Starting a new business is tough at the best of times, but even more so within a new or upcoming market. Now is one of the best times you can start a CBD business, and here’s why.
What CBD Is
CBD refers to cannabinoids, which are essentially compounds and chemicals found within cannabis and hemp plants. It’s not to be confused with the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC, which is the intoxication element that is infamous.
CBD instead does not have this effect, it offers health benefits such as anxiety release, and help with getting to sleep.
Why You Would Want To Start A Business Here
The CBD industry is projected to grow bigger within the next five years, so it’s now the perfect time to get started. Currently, CBD products are largely available online, with limited availability within the hight street. This was largely due to COVID-19, which saw many shops and businesses close. But with everything opening up, you could be one of the first major hight street CBD brands.
How To Start The Business
Starting a CBD business is much like any other business. You will need finance backing, and you’ll have to create a business plan before getting started. It’s always a good idea to get insurance too, whereas some will need to be bought legally in the best interest of consumers.
How You Can Stand Out
One of the best ways in which you can stand out, is by establishing your CBD brand. If you do this, then you’re likely to have more customers choose your services compared to a competitor, as they will know what they want and how to find it. With the popularity of CBD oils, creams, tinctures and now gummies, it is important to follow these tips so that your brand is able to stand out in a saturated CBD market.
It helps if you identify your target audience, as this is a big part of your brand. Are you setting up to offer health benefits to users, or are you looking to appeal to recreational users? This will help you in all aspects of the business, from the brand creation, setting up, advertising and selling.
CBD has many purposes, as you will know, so it’s important to understand what you’re looking to get from the business. If you have a unique selling point, then this could help close the niche market, or drive more business to you in general if its something within the industry people have been crying out for.
Gaining A Competitive Edge
To gather power over your competitors within the CBD industry is much like any other business, you have to develop a high-quality product. The difference here is, there are more regulations you have to abide by, that means creating something that passes the rules, and will stand the test of time.
A CBD company that manages to create an innovative product that is similar to those within the industry, that consumers are familiar with, but also a product that offers something unique, will do well. The world is going more digital, so you could consider selling your products with a unique QR code in the box that users can use to take them somewhere fun.
Sometimes, doing fun and gimmicky can help you stand out, as the modern consumer likes something a bit different. We saw during COVID-19, when consumers were all at home, that they liked to buy differently, as their shopping habits changed.
The Legal Issues
As mentioned, there are regulations you will have to abide by in order to sell a CBD product within the industry. The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are constantly updating the law around CBD, so it’s worth coming back to for updates.
Importantly, products containing CBD for medical purposes are considered a medicine. This means they need to have a product licence before they can be advertised, supplied and sold within the country. To become licenced, they will have to meet safety, quality and efficiency standards in regards to public health.
Importance Of Marketing
To stand out within the competitive CBD market, you need to be able to effectively advertise your product. That means understanding where you will sell your product, such as will it be high street through a retailer, or will you sell your products to a business in order to do it for you.
You should consider doing both, as there are key markets both physically and digitally. You should be creative when advertising or selling your CBD product, either by creating your own e-commerce store, or utilising an SEO marketing campaign to get your product to the top.
Social Media And Community
The CBD industry has a passionate community that can be loyal to certain products, or happy to experiment. There are sub-cultures within the community that will want certain things, from vape liquids to food recipes containing CBD.
You should get involved with the community when you can, in order to get your brand out there so people know your name. Social media can do wonders for this, as you can get more creative in how you appear for the first time.