Making a hobby profitable?

[Zenki]

I know there have likely been a good deal of similar questions asked on here. A lot of the time people get into growing and genuinely enjoy it. Maybe this is something that they have found they enjoyed more than anything they have ever done. A lot of the time that passion/newfound enthusiasm causes growers to consider trying to turn their hobby into a business.

I was around when Oregon went Rec, and I now reside in California and I am fully aware of just how hard it is to turn out hobby into a profitable business. It is so saturated nowadays that it is very difficult (and expensive) to start cultivating on a large scale.

My question is, have any of you guys been able to turn your hobby of growing into a profitable (no matter how big or small) “business”?

I know many of us (understandably) would love to be able to run larger scale operations with lots of plants, but that is simply not feasible for most of us.

So have any of you been able to (on a smaller scale) been able to break into the industry in some form?
I know BOG comes to mind and has been around for a long time with his genetics being known all around the world.

Have any of you been able to turn cloning some of your strongest strains into a side hustle?
I have friends who have been in the industry for 10+ years on the retail side mainly, but they are always looking for new genetics to run. One of these individuals was interested in some clones from my LSD because he wants it in his arsenal. Obviously these are not my genetics (Barney’s) so I do not know the ethics behind that either.

I have not even cloned this plant yet but my mind started turning as to whether or not this was something I could potentially considering doing here and there for a little extra cash since I am now going on 2 months of being out of work.

Any insight or personal experience is appreciated.

Cheers.

[Bob13]

To mates under the table? sure. but legal? … Probably would be somewhere else
That over with, look on strainly I think, ebay, etsy, facebook… Everywhere and you can find seeds. you can make a ton more selling fem seeds Than bud for real. 1000 seeds in an oz of bud or something? 2 smackeroonies per seed. Check the laws but I’m pretty sure you can do that off a recreational licence because the legality and stuff is mostly tied to selling bud. The only problems you will run into is copyright but you can run through 3 generations off a cross or something and it’s far enough from either to avoid that. Keep refining the strain and sell the seeds off cheap like half a chonga to get the punters in as you are developing the strain and most importantly give credit where credit is due! Or use a landrace that’s not affiliated with a company. Always ask permission and blah blah blah blah blah … I’m stoned. Apologies for the words for money but it’s to negate saying any specific currency but you get my drift. hope someone producing bud in the new system can tell you more about that stuff.

Edit. If your mate wants to give you a couple notes as a gift in exchange for a clone gift then no one is the wiser.

[_randomguyinthewoods]

Legal weed is about politics and who you know 1st how much money you have for them 2nd having a good location/landlord 3rd and then how well you grow 4th maybe even 5th in some circles. I wish more businesses were grower centric. But the focus is $$ far too often. These are just my experiences tho so far. Most states will see the shitty ones fall off throughout a couple years tho.

[lefthandseeds]

@Bob13

make a ton more selling fem seeds

Ehhhh. Even some of the big dogs don’t make a lot. You can make seeds all day, but 1000 seeds is just 1000 seeds until you can move them. Reality is that demand isn’t very high, and that’s why they get sold at $100/pack.

Most of those seeds probably sit in coffee jars until they don’t germinate. You can make a few bucks selling seeds, but unless you’ve got a name, it will probably won’t amount to too much more than the costs of your grow.

[Bob13]

Yeah unfortunately. I agree with what you’re saying, just figure it’s much easier trying to break into the industry via seeds rather than bud and actually be in the profit margin as I hear stories about a 14k licence + taxes to sell bud or something (do not quote me on this 14k cause I’m way off I’m sure hahahaha… UNless you want to state a real number)

[lefthandseeds]

Oh yea, totally lol. I think in CO it’s like 50k or something insane. And even then, you’re gonna get like $500/lb

[Bob13]

Man you got to be a good grower to break even on those costs … Just looking at the basic numbers especially vs electricity could cost you 20 a week per lb ish you grow so you could be only walking away with 300 to pay towards your licence fees from that lb if it were 500.
Bit of a Google shows it’s 500 for greenhouse up to 1300 for indoor primo which is a bit more reasonable but still! 4.5k for the initial licence fee and that’s not including the other costs so you’d have to produce 5lb + of good bud and more for whatever else hidden costs there are inside of your first year. If it’s 50k like left says then that’s not 5 it’s 50lb + to just break even.

[TheShowMeHomie]

Cater to a small older crowd 3 or 4 people who spend a 100 a week won’t get you rich but it keeps you under the radar with a nice little income boost

My feeling’s from a lifetime of traditional market is the less people and transactions the better don’t let anyone run up to much of a tab and don’t let anyone know you grow it
I prefer older people most are just happy to not have to try and find another source and a lot of them in non rec states are getting shorted or price gouged so when you give them a decent price they come back and it makes me feel good to know there not getting ripped off by some jerk off somewhere

[TheShowMeHomie]

Once the bottom of the market drops only thing people can do is ship it out lol fuck the BM cannabis flood that Missouri has gotten for so long from Colorado and now just a ridiculous amount from Washington it’s almost pointless to grow for profit unless you have very selective clientele cause outdoors from out west is like 150-180 a ounce retail bm price makes it hard to try and push 300 indoor to a lot of people

[TheShowMeHomie]

When you go to Colorado you should just smoke a whole 500 dollar pound LMAO or squish it lol

Last 500 pound I got was in like 2003 and it was brick weed Jesus Christ there really isn’t money in weed

[Bob13]

Man it’s cheaper wherever my grow lights are I’ll look for a connect For next time though haha.

[Zenki]

That is some very sound advice.

I appreciate it.

I agree with a lot of what you are saying on the crowds. I saw a lot of that in Oregon where people were straight getting ripped off. Often times people would come back for the experience even more than the product. Now I have the mentality of having something that others do not, or have trouble finding. To me that is one way to prove valuable.

I was not growing at that time but I essentially did the same. Wasn’t ever rolling in the dough but it covered my habits/expenses and a little pocket change on the side.

[Zenki]

I feel like that is very true. Especially the first two. You can be an amazing grower and never get anywhere without those two. Thats what happened in Oregon when they went rec. The big money backed companies came in and got licensed and took advantage of the initial wave big time.

I never had an “in” or any connections really when I was up north, but now that I am back in California, I see potential for some opportunity since some of these guys have now been in the industry for so long.

The idea of choosing to bring some new (to the area) and desirable genetics, seems like it could be successful on a small scale. I don’t expect to be making much off of this, but if it allowed me to do something I enjoyed, and cover most of my expenses I would be more than happy.

[lefthandseeds]

@TheShowMeHomie

When you go to Colorado you should just smoke a whole 500 dollar pound LMAO or squish it lol

That’s not the price you or i would get. Those are the market prices for what dispensaries pay growers. It’s nuts.

And on top of that you’ve gotta get microbial testing and potency testing done. Gotta be in compliance with the state plant tracking system. Etc etc. It’s amazing that legal growers have any room for profit here.

I’m sure there are people here that know all the hoops you gotta jump though better than I do. Maybe even some people taking on the challenge. It’s a tough business.

[Bob13]

Seeds sound easier as there’s less laws and bills

[Gpaw]

As @TheShowMeHomie said, cultivate the ol’ farts. They want CBD and some THC but they want clean grows and not to be supporting ‘the gangs’. This is gray market shit as the lobbyists paid off the politicians to make entry into the legal market expensive

Find somebody’s sociable grandmother that has arthritis. Tell her about these amazing gummies (they want edibles) that really helped your old auntie (I like to stick close to the truth - but that’s just me) and ask her if she’d to try some to see if they help her…
If she is happy with your product she will lead more customers to you as you are providing a valuable product. You can give them discounts (like a MLM outfit) for new customers. You know ‘the drill’ from here…
Downside is you are growing plants you may not normally want to grow for other folks
but you can make a cash positive side business and you are harvesting real Karma points by helping others.

Just some idle thoughts…

Cheers
G

[GramTorino]

These days, seems to me…

The easiest and most profitable could be selling clones.

Low overhead, year-round, gobs of new home growers trying to do what we do.

And you get to play with new genetics!

They kill the clones, I sell them more. Lol. Jkjk. Yeppers… I killed a few myself when starting.

[lefthandseeds]

Seeds, pollen, and like @GramTorino says clones. People want all of those things. I think those are all ways you can make some money without going full BM. Good for a few bucks here and there if you aren’t trying to live off it.

There’s also growing legal hemp if you just like growing. CBD fetches an ok price, especially if you do it organic and setup a farmers market stand.

[TheShowMeHomie]

I’ve gotten 800 dollar pounds in southern Colorado but it was December and I bought 5 lol still think I could have got them for 7 but I wasn’t pushing it buying weight in the middle of nowhere is still buying weight in the middle of nowhere if both party’s are ok no need to try to push for a cheaper price that’s how people go to the mountains and get lost

[V4vendetta]

Things are changing. Again. And not for the better. Feds just shut down the black market here… for anything. Prices have already went sky high on the street for a gram of weed. Theyre leaving the legal businesses alone.
Start killing the street sales and this all becomes profitable at a commercial level.