Having a recreational marijuana dispensary is not easy. It took almost a year before I was approved for the licensing and permits. I had to hire a marijuana business consultant to help me fill out the paperwork properly. I tried to fill out paperwork on my own two times and both times that application was sent back to me for being filled out improperly. The last time the business license was returned, I was at the end of my rope. Luckily, I found a cannabis consulting service that offered me a free consultation. The lawyer was very knowledgeable on all subjects pertaining to medical and recreational marijuana. He immediately noticed the mistakes with my application. He also told me a couple of ways that I could make the application stand out. That guy was really good at what he did, so I hired him to help me fill out all of the paperwork and applications. The permit service did not return my paperwork again. The next letter I got from the courthouse was an approval letter for the business license. I had the consulting services to help for good luck. Things were going really well in the shop until last quarter. I think the problem is competition. I used to be the only medical and recreational marijuana dispensary in town. In the past year, two more dispensaries opened and they have relatively lower prices than I do. I spoke with the cannabis consultant again when marketing and sales seemed to be problematic. The lawyer put me in touch with a marketing firm that specifically handles dispensaries and marijuana products. They send a person to the store to look at the building, displays, and all of the products I have available.