How Open Dør Dispensaries is Emerging as a Leading Franchise in the Red-Hot Legal Cannabis Industry

It is no secret that the legal cannabis industry is set for massive growth over the next few years.  The emerging industry is estimated to hit $35 billion in sales by 2025. Unsurprisingly, several franchise brands are looking to tap into that market share, one of which is Open Dør Dispensaries, an emerging national cannabis retail franchise.

The franchise was started in 2020 by Kathryn Blackwell, an international franchising expert who has worked with several brands, including Cold Stone Creamery, TacoTime, Samurai Sam’s and others. 

“Our brand’s goal is to remove the complexity of opening a cannabis dispensary for our operators,” said Blackwell. “The retail world is so competitive, and the cannabis industry is so highly regulated, so we wanted to utilize a franchise model to guide operators through the complexities of both. We are focused on the customers and helping them find the ideal cannabis product for their particular needs. The design and decor of the store are modern, welcoming and comfortable. Cannabis is shrouded in a lot of mystery, and one of our biggest goals is helping everyone feel welcome and educated, whether they are seeking a new option for healing or are an experienced user. We want everyone to know that we are the place to come to receive expert knowledge and top-level products.”

After opening the first Open Dør location, Blackwell says they realized the brand had a proven concept and was ready for growth and expansion. “We felt we had a great grip on the operations and how things needed to be done, and we were ready to replicate that in multiple locations,” she said. “That is when we knew franchising was the right opportunity.”

But there was still a lot of work to be done in terms of building the franchise opportunity, Blackwell says. “It all comes down to the operations manual — making sure you have every detail specified on how the process is going to work for franchisees,” she said. “This includes everything from an opening and closing checklist, guidelines on how to manage invoices throughout the day, etc. That manual is for the owner and operator, but it also helps the entire system by ensuring consistency in products and services through ordering guides and more. Basically, you need to have everything spelled out for franchisees, leaving nothing to individual chance.”

When emerging brands are transitioning from corporate-owned into franchisee-owned, Blackwell says a common mistake is not spending the time to build out those operational models and training programs. 

“When you only have a few locations, there is a level of assumed knowledge that is shared among the small network of owners,” said Blackwell. “If those best practices and procedures aren’t put down onto paper, brands can lose that level of consistency as they grow. Whether it be record keeping or simple checklists, if brands don’t document these things, it can lead to operators who are just winging it, which is never good. With The Open Dør and all of our experience in operations, we have developed comprehensive manuals and compliance guidelines that will help new operators dive in and grow their business successfully from day one.”

Image courtesy of Open Dør Dispensaries

Overall, Blackwell says consistency is the key to franchising. “Maintaining a level of consistency over service, product offering and branding is the most important factor in creating successful growth for a franchise model,” she said. “Also, consistency in location is very important — people are expecting to see your brand in a certain environment, so franchisors need to make sure to choose sites that are consistent for their brand and not rush into anything. We’ve worked hard to create a very detailed training and oversight program to make sure our business will be consistent across every location.”

Now, as opposed to other emerging franchisors who may be 100% focused on expansion, Blackwell says her overall goal with Open Dør Dispensaries is to build education around the benefits of marijuana use. “There is so much research being done in the cannabis world and so many great companies providing this material, and I want to create a platform where franchisees, employees and customers have access to all of that important information,” she said.