hyzerflip
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Sorry your friend is an idiot. There is nothing you can do to save people who cannot see all of these GLARING red flags. If you get him out of this pickle he's just going to be in another tomorrow.
Yo... don’t call his buddy an idiot man that’s not productive at all. Did you read the part about a having plate in his head and shit?Sorry your friend is an idiot. There is nothing you can do to save people who cannot see all of these GLARING red flags. If you get him out of this pickle he's just going to be in another tomorrow.
Well he's not exactly capable of financing it himself at this time. And he isn't from Colorado he's from Florida, so he has no property to grow on out here, and he has no medical license either. That's the only good thing he's got going for him at the moment is the legal factor. He's been growing illegally underground for so long that when he came here last Spring he was just happy to be legal. Basically the guy has been out of society for 20 years working for his "girlfriend" and certain members of a certain south american country that I don't wish to disclose at this moment.
And as far as the lights go he's got 30 LED's to his name, not one single MH or HPS, and he won't waste his time on a 30 light grow. The house we just moved him out of had 84 lights total on a 150 plant count legal licensed grow (just illegally placed as I said can't be residential land for big plant count licenses)
The thing is his girlfriend supplied him with a brand new vehicle when he moved out here. So that's part of his debt to her. Along with his soul apparently but she's not his problem, he's been working for her for decades and he likes it I guess.. Although he has to pay some 7k in fines and fees to get his driver's license back so he can legally drive it. Which is where the investors come in. They promised to pay his fines and fees like day 2 but never came through with it so he's still stuck. Again just another broken promise from them that he's letting slide. Again, because of the girlfriend.
I know this is all crazy as fuck sounding but you have to read all of what I'm saying here. The main point being that he has been instructed to keep working for these.. slave drivers.. and finish out this crop no matter what. Because his girlfriend said so. Because he mentioned to me a few weeks ago that she was talking about coming up to visit him when the trees come down. I'm sure because she's going to make sure she gets her cut and gets her money back. Problem is these investors have money they want back too and I think he's going to get caught in the middle of some gnarly shit if he's not careful.
I know better than to get involved with his girlfriend. I've met her I know who she is and I'm cool with leaving it at that. I think he's hoping these investors can save him from that life of illegal underground grow ops but I don't think these are the ones who are going to do that.
Plus, as much as I love my friend I have to say he's an amazing grower one of the best there is but he's been locked out of society in basements, in the woods, on mountains, for fucking decades. He has a metal plate in his head from a bad car accident. Socially speaking, he has a hard time understanding things at times, and I find I have to explain them a little more than I thought I would have to, to get him to understand. Like, these people are fucking you bro.
Why your friend agreed to this idk??? But Your friend seemed to have went into business with the wrong people. He needs to own up to that. If he’s having basic needs to live to be able to grow their shit. He should speak up. If they don’t provide him with what he needs he should tell them he won’t be able to continue in the future for what ever reasons. If he’s going to be making business deals with large amounts of money being thrown around he needs to use his head. I’m sure a lot of time and money are involved in this situation so he needs to talk to them and be straight up. If they know your friend is going to die from starvation they know they will have no crop which in return will put a big dent in their pockets. I’m sure they will get him food if they are aware. To me it sounds as if your friend doesn’t want to tell his partners the blunt truth that’s on their plates in front of them. Maybe don’t just tell them hey I need food maybe say hey I need two more lights to get this much more to cover food etc. Or Think of a way to make you and him more money and put more money both pockets to make it a win win for both parties involved. Make it a win win since he already agreed to the crazy deal. Idk just some ideas.
Sorry didn’t mean to quote u these dam fat fingers have a mind of their ownNot my friend or story.
Damn man this shit is wrong at so many levels! Tell ya friend , and man I hate saying this, make ends meet via “traditional market sales” for his own pocket. He is is a position that they can walk away unscathed and he does serious time . That shit is why many cultivators have quit the business and are back to “traditional grows”(black market)So I just figured I'd vent this here because I'm sure there are other growers in the same or similar situations my buddy is having.
So my friend got suckered into growing for these people who have more money than brains. They (the investors) have expressed a lot of interest in opening their own dispensary here in CO.
So, at the moment they have medical licenses for a somewhat large number of plants. My friend has been growing the plants for them for about 6 months now, in an illegal manner. The catch is you cannot grow large medical licenses on residential zoned land. He's been in residential land until now. The investors bought a large piece of property zoned for agricultural use, and thus legal.
The thing is, as we all know, it's illegal to sell marijuana in Colorado without a dispensary, so guess how this crop is getting sold? Yeah.
The waiting list for a dispensary is pretty long, and the investors have no clue when they will actually be able to buy/build one.
The investors have no clue about this industry what-so-ever. However, they want to tell my friend what to do and how to do it. He's the one with 20+ years of growing experience, these people barely know how to roll a joint.
I myself until recently was helping my friend with his job. I've decided for the sake of our friendship that I do not want to work with him nor for the people he works for.
The sickening part is how they treat him. They stick him in an illegal grow operation on residential property that could be raided by local authorities at any time. They haven't paid him ONE DIME. They don't give him any food or anything.
So now that he's moving from a house, to a legal agricultural site, guess what the site doesn't have? A house. It's got a lovely building with 2 big grow rooms and a nice big greenhouse next to it. No toilet. No refrigerator. No means to cook. Hey, there's a cot and water, though, so he's got that going for him.
They claim they're going to bring him a camper or RV to live in but don't know when that will happen, if ever. So yeah did I mention this grow site is located 50+ miles from the nearest STORE? Oh and by the way my buddy has no license to go anywhere. I'm pretty sure they're going to leave him out there to die.
The only reason he's survived this long, is because his girlfriend has been sending him money to eat and buy toilet paper with. Which, he's going to have to pay back. He grovels at the feet of these investors who haven't done a damn thing for him but provide a place to grow and some equipment. They've made promises to take care of him that I've yet to see happen.
He honestly thinks he's going to get rich working for these people. I really don't see it happening. They're treating him as a slave and he's practically worshiping the ground they walk on, it's sickening to watch. I just can't do it anymore. These people have loads of money and they want to undercut you on every thing.
They just wanted me to do a landscaping job that I quoted at 300, they said 200, I said fine. I get to the job, it's a 400 dollar job hands down. That's where I stopped working for them.
SO anyway I have my own grow, and really don't need these people, and I've decided not to take on any "employers" or "investors" as my friend has, and end up getting screwed in the end.
Ever since legalization though, Colorado has seen a rapid influx of these assholes. People with more money than brains, or just no brains, thinking they're going to strike it rich in the pot industry, and don't listen to people who have been growing for decades.. I'm getting really tired of these stories. It's been bad business and cutthroat as hell out here. Just wondering if anyone else thinks my friend is getting taken for a ride? I think stepping away is the best move I can make with these people.. Sucks about my buddy, but he doesn't want to step up for himself..
So let me get this straight, he is working for free? lol, for real?
For comparison the first time I ran a very large grow for a big investor who owned the property and all the equipment, as well as acquired the genetics, provided the trimming crew AND moved the product, I got a 50% cut of the profit after expenses.
Your friend is doing it wrong. He's being used and abused bro. He should run from this arrangement before he lands his ass in trouble for someone else's gain.
All of this didnt really answer my question.
So let me get this straight, he is working for free? lol, for real?
For comparison the first time I ran a very large grow for a big investor who owned the property and all the equipment, as well as acquired the genetics, provided the trimming crew AND moved the product, I got a 50% cut of the profit after expenses.
Your friend is doing it wrong. He's being used and abused bro. He should run from this arrangement before he lands his ass in trouble for someone else's gain.
Wow fifty dollar once’s...good thing I love my hobbie. Haven’t been inside a dispensary here in California for a while, bet it’s not quite as cheap, but the subterfuge I’m sure is similar.Exactly. The general rule of thumb is 60/40. The grower gets 40 the investor gets 60, which works out to 40/40 when you figure investor's utility and fert. expenses, etc. So you even got a decent deal first go round, that's awesome.
The reason I'm sharing this story is simply because it needs to be told. Hopefully this story will help someone stay out of a situation like this in the future. This is just one of many that happen every day in this industry.
People still flock to Colorado thinking they're going to strike it rich being pot farmers, not knowing a damn thing about what they're getting into. This has been the hardest place to grow I've ever experienced, overall. If it's not the cops trying to shut you down, it's the greedy investors screwing you. Or people robbing your grow. Or the grasshoppers eating your entire crop. Or the winds snapping all your trees in half. Or the sun roasting your buds to death. Hail. Pollination from idiots growing next door. There's a million factors against you out here. I would almost rather go back to underground by myself in an illegal state if it weren't for the great view I have on 80 acres out here.
That, and dispensaries selling 50 dollar ounces makes it hard for mom and pop to pay the bills.
Sorry to hear that it was already bad from the beginning ,Ok so my friend originally came here from FL last spring to work for somebody else. We'll call him Boss 1. Boss 2 (his current boss, the investors) was Boss 1's landlord. They did not get along. Boss 1 wasn't paying boss 2 for rent, so when they came over demanding his past due rent, he told them he would give them their rent and then some when the trees came down. So then, Boss 1 and Boss 2 became partners.
Only I knew Boss 1 was out to screw over Boss 2 from the beginning. Boss 2 is basically a slumlord and refused to take care of the black mold that was growing in the walls and ceilings and attic of the house they're renting to boss 1. So Boss 1 actually put together one of the most elaborate scams I've ever seen in my life..
He is a gold and diamond broker, among other things. So he set up this fake gold deal with boss 2. He was basically going to get a brick of gold and smelt it for a profit. He went as far as to actually get a brick of gold, and was showing us all videos of him in the hotel room with a Brinks security guard with his finger on the trigger the entire time and a fancy lock box with a shiny gold brick inside. He hired people to play the smelters and the whole bit. He thought of every twist and turn. He took boss 2 to Mexico and wined and dined them and showed them the time of their lives.
My friend's girlfriend heard about it and wanted in on the gold deal, so she sent a representative to Mexico with a million in cash. Boss 1 didn't want to do a deal with him, and sent him back. That was my first red flag in the whole ordeal. Then I knew something was up, why would you turn away someone bringing you that much cash?
Because there never was a gold deal. He managed to talk boss 2 into wiring him over 250k for this alleged gold deal.. WITHOUT A CONTRACT!!!! So boss 2 is waiting, and waiting, and boss 1 is making all these great excuses why the deal didn't go through yet. It's being processed, blah blah blah. So weeks are going by, months are going by. The first harvest comes down. Boss 1 comes back from Mexico after spending that entire time there, partying.
He has these two dudes show up to buy some of the weight. He accepts a check from them. Me and my friend and my girlfriend looked at eachother like we were watching slow motion train wreck. That was the first time in my life I ever saw anyone pay for weed with a check.
So my buddy owes his girlfriend 5k for expenses she had been covering for him during the job. So boss 1 takes my buddy to the bank and pays him exactly 5k, which then went right back to his girlfriend. Except that's not even 5% of what he should have been getting. Boss 1 promises him he'll take care of him when every last ounce is sold.
Meanwhile, boss 2 is starting to freak out because the gold deal is taking way too long. So they start making some phone calls, and next thing you know.. Boss 1 skipped town. Imagine my astonishment?
So, boss 2 tells my friend they need to recoup their money and they want to keep going with the grow op. My buddy talks to his girlfriend and she says she needs him to make her money so work for them. So he agrees.
Boss 2 promises a life of grandeur and promises they will take care of my friend better than boss 1 did. They start talking about going big, getting a dispensary, the whole bit. So right away they went and got their licenses to grow. As I may have mentioned before these people are borderline slumlord, real estate moguls. And with their ignorance to the law, they promise my friend they have 20 empty houses right now, he could grow in all of them if he can handle it. My friend's eyes are just getting bigger by the day. He's totally buying everything they're saying and groveling at their feet for being so gracious.
Finally I spoke up on the matter and told boss 2 that you need to get the hell out of these houses and get on agricultural zoned land if you want to be legal. So they get a nice big grow house with greenhouse out here in the sticks where I'm at, which is agri zoned. However, the place needed the entire electrical system redone.
Boss 2 slacks off for months before actually calling their electrician (they have electricians on payroll) and telling them to do the job. Meanwhile, a letter shows up at the house my friend is staying at.. From the Police. It's the same compliance letter they send to everyone when they know you're growing illegally or way over legal plant count.
At this point, my friend is freaking the fuck out. He's thinking the cops are going to come kick the door down any day, and boss 2 is all cavalier about it. Tells my buddy oh it's no big deal we're moving out it's ok we have licenses it's alright" but he knows it's not ok so he's just quietly freaking out in the basement while he tends to plants every day..
So just last week they finally finished the electrical on the grow house. So boss 2 goes and gets a truck to move the plants and now my buddy is sitting in the middle of nowhere in a grow house with no toilet no sink no shower no way to cook no internet or cell phone signal.
It's just unfuckingbelievable. We have 3 nice, fully functional campers on my ranch. My girlfriend told boss 2 months ago, when they bought the property, that we would sell them one for a low price so my friend has a place to live. They never came through with it..
I called my buddy last night, hadn't heard from him since he got out there, he told me he called boss 2 and told them he had no food and they laughed about it.
He just takes the punches and rolls with it though. He's one of those guys that's just always happy all the time and he's all Hare Krishna now so he just always tries to stay positive and count his blessings.. Except his blessings are turning into curses and he doesn't see it.
Like I said he had gotten into a really bad accident a few years ago. Was in a coma and they had to put a metal plate in his head. He's still the same guy for the most part, but he went from gangster attitude to spiritual hippie type attitude, I guess you could say.
My girlfriend and I were talking about it the other day and I never really thought about it but we do end up having to explain shit to him a lot sometimes. Like he has a hard time concentrating on what's happening around him socially. That could also be in part to the fact that he's lived in basements growing weed for over 20 years. Lol
So that pretty much explains how it all started. Boss 1 is still on the run. Boss 2 found out where he went, and is currently having boss 1's local sheriff attempt to serve him with a subpoena.
Personally I think boss 1 will get away with it.
Now I gotta go get dressed and bring my buddy a plate of food for fuck's sake. Try to talk some sense into him. If not I'll tell boss 2 myself because at this point I don't give a fuck if they promise me the moon, I'm not doing a damn thing for them without money up front first. So we'll see how that plays out. Psh.
Oh and his girlfriend has been pretty upset with him because the plants should have been harvested by now, but due to all the bullshit and having to move the plants, they've been in veg the whole time. He started the bloom now that he's in the permanent facility, but she's upset because he is taking too long to make money. So he's already on edge with her. And he told me the other day that she mentioned coming out to visit when the trees come down.
I might have to kidnap my friend guys. Lol.