Noemi Kis✨

Founder, CEO

Serial Entrepreneur / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

Hey there! 👋

I write about ideas for building a microbusiness.

I used this model to build a 7-figure company and grow a community of 160K+ on LinkedIn. Now, I help non-techie execs and founders do the same.

Get the 50 high margin business ideas FREE when you join.

Join here: https://stan.store/NoemiKis

Brands & sponsorship inquiries: hello@noemikis.com

AquaQuote is a global digital marketplace for buying and selling industrial water treatment products in the aftermarket space.  Brands have an opportunity to digitize their catalog and offer their products to a wider audience, while end users can easily find and purchase products via a self-service dashboard.  We focus on fast and excellent customer service and sourcing products from the best suppliers with the shortest lead times. 

Society taught us to value time over expertise.

But we’ve been measuring value all wrong.

We’ve always been taught:

→ Count the hours, not the skill
→ Pay for the process, not the outcome
→ Fast usually means carelessly done

I used to have a similar mindset before I got into business. 

That if something didn't take hours, it wasn't valuable.

But when I actually started hiring people who were both good AND fast at their job, I realized how wrong I was.

I once hired a developer who fixed a problem in 20 minutes that I'd been stuck on for 3 weeks.

And those 20 minutes weren’t just 20 minutes.

They were years of him:

→ Breaking things
→ Fixing them
→ Breaking them again

…until he could spot the issue before I even finished explaining it.

I wasn't paying for 20 minutes. I was paying for the 10 years it took him to solve my problem that fast.

So next time you hire an expert:

1. Pay for the outcome, not the hours. 
2. Ask about problems solved, not time taken.
3. Value the years of expertise, not the speed of delivery

When someone solves your problem in 30 minutes, you're not paying for 30 minutes.

You're paying for every hour they invested before you showed up.

You owe them for those years, not the minutes.

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Microbusiness Ideas / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

Most people avoid risk because they overestimate the risk.

They don't start that business.
They don't apply for their dream job.
They don't ask out someone they're interested in.

But here's what they miss:

The downside is temporary discomfort.
The upside can change your entire life.

Think about it:

You apply for your dream job and get rejected?
→ You feel bad for a week. Then you move on.

But if you get it?  
→ You build a career you actually want.

You ask someone out and they say no?
→ Awkward for a day. So what.

But if they say yes?
→ You could meet your future partner. Build a life together.

You start a business and it fails?
→ You learn and try again smarter.

But if it works?
→ Financial freedom. Purpose that makes you excited to wake up.

This is clear:

Worst case: temporary pain, valuable lessons, you try again.
Best case: life-changing results.

Most risks aren't risky at all.

They're asymmetric bets with minimal downside and unlimited upside.

So why not just go for it.

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The hardest part of growing isn't the work.

It's leaving people behind on the way.

I've had friends criticize me for hiring a coach. 
Make judgements about "always working." 
Comment about me "changing".

The criticism is almost never coming from people ahead of you.

It's coming from people who feel left behind.

Sometimes you outgrow people and life takes you in different directions.  

You know who your people are when:

• They cheer you on when you win.
• They push you to keep going when you want to quit
• They celebrate your growth instead of feeling threatened by it.

Protect those relationships with everything you've got.

And the ones who judge you for trying?

Wish them well. And keep moving.

Your growth is a gift, and your true friends will celebrate it with you.

♻️ Share this if you needed to hear it today.

Follow me Noemi Kis✨for daily growth tips.

Hard pill to swallow:

The room you're in determines the person you become.

Most people think growth is about working harder.

But growth isn't about effort. It's about environment.

→ Sit with people who gossip, you'll start gossiping
→ Sit with people who complain, you'll start complaining
→ Sit with people who dream small, you'll shrink your vision

But sit with people who:

→ Talk about ideas, not people
→ Discuss growth, not drama
→ Build futures, not excuses

And suddenly, you're not the same person.

The conversations you're in shape the thoughts you think.

The thoughts you think shape the actions you take.

The actions you take shape the life you build.

Most people are stuck because they're in the wrong rooms. I used to be same 10 years ago.

Talking about:

→ Who did what
→ What went wrong
→ Why things are unfair
→ Who's to blame

Meanwhile, the people actually winning are in rooms talking about:

→ What's possible
→ How to execute
→ Where to invest
→ What to build next

Same 24 hours.

Different conversations.

Different outcomes.

But you can't grow in rooms that talk small.

You can't build big surrounded by people who think small.

So if you want to level up, here's what to do:

1/ Audit your rooms:

↳ Where do you spend most of your time?
↳ What are the dominant conversations?
↳ Are people building or just talking?

2/ Exit the wrong rooms:

↳ Stop showing up where gossip is the currency
↳ Leave group chats that drain your energy
↳ Distance yourself from people who only discuss problems

3/ Find bigger tables:

↳ Join communities where your goals are normal
↳ Invest in rooms where growth is the baseline
↳ Surround yourself with people 5 steps ahead

Your network isn't just who you know.

It's who you become by knowing them.

So stop sitting at tables that make you smaller.

Find the room that talks about God, universe, growth, money, dreams, and goals.

Not people.

That's where your next level lives.

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Every idea has three audiences.

And only one of them ends up successful.

The Critics:
→ Point out what's wrong
→ Explain why it won’t work
→ Wait to say “I told you so”

The Talkers:
→ Love debating the plan
→ Always have advice
→ Rarely take their own

The Doers:
→ Start before they’re ready
→ Learn by trying
→ Adjust as they go

Guess which group changes the world?

While critics analyze and talkers strategize, doers are already three steps ahead.

Here’s what they do differently:

Critics need proof before they believe.
Talkers need certainty before they begin.
Doers create proof by doing.

Doers understand this:
→ Done is better than perfect
→ Feedback from action beats theory
→ You can’t steer a parked car
→ Mistakes teach faster than meetings
→ Progress lives in the doing, not the discussing

But the problem is:
Most people would rather look smart than make progress.
They’d rather be right than rich.
They’d rather critique than create.
But the market doesn’t reward opinions.
It rewards execution.

So while everyone else is getting ready to get ready… start.

Your first try won’t be your best.
But it’ll be better than no try at all.

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Taking things personally is exhausting.

For years, I did it constantly.

Someone didn't text me back? I assumed they were mad at me.

This is called cognitive distortion where your brain convinces you of something that isn't true.

Here's what helps to break the pattern:

1. Label your story

↳ It's not the event that upsets you. It's the story you tell yourself about it.

2. Questioning isn't rejection

↳ When someone challenges you, your ego translates it as an attack. Reframe it.

3. Use the 2-second buffer

↳ Give yourself space between someone's reaction and your response.

4. Focus on what you control

↳ You can't control if someone replies. You can control your next move.

Their reaction is about their world.

Not yours.

♻️ Repost if this hit home.

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Underrated growth hack:

Make mistakes at full speed.

That's where you learn to drive.

Here's what separates people who grow from people who stall:

→ Fast learners make 100 mistakes in a year
→ Slow learners make 10 mistakes in a year
→ Non-starters make zero mistakes in a year

Guess who's furthest ahead in 3 years?

The one who failed the most.

Because every mistake is a lesson you can't unlearn.

Every failure is data you didn't have before.

Every crash teaches you what the theory never could.

Think about it:

→ You don't learn sales from reading. You learn from the 50 calls that went wrong.
→ You don't learn leadership from books. You learn from managing badly and adjusting.
→ You don't learn business from courses. You learn from launching, failing, and trying again.

The pattern is always the same:

Do the thing → Fail → Learn → Do it better → Repeat

But most people get stuck at step one.

Because they're terrified of looking stupid.

Of being wrong.

Of failing publicly.

So they wait.

They prepare.

They research.

They plan the perfect approach.

And while they're perfecting their strategy in the parked car...

Someone else already crashed twice, rebuilt, and is miles ahead.

So if you want to grow faster, here's what to do:

1/ Set a failure quota:
↳ Commit to 10 failures this month
↳ Track each one and what it taught you
↳ Celebrate hitting your failure goal

2/ Build a rapid testing system:
↳ Launch weekly, not monthly
↳ Get feedback within 48 hours
↳ Iterate immediately based on what broke

3/ Stop researching, start doing:
↳ Give yourself 1 week max to plan
↳ Ship the messy version
↳ Learn from real users, not hypothetical ones

The businesses that scale fastest aren't the ones with perfect launches.

They're the ones that launched 10 times while everyone else was still planning version one.

The creators who grow aren't the ones with flawless content.

They're the ones who posted 100 times while others were perfecting their first post.

The people who win aren't the ones who never failed.

They're the ones who failed fastest and learned the most.

So stop waiting for the perfect moment.

Stop trying to avoid mistakes.

Start making them at full speed.

Because you can't learn to drive in a parked car.

You learn by crashing a few times and figuring out how not to.

That's the game.

Play it fast.

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It's easy to confuse motion with direction.

You're on a path. It's moving fast. You feel productive. 

You are going somewhere.

But you never stopped to check if it's taking you where you actually want to go.

People stay in jobs that drain them because they're "making progress" in their career. They're getting promotions, raises, new titles.

It feels like progress.

People stay in relationships that don't fit because they've invested so much time. 

They're building a life together, checking boxes, moving forward.

But movement isn't the same as progress.

Progress means you're getting closer to where you want to be. 

Movement just means you're going somewhere.

The hardest thing to do is stop a moving train.

It feels like failure. It feels like starting over. It feels like admitting you were wrong.

But staying on the wrong path doesn't get easier. It just takes you further from where you need to be.

I've done this. Stayed in situations way too long because I confused momentum with meaning.

The real question isn't "Am I moving?"
It's "Am I moving toward something I actually want?"

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to switch direction.

P.S. Save this for later.

Follow me for daily growth tips.

I'm 12 years in to my business, and I'm not "successful" by traditional standards.

I don't wake up at 5am.
I don't have 50 employees.
I don't feel like I've made it.
I don't know my 5-year plan.
I don't have a $10M in revenue.
I don't have a morning routine.
I don't always focus on the right things.
I don't have a fancy office... I work from home.

My business and life isn't what I imagined.

But in many ways, it's better.

Because I am...

The most peaceful I've ever been.
I take vacations without guilt.
I built something that runs without me.

This is your reminder:

Build the business & life YOU want.
Not what others expect you should want.

♻️ Repost if this resonates.

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Bamboo can grow 35 inches in a single day.

But before that, it spends years underground.

Just building roots.

This is exactly how growth works in life.

---

Phase 1: The Invisible Work

You're showing up. Doing the reps. Taking action.

But nothing is happening above the surface.

Just tiny roots spreading underground where no one can see.

Most people quit here.

---

Phase 2: The Small Wins

A sprout breaks through.

You land a client. A new opportunity opens up.

Not many people notice yet. 

But you keep watering. Keep doing the work.

---

Phase 3: Explosive Growth

The big client comes through.
The investor calls back.
The opportunity you've been building toward finally lands.

People call it "overnight success."

They didn't see the time underground.

They didn't see the tiny roots.

They only see the "overnight success"

Growth is never linear.

It's invisible, then slow, then all at once.

If you're in the underground phase right now, keep building roots.

The surface will come.

♻️ Repost if this resonates

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The Japanese have this art called kintsugi.

When a ceramic bowl breaks, they don't throw it away.

They repair it with gold-laced lacquer, turning the cracks into something more beautiful than the original.

The breaks become the most striking part.

I think about the people I love most. It's never their perfection that draws me in.

It's their quirks. 
The way they stumble over words when they're nervous.
How they laugh too loud at their own jokes.

The scars from things that broke them.

That's what makes them real.
That's what makes them human.

We spend so much energy trying to hide our cracks.

Pretending we have it all together.
Smoothing over the rough edges.
Presenting this polished version of ourselves that doesn't actually exist.

But your imperfections are your story.

↳ A business failing publicly
↳ Burnout that forces you to stop everything
↳ Realizing you wasted years on the wrong path

The good that comes out of that:

• Clarity on what actually matters
• Confidence because you survived it
• A story that inspires others
  
Those aren't flaws to hide.

They're best part.


Liked this?  Save for later.

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A top life skill is getting along with people you don't like.

And most people never develop it.

Stanford professor Robert Sutton studied this for years.

His finding: dealing with difficult people drains your cognitive resources.

That's energy you could use for creative problem solving. 

You can't avoid difficult people. But you can learn to work with them.

Here's how to actually do it:

1. Find common ground in shared goals

↳ You don't need to like someone to work well together
↳ Focus on the outcome, not the personality

2. Separate personality from competence

↳ Someone can be annoying and still be good at their job
↳ Respect their skills even if you don't enjoy their company

3. Focus on what you can learn

↳ Every difficult person teaches you something
↳ Communication. Patience. Conflict resolution.

4. Keep things professional without being fake

↳ You don't have to pretend to be best friends
↳ Just be respectful and direct

Your network isn't just the people you like.
It's the people who can help you grow.

And growth rarely happens without conflict.

And that's how you level up.

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What changed my life wasn't waiting for the perfect moment.

It was starting messy.  Getting uncomfortable.

Here's what I've learned:

The gym is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is being out of breath climbing stairs.

Asking for a raise is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is watching others get promoted.

Starting a business is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is wondering "what if" for 20 years.

Having hard conversations is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is a relationship built on things left unsaid.

Just show up. Made mistakes. Learn. Repeat.

You're going to suck at first.  
Everyone does.

But here's the thing: that awkward phase where you feel like an imposter is where the growth happens.

You're learning faster than you ever have before.

The first 90 days are brutal.
You'll want to quit. 
You'll wonder if you're cut out for this.

Keep going anyway.

Picture yourself December 2026.

You've built something real. 
You've become someone different.

You're not the person who "wanted to" anymore. 
You're the person who did.

2026 is your year if you decide it is.

------

Save this for later.

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Seth Yakatan

Raising & Selling 📈 $1B+ Raised 💰 22 Companies Sold 🤝

Are you struggling to communicate your vision to the capital gatekeepers?

Are you exploring selling your business but don’t know anything about:
✘ Due diligence
✘ Term sheets
✘ Earnouts

Friend, you're lucky you found me...

I'm Seth Yakatan.

I have 30-odd years experience as a corporate finance professional.

My specialties are:
💰 Raising money
🤝 Selling companies

And I’m f**king good at it.

I’ve raised over $1B and sold 22 businesses.

My career has mostly been supporting small-cap and major corporations seeking capital to grow, or
to find strategic acquirers.

Most of these companies are in: 
— biotech
— cannabis
— pharmaceuticals
— DTC consumer goods

I’ve been on boards, taken companies public, gone up against multinational corporations, raised from VC and PE funds.

All of it. 
Many times over.
Whatever your problem is, I’ve seen it before.

But let me level with you:

What I REALLY love is helping people to get to the finish line.

Talking to entrepreneurs excites me.

But in my experience, entrepreneurs are mostly s**t at raising capital and selling companies.

** They just don’t understand investors **

And that’s where I come in.

Together, we workshop: 
✔ Your pitch
✔ Your deck
✔ Your strategy 

And help you raise the capital to GROW and SELL your business.

If you need this help—and almost every business does—send me a DM.

Like, now.

Don't lose another potential investor or acquirer with the wrong pitch.

Seth ✌️

Co-Founder

Merchant Bank / Advisory / Family Office

Will there be ONLY ONE California distro left standing?

If that’s true, my money’s on NABIS.

Nabis just acquired assets from Humble Cannabis Solutions.

Distribution. 
Commerce systems. 
Compliance. 
Logistics.

Others chase vibes, Nabis keeps chasing leverage.


>> What’s Happening?

Nabis just picked up assets from Humble Cannabis Solutions.

No hype. Just more control over the infrastructure that moves cannabis.

And now they OWN California…


>> Why This Matters

Infrastructure wins in markets where margins are thin.

And A/R drives the leverage of brands and suppliers.

Owning distribution, commerce, and compliance creates LEVERAGE.


>> What Am I Watching?

Can KSS last?

How many brands realize too late that they don’t control their own destiny?

Whats next for Vince Ning and Jun S. Lee? 

No vibes. No hyperbole. No fanfare.

Just own the damn channel…

The WHOLE DAMN THING.

I LOVE it when someone proves me WRONG… particularly when it’s someone with such a unique and positive character.

Case in point… my main hermano Los Arias and the Green Horizons, you guys have CRUSHED IT.


>> What’s Happening?

A few years back I heard something I thought was crazy

Someone was running around trying to raise big money for a greenhouse in the desert of CA.

A green house? How much $$$?? WTF???

Wrote him off as crazy.

Well, Green Horizons has built one of the best facilities I have walked, PERIOD.

Clean, tighter than a tick, good flower, and serious PASSION…

Impressive, MOST impressive.


>> Why Is This Important?

Sometimes I’m puzzled by the industry and things which I see and hear…

It’s one thing to raise this money. It’s another to know how to use it AND execute…

Cultivation is really easy to do wrong, and very hard to do right…everything about what Los and Green Horizons has built is RIGHT.

And I could not be happier for Los and his whole squad.

Sometimes you just have to BELIVE.


>> What Am I Watching?

Will anyone else have the STONES to build more cultivation in CA?

How soon will this crew stand up facility #2?

Will Green Horizons change the view of CA and the desert?

They sure changed this Joshua Tree’s path…

Abrazos, Jefe…

"You can't fight the desert. You have to ride with it." ~ Louis L'Amour.


Los is an INSPIRING DUDE who just back on LinkedIn, give him a follow and keep up to date with their progress 📈

Am I Trending???

Well you know what I say:

Once is luck, twice is an anomaly…

Three times? Then you’ve got a trend, my friend.

I was highly privileged to be featured alongside the savvy Mitchell Osak in this excellent Forbes piece by Javier Hasse on cannabis M&A in 2026.

Superb reporting, AS ALWAYS Javier.

Essential reading for everyone trying to make moves in the industry this year.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gxNfAQ6W

Here’s an idea: why not just sell Hemp TCH Beverages till the last possible second

Eight brands including Cann, Drink DELTA, Wynk™, MAGIC CACTUS, Nectar, HOWDY and NOWADAYS are rolling out at Sprouts (WITH A BAN PENDING).

Yes. A national grocery store! Actual Hemp THC beverage! Next to groceries!


>> What’s Happening?

Sprouts just green lit the sale of THC drinks in stores.

First Target, NOW a mainstream grocer.

So while half the industry is still arguing about about regulation…

….Sprouts says: “Cool. We’ll take the money.”

>> Why Does This Matter?

This is something of a watershed moment for THC beverages.

Alcohol didn’t win because it was moral.

Nicotine didn’t win because it was healthy.

They won because they were available, familiar, and frictionless.

THC drinks just took a HUGE step in that direction.

>> What Am I Watching?

Which retailers will follow? (Because they WILL…)

Which of these eight brands win at grocery, and which dies trying?

How will regulators react now??


Fun fact: The market is moving faster than the rulebook.

Retail just signaled a big fat IDGAF for regulatory clarity.

You’re still debating whether THC beverages are “real”…

Congrats, you’re already two years behind.

No alternative text description for this image

Well...it happened: Wyld + Grön announced a definitive merger yesterday.

If you've been following me or listening to my BS, this is great news.

Why?

1. This represents a hallmark transaction for the industry and can foster a new era of M&A in the future

2. The combined company fully illustrates the importance of PLATFORMS driven by BRANDS

3. This represents the first national platform (and in ANT other industry this would be the basis of a Private Equity roll up deal/strategy)

4. It illustrates that there are companies (i) of scale, (ii) generating revenue and profit, (iii) that can find exits, (iv) that are Founder-led and (v) that can be stronger and grow together !!!

5. With this announcement and some form of Federal change on the horizon, 2026 could be our best year YET.

Congrats to all my friends at both companies on an AMAZING deal...

Aaron Morris and Christine Apple you should both be proud… and thank you both for showing the world what IS POSSIBLE!!!!

And if you know Draper Bender, then you know how and why this got done. Period.

Here is to the future for us all.

P.S. This video was recorded July 17, 2025 with Michael Krefman and Michael Peterson on From the Weeds to the Clouds

Even a broken clock is right twice a day....

Glad you all gave up because some of us just GOT STARTED.

Looks like 2026 is off to a terrible start…


>> What’s Happening?

Nothing at all, just go back to sleep

Cannabist’s VA footprint goes for $130M.

Wyld/Gron pops off.

Illicit does a landmark ESOP.

Sunderstorm grabs Lime.

Nabis grabs Humble.

Key takes Bellrock.

Canopy puts $150M on the balance sheet

But its only January, go back to sleep….


>> Why Does This Matter?

The strong are getting STRONGER.

Notice any similarities in any of these deals? (read any of my posts??)

I have profiled most of these companies as “working”.

And the others have big balance sheets.

THE CONSOLODATION will not be televised.


>> What Am I Watching?

Who and what is NEXT?

SUPER-BRAND V2 is coming. Count on it…

Can someone take control of California?

What am I missing??

First of 12 innings down.

The pitcher has not even warmed up and

Already its a Perfect GAME ….

Germany is officially importing TONS of lettuce.

The EU’s biggest single c@nnabis market is sprinting toward 600 metric tons of annual imports.


>> What's Happening?

Germany's medical cannabis imports have climbed quarter over quarter.

From 41 metric tons in early 2025 to 57 t in Q3 2025, crushing records.

German regulators even raised the annual import ceiling once the original quota was exhausted.

Prescription access is expanding and telemedicine is growing…the trajectory now looks like hundreds of tons annually…

>> Why Is This Important?

Germany is now Europe's largest regulated medical cannabis market and its explosive import growth is a global signal.

Deutschland’s policy reforms have created predictable patient access and a huge upstream opportunity for exporters and supply chain players.

At 600 tons of annual imports, that is global supply chain scale and a new benchmark for what "big cannabis" might look like outside North America.


>> What Am I Watching?

Can anyone in Europe actually grow weed at scale, or will the country remain dependent on imports long term?

How pricing, pharmacy networks, and telemedicine evolve and can a patient market can coexist with both social clubs + adult use.

Which countries and companies position themselves as primary exporters into Europe's hottest cannabis corridor?


Bottom line:

Europe's medical cannabis boom isn't theoretical anymore…

It is measurable, explosive, and reshaping global supply chains.

If you haven't been tracking Germany's trajectory closely, you're late.

In case you missed it 

Wyld and Grön was announced earlier this week...

Have to give props again to both teams on the absolute magnitude of this deal for the industry....I am still amazed by this one....

And do not forget why....and what else is possible and for who...

Jeeter - a DreamFields Brand
Timeless
Nova Farms
Standard Wellness
C3 Industries

Thank you Aaron Morris + Christine Apple for showing the WORLD what this industry CAN DO !!!!

Here is to the future for us all...
and never sleep on Draper Bender (might just be the best in the business) 

P.S. This video was recorded July 17, 2025 with the amazing squad of Michael Krefman and Michael Peterson on From the Weeds to the Clouds
(MORE PROGNOSTICATIONS FORTHCOMING.... )

I am never giving up on California...EVER...

Keep an eye on my friends at Embarc
Keeping it REAL FOR EVERYONE....

CA is still #1 and will be #1 for a while.

We ain't going nowhere...

Just training for the next 12 rounds....

Welcome to Las Vegas !!!!
Wait...did I see you there ?
Well if I did, maybe you made the edit...

Seibo Shen
Elliot Lane + IgniteIt Cannabis
Diana A. + First Citizens Bank
Salvatore (Sal) LaTorre
Aisha Alves + the squad from FlowerHire
My main man Frank Colombo,  CFA + Viridian Capital Advisors
The ever popular Jesse Parenti, TRA 
Marty Higgins
and the ever magnanimous Lisa Williams + Hello Again

Want to thank my good friends from Sweed for all the help !

When does a celebrity brand officially hit the skids?

When it turns into a $50M lawsuit.

Iron Mike Tyson and The Nature Boy Ric Flair just turned their brand in weed biz into federal lawsuit.

And the allegations are wild.


>> What’s Happening?

Tyson and Flair filed a 76-page RICO-heavy lawsuit against their former cannabis partners at Carma Holdings.

Accusations include all the good stuff: wire fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and securities fraud. 

And further accused management of siphoning off cash and company funds for private jets, yachts, home renovations, mortgages and lavish perks.

NY Post has the scoop if you want to read the details...

Tyson & Flair are seeking more than $50 million in damages.


>> Why This Matters?

RICO is typically reserved for organized fraud and systemic corruption not partner disputes.

Defendants are pushing back hard, calling the suit “fiction dressed up as a lawsuit.” 

Celebrity + cultural icons + weed business + alleged internal theft = BAD LOOK

As an industry we do NOT need further headline drama.


>> What Am I Watching?

Does this show anything about governance, IP control, and fiduciary accountability?

Or does it just becomes another in a long list of “bad-celebrity brand” tabloid footnotes?

Can RICO stick here?

Which is the next celebrity cannabis brand to go ass over tea kettle? 

Bottom line:

Celebrity cannabis brand launches make headlines.

Celebrity cannabis boardroom lawsuits makes worse headlines.

Can we just NOT do any more celebrity brands, PLEASE??

You think its easy to get a deal done?

Think again...

Getting any deal done is HARD:
— Senior Debt
— Equity
— M&A
— Partnerships

It's like walking a drunk person home in the snow.

You might slip and fall a few times before you get there..

You have to realize it is going to fall out of bed once or twice.

And you have to have people around you who know how to get it done....
AND CLOSE.

Appreciate my friends Louis Magazzu and  Rachel Wright, CPA, MST for the discussion and the crew from IgniteIt Cannabis for the platform....

Nothing makes me happier than seeing good people succeed.

Especially those who pulled me up with them on the path.

So it gives me GREAT pleasure to give a huge congratulations to my friend  Austin DeAngelis on his most recent feat with furl.


>> What’s Happening?

A few years back I got pulled into Eaze, one of the better experiences of my life.

Were it not for the software sales veteran boom-mic trio of Nick Fasano, Austin DeAngelis and Owen Ruh…

I would have been left out on Venice Boardwalk.

But they took me in as one of their own and I am eternally grateful for that.

Especially when you have to pivot to make moves in c@annabis.


>> Why is This Important?

Sometimes you hear people leave the industry and hope they land feet first…

Then you check it…

One of the guys who pulled me along at Eaze

Drops a presser about a $10M seed round for his new AI start up deal furl.

With gold plated investors Ten Eleven Ventures, Rapid7 CEO Corey Thomas and Open Opportunity Fund, furl seems like a BANGER.


>> What Am I Watching?

What do I know about AI? Well frankly nothing…

But I do now how hard it is to pivot industries.

I also know how hard it is to RASIE CAPITAL.

SO when you pivot and knock the ball out of the park….

I can only admire the achievement and offer my most sincere congratulations.

Austin, I’m betting on you and furl thats for sure.

And thank you for all the help you have given me.

‘Seth, how did you make it into Forbes AGAIN?’

Well dummy I worked my butt off and I picked the right partner. That’s how…

Last week, Forbes published a piece on cannabis M&A that I was quoted in — alongside Mitchell Osak, who is the most credible and consistently right analyst in Canadian cannabis consulting, full stop.

No hype. No BS. No capital-markets vocabulary tests. This article didn’t come out of thin air.

It was grounded in a long-form piece Mitchell and I debated, pressure-tested, and refined because the loudest narrative in cannabis right now (“M&A is dead”) is… well just lazy.


>> What’s Happening?

M&A narratives dominate headlines, but how?

Behind the curtain, consolidation IS happening.

Private deals, restructurings, recaps, and strategic repositioning is where the action is.


>> Why Does This Matter?

Public markets for the next big cannabis deal? Maybe…

The next wave of exits, value and consolidation will emerge through private channels.

M&A didn’t disappear. It just stopped showing up in places that make for easy screenshots.

Public markets are frozen and private markets are doing the real work.

And anyone still waiting for a headline-grabbing “tsunami” deal from a busted MSO balance sheet is watching the wrong screen.


>> What Am I Watching Next?

How private capital structures continue to adapt to cannabis realities?

Does MORE off-market consolidation accelerate?

Does federal clarity finally unlock the value trapped in state-legal operators?

If you care about where real deal flow lives, this Forbes piece will be a reference point for 2026.

If you’re an operator, investor, or board member still anchoring strategy to press releases instead of private deal flow… good luck.


Two final points:

The Forbes piece is worth your time

Mitchell’s perspective is worth following

And if you want the WHOLE 18 pages behind the article download it here:

https://lnkd.in/eBxsGE7H

Read it. Argue with it. But don’t ignore it.

It's not what they say when you are IN the room
It's ALL ABOUT what they say when you are NOT IN the room...

What happens when two rival founders stop competing and start collaborating? 

Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein find out from Draper Bender, President of Grön, as he shares the unlikely beginning of his friendship with Aaron Morris, CEO of Wyld  the man he once viewed as a bold, untouchable industry persona. 

Remember this was a Founder-led deal, there were no bankers. It was a direct, operator-to-operator discussion and transaction. No financial engineering. Just aligned businesses with similar DNA: bootstrapped, profitable, and deeply operational to their cores...

I was not even close to this one. 
Love you Draper and Christine Apple
And Aaron Morris count on me sending more pictures of boxes....
XO

Props to AnnaRae Grabstein + Ben Larson for the LOVE
And get on High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast
On Apple Podcast (apple.co/40e8I2T )
Spotify (spoti.fi/4iUKphY )
and YouTube (https://lnkd.in/g5CMxNAM)

Here's the latest speculation on Schedule 3…


A few weeks ago a Senator proposed a measure that would direct the AG of the USA to create a commission charged with making recommendations on a c@nnabis regulatory system….


That MODELS for what is currently in place for ALCOHOL….YUP.

>> What's Happening?

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the PREPARE Act.


This directs the U.S. Attorney General to establish a Federal Regulation of Cannabis Commission.

This will draft a regulatory framework for post-prohibition cannabis.


Safety standards, labeling, crop and trade practices, banking & revenue systems, and social equity impact.

The bill would effectively give the AG Trump's a formal job to coordinate federal cannabis policy and set rules before full legalization.

>> Why is this Important?

A commission BEFORE legalization is scary.

That's not helping us….that's pre-ordained federal architecture by committee, which seems to create MORE problems.

The industry deserves clarity on issues like taxation, banking, and ADA/FTC guidance.


Not MORE mechanisms based on bureaucracy.


>> What Am I Watching?

Does this commission actually draft binding regulatory standards or just recommendations that Congress can ignore?

Which stakeholders get a seat at the table?

Does this become the new pretext to delay real federal legalization until the next election cycle?

Commissions are easy press releases. Regulation is hard law.

Don't confuse politicking with legalization.

Contact your elected officials today…PLEASE.

Why was I so hyped on Beverage ???

I am a history major
I studied how Alcohol was rolled out over the last 80 years

Why ?

Normalized adoption and distribution...
And they MAKE MONEY
(and its the only thing that we have as an example)

and you know what...they make $$$$$

Thanks to Alex DeFazio and the The High Index for the spot

You want to get in the game ?

Get yourself to a meeting with my folks from IgniteIt Cannabis
thats right...

GARDEN STATE COMING IN HOT...
February 10th, 2026
Westin Jersey City

and make sure you bring me a Hoagie....

Register HERE: https://bit.ly/49pHgUF

and use my CODE: SETH20

Patrick Lane Elliot Lane Javier Hasse

Everything early stage is HARD...
Next to impossible actually

I don't have a solution for early..

C@nnabis
Biotech
SaSS
AI
Retail
CPG/Beverage

All hard...

We just have 2 arms tied behind our backs on top of it all...

Grateful for the spot on From the Weeds to the Clouds
Michael Krefman + Michael Peterson

Where do hemp beverages belong?

Well, what do we know:

1. They sure found a way to enter traditional distribution channels

2. Alcohol use is declining

3. Consumers are driving demand

With the hemp ban looming I'm not sure which way is UP.

So you tell me?

Thank you to my friend Peter Su, PBC-CP, CTP, CCBP, CRS, GRCP, GRCA, IDPP, CBE for having me on...

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