Page 18 - BusinessWest July 11, 2022

Cannabis
Delivering on Business Promise
Budzee Breaks New Ground by Bringing Cannabis to Your Door
By George O’brien
Volkan Polatol didn’t actually speak the words, but he strongly implied them: ‘If this was easy, then everyone would do it. Or at least try.’
The ‘it,’ in this case, is delivery of cannabis products — Amazon- style. Polatol, teaming with Kevin Perrier and Ezra Parzybok in a ven-
ture called Budzee, has created such a service, believed to be one of the very few in this region, and the country, for that matter.
As the partners talked about their business, they addressed that logical ques- tion about why they are the first and why there are not more ventures addressing what appears to be a logical need within the marketplace.
And the simple answer is that this isn’t as easy as it looks. And it doesn’t even look easy.
Indeed, there are complex licensing issues to overcome, software programs to develop, logistics, myriad expenses — from buying dedicated, unmarked vehicles to outfitting them with special equipment, to staffing each vehicle with two peo- ple (one of many requirements to be followed). And now, gas costs more than $5 a gallon.
“All of this is incredibly expensive, and it’s very difficult; we had to create the model,” said Polatol, who summed it all up by saying that a roadmap had to be in place for such a unique venture.
Parzybok agreed, and elaborated — on the many challenges facing this venture and all businesses in the cannabis sector.
“There’s a strain put on these businesses when the state invents all these rules that make it difficult to run a smooth, profitable business,” he explained. “The
From left, Kevin Perrier, Volkan Polatol, and Erza Parzybok, partners in Budzee.
18 JULY 11, 2022 CANNABIS BusinessWest