Interview with Chet Billingsley, Mentor Capital CEO on Marijuana Startups

The following fascinating and informative interview was provided by Chet Billingsley, the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Mentor Capital, Inc., a public operating company that invests in pre-IPO cannabis related businesses. He did his undergraduate work at West Point. He later received a Master’s Degree in Applied Physics at Harvard University with concurrent study at Harvard Business School, and at MIT studying proton radiology. He is also a founding director and officer of the board of directors of the Nevada Cannabis Industry Association.

The discussion includes the following:

• What has happened in the cannabis industry during the last five years
• Why high excise taxes can cause the illegal market to continue
• Tilray and the Canadian market
• Why low excise taxes caused the legal Canadian marijuana market to grow
• The US cannabis regulatory scene
• Beer companies buying interests in marijuana businesses
• Tobacco companies getting into the marijuana businesses
• The growth of the medical marijuana market versus the recreational marijuana market
• Cannabis versus opiates
• Cannabeer and canabeverages
• The cannabis sub-industries, such as edibles, local delivery services, etc.
• And much more extensive interesting information!

To stream the interview, click:

HERE

All opinions are those of the interviewee, and do not represent the opinions of this website or the interviewer. Neither this website, nor the interviewer, nor the interviewee are rendering tax, legal, or investment advice in this interview. No investment advice is expressed or implied. No recommendations are made to buy, sell, hold, or short any security. All information is provided for education and general information only.

Disclosure: Interviewer owns shares of MNTR and has a short position in TLRY.

INVESTMENT TRIVIA 2019

Rob Hunt Interview - Largest Marijuana Private Equity Fund

Reprinted courtesy of Stockerblog.com

The following fascinating interview was provided by Rob Hunt, a partner and the Lead Industry Executive at Tuatara Capital, the largest private equity fund in the cannabis industry. He also has an extensive background in cannabis business in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine as well.

Rob  Hunt has more than 15 years of experience in the cannabis industry as an attorney, a consultant, and a serial entrepreneur. Rob is currently a Partner, and the Lead Industry Executive of Tuatara Capital.

Mr. Hunt was formerly the Chairman of the Coalition for Responsible Patient Care, based in MA, where he spearheaded the initiative to help develop and implement the fledgling medical cannabis market in the Commonwealth. He was the principal developer of cannabis.org, a website focused on changing the scheduling of cannabis away from being a schedule I drug on the Federal Government’s list of controlled substances, Rob still authors all of the written commentary on the cannabis.org Facebook page where he has an audience of close to 20,000 readers.

We cover a lot in this interview, including:

• The California marijuana proposition
• Why marijuana has remained illegal for so long
• The current credit card ban on dispensaries 
• Opinion on publicly traded cannabis stocks
• Crowdfunding for marijuana related companies
• Willie Nelson's brand of marijuana
• Advice for investors interested in allocating funds to the cannabis industry
• Advice for those who are interested in setting up a marijuana startup

The Interview

You will certainly enjoy all this great information that Rob Hunt provides.

To stream the interview, click:

HERE

You can download as an mp3 by right-clicking here and choosing "save as."

More information about Tuatara Capital can be found HERE.


Let us know what you think about this interview by entering your comments in the comment section below. You can also check out the stocks in the WallStreetNewsnetwork.com Marijuana Stock Index.

All opinions are those of Rob Hunt, and do not represent the opinions of Stockerblog.com or the interviewer. Neither Stockerblog nor the interviewer nor the interviewee are rendering tax, legal, or investment advice in this interview.

Beyond James Altucher: More Mega Trends for the 21st Century

If you haven't heard of James Altucher, you probably haven't been on the Internet for very long. He has published over a dozen books, been interviewed many times by the press and blogs, and has written numerous articles on widely varying topics including investing, personal growth, running a business, publishing books, interpersonal relationships, yoga, entrepreneurship, and many, many more.

In his latest book, The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth, he talks about the seven mega trends for the 21st Century, and how the knowledge of these trends can make you money. For the entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and investors, being aware of these trends can help you determine what kind of company to start or invest in, or if you already have a business, what areas to expand into.

The seven mega trends that Altucher came up with are...



all spelled out in his book and are covered in great detail. I don't want to give them away, since the book does a great job of explaining them, plus I highly recommend the book anyway.

Also, what I would rather do is mention some additional mega trends that startupers and VCs should look into. My trends may not be as 'mega' as the ones that Altucher has come up with but even though they are more narrow, their impact is great. Here they are.

Asset Rental

Why did Airbnb, Uber, and Lyft come about? People needed money, they owned assets (houses, cars), and rented out those assets to generate income. I believe this need for income will be covered by other personal asset rentals.

For example, do you own a Porsche Driver's Select RX Bike, or a Callaway Big Bertha Iron Set or even a Stellar S14S Excel Surf Ski Kayak? If you don't use them every weekend, why not rent them out? Anyone who is considering buying an item like this might want to try it out first before making a major expenditure. Or someone who skis but doesn't own a pair, might just want to rent some nice ones for a weekend. A deposit would need to be collected of course.

Even better yet, why not create a website/app that would put the owners and renters together. The service could cover the payments and deposits.

Drought and Water

Maybe this is more of a California thing but the drought in California is a major issue and keeps getting worse. In addition to affecting individuals with their water consumption, it will affect the price of produce which will eventually affect the rest of the country. Any business connected with recycling water, desalinizing water, or just getting water from somewhere and providing it to consumers and businesses should be drowning in money.

In regards to some water startup ideas, how about an app to track your water usage? Devices for capturing rainwater and purifying it? A way to convert grey water to usable water, at least for plants? Fake but realistic looking lawns (this is starting to become a big business in California)? Transporting water from heavily rained on east coast and midwest states to the west? The ideas are almost limitless.

Spanish

Maybe this is another California thing but I don't think so. I was driving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles, and as I reached the LA basin, I searched for a radio station that played classical music. After scanning the entire FM spectrum, I discovered that more than 50% of the stations were Spanish speaking stations. Spanish is very common in California and many other states.

If you are English/Spanish bilingual, you have a big advantage. The possibilities are unlimited. Providing Spanish versions of websites and apps has big potential (those automatic translators are not perfect), and can help businesses reach significant new markets. Translation services in both directions, tutoring services, teaching, subtitling, and so on. Bilingual TV programs will become more popular.

Cannabis

It is inevitable that marijuana will be legalized, it's just a matter of when. Initially for medical purposes and eventually for recreational purposes, as you can see more and more states moving in that direction.

I heard recently from a friend that the tax revenues from legalized pot in Colorado is so great that the state is considering either building brand new schools throughout the state and tearing down the old ones, or sending out a check to every resident of the state, similar to what the Alaska residents receive from the oil royalty fund.

I haven't had a chance to verity this or not but if it is even close to being true, it shows that legalization can be a big source of income for state governments, and even the Federal government, not to mention the jobs potential.

What amazes me is not the number of people that use marijuana (the number of senior citizens that use medical marijuana is enormous), but the number of people that don't use but support marijuana legalization.

The trend is there. It is just a matter of choosing the right business idea. In terms of ideas around the legal weed industry, they should be fairly obvious. Just make sure that whatever you do is currently legal.

Mega Trends

Hopefully, these mega-trends will give you some ideas about where to put your money and your energy, whether you just want to be an armchair investor, take an ownership and management position in an existing company, or startup your own company. May the trends be with you.

Exclusive Interview with Jarrod Smith of Rolling Paper Depot

Readers who are interested in learning how a startup became very successful will find this interview fascinating. In a continuation of our series on startups, the following interview was graciously provided by Jarrod Smith of Rolling Paper Depot, a fast growing online company that was started with less than $2,500.

Why don't we start by briefly describing what the company does? 

Rolling Paper Depot is an online retailer of rolling papers and smoking accessories for the roll-your-own enthusiast.  We provide a wide selection of products that aren't always available at gas stations or smoke shops.  Our goal is to provide our customers with great prices and excellent customer service. 

How did you happen to come up with the idea for the business?

Believe it or not, the business idea literally landed on my desk out of the blue.  I own several e-commerce companies and somehow a catalog for rolling papers landed on my desk.  I thought to myself, "who would buy rolling papers online? Can't you just go to 7-11?"  My naivety of the situation was comical.  I did a good bit of research on the market and was surprised to find that the business is viable.  It is not the biggest company I have, but it is the most fun to work on.  

Did you get any venture capital to begin with or are you self funded?

We are completely self-funded.  In fact, I started this company with less than $2500.  Today that would not be possible.  The market is extremely competitive and I suspect "Big Tobacco" will eventually enter the niche because of the ongoing legalization of medical marijuana.  

This is outside of the scope of the question, but I predict that "Big Tobacco" will migrate from tobacco to medical marijuana. I'm not saying tobacco is going to cease to exist, but in the future it won't be as prevalent as it is today.  I think "Big Tobacco" is actually working to delay federal legalization of marijuana.  Once they find out how to package it and sell it in conjunction with "Big Government", the entire landscape of MMJ will change into something like the beer industry where the Coors and Millers of the world sell the majority of the product and the "boutique" MMJ shops will turn into micro-breweries of sorts.  The best product will be in the small shops, but they won't be able to produce as much or be as competitive on price as the big boys. 

How long have you been in business and is the company a corporation, an LLC, a partnership, or what?

The company is a LLC. We have been in business for about 4 1/2 years.  

The recreational and medical marijuana industry seemed to take off in January after the legalization in Colorado. Did that provide a substantial increase to your sales?

It's difficult to attribute legalization of marijuana to an increase in our sales because our sales have been growing steadily since we started.  However, I think the "buzz" around legalization has sparked an interest in some products we carry. 

Any thoughts on what  will happen with the upcoming ballot elections on recreational and medical marijuana?

 The legalization of marijuana isn't an issue that is red or blue.  Nearly three fourths of the people in the US are sick of the battle over marijuana.  Our government is spending tons of money fighting a losing battle.  People are being charged with felonies and going to jail.  Our jails are full and our citizens are struggling to find jobs.  It just doesn't make sense to fight it anymore and the majority of people are fed up.  My thoughts are that the states will continue to legalize marijuana and eventually the federal government will have to give in to the will of the people.  At least, that's how it's supposed to work anyway. 

How many employees do you have and do you use virtual assistants?

We have 7 employees and we do not use virtual assistants.  Everything we do is in-house.

How were you have to get the the top of Google search, and do you consider high ranking a key in being successful?

I have been doing SEO for nearly 10 years.  I own an internet marketing company also and that helps me stay at the top.  I think being on the first page of Google for keywords in any industry is extremely important to succeed. Most people know a little about SEO, but they fail to see the benefits of social media marketing.  In fact, when I launched my latest e-commerce company in the roller skating niche I didn't focus on keyword rankings at all.  Instead, I focused on a large social media following.  Interestingly enough, that is actually leading to higher keyword rankings because my social followers are linking to my website for me.  The more links I get the better my rankings are.  This technique isn't "cutting edge", but it is definitely the progressive way to market an internet start-up in 2014.  

Tell us a little about your background.

 I am an entrepreneur at heart.  I built my first business in the 6th grade selling blow-pops at school. I hid it from my parents because I didn't think they would approve. I'm not sure why.  As it turns out, the school didn't particularly appreciate the competition.  My candy was cheaper than the school's candy.  Eventually I got caught and I had to stop selling blow-pops. The principal called me to his office and then called my father to discuss my "business".  They had a good laugh about the entire thing while I sat scared to death of what might happen to me.  My parents were impressed with my work and gave me the obligatory scolding for taking the lunch money of my schoolmates.  Since then I've had a keen eye for business opportunities and I've kept solid ethical standards. 

I got my first computer in 1994 and I had a dial-up internet connection.  I was not particularly interested in "chatting with someone in Germany", but thankfully my mother forced it on me.  She definitely saw the benefits of being proficient on the computer.  The first part of my experience on the internet was mostly IRC and learning the Linux OS.  As I learned more I did some tech work with Windows machines, but eventually I got a job as a Linux System Administrator.   Though it was unrelated to my duties, that job led me to learn SEO and internet marketing.  I also got my first experience with e-commerce at that job.  Once I learned both the marketing and e-commerce processes, I set off on my own to build my own e-commerce companies.  Rolling Paper Depot is one of those companies.

I believe my technical background has proven to be extremely beneficial for my businesses. My competitors have to hire out internet marketing and SEO.  They also have to pay programmers and designers to keep up their sites.  These services are expensive and time-consuming.  We are lucky enough to have all of these services in-house.  I have also been able to develop proprietary software and shopping-cart modules that keep me ahead of the competition.  

What are your plans for the future of the company?

My plan is to continue to grow the company and increase my market share world-wide.  We have considered licensing our name to shops around the globe to build our market share. I am fairly private about the details of my plans because I believe that I am an innovator and that secrecy allows me to stay ahead of the competition. I like to be first with website features so I'll hold those cards close to my chest for now.  I believe my plans for 2015 will grow the company by 30% or more. 

What do you consider your biggest challenges as a startup?

 Wow!  Good question.  There are so many challenges these days.  Starting a business and being successful has grown increasingly difficult over the years.  I feel the answer to this question probably changes by the month, but as of today my personal biggest challenge is patience.  I see what this company can be and I see the growth.  I just want it to grow faster.  I want to push my people harder.  I want to see the legalization movement progress quicker.  Unfortunately for me, these things take time and some things shouldn't be forced.  Patience is my challenge. 

What one piece of advice would you give someone who is just at the beginning stages of developing a startup?

Predict the future. How can one do this?  I'll share a trick that I have found particularly useful.  You can never go wrong if you build a business based on pending legislation.  When laws change there are often new opportunities.  For example, when the credit reporting laws changed (Fair Credit Reporting Act) there were many start-ups that built a business that helps people clean up their credit based on the new laws. This opportunity did not exist before the change in the laws! These start-ups were wildly successful and the ones that were set-up and ready to service customers immediately after the laws went into effect are the ones that still stand today.  But, to compete in this market today is an act of futility.  One would need massive funding and a huge budget for marketing.  Barring some kind of revolutionary approach to the market, you will have a hard time competing in this niche. 

Build a business that will service the future needs of people.  It is difficult to start and grow a business in a market that is well-established.  This is especially true if the Wal-Marts of the world are already selling your product or service.  A start-up cannot compete with these huge companies.  However, if you spend your time and energy on a business that is going to be big in the future, your success can be virtually unlimited.  You will have less competition and you can actually set the standard for products and customer service in your niche.  If you time it right, you might end up with a FaceBook or Yelp.  What's the bottom line?  Lead.  Never follow.

No investment recommendation nor any investment promotion is expressed or implied by either the publisher, the interviewer, the interviewee, or any of the interviewee's companies..