Anticipation

My buddy and I are anticipating the new laws in our home state and are going to be designing a medium sized indoor grow operation for a medical marijuana dispensary. We're just starting to get really serious about this and are already talking of donating personal money and time to the creation of a collective dispensary. I'm gonna be doing the design and buiding of the grow op and he is going to be handling the leasing of a commerical/retail building. So If you guys have any tips I'd like to hear them.


*****Of course we are not getting equipment or property until the new laws go through and we consult with a lawyer.*****

Do the laws allow you to make a profit? I know some states with positive medical marijuana regulations don't allow dispensary owners make a profit.

The thing about a dispensary currently is that it has to be run as a non-for-profit agency. However you can pay your employees as much as you wish.

Links for cheap/ good equipment? I found a site where I can get 1000W Hps for around 420 dollars a pop. My initial estimates call for 3-6 1000W lights.

Balzac89 said:

My buddy and I are anticipating the new laws in our home state and are going to be designing a medium sized indoor grow operation for a medical marijuana dispensary. We're just starting to get really serious about this and are already talking of donating personal money and time to the creation of a collective dispensary. I'm gonna be doing the design and buiding of the grow op and he is going to be handling the leasing of a commerical/retail building. So If you guys have any tips I'd like to hear them.


*****Of course we are not getting equipment or property until the new laws go through and we consult with a lawyer.*****

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Balzac89 said:

The thing about a dispensary currently is that it has to be run as a non-for-profit agency. However you can pay your employees as much as you wish.

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Not true. Since you are a non-profit, the IRS usually keeps a sharper eye on you. Wages must be competitive for the area, meaning you can't pay the water boy CEO wages. They must be commensurate with the skill requirements of the job.

Balzac89 said:

Links for cheap/ good equipment? I found a site where I can get 1000W Hps for around 420 dollars a pop. My initial estimates call for 3-6 1000W lights.

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It is not as economical to purchase equipment from numerous vendors. Construct a list of materials and submit to several hydro stores as a competitive bid. Make sure to construct the bid such that they know you are also submitting to their competitors. Also convey to the hydro company that you would consider them as the exclusive provider of Nutrients if you wish. Wet the whistle so to speak.

You must keep the mind set that this is a business and run it as such. Get educated, talk to other business owners. Growing is just part of it.

dont wait until the laws go into effect. u need practice?!

if u wanta do it right. build a greenhouse (heated depending where u live. more investment at first but if ur serious...free light is #1 priority. trust me!!!

then u could just grow with organic soil and get killer bud!!!

patlpp said:

It is not as economical to purchase equipment from numerous vendors. Construct a list of materials and submit to several hydro stores as a competitive bid. Make sure to construct the bid such that they know you are also submitting to their competitors. Also convey to the hydro company that you would consider them as the exclusive provider of Nutrients if you wish. Wet the whistle so to speak.

You must keep the mind set that this is a business and run it as such. Get educated, talk to other business owners. Growing is just part of it.

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As a business owner who serves other business owners, I'll second these points with EMPHASIS! This is exactly the kind of mindset that turns an expensive hobby into a profitable business.

Yeah, I am more of the growing aspect of the business. My buddy is going to college for business and is going to work out the money aspect. I am handling the design and creation of the grow op. He is handling all of the retail operations. We are currently working on the costs associated with the setup of the grow op. and retail services. We are currently checking out local retail/commercial property in the area. Theres on good thing about the recession, there is alot of retail/commerical properties available at cheap rates to lease.
We currently have an estimate of around $30,000 to open and run a dispensary for the first five months. The profits involved with the growing and retail sale of medical marijuana. We only need $3,000 to secure the loan from a local credit union. Which we have around $6,000 at the moment.
We plan on being a community based dispensary. Once the business is profitable and we are taking in more than we are paying out we plan to setup scholarships and make donations to local charities.