GCNC World View: The Global Cannabis Business Podcast · GCNC

Capital & Cannabis

·39 min·2 clips

Rachel says the first conversation starts with goals, stakeholders, and whether a company even has an exit plan.

1. GCNC World View: The Global Cannabis Business Podcast episode "Capital & Cannabis" centers on cannabis finance, compliance, and international expansion. 2. Chris Day hosts as co-founder of the Global Cannabis Network Collective, while Rachel Wright leads Verdant Strategies and 420 CPA and Stephanie Cuffee-Jeffries handles business development at Verdant Strategies. 3. The episode asks how cannabis companies can manage money, stay compliant, and expand without missing legal or strategic risks. 4. Rachel says her move into international tax began with a personal goal to travel and make it deductible, then grew into a master’s degree in international tax. 5. She explains that cannabis expansion into Canada, Europe, Thailand, and South America made the international focus fit her work with clients. 6. Stephanie says many companies across markets fail to focus on financials, so money gets lost through the cracks and compliance questions get ignored. 7. She says she often discovers owners relying on a spouse, parent, or business friend instead of cannabis-specific financial expertise. 8. Rachel says her first client conversation starts with goals, stakeholders, and the company ecosystem, whether that means a husband-and-wife business or a board of directors. 9. She gives examples ranging from a struggling Southern California store to a publicly traded Canadian company and a multinational looking to expand. 10. Rachel says some owners want an exit plan, some want to pass the business to the next generation, and some are trying to get in and out during the green rush. 11. Stephanie says the strongest North American momentum is in the Northeast, especially New York and New Jersey, where licenses were handed out “like candy.” 12. She adds that Maryland and Virginia are also picking up as real estate and cultivation land become available. 13. Rachel says her firm focuses on the tri-state area because she is from it, while also watching Florida and working with clients in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. 14. She says Germany is a major European focus and mentions a podcast with Fock of CannabisStartups.com and a recently published MJBiz article on Germany. 15. Rachel warns that companies should think about international access before they expand, because they may already be in hot water before they know it. 16. She says she prefers to facilitate alongside attorneys who specialize in international work rather than pretend one international tax degree covers everything. 17. Rachel describes Africa as an emerging area with cultivation, water constraints, government subsidies, Morocco or Portugal as possible hubs, and cartel pressure in the background. 18. She compares today’s African market to California years ago, when regulators, taxing agencies, and auditors did not know what was happening and mistakes were common. 19. The tone is practical and advisory, with Chris pushing for concrete examples while Rachel and Stephanie answer in a direct interview format. 20. Cannabis operators, finance teams, and advisors looking at compliance, tax, and cross-border growth should listen; price-shoppers and people wanting market hype probably should not.

As heard by us

A practical cannabis-business conversation about capital, hiring, and international market momentum.

GCNC Worldview stays on the business side of cannabis, with Chris Day steering the talk toward money, capital, and long-term planning. Rachel Wright and Stephanie Cuffee-Jeffries bring in a grounded view from Verdant Strategies and 420 CPA, which keeps the conversation tied to…

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Want a grounded cannabis-business conversation about capital, markets, and planning for what comes next?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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