Quote Originally Posted by MoHoGrow
Thank you kindly.

We've already secured $90K or so and are quite a ways along in our quest for a license (which we realize is a long shot, but plan to go for it). I am confident I could get a dispensary off the ground for $90K and our business plan draft supports that notion thus far, but I also feel pretty confident that anyone lucky enough to be granted a license is going to have investors who were denied a license coming out of the woodwork wanting to get involved.

You are so right about people changing their minds; we've had 6-8 interested lendors tota; 5 of them have gotten cold feet. Not everyone is cut out for this type of investment.

So I'm not a grower looking for a job so much as I am a potential dispensary co-director who is starting to feel like there are too many sharks and thieves in the dispensary industry and not enough truly talented, compassionate, generous people who know the true meaning of community.

So if I am better served on a personal level by offering my master growing talents and top shelf organic medicine to a broader swath of dispensaries/individual, I may end up going down that road in lieu of operating a dispensary here in Yavapai Co.

However, I do not see yet where Prop 203 allows for independent growers to contract with dispensaries to grow their medicine, as is the case in other MMJ states. It sounds to me more like each dispensary will need a salaried FT master grower to head up the cultivation facility and then 1-3 assistant growers to support him/her.

Maybe we should talk. You can open a dispensary for about $140,000 roughly. You need the software and IT people to install and test it, can't forgot you have to integrate with AZDHS servers. A decent grow room will run 10K watts or better in the flowering room, that's a $45K system and the electrical costs are about $1800/month for 3 months while your growing crop #1. Security system required by AZDHS will run you about $10K. First you have to get through all the paper work and legal fee's. Incorporation, business license, CBA fees, etc. That will run about 10K as well. Rent on average size dispensary (if you can find a location) is going to run $2K/month for at least 6 months while you crop out and cure, that's 12K. And the same for the grow facility if not double that (depending on location) so that's around $24K. So now we're at $100K. $5K for the application fee. Misc. such as power upgrades by utility company for the grow facility, counters and what not for the dispensary, computers, first month/last month, misc. other deposits.

Also, does AZDHS know you by now? Have you been to meetings? Are you posting on their blog? Their Youtube? Are you representing in the local media? It is going to take a lot to get a permit. A good business plan is a must but you'll need more. A little co operation with the local mayor and what not can go a long way.

I hope some of this helps. Us little guys need to pull together to stop the big money from getting bigger if ya know what I mean. I have investors (2) right now that will each commit $60K. They have a STRONG business plan.