cannabis dispensary. I went up north to Humboldt to work at a cannabis farm and trim. I knew this would be a great way for me to come up with the capitol to start my cannabis business (about 15k at the time) I slept on a thin roll out pad and grinded 12+ hours a day.

After about six months in Humboldt, the harvest was finished and pounds were trimmed! I made about 15k just enough to start my cannabis business! I started a delivery service in Monterey County. It was a calculated move as there was no storefronts at the time. This was the prop 215 era. I spent all 15k on a house to rent, attorneys, and three menu items for my new delivery service “Summit Collective.” I wasn’t sure if I would be able to pay rent the next month. I was ALL IN!! I had basically no money, three menu items on weedmaps and 0 members. We went live and within an hour, the phone rang! Fast forward, we ended up with hundreds of menu items and thousands of members. I started the brand “Summit Boys” at my delivery service. I wanted my own in house brand and the name was perfect! I ended up selling that delivery service to a retail storefront in Seaside. After that, I started working for a cannabis company called Indus Holdings. My co/worker from Indus at the time Anthony and I decided to start our own type 7 manufacturing lab. We won over 15 cannabis cups and came crashing into the California market. We made a name for ourselves and collaborated with some of the best brands and entertainers in the world. HighRise Tv and I decided to start a Cannabis Content Mansion in Beverly Hills. We wanted to take our social media game to the next level and create the ultimate cannabis content house. The house was an instant success; HighRise brought together countless brands and industry professionals. Creating dope ass media and content in the process. I’ve been working on a bunch of music besides cannabis. I’ve rebranded myself lately and released new music under the name “Summ1t.” I recently collaborated with Caskey and released my new EP titled Lucky Charms. It was a project about my experience in the cannabis industry. I’ve also released a single called “Blurry” that’s a hybrid of rap and pop-punk. I recorded Blurry with Kinfolk Jon. It was an epic experience and was enlightening to step outside my comfort zone with a new style of music. Blurry received great feedback and was on a billboard in Times Square! Lately, I’ve been working on more new music and a CBD line. I’m a huge fan of cryptocurrency and look forward to pursuing that industry as well. I like to spend my time traveling, making music and working on new ventures. I came out this last June for Pride month!! Shouts out to the LGBTQ+ community! I also wanted to give a huge shout out to anyone who’s supported me in anyway. This journey would be nothing without the support from my coworkers and friends. I love ya’ll thank you for everything!

Show love, spread love – Michael Larson

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say the road is never smooth for an entrepreneur there is a lot of times where you want to quit or think everything is going to fail. You really need to love what you’re doing to make it through the dark times. My best advice is to just keep finding solutions and push forward! Don’t ever give up on your dreams!!

My biggest struggles along the way were trusting the wrong people or taking on too much for one person. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

As you know, we’re big fans of Summ1t. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m a music producer and rap artist currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. I’m known for being a special guest on SteveWillDoIt and founder of the cannabis brand Summit Boys. I released my first single “National Anthem” under my new alias “Summ1” on March 19th, 2021. I’ve been releasing a lot of music ever since! I’m most proud of our brand winning over 15 cannabis cups and making a huge name in the cannabis industry. I’m really stoked on my single “Blurry” as well!!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
It took me until recently to understand this. For me, success is waking up everyday with enough passive income to do whatever you want with your time. I don’t care about looking rich or living a life others want me to live. I care about being rich and having the freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I want.

Freedom & Options > Liabilities

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/summ1t
• Instagram:@_summ1t
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/summ1tmusic
• Twitter: @_summ1t
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45pjM7rBvVcbfV4cDeUlDw
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/summ1tmusic

Image Credits:
HighRise TV