Pay Attention to Cannabusiness Technology! Part II
Join us on Thursday, November 7th for part two of a webinar series with Harry Brelsford and Nathan Ware covering the opportunities MSPs can take advantage of in the growing Cannabis industry. With the industry having only been legalized just a few years ago, this is an exciting time to get your foot in the door in a fast-growing industry. During part 2 of this 3 part series, we will be covering a few topics, including:
• What types of technology do they seem to use the most?
• Now that the cannabis business is a few years old, what are some of the mistakes that you’ve seen in regards to how technology is handled?
• What kind of data is being stored and what challenges arise from storing this data?
• Is the government involved in mandating how data is stored or will they be in the future?
• What regulations do you sense will be coming in the future?
• And more!
Should MSPs be Dauntless?
I interview the founders of Dauntless, an independent software vendor (ISV) in the cannabis vertical. While the Dauntless solution spans seed to sale for supply chain management and reporting, the firm emphasized its point-of-sale (POS) solution called Korona at RADexpo in Portland, OR. But the secret sauce is GIANT – a global API that connects the cannabis workflow/reporting to the different state’s cannabis control boards (to report inventory, sales, etc.). This interview ends with a basic question – is the cannabis vertical ready for Managed Services Providers (MSPs) to be dauntless?
read moreReport from RADexpo 2019
Reporting from Portland Oregon at RADexpo (“Retail and Dispensary Expo) – Harry highlights how this show is focused on the downstream third-leg of the stool of the medical and adult use cannabis supply chain. Specific mentions of store design and participating in trade associations are made in this segment. Bottom line – get involved with events and trade groups as your build your professional reputation and expertise in the cannabis vertical. I will attend RADexpo in 2020…
read moreReport from Lemonhaze 2019
A summary of the Lemonhaze event in October 2019 in Tacoma, WA. This two-day conference is oriented to the end of the cannabis supply chain – the retail budtenders inside the dispensaries. So suppliers in the tradeshow hall reflect wares that support the medical and recreational sale and consumption of cannabis. Fun fact: there was a comedy track at this conference to keep it real! Put Lemonhaze on your calendar for 2020 (note it will occur in multiple cities across the country)
read moreRoebuck: Importance of Digital Signage at Dispensaries
This month’s contribution from Duane Roebuck is e3xtremely practical for Managed Services Providers (MSPs) serving the cannabis supply chain (in particular the retailers). Digital signage of commercial quality can be implemented by the MSP to both educate the customer and enhance the shopping experience. For example, in Colorado, there is a waiting room one starts the customer journey in before entering the actual dispensary. That allows for an opportunity to have educational signage (brand awareness, public safety, etc.). Roebuck also shared that digital signage (e.g. video walls) can dramatically improve the customer’s perception of the dispensary as well
read moreWeiss: Here are Topics for a 420MSP Conference!
Contributor Josh Weiss and I had a meetup in Pittsburgh to do an in-person interview as part of the Continuum Navigate conference. We start talking about reinventing yourself – a pillar of a 420MSP community. I float the idea of a Spring 2020 two-day conference for MSPs in the cannabis vertical (hint: Denver, CO). Weiss offers up some content suggestions.
read moreSchwank: Event Idea Validation
This month’s check-in with Colorado MSP Blake Schwank allowed us to float a trial balloon about hosting a two-day Cannabis MSP Technology event in the Spring of 2020. Schwank not only endorsed the idea as a good fit in this emerging vertical but also offered content ideas. Our best guess is to hold it in Denver in April 2020 (buy not on April 20th).
read morePay Attention to Cannabusiness Technology!
Join us on Thursday, October 17th for part one of a webinar series with Harry Brelsford and Nathan Ware covering the opportunities MSPs can take advantage of in the growing Cannabis industry. With the industry having only been legalized just a few years ago, this is an exciting time to get your foot in the door in a fast-growing industry. During part 1 of this 3 part series, we will be covering a few topics, including:
Why does an MSP need to pay attention to the cannabis industry?
What different types of businesses exist in the cannabis industry?
What states have legalized cannabis?
And more!
Schwank Early Bird
Long-time friend of the family, Blake Schwank was a thriving MSP practice in Colorado Springs, CO (Colorado Computer Support www.coloradosupport.com) that is approaching two decades in business with a diverse portfolio of clients. To be blunt – Schwank entered the cannabis technology vertical early in 2016 and had a similar experience about “industry” maturity that we covered with Gordon Carlisle and Todd Whitley from BrightWire in Olympia, Washington in the FIFO* interview. https://420msp.com/2019/09/carlicarli… Observe that Schwank set up a separate corporate entity to engage in the cannabis technology vertical for several important reasons. Enjoy this interview!
Eckburg: Cannabis Related Business Insurance
Steamboat Springs Colorado-based entrepreneur Scott Eckberg has brought his successful career in commercial insurance to focus on the cannabis vertical (with CRB Insurance). It’s a bigger story then simply providing coverage. Its about domain expertise and an emerging professional services echo system focused on the cannabis vertical. Yes – this interview focuses on commercial insurance but just think of the service providers in other area (attorneys, CPAs, etc.). Why should you the Managed Services Provider care? At a basic level you could cross-refer good business back and forth with other service providers.
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