Before you start operating officially, you'll want to make sure you have your bases covered. The links below will help you determine exactly what licences and permits you need to get up and running. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! The last thing you want to do is launch a business only to discover the hard way that it's less than legal. 

Business Licences By State  ~ Courtesy of NAV.Com

State and Federal Online Business Registration  ~ Courtesy of IRS.Gov

Cannabis Licences, Permits, and Planning By State (USA) ~ Courtesy of FindLaw.Com

The truth is, you don't really need any of this stuff. You can start a business with a laptop, a smart phone, and a good attitude. But when you're ready to start investing in nicer equipment, here is all of the hardware currently use in my home studio.

Lenovo Yoga Laptop

Logitech C922 Webcam

Canon Rebel SL2 Starter Kit

Popup Photo Studio

Softbox Light Kit

Studio Backdrop 

Lightweight Tripod

Heavy Duty Tripod

SSD Card

Blue Yeti Microphone 

Yeti Shock mount

Pop Filter

Rode Mic Boom Kit

Rode Mic Arm

Noise Canceling Headphones 

When it comes to insurance, you're better safe than sorry. It's one of those things that's better to have and not need than need and not have. Make sure that you at least have a minimum coverage for your sector of the industry. 

Understanding Business Insurance ~ A very handy guide courtesy of the Small Business Administration 

Canna-Business Insurance Glossary  ~ A comprehensive list of insurance providers for the cannabis industry courtesy of Marijuana Business Daily 

You can find just about any course under the sun on Skillshare or Udemy. If you're totally new to business, I suggest searching for a few 101 classes on market research, content marketing, digital organization, and SEO to get started.

Skillshare ~ Hands down, my favorite place to go when I need to learn something new or brush up on a topic. With thousands of independent educators, there is nothing you cant find in the Skillshare community. Use my link to start your free two-month trial and get unlimited education at your finger tips.  

Udemy ~ If you can't find something on Skillshare, there's a pretty good bet you will find it on Udemy. Another excellent resource for quick actionable online courses. 

When it comes to funding your cannabis company, traditional banks aren't all that keen. Here are a couple of places where you can find non-traditional lenders and investors for the cannabis industry. 

Cannabis Investment Groups ~ Courtesy of Ganjapreneur 

Cannabis Investors ~ Courtesy of New Cannabis Ventures 

The quickest way to find success in business is to understand your people. The resources below are a great place to begin market research and demographics study. 

The Arcview Group ~ The Archview group is considered to be a leading data powerhouse for the cannabis industry. With services for both businesses and investors, it's a resource you're going to want to keep close to your company. Hop over to download your Executive Market Research Summary. 

Marijuana Business Daily ~ MJBiz Daily is another go-to website for resources, news, and helpful statistics for your cannabis company. 

BDS Analytics  ~ BDS Analytics provides data aggregation software and annual reports. This information can provide valuable insight into your target market. 

It may not even be on your radar yet. But if you plan to offer a signature product service, you may want to consider trademarking your name. This can save you a ton of headache (and money) down the road if another business tries to swoop in and claim your Intellectual Property. The resources below can help you navigate the process a little easier. 

Trademark Basics ~ A walkthrough of trademark basics including helpful videos. Courtesy of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

The Trademark Process ~ An easy to understand breakdown of the nitty gritty details courtesy of USPTO

How To File Step-By-Step ~ A very well written blog that will walk you through the trademark process each step of the way. Courtesy of Mark Tyson Law.

And, for good measure, here's the Fiverr Contractor that helped me successfully file all of my trademarks. 

Don't waste your time and money on fancy software when you're just starting out.  All you truly need is a safe place to grow a mailing list while you get the hang of things. Here are a few of my favorite user friendly resources to get you started. 

LivePlan ~ Liveplan is, hands down, my favorite online business planning tool. Follow this link to a great tutorial PLUS 50% off your first month with a 60-day money back guarantee 

Wix ~ Probably not where you'll stay, but it's a great place to start. Wix is a simple drag and drop website builder for your first landing page

Mailchimp ~ An easy to use newsletter platform with loads of customization options 

Survey Monkey ~ A very popular survey website to help you get to know your growing audience 

Trello ~ My favorite free way to get organized. I use Trello to keep track of everything from content planning to team training. 

It's an unfortunate truth that people of color (POC) are still disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition. This extends to a lack of resources and support for business owners in the cannabis industry. The resources below provide access to services, grants, and education exclusively for POC.

 

Minority Cannabis Business Association  ~ Comprehensive business support for people of color 

Equity First Alliance  ~ Expungement, business, and education support for people of color

Cage Free Cannabis  ~  Cage Free cannabis is a non profit organization focused on equity, justice, and repair

The best way to stand out in the CBD industry is to become the go-to education resource for your community. The links below will take you to two of the most trusted places to get your information online.  

CBD Certified ~ Free CBD training by our friends at East Fork Cultivars

Project CBD  ~ Our favorite CBD education website 

 High quality design is the silent ambassador of your brand. Luckily, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Here are the free and very low cost tools that I use to create 100% of the brand assets for sativa Science Club.  

Canva ~ The only tool I use for 100% of the design at Sativa Science Club. Click the link for a free 30-day trial. You won't regret it. 

Creative Market ~ My favorite place to buy photos, templates, fonts, and web elements 

99designs ~ Create a contest, set your pay rate, and have hundreds of gifted designers compete for your offer

1001 Fonts ~ Thousands of free fonts for download 

PDF Escape ~ An easy to use PDF editor to make fillable documents and downloads. 

Small PDF ~ A simple web-tool that I like to use to convert print PDF files to high quality JPG. 

The first thing you'll want to do when you land on the perfect name for your business is to secure your social media handles, domain name, email, and storage. Here are a few simple to use and cost effective resources to get you started. 

Go Daddy ~ Go Daddy is the go-to place for domain names and hosting. You can host your custom website URL for under $12 your first year.  

BlueHost ~  I'll admit, bluehost is a provider that I haven't used personally. But so many of my clients swear by them that I had to include them on this list.  If you plan to host your website over on Wordpress, they are the number one resource for domain names and web hosting. 

G Suite ~ Once you get our website hosting and domain name sorted, you're going to need a professional email and fie storage. My whole team uses a secure Google account for  our in-office email and living file storage. 

Drop Box ~ Once a project is complete, we like to move it over to a secure Drop Box folder. Think of Google Drive as the place for any work-in-progress and Drop Box as a nice safe place to store your finished files.  

 Between your website, newsletter, paid ads, and social media you will quickly discover that high-quality photography is essential to your online business. Here are a few of my favorite resources to get you started. 

@babebotanics ~ My go-to photographer for all of my creative projects around Sativa Science Club. Shoot her a DM and tell her Bee from SSC sent you  

Unsplash ~My favorite website for free stock images 

Pixels ~ More free stock images 

Ivory Mix ~ A really creative stock photo membership for fempreneurs

Building a website doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, you can save yourself thousands of dollars by designing it on your own. Here are a few user friendly resources with amazingly helpful features.

Squarespace ~ For a beautiful and easy to design website my first choice is Squarespace. Their templates get better every year and they will help you look extra sharp with little effort. Great for your home and about me page.

LeadPages ~ If you plan on offering any digital products such as webinars, E-books, or PDFs you'll want to look into lead pages. In addition to beautiful pop-up boxes and announcement bars, You can build stunning landing pages and pipelines. The coolest thing about them is that can operate as independent offers (say, for a giveaway on social media) or they can integrate directly to your Squarespace or Wordpress website. Click the link for a 14 days trial.

Shopify ~ If you plan on selling multiple physical products I would go with Shopify. In addition to a comprehensive back end system to help you ship, track inventory, and stay organized, they recently added some gorgeous templates for no-fuss website design. 

Wordpress ~ For you bloggers, brand ambassadors, and content marketers out there, you should consider a Wordpress website. While they do have a steeper learning curve than most, you have unlimited flexibility when it comes to website design. Wordpress also boasts the best SEO capabilities online. 

AccessAlly ~ If you do find yourself on Wordpress, and you want to create an online class or membership offer, you may want to check out Accessally. This easy to use and beautifully designed Learning Management Software (LMS) will change your life. 

Kajabi ~ These days, I proudly host all of Sativa Science Club over on Kajabi. It's an all-in one platform where you can host your courses, groups, website, and digital product pipelines. Full disclosure, It does cost a little bit ore to get started. But  considering you can do the work of five different resources in one place, it's far more cost effective in the long run. The customer service alone is worth every dime. 

 Social media is a must for any online business. While it may seem simple enough to create a quick post each morning, you'll quickly find that it can become tedious. Here are a few of my favorite social media tools to help you streamline the process. 

Latergram ~ The scheduling tool I use for all of my posts on FB and IG. Use this link to get your first ten posts for free. 

AgoraPuse ~ While this scheduler is quite a bit more expensive than LaterGram, Agorapulse is one of the most comprehensive social media tools I have ever used. 

Tailwind ~ I use Tailwind to schedule all om my Pinterest pins. It's the only Pinterest approved scheduler and it's has helped me increase my viewer count to 2 million a month in under 30 days! Not too shabby. 

When it comes to online marketing it is essential to remember that you do not own our social media audience. No matter how many follower you earn, you will always be at the mercy of the algorithm (which can change overnight). The only way to ensure that you have complete control over your content is to create a rock solid mailing list and newsletter. Here are a few of my favorite user-friendly tools to get you started.   

Convert Kit ~ No matter where you are at in your business development journey, convert Kit can help you build a stunning and neatly organized newsletter pipeline. With advanced (yet easy to use) tagging, tracking, and analytic features, It's my favorite tool for creator email marketing. 

Click Funnels ~ If you plan on doing any no-frills Facebook ad marketing, you may want to look into Click Funnels. It's a popular choice for straightforward landing page and email sequence design. 

MotionMail ~ Motion Mail is a popular choice for  Influancers, Ambassadors, and Webinar hosts who love a good count down timer. Create limited time offers complete with landing pages and pipelines. 

ActiveCampaign ~ Before I made the big move to Kajabi (my all-in-one web hosting platform) I used to host all of my emails on Active Campaign. Honestly, I miss it a little and I sometimes think of going back. It's a lot like Convert Kit but with more advanced features. As this one can get a little complicated, I suggest holding off on an Active Campaign account until you are juggling thousands of active subscribers.

Webinars are a fast and efficient way to provide value to your target audience. But if you're new to webinar marketing, the tech end can be a little intimidating at first. Here are a few of my favorite user-friendly resources with a minimal learning curve. 

Demio ~ A beautiful and easy to use interface that will allow you to create automated, recorded, or hybrid webinars all in one place. Follow my link for a free trial. 

Easy Webinar ~ Ok, it's a little bit of a misnomer, but when you're ready for something a little more advanced, Easy Webinar is a great all-in-one webinar software. Follow my link to a free trial. 

Zoom ~ Zoom is perhaps the most popular tried and true conference call software out there. I use this tool for everything from team meetings and client calls to podcast interviews. Join for free and upgrade as your business grows. 

Deadline Funnel ~  When you have the perfect webinar all set up and ready to go, Deadline Funnel allows you to create a customized countdown timer for every step in your sales funnel. Start your free 14 day trial using this link. 

Podcasts are a surprisingly simple and effective means of reaching a global audience. Here are all of the tools I use to produce my podcast Cannabis Business Made Easy. 

Blue Yeti Microphone  ~ I use a Blue Yeti microphone to record all of my episodes of Cannabis Business Made Easy. I'll be honest, I plan to upgrade when I hit 10,000 downloads, but at the moment, my Yeti does everything I need for a great price and with great quality. 

RODE Mic Boom Arm ~ For the best sound, you will need your mic to be adjusted closely to your mouth. For the perfect positioning I like to use my RODE Boom Arm. It's technically made for a RODE mic, but it's sturdy industrial design can easily support the weight of my Yeti unlike some of the cheaper mic arms. PLUS It's 360 swivel design makes is extra easy to set up where I need when I need it in my office. 

Yeti Shock mount ~ To avoid extra vibration on the mic base, I use a professional Yeti shock mount. It looks extra fancy and  ensures a silky soothe sound. 

Pop Filter ~ Finally, to improve sound quality and reduce plosives (loud 'P' sounds) I like to use a studio-quality pop-filter. You can find them pretty cheap on Amazon.

Audacity ~ When It's time to record and edit my podcast, I use the free software Audacity. It has a bit of a learning curve but you can find tutorials on YouTube for everything you need. When you've mastered the basics, you can count on clean professional sound quality.  

Buzzsprout ~ Once I have a perfect episode, I hop online and upload it to my RSS host, Buzzsprout. I chose Buzzsprout because it's clean, easy to use, and  I really love the community. The creators are always sharing great content to help me step up my workflow and episode quality. Plus, once I upload and publish to my Buzzsprout dashboard, the episode is automatically shared on dozens of platforms like Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and iTunes. All I have to do is kick back and enjoy the boost in my download ratings. 

Video marketing is quickly becoming a preferred method of outreach for online marketers. Between social media live-streams, stories, screen-casts, and tutorials, you're going to find that some basic video editing know-how is essential. Here are a few of my favorite tools that are simple, streamlined, and very easy to use. 

Camtasia ~ Camtasia is my favorite tool for screen recording, tutorials, slide shows, and explainer videos. Follow my link to a short demo and free trial download. It is a must-have for any online company. 

Snagit ~ From the creators of Camtasia, Snagit is the handy screenshot tool and image editor that I use for all of my step-by-step tutorials at SSC. It allows you to capture a full web page or a specific section of a page, annotate with notes, blur sensitive information, and more. follow my link to a quick demo video and free trial. You won't be able to live without it. 

Screencastify ~  I use the screencastify google extension to capture simple videos for team training. Skip the premium account because their editor isn't the best. But it's an excellent tool for fast free screen recording. 

Filmora ~ Filmora 9 is the software that I use to edit all of my videos for SSC. It's clean, simple, and you can practically learn how to use it in your sleep. Follow my link to a free trial download. 

Vimeo ~ If you're looking for somewhere a little more professional to host your videos, Vimeo is the place to be. Depending on the package you choose, you can provide clean direct links, create your own videos for social media, track view time analytics, make clickable calls to action, and even live stream! Follow my link to start your free trial. 

 Once you establish yourself online, it's time to start expanding your reach at in person events and gatherings. These conferences are at the top of our list here at SSC. 

Cultivaton Classic ~ As a native Portlandian, I have a soft spot for Cultivation Classic. It's a celebration of science, community, collaboration, and Oregon cannabis business culture. A must attend if you're interested in learning about the Oregon industry. 

The Cannabis Science Conference ~ Also in Oregon is the Cannabis Science Conference. A do-not-miss event for all of you book worms and data nerds out  there.  

MJ Bizcon ~ Arguably the largest cannabis business conference in the world. If you only choose one gathering to attend this year, make it this one.

The Regenerative Soil Conference ~ If you have a particular interest in cultivation, I highly suggest the Regenerative Soil Conference. It's a melting pot of the most innovative minds in the industry.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should be the number one priority of all online marketers. Not only does it help you keep an eye on emerging market trends, but a quality keyword strategy will ensure that your content is always valuable. Here are a few of my favorite low-cost resources with a minimal learning curve.  

Google Adwords Keyword Planner ~ The Adwords Keyword planner gives you insight into how often certain words are searched and how those searches have changed over time. This valuable info can help you optimize your titles to perfectly fit your audience. 

Keywords Everywhere ~ Keywords everywhere is my personal favorite. It's a low cost plugin that will show you the search volume and viable alternatives for any given phrase. Install it on chrome or firefox for next to free.  

Tube Buddy ~ For you aspiring Youtubers out there, Tube Buddy is a must. Not only will it show you how popular each keyword is by search volume, but it will also help you keep an eye on your competitors with comprehensive growth insight. 

When it comes to online marketing, analytics are key. If you learn how to read them correctly, the numbers will tell the story of your company. Here are the tools I use to track analytics for SSC.

Google Analytics ~ It's safe to say that Google Analytics is the online marketing standard, if you have a website of any kind, you'll want to open a google analytics account to track exactly how successful your campaigns are at any given time. 

Google Analytics Certification ~ I'll be honest, If you're new to analytics and online marketing, it can be a little intimidating. Luckily, Google created an amazing step-by-step training series that will guide you through everything. 

customer service is the cornerstone of any company. These are my favorite resources for streamlining customer service productivity. 

Helpscout ~ When your tired of battling an inbox full of client questions, comments, and requests, it's time to open an account on Helpscout. This customer service inbox manager allows you to easily tag, track, sort, and discuss client emails with your customer service team. 

Olark ~ If you're looking to engage your clients outside of email, Olark is our go-to manager for private social media and SMS comments. 

The more complex your daily task list the more essential a quality project management tool will be to your company. I've used all three of the resources below at different stages in my business and they were nothing short of life-changing. 

Trello ~ Trello is my number one go-to tool for organizing everything in my business ad personal life. It's free (with very affordable upgrades should you choose to use them), easy to use, and integrates with just about any software or service you could dream. Start follow my link to find out for yourself! 

Monday ~ When I have a complex task or project with multiple moving parts I like to manage it on Monday. It's a visual project management tool that allows me to color coordinate everything and easily assign tasks to my team. Follow my link to a free trial. 

Asana ~ My favorite alternative to Monday is a Project Management Software called Asana. It's an incredibly straight forward and easy to navigate tool with all of the features you could ever need. Get started with their free account and upgrade as your business needs.

 As your business grows, you'll find that there just aren't enough hours in the day to keep it all up and running. When you're ready to hire a little help, here are my go-to resources for contract workers and project based gigs. 

Upwork ~ When I need a little extra help behind the scenes, I always head to Upwork. It's my favorite platform to find contractors for longer term projects. Over the years, I've hired talent on Upwork for everything from writing and editing, to project management and customer service. 

Fiverr ~ For quick and dirty one-time gigs I head to Fiverr. It's an ideal place to find help with simple one-and-done projects like photo editing or slideshow design. 

As your team begins to grow you will need a central hub to make conversations easy. Rather than chase emails around my inbox all day, I use the tools below to streamline communication behind the scenes. 

Slack ~ When you get into the thick of things, you'll find that conversations start to get messy. To keep your inbox and project management software strictly business, I like to use slack to communicate with my team. It's easy to navigate and organize and you can get started completely free. 

Trello ~ One of my favorite things about Trello is you can set it up to automatically store any attachments shared in your slack conversations. This makes it so much easier for everyone in the log run. Rather than scroll through our chat on slack to find a file someone uploaded last week, we know exactly where to locate anything we may have shared over on Tello. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. 

Arguably the most boring yet essential task of an company. If you're anything like me, accounting is your least favorite way to spend an evening. Here are the tools I use to make accounting a little easier and maybe even a bit more interesting. 

Quickbooks Pro ~ Quickbooks is the classic go-to software for small business accounting. Simply connect your bank account and credit cards and let Quickbooks keep track of your transactions on an easy to navigate dashboard. Or, even better, hire an expert to keep track for you. Follow my link to take 50% off QuickBooks online or self-employed for 6 months

Mint ~ From the makers of Quickbooks, Mint is an interactive dashboard that will show you exactly where your money goes every month in easy to understand charts and graphs. Set a budget, goal, or milestone and mint will keep you notified of ways that you can stay on track. Start your account for free using my link.

Sam Cart ~ Many web builders have built-in sales page options, but few are as beautiful and effective as Sam Cart. Sam Cart is a third party sales page editor that allows you to  fully customize your offer, add up-sells, bonuses, payment plans, or limited time packages. After I started using the Sam Cart builder, my profit margin increased by over 60%! Follow my link to a 14-day free trial to check it out for yourself. 

Gravy ~ If you own a business that offers a subscription or payment plan, you're definitely going to want to know about Gravy. They act as an extension of your team to collect missed payments and retain customers who may otherwise drop off or cancel. Since I started using Gravy, I've saved thousands a month plus countless hours of my own time developing a retention plan. But there is a catch, to work with Gravy you need to be making at least $250,000 annually. Once you cross this threshold, you're definitely going to want to check them out. 

The key to being a great leader is to never stop learning how to serve your community. These books are a must for any socially conscious company.