Law 12: Do It Right the First Time

Judgment: The only thing worse than doing something you don’t want to do… is doing it twice.

Introduction

In cannabis, time is the most expensive thing you have—and doing things halfway is the fastest way to waste it.

You think you’re saving time by skipping steps, half-measuring, cutting corners. But what you’re really doing is writing yourself into a sequel: one where you get to do it all again, except now with more pressure, more people watching, and less trust.

Half-ass work is the most expensive work there is.

Transgression of the Law

A packaging team was rushing to get a new SKU on shelves before the weekend. Labels weren’t checked, weights weren’t verified, and the COA was uploaded with the wrong batch ID.

They hit the deadline.

And a week later, they hit a recall.

Every unit had to be pulled.

Thousands in lost product.

Dozens of labor hours wasted fixing something that could’ve been avoided with 10 extra minutes of doing it right the first time.

That team didn’t just blow a deadline—they blew credibility.

And the brand paid the price.

Observance of the Law

A lead intake manager was known for moving slow—but clean. Every product came in, got double-checked, logged, tagged, and locked. No shortcuts. No assumptions.

Coworkers complained at first.

“It shouldn’t take this long.”

“You’re overdoing it.”

Until one day, a mispackaged product from a vendor showed up.

Everyone missed it—except her.

She flagged it before it hit the shelf.

That one catch saved the store from a regulatory citation and possibly a license fine.

No one called her slow after that.

Interpretation

This industry doesn’t forgive carelessness. It’s tightly regulated, brutally fast-moving, and stacked with consequences for sloppy work.

Doing it right the first time doesn’t mean being slow—it means being present. It means respecting the process and understanding that redoing work isn’t just frustrating—it’s expensive. It drains time, money, energy, and morale.

Discipline in the moment is cheaper than damage control down the line.

Keys to Power (How to Use It):

• Follow the checklist. If there isn’t one, write one.

• Respect every step—even the ones that feel boring.

• Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

• Call out sloppiness, even if it’s uncomfortable.

• Own the outcome. If your name’s on it, it better be right.

Reversal (When It Might Not Apply):

In a live fire situation—emergency batch, broken equipment, holiday chaos—sometimes you have to move dirty. But that’s the exception, not the rule. And when you do it? Own the risk. Flag the rework before someone else finds it.

Margin Notes:

“Do it right the first time, or don’t do it at all.”

“Your future self is watching—don’t screw them over.”

“If you have time to redo it, you had time to do it right.”