March24, 20205 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If youre a cannabis entrepreneur, you already know that banking and payment processing are major issues in the cannabis industry.
There are limited payment options if you sell CBD.It is magnitudes more difficult if you are selling THC-centered products.
RELATED:How To Guerilla Market Your Cannabis Brand
Last year, banking issues in the cannabis industry reached the national spotlight when NPR published the aptly-titled article Bags Of Cash, Armed Guards And Wary Banks: The Edgy Life Of A Cannabis Company CFO.
Once (or if) you can find a bank to work with, your bank account runs the risk of being shut down at a moments notice.
Then, you face the challenge of payment processing. Its more difficult for startups with no payment processing history to obtain one. And if a payment processor decides to ban you, your business will be left temporarily unable to accept credit cards.
On top of that, processing fees in the cannabis industry are significantly higher when compared to traditional commerce. We are talking between 4 percent and 6 percent, triple the average of other industries.
A solution is on the horizon.
An emerging, immature, and often misunderstood Bitcoin cryptocurrencytechnology was unleashed on the world in 2009.11 years later, it hascome a longway. Bitcoin can be bought and sold in every country. Mainstream financial channels like CNBC and Bloomberg have teams dedicated to Bitcointechnology.
The promise is appealing. You can be your own bank. No more frozen funds. Transactions cant be censored and the fees cost next to nothing. Plus, payment processing cannot be shut off, unlike traditional banking.
RELATED:Coronavirus Spikes Demand For Cannabis Delivery As People Stockpile Products
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum intend to solve the problems faced by high-risk banking industries. Its worth noting that on a dark web marketplace known as the Silk Road,thenumber oneproduct sold (by far) was marijuana. The Silk Road is now defunct, but when it was still functioning back in 2011, it showed that Bitcoin has a role to play as a digital currency.
Is cryptocurrency a viable payment solution for your cannabis business?
Like many new technologies, cryptocurrency is not easy to understand. The complexity is where most people lose interest.
Heres something to think about:Most of us do not know how the internet works.Transferring data via "packets," the interaction of protocols like TCP, SMTP, and HTTPS, its all quite detailed under the hood. But this does not prevent you from shopping online, sending an email, or reading this article.
Our company hadprior experience with cryptocurrency, so it made the decision easier than it would be for other cannabis entrepreneurs.
Now that you want to enable the payment option, you have to get set up.
To acceptonline payments, we used the free tool Coinbase Commerce, which integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce and most major platforms. It took us about 30 minutes from signing up to having it live.
We were set up and ready to go, except for one thing: customers.
If you spend even 15 minutes interacting with the cryptocurrency community on Twitter, Reddit, or anywhere else, youll quickly see they are a passionate, enthusiastic (albeit tribal) group.
By sharing a few links on Reddit channels, we received cryptocurrency orders on the first day.
The most interesting and effective part was our charity initiative. By using cryptocurrency to cross borders and feed people in Venezuela and South Sudan, two countries with extremely limited banking options, it showed a fundamental advantage cryptocurrency holds over traditional banking.
RELATED:Cryptocurrency and the Allure of a Cashless Cannabis Industry
It sparked some sales and press for our startup. A few CBD stores reached out to us asking how they could accept cryptocurrency.Even our coffee supplier is open to receiving Bitcoin.There is a lot of underlying interest in the cannabis industry, but they are primarily spectators who arent sure how to participate.
After a few months of time has passed using cryptocurrency, it has been a positive experience. We think all cannabis companies should consider accepting Bitcoin at their business. Keep in mind, cryptocurrency orders are only a small fraction of our total orders. Thatshould be expected at any cannabis company. Your dollars will not turn into Bitcoin overnight.
Thats not to say there arent some drawbacks to consider. First off, if you use Coinbase Commerce, youll have to manually convert your cryptocurrency back into U.S. Dollars. There are services like GoCoin that do this for you for a 1 percentfee (still a lot cheaper than credit card processing).
Second, if you have storefront locations, the cashiers will have to know how to accept payments. AnyPay offers a free POS app, but like any software, it still takes some time to learn.
In the coming years, cryptocurrency has the potential for exponential growth, and there are perks to being an early adopter.Id encourage you to be skeptical of experts who dismiss cryptocurrency in its early days.Remember, Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, once predicted: "By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet's impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine's.
Cryptocurrency will not be a magic bullet for your business. But in an industry that has an uncertain banking future, why not offer your customers an additional payment method and get some free press in the process?
See the original post here:
We Implemented Cryptocurrency In Our Cannabis Business. Here's What We Found. - Green Entrepreneur
- MIT-educated brothers accused of stealing $25 million in cryptocurrency in 12 seconds in Ethereum blockchain scheme - CBS News - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- DOJ Charges 2 Brothers With Scheme to Steal Cryptocurrency - PYMNTS.com - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- US charges two brothers with novel $25 million cryptocurrency heist - AOL - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- MIT-educated brothers allegedly stole $25M in crypto in just 12 seconds - New York Post - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- DOJ charges 2 brothers tied to $25M attack on MEV bots last year - Blockworks - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Brothers indicted for 'first-of-its-kind' cryptocurrency heist - Courthouse News Service - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- The Ultimate Cryptocurrency to Buy With $1,000 - The Motley Fool - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Sonne Finance developers offer bounty to hacker behind $20 million crypto theft - The Record from Recorded Future News - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Brothers indicted over $25 million Ethereum cryptocurrency theft: DOJ - FOX 10 News Phoenix - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Price on May 15: Bitcoin dips below $62k ahead of US inflation report today - The Economic Times - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- $100 Trillion Market Cap For Cryptocurrency Will Be a Reality: Analyst - Watcher Guru - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- This Week in Web3: Crypto Payment Rails and Regulatory Clarity - PYMNTS.com - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Unveiling Fourprime Token Where Innovation Meets Cryptocurrency Revolution - AccessWire - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Binance: A Comprehensive Overview of The World's Leading Cryptocurrency Exchange - Blockchain.News - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Likely to Resume Rally: 4 Stocks Set to Gain - Yahoo Finance - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency: Mass Institutional Adoption Underway, with Bitcoin, BlockDAG Network, and Ethereum Value Surge - Yahoo Finance - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- The Ultimate Cryptocurrency to Buy With $1,000 - sharewise - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Two Brothers Arrested for Attacking Ethereum Blockchain And Stealing $25M In Cryptocurrency - Eurasia Review - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- 3 Potentially Brutal Cryptocurrency Risks That Most Investors Simply Aren't Ready For - The Motley Fool - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Crypto customer scammed in alleged HK$1 million hell money scheme in Hong Kong - South China Morning Post - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Brothers accused of stealing $25 million in cryptocurrency in 12 seconds - MSN - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Solana (SOL) Price Prediction 2024,2025 And 2030 Forbes Advisor INDIA - Forbes - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Warning: Avoid These 3 Failing Names - InvestorPlace - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Top 3 Cryptocurrency to Invest Now According to Reddit: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Furrever Token - Yahoo Finance - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Two Brothers Educated In Prestigious University Stole Cryptocurrency Worth $25 Million In 12 Seconds, Feds Allege - Daily Caller - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- 6 Altcoins To Consider Buying For The Next Bull Run In 2024 - Forbes - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- US charges two brothers with novel $25 million cryptocurrency heist - ThePrint - May 15th, 2024 [May 15th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Just Did Something It Has Only Done 3 Times Before. The Cryptocurrency Usually Does This Next. - The Motley Fool - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Market News: Bitcoin Halving Steadies Price, Network Transaction Fees Spike - Investopedia - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Just Did Something It Has Only Done 3 Times Before. The Cryptocurrency Usually Does This Next. - Yahoo Finance - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- 10 Best Cryptocurrencies To Buy In April 2024 - Forbes - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Movement Labs raises $38 million to build layer 2 blockchain on Ethereum with Facebook tech - Fortune - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Reiterates Core Purpose of Cryptocurrency Here's What You Need to Know - Cryptonews - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- From Cryptocurrency to Cannabis: 7 Penny Stocks on the Rise - InvestorPlace - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- South Carolina: Cryptocurrency scams on the rise in Upstate - WYFF4 Greenville - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Binance BNB Memecoin Traders Join 100X New Cryptocurrency On Uniswap - Yahoo Finance - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- The Future of Real Estate: Investing in Tokenized Properties with Cryptocurrency - ForexLive - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- The Current Position with Cryptocurrency Regulation in the United States - Latest Cryptocurrency Prices & Articles - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- 3 Must-Know Facts About Ethereum, Before You Buy the Cryptocurrency - The Motley Fool - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency: 3 Meme Coins To Watch In May for Exponential Gains - Watcher Guru - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- EOS Falls 14% In Bearish Trade By Investing.com - Investing.com - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- The UItimate Cryptocurrency to Buy With $1,000 Today - The Motley Fool - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Romance scams involving AI images, cryptocurrency on the rise in Chicago - CBS Chicago - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Halving Event Of 2024: The Aftermath Forbes Advisor Australia - Forbes - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Ethereum Classic Down More Than 4% Within 24 hours - Benzinga - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency: Top 3 Coins To Buy Now For 10X Gains In 2024 - Watcher Guru - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- What's going to be different with the halving of Bitcoin this time? - Euronews - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency OKB Decreases More Than 3% Within 24 hours - Benzinga - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency OKB Decreases More Than 3% Within 24 hours - Investing.com UK - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Kaspa Falls More Than 3% In 24 hours - Benzinga - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- BRICS To Replace US Dollar With Cryptocurrency for Trade - Watcher Guru - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Halving Sparks Unprecedented Transformation in Cryptocurrency Market - West Island Blog - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Influential Analyst on YouTube Shares High-Potential Cryptocurrency That Could Beat Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE) Gains in This Bull Run -... - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Uniswap Up More Than 3% In 24 hours By Benzinga - Investing.com UK - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Bitcoin is halving again what does that mean for the cryptocurrency and the market? - The Conversation - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Ethereum Classic Down More Than 4% Within 24 hours By Benzinga - Investing.com UK - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- RackNerd Expands Cryptocurrency Payment Options with Coinify Integration, Accepting Over 30 Cryptocurrencies - PR Web - April 25th, 2024 [April 25th, 2024]
- What Meltdown? Crypto Comes Roaring Back in the Philippines. - The New York Times - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Chinas cryptocurrency investors made gains of US$1 billion in 2023 - South China Morning Post - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- 1 Super Cryptocurrency Could Soar to $200,000 by 2025, According to a Wall Street Analyst - The Motley Fool - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency Miners Need to Report their Energy Use - Earthjustice - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Understanding the Fundamental Differences Between Cryptocurrency and Fiat Currency - FinSMEs - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- SOL Flips BNB, Becoming 4th Largest Cryptocurrency as Ethereum Becomes Next Target - CCN.com - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Prosecutors seek from 40 to 50 years in prison for Sam Bankman-Fried for cryptocurrency fraud - The Associated Press - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency: 3 Meme Coins That Could 15x This Bull Season - Watcher Guru - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Can the Bitcoin surge push India to overcome its cryptocurrency hurdles? - The National - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- The Ultimate Cryptocurrency to Buy With $1,000 Today - Yahoo Finance - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Cryptocurrency laundryman gets hung out to dry - The Register - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Bitcoin price predictions: How much more could it rise in 2024? - Euronews - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Shiba Inu Is Skyrocketing: Is It a Top Cryptocurrency to Buy Right Now? - Yahoo Finance - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- 1 Top Cryptocurrency to Buy Before It Soars 1,328%, According to Cathie Wood of Ark Invest - The Motley Fool - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- The other Bitcoin rally: How scams are cashing in on the cryptocurrency fever - EL PAS USA - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Kalshi Prediction Market To Introduce Cryptocurrency Betting (Payouts In USD) - Blockchain Magazine - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Hits Record $72,000, Emboldening Crypto Industry - The New York Times - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Solana (SOL) Flips BNB to Become 4th Largest Cryptocurrency - Watcher Guru - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Predicting which Cryptocurrency will Boom in 2024 - ForexLive - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Nigeria's Cryptocurrency Crackdown Will Have Consequences, Experts Say - Voice of America - VOA News - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Crypto ETN providers head for UK but urge rethink on retail ban - Financial Times - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Trump Signals Positive Stance on Cryptocurrency If Elected to the White House - Yahoo Finance - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Bulls vs. Bubble Bears: A Cryptocurrency Clash - Crypto Times - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]