How The Bright Spot Cannabis Dispensary is Succeeding in an Industry Where So Many Struggle to Start

Strategic consultation from an experienced team helped The Bright Spot Cannabis Dispensary overcome industry hurdles to open and operate successfully, with plans for future expansion.

RESULTS

Fully secured local and state licensures

Using BeGreenLegal’s consulting services, The Bright Spot was able to secure their local and state licensures.

RESULTS

Reached first-year customer base goal

The Strategic Marketing Plan from BeGreenLegal helped The Bright Spot meet their first-year customer base goal.

Project Summary

Jim Englebright was an experienced business owner in Fairfield, CA, with a property that had the potential to be a great location for a cannabis dispensary. Although Jim had no practice in the cannabis industry, his business savvy and vision for how cannabis could serve his local elderly community made him an excellent candidate to be a dispensary operator. Jim’s business, The Bright Spot Cannabis Dispensary, partnered with BeGreenLegal very early on in the business development process to help navigate the complex and nuanced city and state licensure process.

The Bright Spot was simultaneously applying for business licensure and preparing to build a structure on Jim’s empty lot. BeGreenLegal consulted with them on important business considerations. We supported Jim in identifying important building considerations and designing an operating plan that would facilitate both licensure approvals and lay the foundation for a successful business. BeGreenLegal’s strategic consultation services allowed The Bright Spot to hit the ground running when it opened, meeting compliance requirements and achieving its first-year goals, with plans for future expansion and long-term operation.

The Challenge

Jim Englebright was well-versed in the automotive industry but found entering the new territory of cannabis to be nerve-wracking. When Jim’s mother-in-law, Doris, needed a different pain management option for her struggles with cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, Jim began to educate himself on the benefits of cannabis. He soon realized how helpful cannabis products, like CBD gummies, could be to the elderly population in his community and knew that this was an exciting opportunity to serve his area.

But Jim also recognized that familiarity with cannabis products was just the beginning when it came to the level of knowledge required to open and operate a cannabis business.

He found the local and state application processes to be confusing and discouraging, many times wondering if the effort to own a cannabis dispensary would even be worth it.

To navigate the challenging regulatory landscape, Jim was going to need to consult with industry experts to help him through the overwhelming process.

On top of the regulatory obstacles, Jim realized that the cannabis industry was financially complicated and fraught with misconceptions around profitability. Due to the fact that most banks won’t loan to cannabis businesses and The Bright Spot was going to be self-funded, he wanted an accurate assessment of the costs and potential financial return before getting too deep into the project. After contacting several cannabis consulting companies, Jim chose BeGreenLegal for our experience, honesty, and optimistic attitude. We knew that while his cannabis knowledge was limited, he had the business experience and work ethic to be able to succeed.

The Solution

BeGreenLegal created several strategic plans for The Bright Spot and facilitated the licensure process at the local and state level.

Local Licensure

BeGreenLegal took the time to understand Jim’s business to ensure we were working toward the same goal. Due to our experience in the cannabis industry, we were already familiar with the consulting company that the city of Fairfield, CA was using to guide their new cannabis dispensary licensure process. This allowed BeGreenLegal to address application questions with the information and level of precision that the city was seeking.

When Jim was confused or overwhelmed by the questions on the local application, BeGreenLegal provided clear answers to all of Jim’s questions to navigate the process successfully and with a sense of security.

State Licensure

Due to our reputation in the state of California, BeGreenLegal was able to handle The Bright Spot’s application process with knowledge and ease. When any questions or issues arose, we handled them calmly and confidently, as we have done so many times before. Much of the knowledge of the cannabis industry comes through experience, a lesson Jim learned firsthand through working with BeGreenLegal.

Strategic Business Plan

BeGreenLegal created a strategic business plan for The Bright Spot, that detailed financial considerations, costs to open, and operating capital needs. This allowed Jim to see how much he would need to invest at various stages of the business and provided a realistic expectation for his potential return.

BeGreenLegal also consulted on the daily operations plan, building layout, and security—all components that were necessary to address for the licensure process. Our plan detailed even the seemingly small considerations, such as what types of door locks to use and where fire extinguishers should be placed.

Strategic Marketing Plan

While Jim and his business partners were able to identify a target market, BeGreenLegal helped them hone in on the details of that market and how to connect with them through a Strategic Marketing Plan. We helped The Bright Spot craft a community outreach program as well. This allowed The Bright Spot to enter a new market and reach its customer base as soon as operations commenced.

Results

Where other consultants were skeptical about Jim’s ability to open and operate a cannabis dispensary, BeGreenLegal was encouraging, providing honest feedback and clear support.

Using BeGreenLegal’s consulting services, The Bright Spot was able to secure their local and state licensures.

We also helped The Bright Spot develop processes to meet regulatory compliance requirements. Our well-rounded offering of services continues to help The Bright Spot address issues as they arise.

The Strategic Marketing Plan from BeGreenLegal helped The Bright Spot meet their first-year customer base goal.

The Bright Spot hopes to replicate this business model in the neighboring town using our strategic consulting plans.

The Bright Spot is optimistic that they will meet their profitability goals. Jim continues to employ our consulting services so that he can create a long-term business that he hopes his children will run in the future. We are proud to be The Bright Spot’s partner in growth.