Donny Sun
In our tenth year, we are featuring Donny Sun, as Co-founder of LYT Holdings, we celebrate Donny’s contributions to the cannabis industry. As the driving force behind Leaflettes, 3 L Distribution, Agrowth Corp, Essentia Scientific, and Coast Smokes, Sun has played a pivotal role in shaping the sector. His leadership has fostered innovation and advocacy, particularly within the Asian American community, championing education and accessibility in cannabis. - Ophelia Chong
When did you first step into the cannabis industry?
I stepped into the cannabis industry in 2017 with the launch of Leaflettes, our first brand. At the time, we saw a clear gap—too many products were either overpriced or lacked consistency. Our goal was to create cannabis products that were affordable, high-quality, and scalable.What really pushed me into this space was personal. Cannabis helped cure my father’s migraines when nothing else worked. Around that same time, I had a conversation with my business partner, Lawrence Ji, and we both realized the medicinal benefits of cannabis were far greater than what most people expected. We looked back at the 1930s and compared cannabis prohibition to pre-ban alcohol—it felt clear to us that cannabis could become even bigger than liquor and tobacco combined.
What was your initial role, and where has your journey led you today?
In the beginning, I was involved in everything—building supply chains, launching products, managing compliance, and working directly with partners to get things off the ground. I’ve always viewed every company like a supply chain. If you don’t understand each link, your business gets stuck. That mindset helped shape how we scaled our operations.
Today, I serve as President and Co-founder of LYT Holdings, the parent company of Leaflettes, 3 L Distribution, Agrowth Corp, Essentia Scientific, and Coast Smokes. My day-to-day is most focused on our cannabis operations—especially Leaflettes and 3LD. One of our proudest recent milestones is working with Carma Holdings on licensing the Mike Tyson brand, Tyson 2.0, for California. We’ve built a strong foundation and continue to focus on innovation, execution, and long-term growth.
What advice would you offer to someone looking to enter the cannabis industry?
Don’t enter—just kidding. But seriously, this is a fast-moving, constantly shifting industry. The best thing you can do is solve real problems. The strongest ideas come from identifying gaps—whether that’s pricing, product quality, or operational pain points.
Also, don’t chase hype. That’s one of the biggest mistakes I see. Listen to the consumer, gather accurate data, and understand what you’re actually capable of doing. Learn how to walk before you try to run.
If someone asked me whether they should invest $100K into cannabis right now, I’d tell them to wait. Let the market stabilize a bit. In the meantime, study the landscape and get your foundation right.
And most importantly, stay hands-on and stay inspired. I get my motivation from the people I work with—my team, my partners, and the consumers who use our products. When I see that we’re creating jobs, improving access, and genuinely giving people a better experience, that’s what fuels me to keep going.
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