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Just Cannabusiness Capital Needs Survey 2023

Thank you for taking this qualitative survey! The Department of Small & Local Business Development's (DSLBD) Innovation & Equitable Development (Inno.ED) division is expanding the Just Cannabusiness initiative in summer of 2023.

This survey should take less than 10 minutes.

What is this about?

This initiative supports equitable market access to DC's regulated medical cannabis industry, focusing on access to capital for small, resident-owned, and disadvantaged businesses and medical cannabis social equity applicants. To strengthen program design, Inno.ED is gathering stakeholders and stakeholder feedback through this survey and a series of Knowledge Cafe events.

DSLBD is committed to advancing equity and holding the door open for small businesses. We recognize that the cannabis market has substantial, myriad barriers to entry and barriers to success. DSLBD is not a legislative, regulatory, health, or tax agency; we work with entrepreneurs to think through and overcome challenges.

You can take this survey anonymously or let us know who you are, but we will only distribute anonymized results from this survey.

Who should reply?

We invite DC residents, DC-based businesses and entrepreneurs, and those with interest in advancing equity for those groups in DC to share your feedback and ideas on how our efforts in support of access to capital can be most impactful towards creating a business ecosystem that advances equitable access to the market in the market.

Are you looking for support or to connect?

Questions or want to connect? Contact us at Inno.ED@dc.gov, or join us during open office hours at the MLK Library in Chinatown. You can follow the links here to schedule a one-on-one with various DSLBD staff and partners on Wednesdays at the library.

On to the questions!

1. Would you like to take the Just Cannabusiness Capital Needs survey anonymously or announce who you are?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us anonymously!

If you'd like to make sure you stay connected with the Department's Just Cannabusiness initiative, you can open this link in a separate browser to sign up for the mailing list without associating your name with this survey.

Great to meet you! Please share any of the following details you would like to share. We will still only release to the public anonymized information from the survey.

If you add an email we will add that to the Just Cannabusiness outreach list.

Name
Email
Business or Organization
Cell/Phone
Anything else about you?

2. DSLBD is a District Goverment agency that serves DC residents and DC-based businesses and entrepreneurs. However, we understand that for various reasons people move, and we would like to know more about your point of view on the regulated, medical cannabis industry in DC.

Please check all that apply *This question is required.

I am a DC resident
I am not a DC resident but I have or plan to have a DC business
I was previously a DC resident
I am considering becoming a DC resident
I am an investor interested in opportunities in DC
I am a resident in the DMV region
I am not from the region but am interested in this topic
I have a DC-based business
I have a business in Maryland or Virginia that sells to District customers

3. Are you currently involved in the medical market, exploring future involvement, or neither but interested in equity in the market regardless of your own participation?

Currently operating in the market
Exploring operating in the market in the future
In or exploring adjacent markets
In a different market but concerned about effects of this market
Interested in equity
Other - Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

4. What DC medical cannabis license types are you interested in pursuing, if any? This will help us understand your access to capital needs as applied to categories. If you are interested in ancillary markets that are not plant-touching, please describe those briefly in the last category. Check all that apply.

Cultivation
Manufacturing
Testing
Dispensary
Internet Retailer
Courier
Not Plant Touching Ancillary- Write In Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

5. What business opportunities do you perceive in the direct or adjacent legal cannabis markets, particularly those that you think DSLBD should be aware of to provide additional business development support?

This includes direct medical license opportunities as well as ancillary market opportunities that are non-plant touching like consulting, production supplies and products, art and cultural, industry related services and more.

6. Equity and equitable access to markets is very important to DSBLD. How important is equitable access to the regulated, medical cannabis market in DC to you? *This question is required.

Not at all	Slightly Important	Moderately Important	Very Important	Extremely Important
Not at all	Slightly Important	Moderately Important	Very Important	Extremely Important

7. While there are common definitions of equity meaning fair or just, what is fair or just can mean different things to different people. What does "equity" mean to you in your own words when you consider equity and equitable market access generally or specifically to cannabis in DC?

8. Stakeholders have cited many potential access to capital barriers to equitable market access to the legal cannabis market in DC. Which potential access to capital barriers stand out the most to you and why?

9. Since starting the Just Cannabusiness initiative in 2021, DSLBD has heard about many access to capital needs for cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs. There are many facets to this, please rank the capital access need below in terms of those for which you are most interested in seeing resources and solutions, with 1 being the highest need. Note: for the following table each column is restricted to a single answer across all rows.

	1	2	3	4	5	6
Need for Alternative Banking Support	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 6 out of 6
Need for Equity Investment Training	Rank Need for Equity Investment Training as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Equity Investment Training as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Equity Investment Training as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Equity Investment Training as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Equity Investment Training as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Equity Investment Training as 6 out of 6
Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit)	Rank Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit) as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit) as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit) as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit) as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit) as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Lending (loans or lines of credit) as 6 out of 6
Need for Basic Banking Services	Rank Need for Basic Banking Services as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Basic Banking Services as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Basic Banking Services as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Basic Banking Services as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Basic Banking Services as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Basic Banking Services as 6 out of 6
Need for Working Capital	Rank Need for Working Capital as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Working Capital as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Working Capital as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Working Capital as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Working Capital as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Working Capital as 6 out of 6
Need for Start Up Capital	Rank Need for Start Up Capital as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Start Up Capital as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Start Up Capital as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Start Up Capital as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Start Up Capital as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Start Up Capital as 6 out of 6

Comments

10. Please rank the back office support needs below in terms of those for which you are most interested in seeing resources and solutions, with 1 being the highest need. Note: for the following table each column is restricted to a single answer across all rows.

	1	2	3	4	5	6
Need for Business Planning Support	Rank Need for Business Planning Support as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Business Planning Support as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Business Planning Support as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Business Planning Support as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Business Planning Support as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Business Planning Support as 6 out of 6
Need for Grant Support	Rank Need for Grant Support as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Grant Support as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Grant Support as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Grant Support as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Grant Support as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Grant Support as 6 out of 6
Need for Legal Guidance	Rank Need for Legal Guidance as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Legal Guidance as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Legal Guidance as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Legal Guidance as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Legal Guidance as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Legal Guidance as 6 out of 6
Need for Alternative Banking Support	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Alternative Banking Support as 6 out of 6
Need for Accounting Services	Rank Need for Accounting Services as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Accounting Services as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Accounting Services as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Accounting Services as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Accounting Services as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Accounting Services as 6 out of 6
Need for Tax Guidance	Rank Need for Tax Guidance as 1 out of 6	Rank Need for Tax Guidance as 2 out of 6	Rank Need for Tax Guidance as 3 out of 6	Rank Need for Tax Guidance as 4 out of 6	Rank Need for Tax Guidance as 5 out of 6	Rank Need for Tax Guidance as 6 out of 6

Comments

11. What range of outside capital (whether grants, loans, or equity investment) do you realistically think you need to pursue your first entry, expansion, or stabilization in the regulated, medical cannabis industry to be able to operate sustainably? *This question is required.

Comments

12. What types of business expenses do you plan or envision you would need outside capital to support? Please check all that apply, and please add any critical items we missed into "Other".

Comments

13.

The District is a leader in terms of environmental sustainability efforts both by government and private sector parties. What capital supports do you think would be most important for DC medical cannabis businesses to pursue sustainability in their operations?

14. Small Businesses of all kinds face predatory lending and scams targeting them, and many of the more traditional lending and support options for small businesses restrict cannabis businesses from services. How well prepared do you feel to recognize and avoid predatory practices and scams when seeking capital for a medical cannabis business?

Comments

15. DSLBD is exploring additional programming under the Just Cannabusiness initiative with a series of networking and similar events, in addition to this survey, to gather industry stakeholders. Do you have any specific suggestions, including speakers/locations/formats, that you would make for networking events?

16. How can DSLBD help? DSLBD is not a regulatory, health, tax, or law making entity. DSLBD provides business development support to DC businesses and entrepreneurs. Knowing that and knowing that we are seeking to develop business development support for equitable market access to the legal cannabis industry, what do you hope or want to recommend that the Department do to support this?

17. DSLBD is seeking to strengthen our demographic data collection process and efforts to better understand and support the beautiful diversity of the District of Columbia and our business community. However, demographic checkboxes can be very limiting and the words people choose for their own identity matter.

In your own words, how would you describe yourself, or the demographic ownership of your business.

You may choose skip this question or type NA if you prefer to not answer.

18. Anything else you'd like to share that wasn't covered above?