With the cannabis industry set to hit a whopping 24Billion by the end of this year; a lot of people are wondering if it is time to take the leap and open a dispensary. You could visit and follow our complete guide on how to open a dispensary and succeed.
But for now, what are the costs associated with opening a dispensary in 2022? And is it even worth it?
In this article we will explore how much it costs to open a dispensary, what those costs might be, and how to save big in unexpected ways.
How much does it cost to open a dispensary?
The cost of opening a dispensary will vary depending on several factors. Those include the cost of licensing, staffing, rent, retail outfitting, product, consultants, operations, software, insurance, and more. In the end, the consensus is between $150,000 and 2 million depending on where you are located.
But that's a lot to digest! So we decided to break it down category by category so you can take the data, and use it based on your unique circumstances. Without further adieu, here are the details:
What costs should I consider when opening a dispensary?
The top 10 costs to consider when opening a dispensary will include:
- Licensing fees
- Capital requirements
- Realtor leasing
- Staffing
- Marketing
- Banking
- Professional fees
- Security and surveillance systems
- Business equipment
- Dispensary software
How much are dispensary licensing fees?
It depends on where you are located. In Canada, the typical licensing fee is between $6,000 and $10,000; however, in the states, it can vary from $5,000 to $50,000. Some of these licenses may be a one-time fee, but some must be renewed yearly.
Some other factors to consider would be if you had to apply for a license, win a bit or lottery, or if you can quality for a social equity program
How much capital do I need to open a dispensary?
Some states require cannabis businesses to prove they have a certain level of liquid and non-liquid assets before acquiring a license. These are capital requirements and can range from $150,000 to $300,000. Before getting licensed, check your state’s regulations to see if these requirements apply to you.
You could check on some specific cases like this guide on how to open a dispensary in California.
How does realtor leasing work?
Most cities require you to submit an application with the owner’s written consent to use a property for selling cannabis. In some cities, specific professions have to sign off on your application, such as an industrial hygienist. Additionally, there are strict rules about how close a dispensary can be to schools, playgrounds, and other similar areas. These factors make finding suitable retail spaces not just difficult but also expensive.
Annual real estate costs for a dispensary can cost up to $100,000. You’d also have to consider significant renovation costs to meet regulations, fit your brand identity, and ease functionality. Some legal firms offer to write and submit your applications for you. This can cost between $15,000 and $35,000, depending on the requirements for approval and other factors like the state of the building.
How much does dispensary staffing cost?
For any business to succeed, it needs a dedicated and well-trained staff. You’ll need store managers, budtenders, supervisors, and marketing staff to get your dispensary going. Based on industry-standard rates, you can expect the payroll costs to total almost $250,000 annually.
You also have to consider further costs for continuous employee training to ensure your customers are receiving the best possible services.
What are dispensary marketing costs?
Marketing and advertising are crucial parts of running a dispensary. A good marketing plan should include both online (website design and social media management) and offline (print ads, one-on-one marketing) components. It’s essential to combine the two, especially since business has undergone a digital transformation with customers increasingly making purchases online. This can set you back $15,000 in some markets, but up to $75,000 in others. For a very busy business, you may need to take on the additional cost of hiring a social media manager.
What are cannabis banking costs?
Although several states have legalized cannabis, its possession, distribution, and sale remain illegal under federal law. This legal ambiguity has made access to the banking system quite tricky for cannabis businesses, as banks working with U.S. cannabis firms run the risk of coming under the scrutiny of federal enforcement. Many banks refuse to take this risk, while others charge high holding fees of up to $2,000 for cannabis businesses. However, the recently passed SAFE Banking Act seeks to remove this obstacle by prohibiting banking system regulators from penalizing banks or credit unions that do business with legitimate cannabis-related firms.
What other people costs should I consider?
You’ll need the services of certain professionals to get your dispensary up and running. If you use a professional to prepare your license application, that could cost you an extra $10,000 in consulting fees. You’d probably need to have an attorney on retainer as well, given the vulnerability of the cannabis industry. Add insurance policy costs to that, and you could be spending up to $50,000 on professional fees outside your usual payroll.
Finally, it would be wise to consider working on an ongoing basis with a cannabis consultant to help you set up your operations, SOPs and connect with other professionals in the industry.
How much is dispensary security and surveillance?
Robust security and surveillance systems are a must for any dispensary. They provide a safe environment for both your employees and customers and they also protect your product from theft. A good security system should include surveillance cameras, a main vault for flower storage, and a strong safe for cash. This can cost you upwards of $300,000 simply for installation costs, with separate costs for surveillance footage monitoring.
What are the costs of dispensary hardware?
Your dispensary will need equipment such as computers, POS devices, display menus, shelving, and refrigerators to run efficiently. The electronics may cost you up to $25,000, while furniture, shelving, and other fixtures could run up a bill of about $30,000.
How much does cannabis software cost?
With so many costs incurred in startup and maintenance, it’s no wonder that many entrepreneurs have turned to cannabis software solutions to increase efficiency and cut management costs. Seed-to-sale software allows you to track every stage of the cannabis supply chain, including inventory control, sales, business intelligence reporting, compliance monitoring and government data submissions. POS systems help businesses streamline transactions. Workforce management software manages employee scheduling and attendance. Establishing these systems may set you back at least $1000 for hardware and up to $1000 monthly software fees.
How can I save money when opening a dispensary?
With the information above highlighting how much it costs to open a dispensary, you’re probably wondering if owning a dispensary is profitable.
Well it is.
A dispensary owner can make anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000 per year or more!
But still, start up fees are no joke. So here are some great ways to save money when opening your dispensary!
Saving on licensing and capital requirements
Because licensing fees and capital requirements depend on what state you’re in, you can actually cut costs by setting up shop in states with lower licensing fees and capital requirements. For example, the license application fee in California is $5000 compared to the $6000 tab you’d pick up in Michigan— that’s a large amount of money saved.
However, you have to ensure you don’t sacrifice higher sale prices for lower license fees. Oregon, for example, has a license fee of $250 – the lowest in the U.S. However, it also has one of the lowest cannabis prices, with one gram selling at $6.65. So, it would be more profitable to pay 200% more on a license in Michigan and reap higher profits with an average sales price of $9.74/gram.
Cutting real estate costs
When it comes to cutting real estate costs, the most cost-effective dispensary building option tends to be a vacant space in a strip mall. Compared to renovating standalone buildings or starting a new build, this saves you money as the mechanicals you need are already in place, and the space can easily be altered to suit your dispensary’s needs. Also, with a strip mall, the need for external renovations is avoided, saving even more money.
Save money on hiring
Another major expense you can cut costs on is staffing. You can save money on dispensary hiring by carefully vetting the staff you take on for your business. Hiring talented and experienced staff not only ensures maximum productivity and profits for your dispensary, it also saves the time and effort you would spend on training inexperienced staff to better handle their duties. Also, with a good staff, you can have higher employee retention rates and save significantly on onboarding costs for new hires.
Social media engagement as marketing
A large proportion of consumers now make their purchases online. With the integration of social media into commercial online platforms, social media management has become an integral part of marketing for most businesses. You can save thousands of advertising dollars by actively engaging with clients and potential customers on your social media page. It may be a time-consuming endeavor, but the rewards and savings are well worth it.
Do it yourself
The same do-it-yourself approach for marketing could be applied to cutting costs for professional fees. Instead of hiring a professional to tackle your license application, do it yourself. Of course, certain costs like an attorney’s retainer fee are a necessary expenditure that you cannot avoid. However, if you can do something yourself with no risk to the business to save costs, do it.
Reduce security risks
When it comes to security systems for your business, it can be risky to try and cut corners. Instead, you can remove the need for certain security measures. There’s no need for a safe if you only accept electronic payments. Some companies charge extra fees to manage your surveillance footage—you could cut costs by doing this yourself.
Leveraging technology to cut costs
While several cannabis business owners are leveraging technology to cut costs, it can be easy to get swept away in the tide of different digital solutions available on the market. Software like POS systems and payroll products serve different important purposes, and getting a separate type of software for each of the many roles in your business may break the bank. A smart way around this would be purchasing an all-in-one software solution that covers multiple roles for one price.
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