There are less than 3 weeks left of my investment campaign on Mainvest. It has been a really long 2+ months of writing, brainstorming, planning, re-writing, pushing myself, being vulnerable, asking for money, pitching my business idea, figuring out how this is going to work financially, looking at real estate, meeting new people, and experiencing so much growth and gratitude on a daily basis. I have learned so many valuable lessons and received concrete validation of my business idea. Some things have fallen off track. I am not as active as I would like to be and sometimes I struggle with patience and fatigue.
Sometimes I get lost in the how and forget about the why. I’ve been introduced to a lot of people lately that have pointed me in the right direction. Each step closer presents a new set of obstacles; I have noticed this a lot over the past 2 years. There are so many things to think about when starting any type of business, but trying to start a cannabusiness? That’s a whole different beast. Since the plant has been stigmatized over the last 50 years, there are complex security requirements, exorbitant licensing fees and associated costs to entry, and limited zoning availability. Some licensed operators report that they needed between $1.5-2 million to start an adult-use dispensary. And you can’t even get a bank loan… All of these challenges direct my attention to the ‘how’... how am I going to get my license?
I make edibles to make people feel good, to bring people together, express my own creativity, and bring awareness to the faults of the government, perpetuated by society, as it correlates to the War on Drugs and systemic racism. I want to create jobs for people, myself included, who are tired of working at companies owned and controlled by… you know the type. I want to have a positive impact on my community that I have grown with for the last 6 years. I hope that @loudgirlgoodies will empower people to make decisions that best benefit their own individual health. I want to prove to girls and women that we can do anything we set our minds to and that having big aspirations and goals is nothing you should be ashamed of. These are my ‘why’s’, the reasons I return to when I’m feeling overwhelmed and lost.
As I go into gatherings dedicated to the cannabis plant, I am overwhelmed with the lack of representation. I found out recently that, nationwide, minorities only make up 13% of cannabis executive roles and less than 5% of cannabusiness owners in Massachusetts identify as a woman. Nationwide, about 20% of cannabusinesses are woman-owned. Undoubtedly, the main reason behind these disparities is unequal access to capital.
I’m so proud to be one of the people that burgeoned a new way of funding a cannabusiness. I dedicated the better part of a year trying to forge a new path forward in conjunction with Mainvest, our banks, and our legal teams. On September 3rd, I became the first woman-owned cannabusiness to launch a crowdfunding style investment campaign on Mainvest and I have already inspired friends of mine to start their own investment campaigns. This growth is so exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing “Main St.” cannabusinesses flourish with a new way to fund their ventures. But, before then, please check out the @loudgirlgoodies investment campaign and consider throwing in a few hundred dollars to help an independent female entrepreneur get to her big goal. <3
Much love,
Carolyn