There’s nothing wrong with service providers, per se. In fact, good service providers that understand startups and respect the struggle can be valuable allies. But many service providers don’t understand startups at all. They come from a world of bloated corporate bureaucracy, where deadlocked committees with unpoliced budgets and vague success metrics are easily impressed by someone who actually gets things done and sends them a glossy report to prove it.
Your Startup isn't a Charity
As a founder, finding an angel investor to write that first check is almost always a huge challenge. I've been in and around startups as an early employee, founder, advisor and angel for well over a decade now, and raising capital is never easy, and it is always critical.
If you're the founder of a cannabis startup--whether you're looking for mainstream capital or funds from within the legacy industry--that problem is compounded.