Business Highdeas first issue

April Business Highdeas

Mercedys M. and Michael Carter

 

Seed Breeder

 

Because Cannabis seeds cannot be sold for cultivation in the U.S., they must instead be marketed as souvenirs or sold strictly for research and medical purposes. Despite these limitations, American breeders have already created an amazing array of domestic Cannabis strains. If talented breeders are willing to venture into this unexplored territory, Cannabis seeds could well become high man (oh, yes) on the U.S. GNP totem.

 

Over the last 40 years, clandestine and close-knit circles have formed to share, spread and breed new American hybrids. These under-the-radar communities have created some of the most famous strains available on the market today. As deregulation progresses, closet breeders who have been unwilling to risk prosecution for sharing their unique strains will undoubtedly emerge and contribute to the burgeoning industry.

 

As this market propagates, the current click-to-ship business model may be expanded upon to create numerous additional revenue avenues for seed breeders. Not only can seeds fetch from $10 to $20 apiece depending on their genetic characteristics and reputation, but the bud itself can be used to make medibles or smokable oil extracts. Offering strain-specific growing classes serves as another potential revenue source. These classes would provide an advantage over competitors by drawing in loyal customers who wish to optimize their productions for their favorite strain. Each strain has its own quirks, and who better to teach you how to tweak your growing system to best compensate for these than the breeders themselves? The possibilities for prosperity are as boundless as the strains themselves.

 

If you love to breed, now is the time to capitalize on this opportunity. Soon you could be earning a living by pioneering new business models, creating your own hybrid strains, and teaching others how to nurture your babies.

 

 

Private Online Grow Consultant

 

The story is all too common. New growers realize they have a problem and so they go shopping, buying all types of expensive equipment that doesn’t even begin to address the real issues with their crops. Most newbies figure this out rather fast when their system is still incapable of growing the bud they dream of, even though they’ve spent thousands of dollars. Frustrated, they give up and sell their equipment at a considerable loss, or gift it to a more experienced friend who will grow for them.

 

This pattern creates an opportunity for an experienced grower to serve as a private grow consultant with a multi-tiered fee structure to address potential clientele. For example, one option could be tailored specifically to new growers to help them design a system that works within the constraints and meets their needs for a one-time fee. The relatively big price tag you could conceivably attach to this option — say, $750 — is still a good value because the newbies not only save considerably on unneeded equipment, but they also cultivate impressive harvests from their very first grow cycle. The win-win is irresistible for them and profitable for you, because it will motivate the new growers to retain you for subsequent grows at best, or at least call you for any future emergencies. Both scenarios can cultivate long-term profit.

 

A retaining fee might provide clients ongoing access to your services so they can call, email, or send videos and pictures to ask questions and get advice. Even if the retaining fee is only $250 per two month grow cycle, you could easily maintain 30 retention clients at a time. So, in exchange for sharing your knowledge about growing, you could be earning $3,750 a month while enjoying the freedom of self-employment. Or you only accept as many clients as your current schedule allows to supplement your existing income in your spare time.

 

As with any cannabusiness, make sure your business practices comply with state regulations. This job has the potential to thrive as the market, and your client base, rapidly expands.

 

 

Storage Unit Dispensaries

 

The invention of secure automated dispensing machines creates numerous possibilities for transforming how dispensaries operate. All of a sudden, it is possible to have a dispensing machine in the back of your store or grow shop. These additions could merely supplement the existing dispensary system, or it could transform it altogether.

 

As the owner of a storage unit complex in a location approved by local regulations to serve as a dispensary, you could create a one-stop-shop for all the Cannabis patients in town. Rather than staff and operate their own dispensary or sell their product at a reduced rate to a dispensary, growers could rent out one of your units and install an automated dispensing machine.

 

This system greatly improves upon the security found at standard dispensaries today. Your staff would verify the identity of all patients before they enter the interior of the storage unit complex, continuously monitored by security cameras. The dispensing machines themselves add another layer of protection with fingerprint recognition and other high-tech security features.

 

Since automated dispensing machines can sell anything, head shops, glass blowers, and others could sell their goods on your premises as well. Such an arrangement would require a bit more creativity in organization — maybe separate the dispensaries from the other goods for security purposes — but allows you to create a one-stop-shop for everything patients need to take their medication. Hell — invest in a few traditional vending machines filled with snack foods and stand back! The possibilities are endless.

 

The overhead costs here would be higher than those of a traditional storage unit company. The advanced security and top-notch professional staff is not going to come cheap, but remember it’s these same features that will bring in premium rates. Technological advances give this old business model jet fuel potential to rocket off the profitability charts. Fire up.