Sara Gullickson on What Keeps You Awake

Sara Gullickson on What Keeps You Awake

Sabrina
SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025

From Craigslist to Cannabis CEO: Sara Gullickson on Building a Business Against the Odds

Host David Hooser sits down with Sara Gullickson, CEO & founder of Cannabis Business Advisors. With 15 years in the cannabis industry, Sara shares her journey from Craigslist gig to leading a national advisory firm, helping businesses navigate licensing, regulation, and community acceptance in one of the most complex industries in America.

Inside The Episode:
• Early entry: from marketing spas & salons → assisting cannabis applicants in Arizona’s first licensing wave
• Lottery vs. merit-based licensing: why Sara lobbies for fairness and long-term operators, not just luck
• Building and selling firms: from taking out trash to leading a publicly traded company, then launching her second firm in 2020
• National perspective: only half of Americans have access to recreational cannabis—growth ahead for many states
• Community relations: winning trust through education, economic revitalization, and security planning
• The corporate shift: how the cannabis industry went mainstream and what that means for entrepreneurs
• Capital realities: $300K–$1M+ just to secure a license, millions more to open operations
• Parenting & entrepreneurship: balancing two small kids with building a future-facing business
• What’s next: Sara’s pivot into AI tools for the cannabis industry to improve processes and compliance

Watch the Podcast Here!

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