We collaborate with you to define, prioritize, and plan how to position your company and achieve growth through marketing, advertising, design, and operations.
As a cannabis consultant, our mastery of strategy development and positioning of companies, products, and services set us apart from your average marketing agency, branding company, and PR firm that only focus on those specific services.
Our expertise and knowledge on how to run dispensaries and cultivation facilities, as well as what to include in applications, gives us the ability to write strong applications to put your company in the best position to be awarded a license in whichever state you choose to apply.
We consult with companies that are both new to this space and who are seasoned veterans. There is a lot to consider with operations, whether that be hiring staff, managing a budget, managing inventory, handling deliveries, training staff, dealing with customer service, and much more. With many of our clients, we work directly with the managers of their dispensaries, cultivation, and manufacturing facilities. We understand how cannabis businesses are operated, as we operate many ourselves. If you are new to the space and need help with how to operate a cannabis business while staying compliant, we are the right company for you.
Click here to learn more about our business consulting services.
Having the access to capital is a necessary part to starting your business. If you are applying for a license through the state, you have to show proof of funds as well as financial modeling to show how those funds will be used and what dollars they will generate. We have a background in finance and have experience in this area to be able to guide our clients.
In addition to understanding the financial requirements of operating a cannabis business and how that needs to be reflected on an application, we have also helped several clients raise money to start their cannabis business. As there is little access to institutional capital in this industry, most projects are funded by private investment. We have contacts and relationships with people looking to invest in this space. Our design team has developed many investor decks for clients, which our consulting team helps you to pitch to investors in this space.
Banking in the cannabis industry can be limited, so it is important that you find a good banking partner to work with. Most of the business done in this space is cash only, and we have relationships with secure cash transport providers and banks who are willing to process these payments.
The cannabis industry consists of many regulations and compliance measures that companies and application hopefuls must follow. When submitting any application in any state, there is always a security component. We understand how security and safety need to be incorporated into a floor plan in order to be approved by a state. Security is only one piece of a floorplan but in the eyes of the state, it is the most important. We also think about the customer experience and we work with architects and developers on our clients behalf to bring ours and our clients vision to light. In short, developing a floor plan must be approached to satisfy two different types of thinking – the thinking of regulators and states, and the thinking of the customer.
Some things that you should be thinking about when designing a retail facility are lighting, seating, POS, ATMS, ID checks, security booth, loading zone, office space, retail floor, shelving/casing, and more. When designing cultivation and manufacturing facilities we think about lighting, space for drying and trimming, clone rooms, etc., and how they all fit together.
Most architects, engineers, and construction companies have little to no experience working with licensed cannabis companies. Where we come in, is we help move the process along and navigate regulations as we understand the industry and what needs to happen during the buildout process.
Marketing
Developing a thoughtful and strategic marketing plan is one of the many keys to success when launching a new company, product, or service.
When developing a marketing plan, it’s important to identify on which channels you need to have a presence, what is the strategy for each of those channels, who is going to execute on those strategies, and at what pace will it be done.
We have developed and executed hundreds of marketing plans over the past 11 years. We always develop a marketing plan before executing any marketing initiatives.
Paid media
Determining where to advertise and how to allocate spend to different mediums can be tricky. Billboards, digital, social media, etc. can all be great avenues, but they are not great for every product and brand.
Each company’s goals are different, thus the mediums through which you advertise, as well as, the creative direction for those specific ads should speak to what you are looking to achieve. When developing advertising plans, we dissect all possible advertising mediums, and develop copy and creative.
We work with companies in many areas of the world, including the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East. If you are looking to expand outside of the U.S., or are looking to start your first cannabis business in another area of the world, we are the right partner for you. We have navigated international trade including import/export, international law and compliance, and have done business in different currencies. Cannabis is a global business that is quickly becoming legal in many countries and they are all looking to the U.S. and Canada as a reference point on how to structure legal cannabis trade.
Navigating local government can be tough and a lot of it is based on connections and relationships. We have the experience working with politicians and elected officials across many different governments and we understand the delicate process to be awarded a license to operate in international markets.
As we onboard with a new client or launch a new project we always work to establish a strategy before executing on anything. We are drivers of corporate strategy for large multi-state operators, as well as drivers of fundraising strategies for startups. We are the best strategic partner for any project, because for 11 years, we have done it all, and we have done it well.
