Strategic Pause Call — 2026-04-05

Overview

American Extractions (Mark Schweiger, Caitlin Doak) met with Asymmetric (Mark Hope, Karly Oykhman) to formally pause all marketing activities while American Extractions conducts an internal strategic review. The pause is driven by recent regulatory changes affecting hemp-derived THC products. Both parties expect the engagement to resume once the new strategy is defined; the relationship remains warm and intact.

Attendees:
- Mark Hope — Asymmetric
- Karly Oykhman — Asymmetric
- Mark Schweiger — American Extractions
- Caitlin Doak — American Extractions

Key Decisions

• All active marketing is paused immediately, including the Stick Pack Google Ads campaign, social media and blog content creation, and email campaigns.
• Web hosting continues, billed separately; no other invoices will be issued during the pause.
• Ads to be turned off by Karly as the first immediate action.
• Asymmetric will document the status of all active projects by the following day to enable a seamless restart.
• The Fieldwell Health site is nearly complete but will require updates (removing THC product listings, or retaining them given the one-year sell-through window, and adding stick packs) before launch — this work is deferred until re-engagement.

Rationale for Pause

Mark Schweiger cited two primary drivers:

1. Regulatory changes to hemp-derived THC — a ban was passed (reportedly slipped into legislation at the last minute), creating immediate uncertainty about the core product line.
2. Strategic re-evaluation — American Extractions has been moving toward a wellness focus (pre/post-workout, energy, rehydration) and needs time to define and streamline the business before resuming marketing spend.

Mark Schweiger's regulatory outlook: He does not expect a near-term reprieve, citing strong lobbying opposition from the alcohol, pharmaceutical, and marijuana industries. His longer-range speculation is that federal legalization of THC could be used as a political win timed to the midterms, but he treats this as uncertain.

Proposed Pivot Options (from Asymmetric)

Mark Hope proposed three options for generating near-term revenue using American Extractions' existing capabilities, without waiting for the strategic review to conclude:

1. Pet Products

• Rationale: Large, stable market; no new regulatory exposure.
• Angles:
• B2B supply to existing pet brands (white-label / ingredient supply).
• Launch a proprietary American Extractions pet brand.
• Caveat: Not a fast path to hundreds of thousands per month, but meaningful given market size.

2. Non-THC Stick Packs

• Rationale: Leverage existing stick pack manufacturing capability for non-THC formulations.
• Challenge: The hydration stick pack market is crowded; a differentiated angle is required to break through.

3. Mushroom Extracts

• Rationale: High manufacturer demand for clean mushroom extracts — current market options cause muddy color or off-taste in finished products.
• Opportunity: American Extractions' extraction technology may solve this formulation problem, creating a fast path to B2B customers who are actively looking for a solution.
• Mark Hope noted he personally knows multiple manufacturers struggling with this issue.

Mark Schweiger acknowledged all three options positively but indicated the team needs time to decide strategic direction before committing to any pivot.

Project Status at Pause

Action Items

• [ ] Karly Oykhman — Pause the Stick Pack Google Ads campaign immediately.
• [ ] Karly Oykhman — Document the status of all active projects by the following day (2026-04-06).
• [ ] American Extractions — Complete internal strategic review (expected timeline: a few weeks).
• [ ] American Extractions — Notify Asymmetric when ready to re-engage.
• [ ] Mark Hope (standing offer) — Available to participate in strategy sessions in person at no charge if invited.

Notable Transcript Excerpts

"We need to press pause on our current activity with you folks while we do get our act together." — Mark Schweiger

"Stopping marketing generally doesn't ever help… you've got stuff that we could be selling right now." — Mark Hope

"I think, Karly, what we need to do is make very careful notes of exactly where we are on things, so when it's time to pick them back up, we remember what we were doing." — Mark Hope

"We don't want to lose you, Mark, and we don't want to lose Karly." — Mark Schweiger

Related

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