HIGHLIGHTS of 10/23/14 Conference Call:
Below is pretty much a complete (about 95%) transcript of the conference call -- verbatim. I was very diligent to quote everyone exactly as they said it. Link to the actual call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdnK9eKGF2g&feature=youtu.be You can listen to it while you read it.
The CC lasted for about 48 mins. Mike Shea, CEO started the call with prepared remarks. Then, he had a Q&A session. Then, a quick summary.
I must say he was very forthright, appeared very genuine and very honest, and he was very bullish and optimistic. I really appreciated that he said it like it is -- the good, the bad and the ugly. Fortunately, most of it is good. :)
Highlights of Mike's prepared remarks:
Mobile Testing Labs:
"I've issued a press release today that I'm very, very, very excited about regarding the mobile testing labs." Link for press release: http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=64147460
"This was a contact that was actually generated from a shareholder. He is an entrepreneur and grower in Maine."
"This is exciting because this will be the first lab that I know of up in Maine. To make it convenient for the growers and their dispensaries we came up with the concept of doing a mobile testing lab. It will be located in the center of the state. It will be able to reach those growers and dispensaries within a 2 hour drive."
"It's a very niche area. The margins are extremely, extremely attractive."
"We can see rolling out starting in Maine and going through the Northeast and other States where medical marijuana or recreational marijuana is available."
"We see this is a tremendous, tremendous opportunity to broaden the horizons and generate cash flow for the Company. The investment is nominal the returns are substantial."
Update on Colorado:
"As I have press released before, we did enter into a consulting agreement. That partnership is working well. We are in the mist of moving the location to an inside facility using the same grower."
"We are in the process of talking to two (2) other folks in regards of doing something of a larger nature. These individuals have outgrown their existing facilities and placing them into a larger building, which we would lease to them."
"So, we continue to march on in Colorado. I think the opportunities there are boundless. We are only constrained by capital."
MJ Merchant:
"I think that we finally reached the goal. Not with the original credit card processing company, but with a different processing company that I've been in contact with. I think that within the next week we will have that program up and running."
"It's amazing the number of responses, applications that I receive and have received since we announced the product from dispensaries looking for the solution. We have saved all those contacts, communicated with them. They are obviously patient and waiting for the solution."
"So, once it's put in place that product will begin to take off. The numbers are staggering because not only do we get a set-up fee, but we participate in all the sales that are made using the credit card."
420 Concept:
"The 420 Concept continues to generate revenue, certainly not at the level that I like. We have a plan to implement to drive more revenues through that, but right now it is still just a business that I actually love because it takes very little time to process the orders. It's just a matter of driving more traffic through that."
MJ-Xchange:
"As I noted on the Cannabis webcast, there are 1,700 people registered. We don't have the participation level that I would like. We have some thoughts on how to drive that including guest columns."
Other remarks:
"So, collectively, the businesses that we have put together have created a very, very strong foundation for the Company.
"I couldn't be more pleased with the products that we've put together."
"It's now time for executing and for these things to pay a return to shareholders."
"I'd be quite remiss to say that I'm quite disappointed in the share price in particular in relative to our peers that are trading substantially higher than we are."
"This is not a trip zip company. It's ridiculously low."
"There are things I will be doing from an awareness perspective to get the message out, including conference calls like this, including the cannabis webcast that we did what a month ago or so, including trade shows."
"I've heard from the founder or creator of the cannabis webcast and the YouTube clips of our presentation were the 2nd most viewed out of anybody during that full day of presentations. So, people are looking at us. So, it leaves me to believe that I'm not articulating the story enough."
"These are exciting times for the company. It's very, very well positioned."
"We obviously will continue to work on other opportunities as I indicated in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, etc."
"This one concept in Colorado that we're working on -- all I can say is that it's so attractive it's incredible."
"I would like to mention that quite frankly a lot of these opportunities are coming from shareholders. I don't want to name them, but it's shareholders helping the Company. I couldn't be more pleased and grateful to those people that are involved in really trying to help."
"We're thinly capitalized. It's me and a couple other people that are helping us build this Company. And a company is being built -- a real company. That was my goal from the beginning".
NAME CHANGE: "I will be announcing the name change contest [winner] the 1st of December, with the target of having a new name, ticker by the first of the year -- certainly, in January. That all depends on FINRA."
AUDIT: "The sore subject continues to be the audit. I pretty much have made the decision that we will switch firms and begin the audit beginning of January. And we'll only have the two (2) years audited financial statements for 2013, 2014. All the books and records that I have control over will be sufficient to get an audit done ASAP."
"Obviously, once we get the audit done we do the Form 10 and the quote un-quote, uplisting. And I think that will help not only in terms of share price, but in terms of credibility for the Company."
"One of the things that I am focused on and am trying to work with people to develop ideas is awareness programs. I absolutely refuse to do an investor awareness program where all they do is get new posters on investor hubs or other chat room sites and regurgitate nonsense. It has to be done professionally, legally. And quite frankly we have a very, very good story to tell.
"I'm very bullish, this company is poised for growth, just with what we have right now."
"I'm excited, I'm optimistic. FAILURE is NOT AN OPTION."
"I will continue to push these programs. You probably won't see any additional programs. You'll see us focus on the lab testing roll-out as well as opportunities in Colorado, Washington, Oregon to support growers via the real estate player consulting agreements."
"I firmly believe that we will be PROFITABLE in 2015. That is my goal. If we are not profitable, I will consider it a failure."
Q&A:
First, Mike read some questions submitted by two (2) shareholders. Then, he opened up the line for listeners on the call to ask questions.
Questions from Carmen:
1st question: "Mike are you planning to uplist to the OTCQB? If so, what is the timetable approximately?
Mike's answer: As I indicated we'll have a new accountant engaged by the end of this year. We will give them all the books and records and I can't see why they wouldn't be able to generate two (2) years of audited financials within 90 days despite the fact it's their busiest time of the year. I will not engage a company that can not commit to that timeframe."
2nd question: "Is your plan to dramatically reduce the outstanding shares (O/S) of GDSM? If so, by how many and over what period of time?"
Mike's answer: Obviously, I'd love to reduce the number of shares O/S. There are a number of legal issues regarding buybacks, etc., etc. that probably prohibit me. I have not looked at them because quite frankly we're not in a position to expend capital to do a share buyback."
"All available capital is being invested into the Company. And that includes quite frankly my compensation. Which in the initial conference call that I made when I took over back in July of last year, people asked me OK Mike what's your compensation? I told them that I have a contract agreement for $10,000/month. Quite frankly, if I get $7,000/month it's probably (he chuckled) a good day. And then out of that I do pay a substantial amount of the companies expenses, including press releases, etc, etc.. So, unlike many companies where the CEO's are making a very good living, quite frankly the money's just not there. And I prefer to have it invested in the Company.
Questions from Shane:
1st question: "Conference call needs more status on financials."
Mike's answer: "Which I've [already] given [the status]".
2nd question: "What are the details of the agreement in terms of potential revenue?"
Mike's answer: "Let me say this, revenues from the labs I anticipate in 2015 to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 - $60,000 and that's really just a factor of how quickly we can get started up, how quickly we initiate our brand. I do believe that we'll be able to establish a brand where the dispensaries won't buy marijuana without our testing results." So, on the low end, I'm saying that it's somewhere between $30K-$60K per year."
"The Colorado opportunity -- we are looking somewhere in the neighborhood of $10K-$15K per MONTH. So, you do the math on that and you're looking at somewhere between $100K - $150K per YEAR. These are all NET numbers by the way. And so that gives me the confidence level that we will be profitable. Secondly, if we can work out this next transaction in Colorado, those numbers will double. That's how good that opportunity is."
3rd Question: "Are your interim financial reports going to be filed on time?"
Mike's answer: "Yes"
Then, Mike opened the line to 'live" questions.
Jason from Louisianna:
Question: "I was wondering about the Etrade situation. Have you heard anything about that?"
Mike's answer: "It's not an Etrade, it's Scottrade. Scottrade refuses to deal with me in any way shape or form."
"I will tell you this and this will be news for everybody. There is no doubt that our share structure has increased. And that does cause concern in many companies do receive a DTC chill. I have been in contact with the DTC. They've reviewed all of our issuances and have cleared us so there is no threat of GDSM to be chilled. I'm not sure why Scottrade continues to not trade us."
Pierre from Florida:
Question: "We have Amendment 2 on the November ballot. If that passes, does the Company have any plans to enter the markets in Florida?"
Mike's answer: "Absolutely. I already have somebody on the ground who is monitoring the situation. And is familiar with what we're trying to accomplish and how we're trying to accomplish these things from a legal perspective. I do have an attorney that specializes in marijuana down in Florida."
"And quite frankly, I think it would be a very hot bed. And I say that for two different reasons. Florida just due to it's population is huge. I think that if the rec market comes around that will be huge. But there is no doubt about it there are a lot of older people in Florida. And one of the things where I spend a lot of time on is looking at the medicinal side of this business. And the people, the elderly, people with disabilities are tired of taking pharmaceuticals and not getting the results. And so, just out of desperation they will try medical marijuana. And the results are staggering. And there is real healing applications. So, I think that Florida would be gigantic for medicinal and we'll be there on the forefront."
Peter from Mass.:
Question: "I hold a considerable amount of shares in the Company. And I would like to invest more in the Company, but my one concern is the possibility of a reverse split."
Mike's answer: (he chuckled) Ah, yes, the reverse split. OK, everybody, I've been on record regarding this reverse split. Let me say this, when I go out and I did the trade show and did the cannabis website, isn't it embarrassing that we have 3-4 Billion shares O/S. Absolutely!"
"The fact is reverse splits are something that can only be effectuated and work well for shareholders when the share price is at least moving substantially in a positive direction. So, I've been on record, I hate reverse splits. I haven't seen any -- maybe 1 or 2 that have actually worked well. But I would not consider reverse splitting without some real positive momentum in the market in terms of the share price and progress on the Company. I hope that answers you. "
"I can never say never, but I don't see it right now that's for sure."
"Look, you know here is the real story. I've been doing this for a little over a year, maybe a year and half. I've developed a lot of relationships with long time shareholders. The shareholders that have helped me out. They give me leads, they make introductions, etc., etc., they give me ideas. And I don't want to burn anybody.
I mean at some point down the road a reverse split will happen. But it can't happen down here. The Company needs momentum in it's share price. It's a personal thing with me."
"And this is something I've tried to stress with investors and the investment community. We're different. Yeah, we're a pink sheet [company], yeah we're a trip zip company, yeah we have 3-4 Billion shares outstanding, alright. And mistakes have been made. And I take the blame for that."
"But the fact is that how many pink sheet companies out there actually have conference calls where they're willing to take questions from shareholders. Most of them hide behind that. If you call them you'll never get them. I take phone calls all the time. I try to respond to each and every email, even the ones that are less than flattering and I'll just leave it at that. I really do care about this. I mean I'm in this for the long haul. I think we're well positioned."
"And, you know, again I don't mind being criticized. I don't have all the answers. But we're moving in the right direction. I'm proud to be leading the charge. And I think we're on the cusp of being profitable. And that's something that's rare for a pink sheet company."
"I appreciate your question and have a good day."
Martin from Michigan:
Question: "I wanted to kind of piggyback off of the caller before the last in regards to upcoming not only Florida ballot, but I believe 9, 10, 11 States have upcoming ballot initiatives. Not all the same, naturally, but they all pertain to the same thing, the grow industry and a lot of factors that deal with it. My question to you is, I've been calling your Company for a couple of years now, my question to you is a) do you expect to utilize and approach all the States that pass initiatives to advance this Company as more opportunities arise. And b) Do you have the employee capacity, the financial to facilitate all that?"
Mike's answer: Yeah, excellent question. I will tell you that there are several answers there. #1, I would like to be wherever, wherever we can make some money. We have the products, we have people on the ground."
"You happen to be in Michigan. I grew up in Detroit on the east side. I have people there that would be more than willing to help with the effort. Employees are not an issue. Just out of the shareholding base, I have people that I've developed relationships with in various States that are willing to lead the charge."
"And the capital is really the main thing. I have to create the sound foundation. And I have that now where we can generate the cash flow to be able to branch out."
"Quite frankly, Maine, no one ever thinks about Maine. But I saw it, and I saw a niche opportunity where we could be a leader. Those are the type of opportunities I seek out."
"You know, Colorado there's going to come a point & time when it's going to be over saturated. So, while there's good money to be made, you know, over the next 3-5 years in Colorado, maybe not so much, you know, down the road. Because everybody's setting up, you know, massive grow operations, etc., etc."
"So, as I look at States like Michigan, like Maine, Rhode Island, wherever. Those are places where the Company can compete, make healthy margins, and build the brand. And get to a size where we can compete in larger States."
"But, you know, it's kind of the David and Goliath, right now I need to be able to find areas using, you know, the thinly capitalized Company that we have to penetrate those markets, take advantage of them, make the money, build up a treasury where we can then broaden the scope. I would love to be in Michigan for a variety of reasons."
"So, I hope that answers your question. Thank you very much have a good day."
Nate in Maine:
Question: "Just basically I just wanted to check in and see if you had other irons in the fire or any deals that might possibly branch off of this deal [in Maine] you came up here to make."
Mike's answer: "Yeah. I'd like to be on the grow side there (Mike laughed). And I don't know if our entrepreneur grower is listening or not."
"If you go into the dispensaries, packaging and the looks of the product are important. This gentlemen happens to grow some phenomenal marijuana. But, you know, he could probably use some more trimming, the buds don't look that great, but they're very, very good. So, he is looking and some of his friends are probably looking to expand their operations. And with this joint venture we get to know each other develop a trust then we can move into other opportunities."
"I think Maine's a very, very good market. It's ironic, I look at Maine and I look at Connecticut where I live and the growers in Connecticut each pay I think about $1 million to get a license and there's only 4 growers. They're very, very, very good growers. Their grow facilities are like clean rooms in semi-conductor wafer labs. Everybody wears white uniforms, etc., etc.."
"But in Connecticut there's only 1,800 medical marijuana card holders. So, I don't know what these 4 growers are going do in terms of who they're going to sell to."
"Maine's a different story. It's a much more attractive market. In particular what I like about Maine it's only 7 hours away from them and I can get up there often and keep an eye on the operation. It's something where one thing always leads to another. If you asked me a month ago whether we would be doing mobile testing labs, I would have said no. But you know, it's only through these contacts that opportunities crop up."
"Someone still wants us to investigate doing a seed bank up in Maine. And I've looked at that, and I'm not sure it's legal, legally feasible. But you never know. So, once we have boots on the ground certainly we'll follow whatever opportunities are presented to us."
"Thank you."
Murray from Kansas:
Question: "I have a couple of questions about the current products we have, one being the Concept 420 and the other being the MJ-Merchant. Originally, I feel that our mission statement was to have unique products that no one else had and that were kind of one of a kind and truly artistic. And it seems like a lot of inventory on 420 Concept is very generic. Do we have plans to overhaul that and also to utilize it as more of an advertising platform on Facebook? And secondly, have we landed a bank with MJ-Merchant? And have we looked to Oregon because I've heard Oregon has more bank friendly hosts?
Mike's answer: "Excellent questions, excellent questions. Let me address 420. 420 is something that, you know, I thought that, you know, I'd build it and they would come. Then, I heard from numerous people that our prices were too high. And so I started taking a look at that and looking at some pricing strategies, which some have been implemented particularly where we have relationships with manufacturers like Atmost(spelling?) and Comiley(spelling?) Glass, etc., etc.."
"And you're absolutely correct, we are being lost. Well, there are two things. #1 as we haven't successfully implemented a SEO program so that we're constantly being googled at the top of the search. Secondly, I have reached out and quite frankly it's a matter of time on bandwidth on my part."
"I have reached out to some individual product manufacturers artisans and I've probably told this story before so excuse me if I tell it again. But I contacted one glass blower in Colorado who is well known. And I said look I would love to carry your products. He said alright fantastic. Ok all we need is a picture and we need a description and tell me what the price is. He says well I don't know what I want to sell these things for. And I called him back and he said I still don't know what I want to sell these things for."
"It makes it difficult when someone can't tell me what I can buy the product for to be able to offer it. And I'm not sure if that's a current that runs through the artisans or not. But it's certainly something that I need to spend more time on."
"Right now the inordinate amount of my time is being spent where we can make significant capital, significant revenues and profits."
"But the 420 Concept is a product that quite frankly I love it. I mean I open up my email and I see the orders come in and I just process the orders -- they're all drop shipped, etc., etc.. It's nothing. And the margins remain healthy.
"Quite frankly I'm disappointed that more people have not [used it]. I have probably 1,200 shareholders and I've got 1,700 people signed up for MJ-Xchange although they rarely use it. I would have thought that I would have drived more traffic that way. But that's not the case."
"So, I need to do more SEO work and I need to refine. And probably go from 500 products down to 100 [or] 150 products. And have those be products that we have direct relationships with manufactures and those specialty products that nobody else has so that we can get that extra premium and margin and be the place to go to."
"In terms of MJ-Merchant we had signed an agreement where we got 50% of each transaction charge that the credit card processing company charges. And quite frankly they were overwhelmed and underprepared."
"There is a new processing company. I'm waiting for the details, but my understanding is that their work around is not necessarily through a bank, but they have set up or a private equity fund has gotten involved in the back end to handle the credit card transactions. I'm waiting for the package and the agreement on that and I hope to have that in the next week."
"Thank you"
Chris:
Question: "I've got a question in regards to the reverse stock split subject matter. I know you've already talked about this already, but are you saying that there would not be any reverse stock split in say the next 90 days?"
Mike's answer: "Yes"
"Alright, thank you"
Then, Mike summarized:
"We are in a good spot"
"We have products"
"We're working hard"
"We will be generating significant revenues in the near future"
"We are doing everything legally"
"I'm as optimistic as ever"
"I see the sky's the limit"
"Quite frankly again I hate to harp on it, but it is a pet peeve, not a pet peeve a real sore point with me to see this stock trading where it is trading"
"We have a lot of products to offer"
"The future is extremely bright"
"I'm committed, the other people working with me are committed"
"We will succeed"
"Again, failure is not an option"
"I'll be damned if I don't get this ship going in the right direction and make us profitable and have the shareholders participate in that reward"
"I do thank everybody's time for joining in on the conference call"
"This is being recorded and I will get the recording up on the website as soon as I am able to, but certainly in the next day or so"
"Thank you everybody, have a great day"
"GO GDSM"
Below is pretty much a complete (about 95%) transcript of the conference call -- verbatim. I was very diligent to quote everyone exactly as they said it. Link to the actual call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdnK9eKGF2g&feature=youtu.be You can listen to it while you read it.
The CC lasted for about 48 mins. Mike Shea, CEO started the call with prepared remarks. Then, he had a Q&A session. Then, a quick summary.
I must say he was very forthright, appeared very genuine and very honest, and he was very bullish and optimistic. I really appreciated that he said it like it is -- the good, the bad and the ugly. Fortunately, most of it is good. :)
Highlights of Mike's prepared remarks:
Mobile Testing Labs:
"I've issued a press release today that I'm very, very, very excited about regarding the mobile testing labs." Link for press release: http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=64147460
"This was a contact that was actually generated from a shareholder. He is an entrepreneur and grower in Maine."
"This is exciting because this will be the first lab that I know of up in Maine. To make it convenient for the growers and their dispensaries we came up with the concept of doing a mobile testing lab. It will be located in the center of the state. It will be able to reach those growers and dispensaries within a 2 hour drive."
"It's a very niche area. The margins are extremely, extremely attractive."
"We can see rolling out starting in Maine and going through the Northeast and other States where medical marijuana or recreational marijuana is available."
"We see this is a tremendous, tremendous opportunity to broaden the horizons and generate cash flow for the Company. The investment is nominal the returns are substantial."
Update on Colorado:
"As I have press released before, we did enter into a consulting agreement. That partnership is working well. We are in the mist of moving the location to an inside facility using the same grower."
"We are in the process of talking to two (2) other folks in regards of doing something of a larger nature. These individuals have outgrown their existing facilities and placing them into a larger building, which we would lease to them."
"So, we continue to march on in Colorado. I think the opportunities there are boundless. We are only constrained by capital."
MJ Merchant:
"I think that we finally reached the goal. Not with the original credit card processing company, but with a different processing company that I've been in contact with. I think that within the next week we will have that program up and running."
"It's amazing the number of responses, applications that I receive and have received since we announced the product from dispensaries looking for the solution. We have saved all those contacts, communicated with them. They are obviously patient and waiting for the solution."
"So, once it's put in place that product will begin to take off. The numbers are staggering because not only do we get a set-up fee, but we participate in all the sales that are made using the credit card."
420 Concept:
"The 420 Concept continues to generate revenue, certainly not at the level that I like. We have a plan to implement to drive more revenues through that, but right now it is still just a business that I actually love because it takes very little time to process the orders. It's just a matter of driving more traffic through that."
MJ-Xchange:
"As I noted on the Cannabis webcast, there are 1,700 people registered. We don't have the participation level that I would like. We have some thoughts on how to drive that including guest columns."
Other remarks:
"So, collectively, the businesses that we have put together have created a very, very strong foundation for the Company.
"I couldn't be more pleased with the products that we've put together."
"It's now time for executing and for these things to pay a return to shareholders."
"I'd be quite remiss to say that I'm quite disappointed in the share price in particular in relative to our peers that are trading substantially higher than we are."
"This is not a trip zip company. It's ridiculously low."
"There are things I will be doing from an awareness perspective to get the message out, including conference calls like this, including the cannabis webcast that we did what a month ago or so, including trade shows."
"I've heard from the founder or creator of the cannabis webcast and the YouTube clips of our presentation were the 2nd most viewed out of anybody during that full day of presentations. So, people are looking at us. So, it leaves me to believe that I'm not articulating the story enough."
"These are exciting times for the company. It's very, very well positioned."
"We obviously will continue to work on other opportunities as I indicated in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, etc."
"This one concept in Colorado that we're working on -- all I can say is that it's so attractive it's incredible."
"I would like to mention that quite frankly a lot of these opportunities are coming from shareholders. I don't want to name them, but it's shareholders helping the Company. I couldn't be more pleased and grateful to those people that are involved in really trying to help."
"We're thinly capitalized. It's me and a couple other people that are helping us build this Company. And a company is being built -- a real company. That was my goal from the beginning".
NAME CHANGE: "I will be announcing the name change contest [winner] the 1st of December, with the target of having a new name, ticker by the first of the year -- certainly, in January. That all depends on FINRA."
AUDIT: "The sore subject continues to be the audit. I pretty much have made the decision that we will switch firms and begin the audit beginning of January. And we'll only have the two (2) years audited financial statements for 2013, 2014. All the books and records that I have control over will be sufficient to get an audit done ASAP."
"Obviously, once we get the audit done we do the Form 10 and the quote un-quote, uplisting. And I think that will help not only in terms of share price, but in terms of credibility for the Company."
"One of the things that I am focused on and am trying to work with people to develop ideas is awareness programs. I absolutely refuse to do an investor awareness program where all they do is get new posters on investor hubs or other chat room sites and regurgitate nonsense. It has to be done professionally, legally. And quite frankly we have a very, very good story to tell.
"I'm very bullish, this company is poised for growth, just with what we have right now."
"I'm excited, I'm optimistic. FAILURE is NOT AN OPTION."
"I will continue to push these programs. You probably won't see any additional programs. You'll see us focus on the lab testing roll-out as well as opportunities in Colorado, Washington, Oregon to support growers via the real estate player consulting agreements."
"I firmly believe that we will be PROFITABLE in 2015. That is my goal. If we are not profitable, I will consider it a failure."
Q&A:
First, Mike read some questions submitted by two (2) shareholders. Then, he opened up the line for listeners on the call to ask questions.
Questions from Carmen:
1st question: "Mike are you planning to uplist to the OTCQB? If so, what is the timetable approximately?
Mike's answer: As I indicated we'll have a new accountant engaged by the end of this year. We will give them all the books and records and I can't see why they wouldn't be able to generate two (2) years of audited financials within 90 days despite the fact it's their busiest time of the year. I will not engage a company that can not commit to that timeframe."
2nd question: "Is your plan to dramatically reduce the outstanding shares (O/S) of GDSM? If so, by how many and over what period of time?"
Mike's answer: Obviously, I'd love to reduce the number of shares O/S. There are a number of legal issues regarding buybacks, etc., etc. that probably prohibit me. I have not looked at them because quite frankly we're not in a position to expend capital to do a share buyback."
"All available capital is being invested into the Company. And that includes quite frankly my compensation. Which in the initial conference call that I made when I took over back in July of last year, people asked me OK Mike what's your compensation? I told them that I have a contract agreement for $10,000/month. Quite frankly, if I get $7,000/month it's probably (he chuckled) a good day. And then out of that I do pay a substantial amount of the companies expenses, including press releases, etc, etc.. So, unlike many companies where the CEO's are making a very good living, quite frankly the money's just not there. And I prefer to have it invested in the Company.
Questions from Shane:
1st question: "Conference call needs more status on financials."
Mike's answer: "Which I've [already] given [the status]".
2nd question: "What are the details of the agreement in terms of potential revenue?"
Mike's answer: "Let me say this, revenues from the labs I anticipate in 2015 to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 - $60,000 and that's really just a factor of how quickly we can get started up, how quickly we initiate our brand. I do believe that we'll be able to establish a brand where the dispensaries won't buy marijuana without our testing results." So, on the low end, I'm saying that it's somewhere between $30K-$60K per year."
"The Colorado opportunity -- we are looking somewhere in the neighborhood of $10K-$15K per MONTH. So, you do the math on that and you're looking at somewhere between $100K - $150K per YEAR. These are all NET numbers by the way. And so that gives me the confidence level that we will be profitable. Secondly, if we can work out this next transaction in Colorado, those numbers will double. That's how good that opportunity is."
3rd Question: "Are your interim financial reports going to be filed on time?"
Mike's answer: "Yes"
Then, Mike opened the line to 'live" questions.
Jason from Louisianna:
Question: "I was wondering about the Etrade situation. Have you heard anything about that?"
Mike's answer: "It's not an Etrade, it's Scottrade. Scottrade refuses to deal with me in any way shape or form."
"I will tell you this and this will be news for everybody. There is no doubt that our share structure has increased. And that does cause concern in many companies do receive a DTC chill. I have been in contact with the DTC. They've reviewed all of our issuances and have cleared us so there is no threat of GDSM to be chilled. I'm not sure why Scottrade continues to not trade us."
Pierre from Florida:
Question: "We have Amendment 2 on the November ballot. If that passes, does the Company have any plans to enter the markets in Florida?"
Mike's answer: "Absolutely. I already have somebody on the ground who is monitoring the situation. And is familiar with what we're trying to accomplish and how we're trying to accomplish these things from a legal perspective. I do have an attorney that specializes in marijuana down in Florida."
"And quite frankly, I think it would be a very hot bed. And I say that for two different reasons. Florida just due to it's population is huge. I think that if the rec market comes around that will be huge. But there is no doubt about it there are a lot of older people in Florida. And one of the things where I spend a lot of time on is looking at the medicinal side of this business. And the people, the elderly, people with disabilities are tired of taking pharmaceuticals and not getting the results. And so, just out of desperation they will try medical marijuana. And the results are staggering. And there is real healing applications. So, I think that Florida would be gigantic for medicinal and we'll be there on the forefront."
Peter from Mass.:
Question: "I hold a considerable amount of shares in the Company. And I would like to invest more in the Company, but my one concern is the possibility of a reverse split."
Mike's answer: (he chuckled) Ah, yes, the reverse split. OK, everybody, I've been on record regarding this reverse split. Let me say this, when I go out and I did the trade show and did the cannabis website, isn't it embarrassing that we have 3-4 Billion shares O/S. Absolutely!"
"The fact is reverse splits are something that can only be effectuated and work well for shareholders when the share price is at least moving substantially in a positive direction. So, I've been on record, I hate reverse splits. I haven't seen any -- maybe 1 or 2 that have actually worked well. But I would not consider reverse splitting without some real positive momentum in the market in terms of the share price and progress on the Company. I hope that answers you. "
"I can never say never, but I don't see it right now that's for sure."
"Look, you know here is the real story. I've been doing this for a little over a year, maybe a year and half. I've developed a lot of relationships with long time shareholders. The shareholders that have helped me out. They give me leads, they make introductions, etc., etc., they give me ideas. And I don't want to burn anybody.
I mean at some point down the road a reverse split will happen. But it can't happen down here. The Company needs momentum in it's share price. It's a personal thing with me."
"And this is something I've tried to stress with investors and the investment community. We're different. Yeah, we're a pink sheet [company], yeah we're a trip zip company, yeah we have 3-4 Billion shares outstanding, alright. And mistakes have been made. And I take the blame for that."
"But the fact is that how many pink sheet companies out there actually have conference calls where they're willing to take questions from shareholders. Most of them hide behind that. If you call them you'll never get them. I take phone calls all the time. I try to respond to each and every email, even the ones that are less than flattering and I'll just leave it at that. I really do care about this. I mean I'm in this for the long haul. I think we're well positioned."
"And, you know, again I don't mind being criticized. I don't have all the answers. But we're moving in the right direction. I'm proud to be leading the charge. And I think we're on the cusp of being profitable. And that's something that's rare for a pink sheet company."
"I appreciate your question and have a good day."
Martin from Michigan:
Question: "I wanted to kind of piggyback off of the caller before the last in regards to upcoming not only Florida ballot, but I believe 9, 10, 11 States have upcoming ballot initiatives. Not all the same, naturally, but they all pertain to the same thing, the grow industry and a lot of factors that deal with it. My question to you is, I've been calling your Company for a couple of years now, my question to you is a) do you expect to utilize and approach all the States that pass initiatives to advance this Company as more opportunities arise. And b) Do you have the employee capacity, the financial to facilitate all that?"
Mike's answer: Yeah, excellent question. I will tell you that there are several answers there. #1, I would like to be wherever, wherever we can make some money. We have the products, we have people on the ground."
"You happen to be in Michigan. I grew up in Detroit on the east side. I have people there that would be more than willing to help with the effort. Employees are not an issue. Just out of the shareholding base, I have people that I've developed relationships with in various States that are willing to lead the charge."
"And the capital is really the main thing. I have to create the sound foundation. And I have that now where we can generate the cash flow to be able to branch out."
"Quite frankly, Maine, no one ever thinks about Maine. But I saw it, and I saw a niche opportunity where we could be a leader. Those are the type of opportunities I seek out."
"You know, Colorado there's going to come a point & time when it's going to be over saturated. So, while there's good money to be made, you know, over the next 3-5 years in Colorado, maybe not so much, you know, down the road. Because everybody's setting up, you know, massive grow operations, etc., etc."
"So, as I look at States like Michigan, like Maine, Rhode Island, wherever. Those are places where the Company can compete, make healthy margins, and build the brand. And get to a size where we can compete in larger States."
"But, you know, it's kind of the David and Goliath, right now I need to be able to find areas using, you know, the thinly capitalized Company that we have to penetrate those markets, take advantage of them, make the money, build up a treasury where we can then broaden the scope. I would love to be in Michigan for a variety of reasons."
"So, I hope that answers your question. Thank you very much have a good day."
Nate in Maine:
Question: "Just basically I just wanted to check in and see if you had other irons in the fire or any deals that might possibly branch off of this deal [in Maine] you came up here to make."
Mike's answer: "Yeah. I'd like to be on the grow side there (Mike laughed). And I don't know if our entrepreneur grower is listening or not."
"If you go into the dispensaries, packaging and the looks of the product are important. This gentlemen happens to grow some phenomenal marijuana. But, you know, he could probably use some more trimming, the buds don't look that great, but they're very, very good. So, he is looking and some of his friends are probably looking to expand their operations. And with this joint venture we get to know each other develop a trust then we can move into other opportunities."
"I think Maine's a very, very good market. It's ironic, I look at Maine and I look at Connecticut where I live and the growers in Connecticut each pay I think about $1 million to get a license and there's only 4 growers. They're very, very, very good growers. Their grow facilities are like clean rooms in semi-conductor wafer labs. Everybody wears white uniforms, etc., etc.."
"But in Connecticut there's only 1,800 medical marijuana card holders. So, I don't know what these 4 growers are going do in terms of who they're going to sell to."
"Maine's a different story. It's a much more attractive market. In particular what I like about Maine it's only 7 hours away from them and I can get up there often and keep an eye on the operation. It's something where one thing always leads to another. If you asked me a month ago whether we would be doing mobile testing labs, I would have said no. But you know, it's only through these contacts that opportunities crop up."
"Someone still wants us to investigate doing a seed bank up in Maine. And I've looked at that, and I'm not sure it's legal, legally feasible. But you never know. So, once we have boots on the ground certainly we'll follow whatever opportunities are presented to us."
"Thank you."
Murray from Kansas:
Question: "I have a couple of questions about the current products we have, one being the Concept 420 and the other being the MJ-Merchant. Originally, I feel that our mission statement was to have unique products that no one else had and that were kind of one of a kind and truly artistic. And it seems like a lot of inventory on 420 Concept is very generic. Do we have plans to overhaul that and also to utilize it as more of an advertising platform on Facebook? And secondly, have we landed a bank with MJ-Merchant? And have we looked to Oregon because I've heard Oregon has more bank friendly hosts?
Mike's answer: "Excellent questions, excellent questions. Let me address 420. 420 is something that, you know, I thought that, you know, I'd build it and they would come. Then, I heard from numerous people that our prices were too high. And so I started taking a look at that and looking at some pricing strategies, which some have been implemented particularly where we have relationships with manufacturers like Atmost(spelling?) and Comiley(spelling?) Glass, etc., etc.."
"And you're absolutely correct, we are being lost. Well, there are two things. #1 as we haven't successfully implemented a SEO program so that we're constantly being googled at the top of the search. Secondly, I have reached out and quite frankly it's a matter of time on bandwidth on my part."
"I have reached out to some individual product manufacturers artisans and I've probably told this story before so excuse me if I tell it again. But I contacted one glass blower in Colorado who is well known. And I said look I would love to carry your products. He said alright fantastic. Ok all we need is a picture and we need a description and tell me what the price is. He says well I don't know what I want to sell these things for. And I called him back and he said I still don't know what I want to sell these things for."
"It makes it difficult when someone can't tell me what I can buy the product for to be able to offer it. And I'm not sure if that's a current that runs through the artisans or not. But it's certainly something that I need to spend more time on."
"Right now the inordinate amount of my time is being spent where we can make significant capital, significant revenues and profits."
"But the 420 Concept is a product that quite frankly I love it. I mean I open up my email and I see the orders come in and I just process the orders -- they're all drop shipped, etc., etc.. It's nothing. And the margins remain healthy.
"Quite frankly I'm disappointed that more people have not [used it]. I have probably 1,200 shareholders and I've got 1,700 people signed up for MJ-Xchange although they rarely use it. I would have thought that I would have drived more traffic that way. But that's not the case."
"So, I need to do more SEO work and I need to refine. And probably go from 500 products down to 100 [or] 150 products. And have those be products that we have direct relationships with manufactures and those specialty products that nobody else has so that we can get that extra premium and margin and be the place to go to."
"In terms of MJ-Merchant we had signed an agreement where we got 50% of each transaction charge that the credit card processing company charges. And quite frankly they were overwhelmed and underprepared."
"There is a new processing company. I'm waiting for the details, but my understanding is that their work around is not necessarily through a bank, but they have set up or a private equity fund has gotten involved in the back end to handle the credit card transactions. I'm waiting for the package and the agreement on that and I hope to have that in the next week."
"Thank you"
Chris:
Question: "I've got a question in regards to the reverse stock split subject matter. I know you've already talked about this already, but are you saying that there would not be any reverse stock split in say the next 90 days?"
Mike's answer: "Yes"
"Alright, thank you"
Then, Mike summarized:
"We are in a good spot"
"We have products"
"We're working hard"
"We will be generating significant revenues in the near future"
"We are doing everything legally"
"I'm as optimistic as ever"
"I see the sky's the limit"
"Quite frankly again I hate to harp on it, but it is a pet peeve, not a pet peeve a real sore point with me to see this stock trading where it is trading"
"We have a lot of products to offer"
"The future is extremely bright"
"I'm committed, the other people working with me are committed"
"We will succeed"
"Again, failure is not an option"
"I'll be damned if I don't get this ship going in the right direction and make us profitable and have the shareholders participate in that reward"
"I do thank everybody's time for joining in on the conference call"
"This is being recorded and I will get the recording up on the website as soon as I am able to, but certainly in the next day or so"
"Thank you everybody, have a great day"
"GO GDSM"
