Brian Hartley’s Post

What if....? 🤔 What if, instead of the situation being dire, the current circumstances are beneficial in achieving our state's goal of a craft, SEA-centered cannabis industry? Me for Blunt Strategies: "The latest updates from the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) signal a significant win for applicants pursuing uncapped license types, particularly microbusinesses. Of the 648 pre-approval lottery applicants, about 200 were for uncapped licenses, and 193 of those were microbusinesses. These applicants are now positioned to move straight into preliminary licensing as soon as rulemaking wraps up, putting them on track to secure final site approval as early as spring 2025. This is an excellent outcome for microbusinesses and other uncapped license applicants. It not only fast-tracks those who qualified in the pre-approval round but also creates a clear pathway for those who were denied to cure their applications during the February Request for More Information (RFMI) process. Importantly, this step should insulate uncapped licenses from ongoing or future litigation surrounding lottery entry for capped licenses, providing much-needed certainty for small businesses aiming to enter the market. The advantages for social equity microbusinesses go even further. Most cities have implemented caps on the number of dispensaries allowed within their jurisdictions, and many will allocate licenses on a first-come, first-serve basis. By moving ahead of mezzobusinesses and retail applicants in the licensing process, microbusinesses will have a clear head start in securing prime locations for their stores. This early access to high-traffic areas could make all the difference in positioning these businesses for success. More importantly, microbusiness licenses are far more likely to be held by local, small businesses compared to larger applicants vying for mezzobusiness or retail licenses. This creates an opportunity to lay the foundation for a thriving craft cannabis industry in Minnesota, led by social equity applicants—the very group legalization was designed to uplift. For these small businesses, early site approval and operational readiness are critical to establishing a foothold in the market before bigger players enter the fray. While the road has been bumpy, this scenario reflects a critical step toward achieving one of the core goals of legalization: ensuring that social equity applicants, particularly those running local and craft-focused operations, are set up to thrive in Minnesota’s emerging cannabis industry."

Holiday tipping: a "thank you" for the people who make life run smoother. From supers to sitters, we compiled a quick guide to who, how, and what to tip this season. 🎁💸 Read the essential guide on Corcoran's blog, Inhabit: https://lnkd.in/dMPUdMZ 👈

This will make your holiday season even better. If you refer someone to Bonney, we’ll give you $100. 💵 Tap the link to get started: https://bit.ly/3UJgvmR #referafriend #referralbonus #referralprogram

Mastering the Art of Staying Calm at Thanksgiving: One of the best lessons I learned during my time as a field representative for a U.S. Senator was the incredible power of silence. When faced with a tense conversation—or even a full-on verbal attack—just listening can do wonders. Honestly, that was a big part of my job anyway. My go-to line for confrontational activists became: “My job is to hear your concerns and pass them along to the Senator. I don’t get paid to have an opinion.” Admittedly, staying quiet isn’t easy. Our natural instinct is to fight back or, at the very least, defend ourselves out of pride. But mastering the art of listening? That’s a game-changer. Now, fast forward to Thanksgiving week. We all know what’s coming. There’s always that relative who stirs the pot with a comment guaranteed to ignite family drama. It’ll go something like this: “Roll Tide!” And as an Auburn fan, I’ll face a choice. Do I smile politely and take another bite of my cherry bourbon-glazed, twice-smoked ham? Or do I remind everyone of Bama’s recent embarrassing loss to Oklahoma? Maybe I’ll bring up how Auburn is poised to win in Tuscaloosa for the first time since Cam Newton’s legendary 2010 game. Or better yet, casually mention our six-game streak of dominance in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll practice what I preach: silence. After all, passive-aggressively expressing my disdain for Alabama in this post is far more satisfying. 😉 #WDE #aroundthebowldowntheholerolltideroll

I've talked to y'all about how I use creative writing to work through my intense and negative emotions. Quite often, I don't even realize I'm doing it. As I've mentioned, I've come to understand and recognize certain physical feelings and sensations. Emotions which tell me it's time to sit down and write y'all. To open up my mind and be courageous in writing what comes to me. This is another example. I don't just do this through my novels and song lyrics. I can write about anything, at any time. For some reason, the process of sharing these writings of mine, for some reason that is an important part of helping those writings heal me. I also use many of these, what look to most, as random writings. I use them in the other things I create for monetary profit too. They open my mind to understand how to address a certain character or situation those characters are in. This human behavior which creates truly intuitive and creative results that can speak to billions of people directly. Well, this y'all is something a computer can never learn how to do.

🦞 Age is Just a Number: Meet the 104-Year-Old 'Lobster Lady' 🚤 Virginia Oliver, Maine's maritime marvel, just renewed her commercial lobster license at 104 years old. Why? Because retirement isn't in her vocabulary! Picture this: A centenarian rising at 3 AM, donning lipstick and earrings, to catch lobsters thrice a week. That's Virginia's life, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her secret? "You've gotta keep living, you gotta keep working." Virginia's story isn't just about lobsters. It's about passion, purpose, and shattering age stereotypes. As we plan for our futures, perhaps we should ask: What's our equivalent of Virginia's lobster boat? Let's celebrate those who prove that life's adventures don't have an expiration date. #AgelessInspiration #LifelongPurpose #RetirementRedefined Source: https://lnkd.in/ejyd28bJ

The future of critical infrastructure cybersecurity (especially in rural water) will require the standards, processes, and experience of local government IT professionals to apply the same to operational technology (OT) in their facilities. Joseph, Paul, and I will be speaking about the intersectionality of government IT organizations and operational critical infrastructure within their community at this event. Let's protect these systems together. #digitalwater#OTsecurity#cybersecurity

SaturdayThoughts

SaturdayThoughts

🏡 As we approach the end of the year, don’t forget about the upcoming holidays that can impact your closing timelines! 📅 With Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day still ahead, it’s important to keep these dates in mind when planning your transactions. A little foresight can go a long way in ensuring smooth and timely closings for your clients! #RealEstate #HolidayClosings #PlanAhead #ClientSuccess #RealEstateTips