64 days till this hemp ban. It’s looking like we’ll lose 50–75% of total revenue @drinkbrez 🫣 It could get extended till April, or positively regulated, in which case we’ll have one of the most valuable companies of the moment, with every alc company trying to buy it in a frenzy. We won’t know till the last minute though, so we literally have to prepare for multiple scenarios without anyone willing to invest capital due to the uncertainty. To say this last year has been the most challenging of my life is a massive understatement. We scaled @drinkbrez to $47mm/yr, then had all investors and creditors pull out overnight with the ban news. Was left owing $7mm in AP/debt (unprofitable retail deals). Been working out of it for the last year and now down to $2.5mm owed. Never have I ever not paid our bills, although it became the only option. Multiple lawsuits, pissed off vendors and friends, and a lot of sadness. Also was going through a divorce and abusing substances to cope. All that being said, now we are literally doing whatever it takes to succeed regardless. @Walmart brought us from 100 → 1,000 stores, @Costco roadshow starts in a week, and now scaling non-THC DTC revenue via @TrybeUGC, @Meta, SMS, email, Amazon, and customer service. Literally all of our energy will be exclusively here. Realized when shit hit the fan, I hid from the public realm, which is silly, because the whole reason I was building in public was to showcase the behind the scenes, to help others and to recruit support for ourselves. I simply became ashamed, tbh, but not letting that persist anymore. This is what entrepreneurship looks like. It’s real, raw, messy, exhilarating, painful, and worth it. This season has been a deep and daily reminder that business is simply a game of resilience and determination. Thank you all who’ve followed and supported our journey, esp those who reached out to me in the dark times. Deciding to go back to building this in public and share the full picture rather than just the beautiful rev #s. More soon ❤️‍🔥