The BioTrack Cannabis Dispensary Spotlight Series is shining on Sweet Flower the Los Angeles based cannabis dispensary chain. Tim Dodd joins Dan Humiston to talk about creating a dispensary that provides a welcoming environment for the new-to-cannabis customers. Produced by PodCONX https://podconx.com/guests/tim-dodd
The BioTrack Cannabis Dispensary Spotlight Series is shining on Sweet Flower the Los Angeles based cannabis dispensary chain. Tim Dodd joins Dan Humiston to talk about creating a dispensary that provides a welcoming environment for the new-to-cannabis customers.
https://podconx.com/guests/tim-dodd
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Tim Dodd: [00:01:06] Our view was that the retail market in California is a critical market in L.A. County is a huge part of that guy. In L.A. County, 40 percent of the population. California, one county looking at Cannabis, we fell in love. The focus for us simple things is broken. Most of our friends would not be seen dead in a dispensary. The engagement was low. Customer service wasn't really critical. User experience overall subpar?
Dan Humiston: [00:01:39] From MJ MJBulls Media, it's the Raising Cannabis Capital show. I'm Dan Humiston. And on today's show, we're continuing the Cannabis Dispensary Spotlight series with another Cannabis retail pioneer. Stay tuned for exciting insight into the techniques that this entrepreneur is using to expand and succeed.
Dan Humiston: [00:02:10] Today in Raising Cannabis Capital, we are continuing this month's Cannabis Dispensary Spotlight series with Tim Dodd, the CEO of Sweet Flower.
Dan Humiston: [00:02:18] Tim, welcome to the show.
Tim Dodd: [00:02:19] Thanks, Dan.. Good to be here. Hi.
Dan Humiston: [00:02:22] I'm fine. I appreciate you taking time out today to talk to us about all the exciting things that you and your team are doing in Southern California, sweetheart.
Dan Humiston: [00:02:30] Yes. Yes. Sweet Flowers, one of the largest operators in L.A., which is. It's got to be the most competitive complex market there is. Why do you think your dispensaries are thriving in this market?
Tim Dodd: [00:02:43] Yeah, l.a.'s a very complicated market. We started Sweet Flower in only about 18 months ago going to June 18 with a very simple thesis. Our view was that the retail market in California is critical. The retail market in L.A. County is a huge part of that. Got in L.A. County, 40 percent of the population of California in one county, eighth biggest state by population in the nation. There was a state. So a huge market and very, very kind of Cannabis spending, very leaning forward on cannabis use and consumption, fairly non stigmatized, so accepted widely socially. A huge potential market. But looking at cannabis retail in Los Angeles as a focus for us, simple pieces, we felt it was broken. Most of our friends would not be seen dead in a dispensary. The engagement was low. Customer service wasn't really critical user experience overall subpar and I think most importantly, at least for what Sweet Flower is doing. There's a huge whitespace that is not being addressed. Most of the stores that we looked at in twenty eighteen when we were really setting sweet flower up were focused on one demographic young male. Yeah, that's fine. That's a very well-served demographic now in Los Angeles. And we were thinking, I guess there's a different market here for older millennial professionals, non male, diverse, inclusive crowd of people that are not really being served or being attracted that well, the Cannabis. And that's been proven to be the case. Our market sector is older. It's people who are coming in primarily for pain management, anxiety management, stress relief. What that market's really the market that is underserved. We want to focus on the need and the need state. Why are you here today? How can we help you? What are you looking to do?
Dan Humiston: [00:04:37] You talked about a lot of the aspects of your strategy, but the store in the look that even the name.
Dan Humiston: [00:04:45] It's very subtle. It doesn't scream the typical stereotypical Cannabis jargon.
Tim Dodd: [00:04:50] A yes push. Thank you.
Dan Humiston: [00:04:54] I mean, I think that a low key approach, I suspect it's got to be helpful for attracting new to Cannabis type customers.
Tim Dodd: [00:05:00] Yeah, there's different approaches for different people. Some people want to go to a dispensary that looks like a nightclub and that's fine. That's just not our customer base. Our customer base comes to us because we are a little more subtle. I think we're still very cool and I think the brand is super comfortable and not calling it something masculine or something related to the plant. And so has, I think, made people think, okay, that's not typical store. That's maybe a different maybe female, meaning it is a flower and it is sweet and it's kind of nice and pretty.
Dan Humiston: [00:05:34] And you build it into a sort of the story that permeates throughout your entire organization. I mean, I was laughing when I was reading. You refer to Cannabis as the floral frontier in your associates, their sweet florist.
Dan Humiston: [00:05:48] I mean, it's just great. It's great.
Tim Dodd: [00:05:51] I think they'll think, oh, wait, we like kind of brand forward a brand direction that fits that thesis, which is that this is for everyone. I don't mind if people call that bartenders, but we don't. We treat them as usually flowers. It's good. We're going to do events at people's homes with local florists and more of our delivery truck with the flower. So I think it's going to fund the launch.
Tim Dodd: [00:06:14] And kind of how we went about this, I think has been pretty true to how we feel about that thesis that the sector is taken. People looking at industry going to think it's like the difference between tech and retail is that there's actually growing and retail for a lot of the market segments and there's room in Cannabis for lots of different licensed dispensaries to focus on their own market.
Dan Humiston: [00:06:37] Take a short break to let you listen to a quick preview of our next episode.
Paul Henderson: [00:06:42] And so, you know, we're focusing on larger metro areas on so that's Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, a Las Vegas, Guttenberg.
Paul Henderson: [00:06:53] And those are, you know, that'll keep us busy for a little while.
Paul Henderson: [00:06:57] We have a couple of binding allies in place that I can't exactly say which ones yet or the exact locations, but that's Los Angeles and Las Vegas to start.
Dan Humiston: [00:07:09] Tune in on Thursday to hear the next episode of the Biotech Cannabis Dispensary Spotlight series with Paul Henderson from High Times.
Dan Humiston: [00:07:17] And now let's get back to today's show.
Dan Humiston: [00:07:21] You have six license locations right now and some of them are up and some of them are under construction, where were you in that process? Yeah.
Tim Dodd: [00:07:27] So it's a good question. So we have in the city of Los Angeles three that are running right now, arts district, no way, Studio City. The last one of which running up in a month or so is Westwood. We are the highest scoring applicants in Culver City. We're ecstatic about Culver City. We are the only downtown publicity location. And then the last one that we're working through is Pasadena.
Dan Humiston: [00:07:53] It's fairly expensive to do this type of expansion. Are you raising capital, Sofia?
Paul Henderson: [00:07:59] We are finalizing a capital raise right now. You're thinking that the thing aboutis we have not taken any outside money. The money that we've invested has been the capital from myself and my partner essentially bootstrapped. So we out today.
Paul Henderson: [00:08:13] So while we're kind of mature in the business, Rasam, what we've done is not us outside, around. So we're looking for a small amount of money. So in addition to finalizing the deal to answer some of these locations and pursuing new locations, the core focus for us for this year is driving the marketing message.
Paul Henderson: [00:08:34] We built a beautiful brand. We built these beautiful locations. We've been focused on winning more stores and more locations. But 2020 is the year for us to achieve. You know, what I think is very achievable goals and that will be driven by operations and markets.
Dan Humiston: [00:08:49] And that's not an expensive when bringing quality team and getting the message out there and opening stores. It makes sense that, you know, now is the time to start with raising some capital. Yeah. Yeah. I love all of Tim Dodds and Sweet Flowers information in the show. Notes in our new MJBulls dot com. So if you wanted to learn more about investment opportunities, you know you'll be able to reach out to him directly. Tim? Lot of information. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain everything that's going on with Sweet Flower and very exciting.
Tim Dodd: [00:09:21] Wonderful. Yeah. Thanks. I really appreciate it. We're very excited. We're very bullish for this year.
Dan Humiston: [00:09:26] Have you back on next year? See ya.
Tim Dodd: [00:09:29] Be great. Much appreciated. Again.
Dan Humiston: [00:09:33] Today's show is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors like Sencion Pixel, the Cannabis and CBD Hemp Industries leading marketing and design agency for over three years. Cannabis and CBD Hemp companies have trusted Sencion Pixel with all their social media management, influencer marketing, print, packaging and web design blog and SVO needs go to a Sencion pixel dot com or click on the link in the show notes to learn how Sencion pixels hirable all in one marketing and design department can amplify your company's communication.
Dan Humiston: [00:10:09] Today's podcast was produced by MJ Bolls Media, the industry's premier Cannabis podcast network with original music produced in part by Jamie Humiston. I'm Dan Humiston and you've been listening to the Raising Cannabis Capital podcast.
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