Daniela Williams, Chief Growth Officer for Paylient – Interview Series

Although most cannabis companies are still relatively young overall and admittedly aren’t as large as Amazon (AMZN ), having an involved HR department is still crucial. Especially in an industry as professionally uncharted and new as the American cannabis industry, having access to proper HR services is vital for employees. For a deeper understanding of the significant importance of having dedicated HR professionals working with cannabis companies, mycannabis.com had the pleasure of speaking with Daniela Williams, Chief Growth Officer at Paylient.

What subjects did you primarily study at first, Cal State Northridge, and then the University of Phoenix?

I earned my undergrad degree in psychology from Cal State Northridge. I earned my MBA from the University of Phoenix.  

How would you say that having both a Bachelor’s in Psychology and an MBA has strengthened your understanding and success in the fields of human resources and HR solutions? 

Having a background in both psychology and business has given me a unique perspective on human resources. My psychology degree helps me understand people. What motivates them, how they communicate, and the dynamics that drive workplace culture. At the same time, my MBA gave me the financial, operational, and strategic tools to see how those human elements connect directly to business outcomes.

When you bring those two together, you’re able to design HR solutions that don’t just check a compliance box, but actually improve employee experience, retention, and performance in a way that strengthens the bottom line. In industries like cannabis, where regulatory complexity and rapid growth create constant challenges, having that dual lens, people and business, allows me to help operators mitigate risks, scale responsibly, and build workforces that truly support long-term success.

What were some of your regular duties as Vice President of Business Development for the University of Phoenix? How did your role help expand the services and courses offered by the online platform? 

As Vice President of Business Development for University of Phoenix, my role was centered on building partnerships that connected education to workforce needs. I worked closely with businesses, community organizations, and government agencies to identify skill gaps and then helped shape programs that addressed those real-world challenges.

On a day-to-day level, that meant developing strategic relationships, negotiating partnerships, and collaborating with academic teams to ensure our courses and degree programs aligned with what employers were truly looking for. I was also deeply involved in creating initiatives that supported working adults such as making higher education more accessible, flexible, and career-focused.

Through this work, we were able to expand the University’s reach, offer more targeted programs, and position the platform as not just an online university, but a partner in workforce development. It taught me a lot about scaling services to meet evolving industries. This is a lesson that translates directly into the work I do now helping businesses in complex spaces like cannabis.

During your roles with ADP, Salesforce (CRM ), and other large companies that you worked with, what were the most important lessons in business ownership and management that you learned that later became useful in running Paylient?

Working with large organizations like ADP and Salesforce gave me a front-row seat to what it takes to scale a business successfully. It also showed me what pitfalls to avoid. From ADP, I learned the importance of precision and compliance. When you’re dealing with payroll, HR, and people’s livelihoods, accuracy and risk management are non-negotiable. Salesforce, on the other hand, taught me the power of systems, technology, and data. I learned how leveraging the right tools can transform customer relationships and fuel growth.

But beyond processes and platforms, the biggest lesson I carried forward was that business ownership is ultimately about people. A company succeeds when it invests in its workforce, builds trust, and leads with both vision and accountability. Those lessons became the foundation for Paylient. The company blends compliance, technology, and human-centered leadership to support cannabis operators in running stronger, safer, and more sustainable businesses.

What caught your professional attention about the Chief Growth Officer role with Paylient? How would you say the company stood out against other companies you’ve previously worked for? 

What immediately caught my attention about the Chief Growth Officer role at Paylient was that it was in cannabis. Cannabis is an industry that carries a personal connection for me. My dad was a lifelong proponent of the plant, both medicinally and recreationally, and he passed away before he was able to see legalization and the broader acceptance that exists today. For me, stepping into this role felt like a way of working alongside him every day and honoring something he was so passionate about.

What truly sets Paylient apart is that it’s mission-driven. We entered this space with one clear goal: to make the plant more accessible by supporting the people and businesses behind it. Cannabis operators are often underserved, they face hurdles in accessing basic services like payroll, HR, benefits, and workers’ comp that are standard in other industries. That gap impacts not only the business owners, but also the employees, who in many cases are left without direct deposit, benefits, retirement plans, or an HR team ensuring they’re protected and compliant with labor laws.

At Paylient, we’re changing that. We believe cannabis employees deserve the same protections, opportunities, and benefits as anyone else in the workforce. Operators should have the tools they need to build compliant, thriving businesses. That purpose-driven mission is what sets us apart, and it’s why I felt called to this role.

From the cannabis brands and companies that Paylient has worked with, what have been the widespread issues regarding having a properly working HR department? Why are those causes all so common across businesses in the cannabis industry?

One of the biggest issues we see across cannabis companies is that HR simply doesn’t exist in a meaningful way. Many operators don’t have a clear understanding of what HR really is, what the employee lifecycle looks like, or how critical it is to the health of their business. Too often, HR is treated as an afterthought. It’s something to “check the box” with a payroll company so they feel legitimate, but payroll alone doesn’t cover the full scope of compliance or workforce management.

The reality is, cannabis businesses are still businesses. They have to comply with the same labor laws, OSHA regulations, and wage-and-hour rules as any other industry. That means correctly classifying employees, implementing proper processes, and having systems in place to protect both the company and its people. Instead, what we often see is someone’s relative or a “nice person” being put into an HR role without the expertise, structure, or tools to make it effective.

That gap is why so many cannabis operators struggle with turnover, lawsuits, or regulatory fines. It’s not because they don’t care about their people. It’s because they haven’t had the resources or education to understand how critical HR is. At Paylient, our mission is to close that gap, bring structure and compliance into the industry, and give cannabis businesses the same foundation for success that any other sector takes for granted.

Despite having very different levels of federal legality, what are some frequently occurring HR-related issues that happen in both the cannabis industry and the industries you previously worked with while employed at ADP and Salesforce?  

What’s interesting is that while cannabis has its own unique challenges because of federal illegality, the core HR issues I see are actually very similar to those I saw while at ADP. Across every industry, businesses struggle with things like employee misclassification, wage-and-hour compliance, proper onboarding, workplace safety, and employee relations. These are universal challenges. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a tech startup, a manufacturing plant, or a cannabis operator.

The difference in cannabis is that those issues are magnified because operators don’t have the same access to resources and education that other industries do. At ADP, clients could easily integrate payroll, benefits, compliance tools, and HR support. In cannabis, many operators still think HR begins and ends with running payroll. This leaves massive gaps around OSHA compliance, labor law adherence, and employee protections.

The issues themselves are not new, but the cannabis industry often faces them without the infrastructure, support, or margin for error that more traditional businesses have. That’s why solutions like Paylient are so important: we take the best practices I saw across industries at ADP and adapt them to fit the unique realities of cannabis.

Conversely, what are some HR-related matters that are unique to mainly just the cannabis industry? Does the federal status of cannabis and the overall youth of the industry cause issues surrounding HR, or do other factors cause those issues? 

Cannabis absolutely faces HR challenges that are unique, and many of them trace back to its federal status. Because traditional banks, insurers, and benefit providers often won’t work with cannabis, operators are left without the basics: direct deposit, 401(k) plans, or standard health coverage. That means employees are often paid in cash or through clunky workarounds, which exposes businesses to wage-and-hour violations, IRS scrutiny, and a higher risk of theft or fraud.

On top of that, the lack of infrastructure creates dangerous blind spots around compliance. I’ve seen operators misclassify workers, skip mandatory OSHA training, or ignore recordkeeping requirements simply because they didn’t know any better. But regulators don’t give cannabis a pass and the average OSHA fine can run tens of thousands of dollars, while a wage-and-hour lawsuit can cripple a business financially.

What makes cannabis unique is the double pressure: federal barriers on one side, and startup-style growing pains on the other. Entrepreneurs enter the space passionate about the plant, but without the systems or support to protect their employees and operations. That’s why HR can’t be an afterthought here. It’s the difference between staying in business and losing everything.

At Paylient, our mission is to close that gap: to make sure cannabis operators don’t just “get by,” but actually run compliant, sustainable businesses where employees are protected and businesses can thrive long term.

In general, why would it be beneficial for a cannabis company to utilize a professional employer organization (PEO) like Paylient to handle HR-related matters? 

For cannabis operators, partnering with a professional employer organization like Paylient isn’t just a convenience, it’s a strategic advantage. Studies show that companies using a PEO grow 7–9% faster, have 10–14% lower employee turnover, and are 50% less likely to go out of business compared to peers without one (National Association of PEOs, 2023). In cannabis, where margins are tight and regulatory risk is high, those differences can determine whether a business survives or fails.

The federal status of cannabis makes HR even more challenging: many operators can’t access traditional payroll providers, benefits packages, or workers’ comp carriers. Without proper systems, they expose themselves to risks like OSHA fines of up to $165,514 per violation or employment lawsuits that can easily cost $75,000–$160,000 to defend. A PEO closes those gaps, ensuring employees receive direct deposit, benefits, and protections, while businesses stay compliant with labor laws, OSHA requirements, and wage-and-hour rules.

What makes this so meaningful is the human side. Cannabis employees deserve the same protections, benefits, and career opportunities as workers in any other industry. A PEO provides that infrastructure, while giving owners the peace of mind to focus on growth, operations, and the mission behind the plant. In short, Paylient levels the playing field and protects cannabis operators from risk while elevating the workforce that powers this industry.

If a federal rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III of cannabis is implemented, how would that impact HR departments and operations at cannabis companies?    

If cannabis is rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III, it would mark one of the most significant turning points in the industry’s history, and HR would feel the effects immediately. Rescheduling would lift the 280E tax restrictions, which today strip away up to 70% of taxable income for operators. With that burden gone, businesses would finally have the financial room to reinvest in their people. That means offering competitive benefits, professional development, and building HR departments that can support long-term growth.

It would also likely expand access to traditional banking, insurance, and benefit providers. For employees, that means paychecks through direct deposit instead of cash, access to health insurance and retirement plans, and the ability to apply for mortgages or loans without stigma. For HR teams, it means creating workforce programs that mirror other industries like structured onboarding, compliance training, retention initiatives, and career paths.

But rescheduling won’t just open doors, it will also amplify scrutiny. Cannabis is already one of the most heavily regulated industries, and federal recognition would add another layer. Operators would now need to ensure they’re compliant not just with state and local rules, but also with federal labor, OSHA, and workplace laws. Instead of reducing compliance pressure, Schedule III will put even more eyes on how cannabis companies operate, making it critical to have policies, systems, and safeguards in place.

In short, Schedule III has the potential to legitimize the industry in new ways, but it also raises the bar. The companies that thrive will be the ones that not only take advantage of the financial and institutional benefits, but also double down on compliance, workforce protections, and building HR foundations that stand up to increased scrutiny.

Thank you for joining us, Daniela! For more information on Paylient, please visit its website.