"I'm a free market guy, but I look at this much like alcohol where you don't want 10 distributors of Bud Light in a specific market. So it's very similar to that." - John Mueller Jump into the latest 'To Be Blunt' episode with Shayda Torabi and cannabis bigwig John Mueller, co-founder and CEO of Greenlight - a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator with over 180,000 square feet of cultivation and manufacturing and 550 employees, as they navigate the high-stakes world of cannabis licensing. Unpack the impacts of Twilio and MasterCard's policies, dive into state-specific regulations, and learn why winning licenses beats buying. With bonus insights on protecting license values and state recreational programs, this is a must-listen episode! [00:00 - 08:10] Twilio Cuts Services to Cannabis Industry Operators: What Does This Mean for the Future? [08:10 - 15:36] A Huge Blow to Cannabis Operators and a Setback for the Industry [15:36 - 22:40] Navigating the Cannabis Industry in Different States [22:40 - 30:40] Partnering with Establishments for Credibility [30:40 - 37:38] Connections, Cultivation, and Compliance with Greenlight [37:38 - 44:29] Converting Illicit Cannabis Consumers to Regulated Markets in Missouri and Beyond [44:29 - 51:38] Exploring the Black Market [51:38 - 1:01:11] From Founding Members to Expanding Horizons in the Cannabis Industry Connect with John! Linkedin, Or go to https://greenlightdispensary.com/ John Mueller is the Co-Founder and CEO of Greenlight, a vertically-integrated, multi-state operator with 3 in-house brands, over 180,000 square feet of cultivation and manufacturing, and more than 550 employees. Through John’s expertise in scaling businesses, Greenlight is tracking over $200 million in annualized revenue and is positioned to have 40 dispensaries open by Q1 of 2024. Resources Mentioned: https://mjbizdaily.com/text-messaging-provider-twilio-cuts-service-to-cannabis-industry/ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/business/mastercard-debit-cannabis-transactions.html 🎧 New episodes *every Monday* 📢 Discussing the business of taking cannabis packaged goods to market ⌨️ TOBEBLUNTPOD.com 🌎 To Be Blunt is a top 5% most shared global podcast  💚 Made and Hosted by @THESHAYDATORABI 💌 Slide into the DM’s @TOBEBLUNTPOD 🌱 Sponsored by @RESTARTCBD Love this episode? 👍🏼 To Be Blunt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a 5 star review on Apple podcast or Spotify And forward to a friend! ⏩ Thank you for reading To Be Blunt. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to To Be Blunt at tobebluntpod.substack.com/subscribe