Sara Gullickson
Age: 37
Company: The Cannabis Business Advisors
Title: CEO
It was almost as if Sara Gullickson stepped out of a time capsule.
She spent the better part of a decade building her first consulting firm, Dispensary Permits, before selling it — with a valuation of more than $2 million — in 2018 and signing a two-year non-compete agreement.
Although she kept a careful eye on the developing industry and still has stakes in numerous licenses in different states, she returned to her consulting roots and started her new firm, The Cannabis Business Advisors, during the mayhem of 2020.
“We launched my second consulting company during a pandemic,” she says. “The industry has changed a lot in the last two years since I had my non-compete. That is my most exciting project — being back in the game to help other people get into the industry.”
Gullickson has a knack for getting businesses licensed and operational. It’s how she was able to start a consulting firm during such a chaotic year and why she was able to sell her first firm for a nice profit.
She says her secret is writing applications that reflect the applicant as a person and not just a regurgitation of rules and regulations.
“We try to add a bit of style and some grace and maybe some branding, color and people to the narrative,” Gullickson says. “We care, and we put all we have into it so we can potentially make this dream a reality for our people.”