By Silvana Carpanelli-Hayes
As leaders in the wellness industry, our greatest asset is not just the quality products we offer, but also the trust we build with our customers and financial institutions. The bridge that connects those is compliance. This is not an area to be overlooked; it’s an essential aspect of our operations that can spell the difference between success and failure, growth and stagnation.
Take the recent penalty of $10.8 million against hemp retailers in Virginia for selling products that have been recently state-restricted as a cautionary tale. This incident underscores the devastating consequences that non-compliance can have on a business’s financial stability and reputation. Similarly, a lawsuit filed in Colorado against a business for the lack of proper age verification highlights how a lapse in regulatory adherence can lead to legal quagmires.
These cases illustrate how the negligence of regulatory and transactional compliance can expose businesses to severe operational and reputational risks. The Virginia instance not only led to hefty fines but also ignited scrutiny across the entire hemp industry, prompting other businesses to double-check their compliance policies. In Colorado, the lapses in legal norms jeopardized both customer trust and the business’s very ability to operate.
These examples teach us that, in an industry under intense scrutiny, compliance is the only shield that wellness sellers have against the slings and arrows of regulatory oversight. Ignorance is no excuse, and negligence can result in substantial financial penalties, operational disruptions, and a tarnished reputation that can take years to rehabilitate.
As a wellness entrepreneur, safeguarding your business goes beyond product development and marketing. It means proactively seeking out and aligning your practices to the ever-evolving legal frameworks. It’s about making an unspoken promise to your stakeholders – that you are a brand that operates with integrity above reproach.
Why is this so important? For one, financial institutions are increasingly wary of associating with businesses that skirt or ignore compliance. Their support is essential for standard operations, not to mention expansion. And from a consumer standpoint, adherence to regulations assures customers that what you sell is safe, trustworthy, and reliable. In this way, compliance isn’t just a legal formality; it’s a competitive advantage.
At WAAVE, while we may seem like just a compliance and payments company, we are, in fact, guardians of continuity. As the CEO, I’ve made it our mission to ensure that the businesses we partner with never have to face the kind of predicaments seen in Virginia and Colorado. We strive to manage compliance so that our clients can stay focused on innovation, growth, and building trust with their customers.
Building a sustainable business in high-risk markets is challenging, but with WAAVE, you can transform compliance from a hurdle into a springboard for success. We not only keep you abreast of current regulations but also watch the horizon for you, anticipating changes and adapting before they can affect your business.
Our expertise is your peace of mind.
In conclusion, compliance isn’t just about avoiding penalties or legal challenges. It’s about establishing a foundation of trust and integrity that propels your business forward. With WAAVE, compliance is not an end, but a beginning – the beginning of building a robust, reputable, and resilient brand.
I want to thank our customers for trusting us with their business continuity and I invite sellers who might not be familiar with the regulations, or the consequences of breaking these regulations to reach out to us to learn how they can protect their brands and their payment processing ability.
We are heading into a defining year for both Hemp and Kratom and it is the right time to assess your risk appetite and adjust your strategy to navigate the next era of wellness products.
Silvana Carpanelli-Hayes, CEO
