Everyone here is a consultant in some regard. This is literally the best place for growers, extractors and cannabis fabricators in the world. In a sea of consultants, what makes you different?
I have 2.
I have a solid background in plant nutrients. I have done all of the grow methods that I could get my hands on over the last 25 years (Hydroponic (DWC/Soilless), organic soil, KNF/JADAM, Biodynamic, indoor/greenhouse/outdoor etc. I have experience with row crop and biostimulants with traditional farms. While I’m definitely not an agronomist, I can solve most problems and have the resources for any question I can’t answer. I can speak to the market share of fertilizer distributors, retail sales and vertical markets you want to get into.
I have put together facilities and my focus is on operations and inputs. Input costs (electricicy, HVAC, labor, fertilizer etc.) can have a lot of hidden costs when you really need to know your cost of goods sold (COGS). It’s important to know that dollar cost when you figure your grams per square foot. There are strategies to expand easily or cut costs for your operation.
What is your consulting “angle”? How do you differentiate yourself when there is serious consulting competition?
I tell people I’m like Mr. Clean, I’m going bald and I’m fantastic at cleaning up other people’s messes.
There’s a whole lot of sub-optimal equipment out there that, for a variety of reasons, is costing your lab money. When isolate was $6k/kg and crude was fetching over $2k/kg this was a lot easier to stomach than it is today with prices where they are now, so I emphasize thermal and process efficiency and speed to keep labor costs down.
My background before being in cannabis full time was large scale industrial work and I’ve worked on some very high visibility/high value projects, so I tend to think in terms of big picture and big production.
My best attribute? Knowing I’m not a consultant, and that I will never be one.
I may have a couple worthwhile tips here and there, but some of you guys are on another level. Thanks to all the people smarter than me who contribute valuable info to this website. I appreciate you all.
I set myself apart from other consultants because instead of just going over the process of something I am consulting on I go through the science behind what’s happening so my clients are able to feel comfortable saying they have a full understanding of what’s happening and why. This enables them to work around issues without having to call every week and also come up with ways to better what they have learned or optimize it further themselves because they have a full understanding. I also combine my 5 plus years of management experience with my consulting and am able to connect with each individual on a level that makes learning easiest for them. I also individually write my SOPs pertaining to said facility, too many people are selling the same SOP geared to any lab where it’s much easier and a lot more helpful having a SOP that’s based around your facility and known troubled with what I am teaching.
I avoid consultations generally, I know I could offer it to some degree, but it’s just not a game I tend to, namely since I see it as too abstract.
Most of my “consults” are just informing people on proper consumption, safety concerns within the industry, etc.
I generally just say “I specialize in formulations, and have assisted in crop tending/maintenence, scalability, and feasibility. I am an associates of science, with a back ground working amongst clinical chemists, physicists, and various doctors from differing fields.”
When I used to consult, my only hook was competence - anything else is a gimmick.
Competence includes both the shit you know and your ability to communicate said shit to your client specifically in a way that they identify the key concepts and can make intelligent and rational decisions based upon them.
This is the difference between a consultant that’s worth their weight and consultants that aren’t worth a fuck. Steer clear of anyone claiming to know it all no matter what their hook or claimed experience might be
When multiple references are requested, I always try to get one from a past client whose project failed. May not make sense, but most projects I take on nowadays are incredibly risky so I require the client to accept that before beginning.
On the same end, “I have never been sued by a client” is now becoming a legit differentiator for license acquisition and financial consulting lol