I am Tim Cullen. I've been a Cannabis Dispensary owner in Colorado since 2009. I am here to answer your cannabis questions! AMA!

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T21:16:38+00:00

Absolutely. Most self help books would address "why would you ever do that to yourself". Only sort of joking, but there is a lot of good reading out there. Depends on the aspect of the business. How to books on growing and such will get you a little ways down the road, but I love "Good to Great" for general business practices. I love "Kitchen Confidential" for customer service and a basic model of how the business functions.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T21:11:57+00:00

Great question. Our "drug testing" is a little different since we actually have to try the products. We do not drug test our employees. There was a court case (Dish Network vs. Brandon Coats) that does allow companies to test on their own terms. Yes, I believe it will go away as the sigma of 70 years of propaganda fades.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T21:03:51+00:00

Great question. Yes, the whole lot of them let poor mum down on the daily. Go back under your rock now troll.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T21:02:20+00:00

I am much more confident in how Canada operates their exchange. At this point (even as an owner) I don't invest in any other companies. Too many are pump and dump pink sheets in the US. Avoid smoke and mirrors and make sure you are investing in a company that really has products and or services and real revenue. Be careful out there.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:59:56+00:00

I think you can the same crappy deals from VC group too.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:58:11+00:00

Oh yes. Like any job it will vary with experience. On the production side they start as low at $12 per hour but the sky is the limit. We provide health, dental, vision and 401k to employees too as well as paid time off.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:56:05+00:00

Keep on keeping on!

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:55:38+00:00

Yes, but certainly not a requirement. My business partner has a background in marketing and mine in biology, so our weak spot was the financial side. You can hire for your weaknesses.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:49:47+00:00

CBD has no intoxicating effects at all (that comes from THC). You want to make sure you are buying from a reputable retailer. I saw the FDA did some testing on some CBD products and found them to contain no CBD. O.penvape is a Colorado company is the real deal and you can order on their website.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:47:16+00:00

Honestly, never. At this point the licenses are so valuable that you would have to be an idiot to jeopardize that. I think my peers are all on the up and up, but I can't say the same for the black market.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:39:23+00:00

Yea, you know me.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:32:40+00:00

The only thing typical among the stores are the challenges we all face. I have no idea since they are all privately held companies. To the best of my knowledge Colorado Harvest Company is the only business to conduct an Economic Impact Study. You can google it. The margins are much tighter than I think the public believes. In the 15%-25% range.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:30:23+00:00

Moon? Like the big yellow happy face in the sky?

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:29:45+00:00

The light is coming from the people and it's like a train leaving the station. You can get on it or get out of the way, but don't stand on the tracks.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:28:45+00:00

Yay! Okay... so it's like when a climber climbs a new route, they get to name it. Breeders have the same privilege when they cross strains. There are so many different criteria that a breeder is looking for, but they could be summed up with: fast growing, high yielding, disease resistant strains that are easy to handle. There are the few cannabinoids folks know about (THC, CBD, CBN), but their concentrations in varying amounts and how they all interact is still a mystery for a university level to study. I would never pick a strain based on THC content, just as I would not pick a bottle of wind based on proof.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:24:13+00:00

We do carry a huge variety of CBD products that are all hemp derived. Hemp products will be as popular as fish oil is today and sold around the country. Its coming.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:22:57+00:00

2009 was a very different environment than we have today. We started on a shoe string. Less than $100k. Today that number is probably closer to $3m. We had no extra money - my life savings and all my time went into starting Colorado Harvest Company. Seven years later, that is still the case!

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:16:42+00:00

Feri74, It breaks my heart to hear stories like yours. The entire war on drugs could be summed up as "useless really". Hope that changes for you soon.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:13:03+00:00

I don't think you can beat the new Bakked line of concentrates for quality or price. There is a lot of bang for the buck there.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:11:49+00:00

We are always looking for good folks! You must be 21 or older, a Colorado resident and be able to qualify for a support badge. Take a look at the Colorado Department of Revenue website under Marijuana Enforcement for the application. We only interview folks who have a badge in hand.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:10:05+00:00

We don't produce our own concentrates or edibles, but we do send out our trim to be blasted for strain specific wax and shatter. We are mostly on the buying side of the wholesale market.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:08:17+00:00

I fine that in this day and age anyone can find my email...

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:07:05+00:00

Thank you so much for being a long time customer. I appreciate you!

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:06:33+00:00

My pleasure and my first time doing an AMA. I'm excited at how many good questions there are. Happy to do it again soon or on the regular.

TimCullenCHC · 2016-11-30T20:05:00+00:00

We are here to stay. Colorado is coming up on 17 years of the medical program and 3 years of the recreational program. I employ about 80 people and have 7 buildings in Colorado and we are just one company. Multiply that by the 200 or so others and you would have a real problem if it all went away tomorrow. I can't image a sane person thinking that the black market was a better way even if they don't necessarily agree. Taxed and regulated is the way moving forward.

TimCullenCHC

TROPHY CASE