Meet Dr. Doug, the practicing dentist with 27 years of dentistry experience who made the unexpected decision to embark on the journey of making cannabis retail his retirement plan.
Dr. Doug was first drawn to the industry because of the rare opportunity it presented to be part of a new and emerging market, but as he began to see the positive effects of cannabis to those with medical challenges, he was sold.
Shortly after dipping his toe into the industry from visiting trade shows, Dr Doug dove right in launching Khatsahlano Kanabis: Vancouver’s only beachfront cannabis retail store.
Doing its part to honour the Kitsilano neighbourhood by incorporating the indigenous spelling of the area in the store name; and embracing the legacy of the neighbourhood in the historical photos from the 1900’s that adorn the walls of the friendly store, Dr Doug’s shop has become somewhat of a neighbourhood staple.
Khatsahlano Kanabis boasts a stream of regular clientele coming by for a visit and a smile. From young beachgoers to elderly Kitsilano residents who have lived in the neighbourhood for decades. The latter being elated discover the benefits of CBD to help with aching joints and bones.
Life before the KayaPush cannabis software system.
Dr Doug entered the market with no background in retail or cannabis, but with tenacity he quickly managed to navigate the tricky legal systems and covid landscape - opening the doors to his first store in June 2021.
Dr Doug knew that the first place to start in terms of technology was to choose a savvy POS solution. So as soon as he opened his doors, he started using Cova POS after learning about their services at a trade show.
It was the consultants at Cova who recommended he try KayaPush for all of his people management and payroll needs – and with that, Dr Doug was on his way to managing his people with ease – and would be launching more stores in no time!
Taking care of business.
Dr Doug enjoys KayaPush system's ease of use and simplicity. He explains that different staff members benefit from different parts of the system, but that there is undoubtedly something to make everyones’ life easier within the suite.
As an owner, Dr Doug’s favourite features include the ability to automate the calculation of payroll taxes and deductions, and to audit clocked hours by only checking when the system flags anything unusual. This allows him to run payroll in minutes without doing manual calculations, and helps him avoid paying staff members for unworked hours.
“It’s also great that the staff have access to their own profiles so they can retrieve their tax deductions, schedules and more, all on their own.”
Khatshalano Kannabis managers greatly benefit from using the manager app where they can check forecasted sales and costs of labor and use that data to make more efficient staff schedules thanks to the data that is being pulled from the integration with Cova POS
“Metrics that are so easily accessible are really nice because you can really keep track of how your store is doing all the time.”
It’s the things you can’t measure.
In less than a year, Dr Doug has cracked the code - opening a second cannabis retail store location in Calgary, called Cowbuds. With plans to open a third in West Vancouver next year. Plus, working full time as he enters his 28th year practicing dentistry.
“I can still be a dentist and still have a professional career. Because using KayaPush is saving me a full-time position. Even at $20 an hour that’s $800 a week saved using this technology.“
Using the KayaPush system gives Dr Doug the peace of mind to know that his store is being run in the most efficient way possible - and that in the two weeks leading up to the next payroll - KayaPush has got him covered.
The End Result
Before opening his dispensary doors Dr Doug wasn't sure how he was going to solve his payroll and people management challenges; but once he found KayaPush, he knew his problems were solved.
Challenges:
- Not having a system to manage employee functions.
- Not having a system that was integrated with his POS.
- Manual payroll and deduction processing.
- Lack of transparency on labor vs sales reporting.
- A needing for a solution to provide him the freedom to run his dental practice.
Solutions:
- Easy to use scheduling solutions to streamline work.
- Integrated payroll to eliminate errors and run manual calculations.
- Integrated POS & workforce management for reports & optimal labor.
- Platform where employees can access their information.
Results:
- Ability to have a full time career as a dentist while running 2 stores.
- Ability to save $800 per month instead of paying a payroll person.
- Saving 2,800 a year on payroll and admin tasks.
- Peace of mind knowing his store is running as efficiently as possible.
If you are ever in the Kitsilano neighborhood, be sure to check out Dr Doug’s friendly store! To learn more about cannabis software, download the full case study below.
