FOR OPERATING DISPENSARIES

Find what’s costing
your dispensary
money and time.

Busy registers do not always mean healthy profit or cash in the bank. The Collateral Base business audit examines your numbers, costs and day-to-day work to identify what deserves attention—and what to do about it. Start with your business, then choose the right solution.

Request an audit ↗From $2,500 · One agreed store scope.
Scope and fee confirmed before payment.
THE DISPENSARY BUSINESS AUDITStart with your business

Your numbers. Three priorities.
A plan for the next 30 days.

Findings tied to your records01
Three changes ranked by value and effort02
Owners, measures and next steps03
More clarity. Less guesswork.Priorities, supporting numbers and a next step for each.

You do not have to diagnose the problem before you ask for help. That is the purpose of the audit.

We operate a dispensary, too. Thomas Howard co-owns Pekin’s Local and co-hosts Cannabis Legalization News. We use AI in our own operations. Your audit starts with the business problem; better processes, coaching or technology may be part of the solution.

DO ANY OF THESE SOUND FAMILIAR?

Different problems.
One place to start.

Tell us what feels hardest. We examine the relevant records and work with your team to understand the cause.

01 / PROFIT

The register is busy. The profit isn’t there.

Revenue alone does not tell you which products and discounts earn their keep. We review product costs, discounting and the expenses behind the sales.

What is helping profit, and what is eroding it?
02 / CASH

There is stock on the shelves and pressure from bills.

Money can be tied up in inventory while obligations come due. We examine stock movement, purchasing and available cash records before recommending changes.

Where is cash committed, and what can realistically change?
03 / SALES & REPEAT BUSINESS

You need more customers coming back.

Sales feel unpredictable, and another promotion is not a plan. We examine traffic, repeat visits, basket size and available campaign results to identify where to investigate first.

Which part of the customer journey needs attention?
04 / OPERATING COSTS

Payroll, software and busywork keep adding up.

We examine the work those costs support, duplicated effort and tools already available. The answer may be a simpler process, a staffing change or making better use of what you own.

Which costs earn their place, and which deserve a closer look?
05 / YOUR TIME

Too much of the store still depends on you.

You are the person who checks, fixes and follows up. We look at recurring decisions, staff responsibilities and handoffs to identify work that could move off your desk.

What can your team own, and what support would they need?

WHAT YOU GET

Know what to fix.
Understand the tradeoffs.

You receive a written review, three ranked priorities, a 30-day action plan and a 30-minute findings session. Each recommendation explains the evidence, expected benefit, cost and next step. We agree the scope and required records before you commit.

01 / FIND THE CAUSE

Connect the symptom to the numbers.

Review the relevant records and your team’s account of the work. Identify missing information and distinguish a finding from a question that still needs testing.

02 / CHOOSE THE FIX

Make the business case.

Rank the proposed changes by likely benefit, cost, effort and time to impact. Estimates show their assumptions; unsupported savings stay out of the plan.

03 / PUT IT TO WORK

Decide who does what next.

Take the plan to your team, accountant or existing vendors. If you want our help carrying it out, we can discuss separately scoped coaching or implementation. You are not required to buy another service.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE — NOT A CLIENT RESULT

More sales can still
leave you with less.

A discount can look successful at the register while making the profit target harder to reach. This is one example of the questions an audit can examine.

What does a 20% discount need to earn back?Invented figures
Regular price and cost
$40 selling price − $20 product cost = $20 gross profit per unit.
After the discount
$32 selling price − $20 product cost = $12 gross profit per unit.
The hurdle
You need about 67% more units sold to earn the same gross-profit dollars: $20 ÷ $12 − 1 = 66.7%.
The audit question
Did the promotion produce enough additional sales to justify the discount?
The limit
This simplified example holds cost constant and excludes taxes and other selling costs. It is not a recommendation for your store or evidence of savings.

HOW TO GET STARTED

A short inquiry.
A clear scope.

01 / TELL US WHAT IS HAPPENING

Start with your question.

Use the form below to prepare an email. Review and send it to our team. You do not need to send financial records or diagnose the cause.

02 / CONFIRM THE AUDIT

Know the work before you commit.

We review fit, then agree the questions, required records, fee, your team’s participation and a delivery date. Any data transfer is arranged separately.

03 / CHOOSE YOUR NEXT MOVE

Work through the findings together.

Review the supporting numbers and three priorities with us. Decide which changes your team will make and whether further help is worthwhile.

BEFORE WE START

A clear scope.
A practical next step.

Do I need to know which problem to fix?

No. Describe what you are experiencing and what you want to improve. We agree which areas the audit will cover and which records are needed. We do not assume every store has the same problem.

Is this an AI or software sales pitch?

The audit starts with your business. AI, existing software features, staff coaching or a simpler process may help implement a finding. Any new software or live connection requires a separate compatibility, access, cost and support review.

Will you help us make the changes?

We can discuss coaching or implementation once the audit identifies the work. Responsibilities, fees and available delivery capacity must be agreed separately. Purchasing, pricing and other operating decisions remain with your authorized team.

What does the audit cost, and what do you need?

Audits start at $2,500 for one agreed store scope and include a written review, three priorities, a 30-day plan and a 30-minute findings session. We confirm the fee, records, your team’s participation and timing before payment. Larger scopes and implementation are quoted separately.

How do we know whether it worked?

The plan identifies what to measure for each action, such as gross-profit dollars, cash committed to stock or owner hours. Results depend on the findings and execution. Time released is not cash saved unless an actual expense falls; no financial or lifestyle outcome is guaranteed.

START WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO CHANGE

What would you like
your business to
do better?

More reliable profit? Less pressure from bills? More time away from the store? Tell us what is happening and what you want to improve. Prepare an email below, then review and send it to request an audit.

Audits from $2,500. No payment at this step.
Implementation is a separate decision.

This form prepares an email to tom@collateralbase.com. Review and send it in your email app to complete your inquiry.

To request an audit, email tom@collateralbase.com with your store, your role and the question you want answered. This form needs JavaScript to prepare an email.

Do not include credentials, financial files, customer information or confidential legal matters. An inquiry does not subscribe you to marketing.

Nothing is submitted here. Your inquiry is sent only when you send the email. No appointment or engagement is created.