Official Review: Billion Dollar Start-Up

[mmm17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Billion Dollar Start-Up" by Adam Miron, Sébastien St-Louis, Julie Beun.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Billion Dollar Start-Up, written by Adam Miron, Sébastien St-Louis, and Julie Beun, readers follow the remarkable story of two Canadians that started a company investing $35,000 and became billionaires in roughly five years. They tell us how they built one of the largest cannabis companies in history. The account covers events from 2013 to 2019, and the authors share the ups and downs they faced on their road to success.

As the story begins, we follow Adam Miron and Sébastien St-Louis (aka Seb) in a small basement office with a low-hanging ceiling. They begin by tackling the two hundred pages of the MMPR (Marihuana Medical Access Regulations), which they had to master to apply for a license to grow medical cannabis. Adam and Seb named their newborn company Hydropothecary, and with relentless perseverance, they raised $1.1 million from friends, family, and a few investors.

What I liked the most about the book is how it dives into the challenges the authors had to overcome, especially the stigma and the endless legalities involved in the process. For instance, the product gets pulled by Health Canada and held by the government. Moreover, in less than six months, the government-regulated sector gets hit with a tainted cannabis problem four times. The authors give readers great examples of endurance and perseverance, showing how the road to success is almost always a bumpy one.

Thus, I believe this book can inspire young entrepreneurs by learning from how the authors dealt with all the backlash and prejudice involved in starting a cannabis business. I particularly liked the part where they decided it was time to find a publicist and brought Julie Beun into the picture. The work that Adam and Julie did to come up with a communications strategy and engage with the Canadian media was a great one.

Also, I felt touched by the passage in which Adam’s father, Gaston, discovers he has cancer, and Adam gets to help him with cannabis. Moreover, Gaston becomes client number one. Cannabis diminishes Adam’s father’s nausea and headaches, making his discomfort more manageable.

In closing, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There are no noteworthy negative aspects to mention. I recommend it to readers who want to start a business. If you are interested in the subject of cannabis legalization, it will surely appeal to you. It is, of course, a book for adults due to its main topic, and it also uses profane vocabulary. If you feel strongly against the legalization, you should ponder before reading it. Still, even so, I would say it gives an interesting perspective.

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Billion Dollar Start-Up
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[Eutoc]

The title prepared for an Elon musk kind of start-up but it ended up being a cannabis start-up, that's hilarious. I'm skeptical if I'd read this. Thanks you for reviewing.

[Drado_27]

I'm interested in this one, but I wonder if it includes too much bussiness/economy language? Loved your review.

[Ada Ling]

Would like to give it a read. Thank you for the great review!

[Bertha Jackson]

This legislation comes up every year in Kansas. Thank you for the review.

[Chigo Nwagboso]

This book will indeed be of great important to business owner and those venturing into creating New business. Great review!

[Lilyflower-x2]

It is a good book to teach on perseverance when starting a business, but I dislike the use of profane language. I find it quite unnecessary.

[ankushavhad]

Looks like an inspiring journey of the duo of Canadian, young Technopreneurs who started a start-up company HEXO by investing just $35,000 and turned in billionaires in roughly five years. That’s amazing. Good review, mmm17. Thanks.

[Abacus]

"Billion Dollar Start-Up" by Adam Miron, Sébastien St-Louis, Julie Beun - The entrepreneurial road is full of obstacles, and only a percentage manage to succeed. Only a handful achieve a billion-dollar turn-over after 5 years. Food for thought for would-be entrepreneurs. Wonderful review. Thanks.

[Bles]

Billion Dollar Start-Up by Adam Miron, Sébastien St-Louis, Julie Beun seems like a great book especially to those who have business-oriented minds. I don't mind giving it a shot. Congratulations on the BOTD. Great review.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

This is an interesting and motivational non-fiction memoir highlighting a unique entrepreneurship endeavor, family business, and lessons learned from that success. The book has a free sample on Amazon Kindle and has a well-written OnlineBookClub review. Congrats on the BOTD.

[Shieldmaiden88]

I new there was a lot of money in cannabis, but a billion dollar business is incredible. Definitely inspiring to see how others have overcome the challenges of starting a business, always much harder than it sounds. I'm glad the book shares about the medical benefits, rather than the recreational aspects of the plant. Having lived in 13 years in a town were marijuana was very easy to obtain decades before it was legal for any purpose, I understand the stigma from those who disagree with its use or have seen criminal activity associated with it. It's great to see how the author's overcame this challenge to bring a beneficial product to those who need it for health care.

[gen_g]

This books seems to give a fascinating insight into the legal issues of cannabis, and I appreciate that there are also some personal stories to make the readers relate better to the characters in the book. Thanks for the review.

[pkjancheva532]

Cannabis start-up story, well that sounds like a book for me. Thanks for the review.

[Pandora10]

I enjoy reading business success stories, especially when the author details the challenges they have faced and how they overcame the obstacles. Even more so when the business enterprise can have a positive impact on the community. The profanity does not appeal to me however. Thanks for the review.