Most cannabis organizations have invested a lot of time and money into seed to sale tracking systems, yet many aren’t satisfied with the functionality and value.
To maximize the benefit from your current seed to sale tracking system, it may help to take a step back and examine how your people, processes, and system could improve.
After evaluating your current situation, you ultimately might decide to implement an ERP system. Although this sounds like a draining task, there are ways to maximize your seed to sale tracking system in the short-term while setting your new cannabis ERP up for success.
Every employee that will be using your seed to sale tracking system must receive thorough training. Hands-on training that is, ideally, conducted by your software provider is crucial to maximizing your return. Check with your software support team to see what ongoing trainings they can offer your current and future employees.
It is critical to make sure that someone in the company is trained as the system “guru”—the go-to person for onsite questions and troubleshooting. This person can answer general questions, help find solutions, and relay important information back to the vendor.
Having a dedicated resource within your company ensures that common questions are addressed company-wide, operations are not halted while waiting on your software vendor, and employees are not going against standard operating procedures.
Establish process maps to ensure consistent data entry, easy training, and accessibility. Documentation written by your software provider is great for basic how-to refreshers but will be generic to functionality.
Keeping your own updated documentation that includes your companies’ best practices and operating procedures ensures that information is not forgotten or lost when someone leaves the company. The information can be easily shared with other employees.
Once your people and processes are in place, it’s time to evaluate the system itself. While your seed to sale tracking software may be housing your data properly, is your vendor updating the system to meet current and future cannabis industry needs?
ERP vendors invest heavily in consistently improving their solutions with consistent functionality improvements, service packs, and various updates that allow users to benefit from emerging technologies, evolving regulations, and industry best practices. If you’ve invested in seed to sale but haven’t received updates, ERP can future-proof your cannabusiness.
As the cannabis market matures, companies that can’t scale are quickly becoming stagnant or worse, closing shop. One of the easiest ways to ensure your business is ready to scale is ensuring your software supports growth.
Can your seed to sale software handle more than one state or country compliance tracking system? Multi-location? Multi-language? Multi-currency? Tax code? If your business is expanding, but your software is hindering growth, it may be time to check out ERP.
The core of your seed to sale software tracking system should house all business-critical functionality. Integrations are useful as add-ons, but should not be relied on for core business activities. Standard cannabis operations, such as cultivation, processing, inventory, and retail should be built into the core of your seed to sale tracking software.
This is where ERP comes into play. Cannabis specific ERP houses a built-in financial system, standard seed to sale functionality, and the ability to customize the system to your unique requirements.
Seed to sale software is an investment with direct and indirect ROI. To ensure you are getting the most out of your system, it is important to identify time and money savings, job function and process improvements, and overall growth.
Implementing the above best practices can help cannabusinesses ensure they’re getting the maximum value from their current seed to sale tracking system.
However, fixes to your current system may not resolve issues with functionality, scalability, and overall growth. If a new system is the better option for your business’s needs, the above steps will help you implement and build a solid foundation and future-proof your new cannabis ERP system.
Contact 365 Cannabis today if you have any questions about maximizing the value of your seed to sale tracking system or would like to see the unmatched benefits of cannabis-specific ERP.
As the legalization of both medical and recreational cannabis continues to spread across the world, cannabis business owners are looking for business management solutions that will help them maintain compliance with their state regulatory systems.
In most states, local governments have selected regulatory cannabis systems that require cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, and dispensaries to report everything from plant weight to harvest waste to retail labels, etc.
However, these state systems don't help cannabis business owners run an efficient business. This is where seed-to-sale software comes in.
Seed-to-sale software systems promise to keep your business compliant and optimize your operations; however, they often fail in delivering on these promises.
Seed-to-sale software lacks the accounting aspect of business operations software along with a plethora of other functionalities related to finance.
In most cases, a seed-to-sale vendor would integrate with another accounting software, like QuickBooks, to enable financial data to push/pull between the two systems.
The problem with integrating your finances lies in the instability of some integrations and the lack of industry-specific features.
Cannabis companies face strict regulations, and without a reliable financial system in place, they are one misstep away from a lapse in compliance.
Much like the legal cannabis industry, seed-to-sale software is a relatively “new” product. Most of these platforms are proprietary software systems that are built from the ground up, sometime within the last ten years.
While it is great to see the cannabis industry creating jobs, this isn’t necessarily a good thing for cannabis companies because it results in products lacking key functionality that comes from traditional cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail software.
Due to the ever-changing world of cannabis, many seed-to-sale software companies choose to remain within a specific locale where they have experience and understanding of local regulations.
This could mean bad news for companies that plan to scale and expand into multiple states or internationally.
Traditional seed-to-sale software isn't equipped with accounting software, point of sale (POS) software, menu boards, or customer relationship management (CRM). This leaves its users to look elsewhere to satisfy their other needs.
Most seed-to-sale systems do allow integrations into their platforms; however, these integrations can be unreliable, and the bills from using multiple platforms add up very quickly.
These shortcomings all boil down to one simple truth. seed-to-sale software helps businesses stay compliant, not competitive.
Cannabis companies face steep competition. Without the ability to track product performance, create products through MRP, measure financial performance, rely on their software to provide the most accurate organizational data in real-time, etc., they will quickly fall behind their competitors. This is where cannabis ERP can step in and provide value to cannabis companies.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software far exceeds seed-to-sale software in terms of functionality and long-term sustainability. Combining traditional supply chain management capabilities with cannabis-specific functionality, ERP delivers cannabis businesses with an all-encompassing solution. This eliminates the need for businesses to use separate systems for each department. ERP software allows cannabis businesses to manage their entire operation in one synergistic system.
365 Cannabis is an ERP solution with functionality specifically tailored to the challenges and requirements of the cannabis industry. Built on Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, 365 Cannabis combines traditional supply chain management capabilities with cannabis-specific functionality for a complete solution.
The module-based ERP is robust. This setup allows cannabis businesses to use the system in its entirety—from financials, cultivation, processing, CRM, distribution, to retail—or consume modules individually with the option to add more as they scale.
Move beyond compliance and gain a competitive edge. Request a demo with 365 Cannabis today.
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Process maps are representations, often visual, of the steps people follow to complete tasks in an organization. These can be broad overviews or step by step instructions. They provide a way for everyone to understand what is going on and where everyone fits in a process.
It’s important to know what you are doing in order to make improvements to that process. Process maps can help you visualize what is really going on in your organization and identify areas that could be improved. They can range from simple linear overviews of one person’s job or long complex, granular chains that outline multiple steps across several departments. It all depends on your business needs.
You can build process maps with just a few basic shapes. Here are a few that you can use to get started:
Figure 1 Is a screenshot from the Microsoft application Visio of the basic shapes that you can use.
Mapping out what your organization does gives everyone a clear picture of what is expected of them. Managers can see everyone’s role at a glance, and everyone can know where their role fits in the process.
Figure 2 is an overview of the article writing process using basic flowchart figures.
These kinds of maps allow you to see who is doing what and where work might be duplicated or missed. It lets people know exactly who is responsible for which tasks. Just like a normal map, once you’re oriented, it’s easy to figure out where you are going.
There is, or should be, a reason we do most things in business. There’s an outcome we’re looking for and there are certain steps we take to get there. In fact, looking at the ending point can be a good place to start your process map. Then look at where you begin and analyze the steps you need to take to achieve that desired end.
Not all tasks are completed in a straight line and you process maps can be as complex as your organization. Sometimes there is handoff between departments and some task may need to be repeated as other issues become apparent.
Figure 3 is an example of a process map for documentation. This map involves multiple departments and also calls for regular review of information.
Here are a few steps to help you get started:
We build process maps to give visibility to the tasks we complete on a daily basis. They help everyone in an organization understand the big picture and where they fit in as well as standardize and repeat processes. You’ll be able to easily identify shortcomings and make corrections.
Maps have always been intended to help us find our way. Two continents are named after a mapmaker (North and South America are named after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci). Just goes to show you how important maps can be.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/growth-center/resources/succeed-with-process-mapping
https://creately.com/blog/diagrams/process-mapping-guide/
https://blog.buoy.ventures/how-to-map-your-business-processes-4a6934026424
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Investing in a dispensary management system over a conventional point-of-sale (POS) system is one of the smartest decisions a cannabis business owner can make.
A POS system has built-in functionality for the needs of cannabis retailers. A proper dispensary management system, on the other hand, will ensure your operation stays in compliance amid volatile state and country regulations.
In this article, we will look at the most beneficial features of a dispensary management system. Likewise, we explain why the features are instrumental in building a business that is not only compliant but also competitive.
Using an effective dispensary management system can significantly increase your transaction speed. This makes life easier for your budtenders but also enhances the customer experience.
Your customers are excited to check out and receive their items. If a transaction takes too long, their interest can quickly fade and eventually turn into frustration.
Customer sales aren’t the only transactions your system will help speed up. It will also modernize your receiving of inventory, end-of-day (EOD) tasks, price updates, and more.
Having the right dispensary POS system in place will optimize your processes. As a result, automated functionality will decrease data errors since processes like tax calculations, inventory adjustments, and returns require minimal system interaction.
In addition, the system can also sync data across multiple devices in real-time. So, if you have multiple terminals in your store (check-in, fulfillment, cashier, etc.), there will be no need to constantly ensure that data is being transferred accurately across all platforms.
Inventory is always going to be paramount in any retail operation. With a proper dispensary management system in place, your inventory levels will be updated in real-time.
In turn, your employees won’t need to worry about your customers ordering items that you don’t have in stock. This is also helpful when it comes to stock reordering points.
Most cannabis enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are equipped with automated inventory replenishment functionality that will automatically suggest sales orders for products based on criteria you set for reordering.
So, let’s say your OG Kush is in high demand for holidays. The system should automatically suggest that you purchase more OG Kush to satisfy this demand.
The difference between a run-of-the-mill dispensary and an extraordinary one is the loyalty that it builds with its customers. One of the best ways to build a strong rapport with customers is to offer them promotions or discounts to reward them for their business.
A dispensary management system will enable you to automate these discounts and notify your clientele of upcoming promotions. This automation can be as simple or as granular as you decide.
Do you want all edibles to be 20% off on Wednesdays? Not a problem. Would you like Veterans to receive a 15% discount every Friday from 12-6 pm? Also, possible.
You can get as creative as you want with promotions when using proper dispensary management software. And, in turn, create more opportunities for your customers to return.
With a wealth of data, it’d be a waste if business owners couldn’t use this data to visualize the direction of their dispensary.
With a dispensary management system in place, operators can quickly identify bottlenecks and bloat, measure employee performance, forecast promotions, and make more informed decisions in general.
Having advanced reporting and analytic capabilities can quickly propel your dispensary ahead of your competition.
If you’re in the market for a dispensary management system that allows you to optimize your business in all the ways mentioned above and more, 365 Cannabis is a platform that is seriously worth considering. Equipped with industry-leading functionality, their system contains all the tools needed to scale your business into a neighborhood favorite or a multi-location, multi-state behemoth.
No matter how your business evolves, 365 Cannabis is a platform that can scale with you.
Equip your dispensary with a cannabis ERP system that is a cut above the rest. Request a demo with 365 Cannabis today.
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Cannabis crosses over in many regulatory environments and since majority of cannabis markets exist due to its medical benefits, it crosses over into the medical regulatory environment. Particularly, medical cannabis is subject to follow guidelines under HIPAA, which outlines the utter importance of medical data security.
How does this relate to the cannabis industry?
HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996) provides regulations on privacy of health information, security of PHI (patient health information) and electronic systems, as well as guidelines and penalties regarding confidentiality in the medical field.
Dispensaries and retail stores that sell to patients and store patient information for business swiftness or state regulatory uploads must be aware of the weight of HIPAA. The US Department Of Health and Human Services develops regulations protecting patients, their privacy, and their security. Being HIPAA compliant means that you comply with three main rules: privacy rule, security rule, and electronic data exchange.
The privacy rule involves simple protection of an individual’s health care data. Applying the privacy rule to your business could mean a variety of things, but the end goal has to include protecting the information.
Going hand in hand with privacy, security controls the confidentiality, storage of, and access related to PHI. Meeting this requirement could mean using a SOC 2 compliant software to manage the data of your business, creating controls to prevent unauthorized access, or using secure servers.
Finally, Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) pertains to data exchanged between providers and payers, or in general transmitting data. Another relevant transfer of data is those that go from the dispensaries to the state for proper tracking and statistics. Technology is both your enemy and your friend, make sure that the system you are using is strong and effective at preventing cyber attacks and successful at ensuring controls are working efficiently.
Anytime you come into contact with patient information or it’s easy for others in your business to access it, then you are subject to these security regulations.
There are some simple suggestions to combatting such an immense regulatory environment: don’t discuss patient information; avoid leaving records accessible to others (open POS systems or backfiles); refrain from printing or storing outside the secure system at all possible.
The best recommendation is to find a system that is SOC 2 compliant or has been audited to ensure exceptional security and safety for the information your business encounters. Always air on the side of caution and take impervious approaches to business processes and controls.
Always consult with professionals about the potential consequences regarding patient health information privacy breaches and plan ahead to prepare for worst case scenarios.
HHS Office of the Secretary,Office for Civil Rights, & Office for Civil Rights. (2013, July 26). Summary of the HIPAA
Security Rule. Retrieved September 26, 2019, from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/laws-regulations/index.html.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]"…you generally spend 80% of your time on 20% of the project."
-Joseph M. Juran
Software personalization in the workplace can make all the difference in adoption and use. It can help take a complex set of tasks and turn it into an intuitive process flow.
People are bombarded with massive amounts of information almost constantly, and while some of that is out of our control, you can remove some of the unnecessary noise from you and your employees by choosing options that allow you to personalize the user experience quickly and easily.
The pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule, describes the relationship between causes and effects. Basically, 80% of your outcomes are likely come from 20% of your input. This observation has become wildly popular in the business management world, but how does your team focus on that small percentage of what’s really important? You can start by taking an active approach to the information that gets through to you on the programs you use at work by personalizing the user interface (UI).
Personalization can help your team focus on the 20% that’s going to impact the largest chunk of your day to day and give you virtual blinders so you can hone in on those important tasks that are likely to provide the largest return on your time investment.
Software personalization can take a lot of forms such as:
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools are often massive systems designed to track and trace every step of large organization’s day to day operations. Any individual will probably only use a fraction (maybe 1/5th?) of the features that are available in an ERP. Getting to those “vital few” in a standard ERP can be like trying to find a reliable news outlet in 2019 (too soon?).
Custom software can come with a high price tag. We live in a time where anything is possible, money talks, and time is money. But there are ways to get a personalized result quickly and for less cost than traditional customization.
365 Cannabis is an ERP dedicated to helping your cannabis business run smoothly. We provide a robust core product and an ever-growing network of partners and integrations to help meet all your needs. The 365 Cannabis product is configurable, out of the box, to give individual users a personalized UI with all the most important information front and center on their home screen.
We’ll be honest. You probably won’t use every feature 365 Cannabis has to offer. Our system was designed to fit almost any need that any cannabis business owner, across multiple states and countries, might have. We give you the ability to personalize the UI for every user so that they can focus on what really matters from day one.
Interested in configuring your UI in 365 Cannabis? Check out this video to get you started.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
The cannabis industry is booming. As more states legalize, demand will drive unfathomable expansion for cannabis companies. Start-ups are quickly turning into large scale enterprises in a matter of months, outgrowing basic software that is unable to scale. Now, businesses need to look for solutions going beyond seed-to-sale; systems that can track business operations, not just plants.
Implementing a new ERP solution doesn’t happen overnight. It requires careful planning too. Here are a few things to consider when deciding to switch to a cannabis-specific ERP solution.
An ERP system integrates data and processes across multiple departments and locations, allowing a company to produce, move, and track cannabis and non-cannabis products alike quicker than ever.
Especially true for cannabis, no two businesses have the same operational needs. Each operation requires specific software functionality to run efficiently. ERP software is extremely flexible, customizable, and scalable, making it ideal for the cannabis industry.
For example, a company that only cultivates needs robust facility management features such as: yield forecasting, cost per gram, and automated inventory replenishment capabilities. Dispensaries on the other hand require a solution that can automate inventory replenishments, track loyalty, and manage multiple stores. Vertically integrated companies that cultivate, manufacture, distribute, and operate their own retail dispensaries need a solution that can manage every aspect of their operation and communicate between departments.
Fortunately, cannabis industry specific ERP systems like 365 Cannabis tailor the software to accommodate every operation size and type; from cultivators to retailers, startups to multi-million-dollar enterprises. Investing in a cannabis-specific ERP ensures that no matter your operation type, size, location, your business is equipped with the right tools long-term.
Software should not be seen as a cost, but an investment in the health and future of your business. So how do you ensure that this investment delivers ROI immediately and into the future? When selecting a solution that will house all your business-critical information in a highly regulated industry, consider the time, effort, and cost involved to implement and maintain your new system.
New technology is only as good as its implementation. Your ERP supplier should have the knowledge and industry experience to guide you through deployment. It is up to you to ensure you have a dedicated team to put in the time to train, practice, and pass this knowledge on to manage the system independently. Initial effort in equals long-term value out.
Maintaining the integrity of an ERP system requires knowledge of use, best practices, and standard procedures to be spread and passed along to employees. Under-utilization and miss-use due to staff churn or “forgetting” what features and functionality are available will degrade the value of your system. Select an ERP solution with the capacity to provide documentation as well as refresher training courses to ensure that your ERP is continuously used to its full potential.
True ERP systems connect various departments and processes that are currently fragmented in your company. Ditching a cluster of standalone systems will instantly drive efficiency, increase productivity, and reduce manual processes and errors. It’s time to switch to an integrated ERP system built to scale with you.
Expanding your business across state lines is a great way to increase your footprint, customer base, and of course, your sales. However, it can be difficult to begin expansion in such a young, heavily regulated industry in which each state has disparate traceability and reporting requirements. Rest assured, we have compiled a list of the 4 most important things to consider when expanding your operations across multiple states:
Of course, the most important thing to consider when expanding your business is the regulatory seed-to-sale tracking system. Expanding to a state that has a different regulatory system than the one you are currently operating in can cause dilemmas to arise. Each system has different requirements for various aspects of your operation. Seed-to-sale tracking solutions like Metrc and BioTrack are configured to meet the different regulatory requirements in each market. For example, Metrc in Colorado might not be configured the same as Metrc in Michigan and some states may require you to use certain available functions (like recording additives or recording waste prior to harvest) where other states do not.
Luckily, with the help of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions, such as 365 Cannabis, the complications that could manifest as a result of these differences are alleviated. These ERP solutions will not only integrate into the different state seed-to-sale tracking solutions, but they will also help facilitate your compliance needs from state to state and allow you to consolidate your data, so that you will maintain complete visibility across every location in your organization.
Another factor to consider when expanding your operations is the legal environment of the new state. Recent legalization data from DISA Global Solutions shows that 12 states in the United States have fully legalized marijuana, 27 have limited legalization, and 11 have yet to legalize in any way. Having a solid understanding of the legalization status of each state is instrumental in procuring first-mover advantages, enabling you to secure huge profit margins and market share.
On the other hand, moving into a new state prematurely could be extremely volatile and result in significant setbacks. All too often, companies that attempt to undergo expansion into new states too soon face potential pitfalls such as insufficient capital and technological limitations due to unstable regulatory environments. This happens frequently in the cannabis industry, where laws are ever-changing, and businesses are constantly blind-sided by new legislation and struggle to meet compliance. Finding the right technology partner to help you navigate these complex regulatory environments is essential to your success. 365 Cannabis and their dedicated compliance team stay on top such regulations to provide your company with the clarity it needs to expand.
Inevitably, different tax rates will apply to different states as you expand. It is important to consider these rates when considering expansion. Each state has its own method of taxing cannabis. The most common types of taxes are placed on sales, wholesale transactions, and local government duties.
Most states tax cannabis as a percentage of the retail prices. These tax rates can range from 0% in Alaska to 37% in Washington. Some states also have a tax on the wholesale purchase of marijuana. For example, Nevada enforces a 15% excise upon growers for the wholesale sale of cannabis. Additionally, some localities can levy taxes on retail sales. With so many different layers of tax to consider, manual data entry can be a risky, time-consuming task. To avoid costly penalties, business owners would benefit greatly from an ERP solution equipped with the capabilities to handle taxes for multi-state operators. The core of 365 Cannabis, Microsoft Dynamics, has been successfully deployed globally and can handle all manners of tax for multi-state and even multi-country operators.
An honest readiness assessment of your company’s scalability can make or break your business. Attempting to expand before your operations are ready to scale could easily lead to operational inefficiencies and could lead to the loss of countless dollars and hours. In the cannabis industry, it is not unlikely to find multi-state operators using multiple systems to manage their enterprise. Typically, these systems do not fully integrate with one another and cause outages, miss-matched data, and accounting errors, especially when they are asked to handle operations in across departments and state. These errors make it difficult to forecast your profitability.
Just as you should be able to predict future performance, to scale a company you must implement a system that helps you see what your business will look like one month, one year, and even five years in the future. 365 Cannabis is a GAAP compliant ERP solution that will allow to you easily expand and evaluate your company’s cash flow forecast without having to worry about losing your financial data as you scale.
You’ve heard the term API before, you've undoubtedly interacted with one, but what exactly does it do?
Today, connectivity between technology is crucial for clean data and efficient processes. For instance, you wouldn’t hire an employee to count inventory by hand every time there is an online inquiry. Additionally, you wouldn’t start making/ordering new inventory until that employee notices that you are out of stock. APIs at their core push and pull crucial data between two systems, automating operations and maximizing efficiencies.
At its most basic level, an API lets one piece of software talk to another piece of software. APIs define the rules that programs must follow in order to interact with another programming language, software library, database, or other software tool. APIs make it possible to move information between programs, automating activities that were once done manually.
There are two different ways APIs collect and share data; push and pull.
Push - The system you want to connect to has an API, allowing your software system to write programming code to connect to it and marry the two systems. Both systems can push data back and forth to ensure all data is up-to-date no matter which system you’re in. Most integrations listed on the 365 Cannabis product roadmap are set up to push data.
Pull – The program you want to use doesn’t have an API or your software system hasn’t integrated to that program yet. If this is the case, they can integrate to your system with read-only access to your data. This way, your system can expose data (item list, inventory, customer information) and display it elsewhere.
Regardless of the methodology, APIs clearly define exactly how a program will interact with the rest of the software world.
Streamlined processes, and automation significantly maximize efficiencies for success and growth. APIs can reduce and eliminate manual data entry in areas of your operation. Because the APIs simply provide data, there are no limits on how your company can use and present that data. These programs can be automated to happen automatically or run on a schedule. API integrations can save businesses time, money, and sanity by reducing manual data entry/retrieval as well as human error.
Your company has a website that lists the products you sell and the inventory/stock levels. Since you have an API connecting the two systems, that webserver accesses the 365 Cannabis database (with the inventory data) and retrieves up-to-date inventory levels to be displayed on the website. Now, anyone that visits your website can see exactly what you have in stock and can request accordingly.
365 Cannabis integrates to some incredible, cannabis-specific platforms including Leafly, Weedmaps, Sprout, and Shopify. Learn more about our current APIs and checkout our product roadmap to see what new and exciting integrations are coming soon.
