This Is More Than Payroll — This Is Your Comeback Story

If you’re here, you didn’t stumble into cannabis because it was convenient.

You built something in an industry where:
• the rules change mid-year
• the banks hesitate
• vendors overpromise
• and failure is rarely forgiven

Cultivators. Dispensary founders. Labs. Transporters. Processors. Tribal enterprises. Hemp operators. Vertically integrated teams juggling multiple licenses and EINs.

You didn’t choose the easy path.
You chose the real one.

And if you’re being honest, you’ve probably been burned along the way.

“We’re in Cannabis — And We’ve Been Burned Too”

There’s a shared moment most operators recognize instantly.

The moment your payroll provider shows you who they really are.

It usually happens when:
• you add a second license
• you expand into a new state
• your CPA asks a real compliance question
• or the word “audit” enters the conversation

Suddenly:
• emails slow down
• support tickets stall
• policy language gets vague
• risk teams start circling

And then comes the line that changes everything:

“We no longer support cannabis businesses.”

Sometimes with 30 days’ notice.
Sometimes with 48 hours.
Sometimes with none.

This isn’t rare.
It’s structural.

Most payroll companies didn’t build for cannabis.
They tolerated it — until it became inconvenient.

Paragon exists because tolerance is not partnership.

The Real Cost of Being Dropped (That No One Warns You About)

When a payroll provider exits cannabis, the fallout isn’t theoretical.

It looks like:
• delayed paychecks
• frozen payroll runs
• tax filings in limbo
• missing historical records
• rushed transitions under threat

But the deeper cost is human.

HR leaders carrying impossible pressure.
Founders losing sleep.
Finance teams scrambling to keep the lights on.
Employees wondering if their jobs are stable.

Payroll isn’t software.
It’s trust infrastructure.

And when it breaks, it breaks loudly.

Why “Cannabis-Friendly” Vendors Fail When It Matters Most

Many providers say they support cannabis. Very few understand it.

Real cannabis payroll support requires:
• multi-license and multi-entity expertise
• familiarity with METRC-adjacent operations
• understanding of 280E’s payroll implications
• comfort with cash-heavy environments
• tribal sovereignty awareness
• state-by-state tax fluency
• zero panic when complexity increases

If your provider needs you to educate them, they’re already behind.

Paragon wasn’t adapted for cannabis.
It was built for it.

The Operators This Was Built For

We built Paragon for:
• cultivators scaling operations
• dispensaries managing turnover and margins
• labs under regulatory scrutiny
• transporters navigating state complexity
• tribal enterprises balancing sovereignty and compliance
• hemp operators scaling in volatile markets
• vertically integrated businesses juggling multiple EINs

If complexity is your norm, you’re exactly who we serve.

This Is Where the Comeback Begins

Every operator reaches a breaking point.

Not when things are calm — but when something fails.

A provider drops you.
A mistake costs real money.
A risk surfaces.
A system you trusted proves unreliable.

That’s when the question changes from:
“How do we survive this?”
to
“How do we rebuild this the right way?”

What Payroll Looks Like When It’s Actually Built for Cannabis

Day One: Onboarded by Humans Who Know the Industry

You’re paired with a real implementation specialist — not a script reader — who understands:
• license transitions
• multi-entity structures
• cannabis compliance realities

No education required. They’ve seen it.

Kickoff Call: Alignment Over Chaos

We bring your CPA, bookkeeper, HR lead, and finance team into alignment early — preventing silos, mistakes, and rework.

We Handle the Transfer

We coordinate:
• data pulls
• tax history
• employee records
• reconciliation
• provider communication

You don’t chase files.
You keep operating.

First Payroll Run: Supported, Not Silent

Live support.
Eyes on the process.
Immediate issue resolution.

Paychecks land.
Taxes file correctly.
No surprises.

Ongoing Partnership

As you expand, hire, add licenses, or enter new states, we adjust with you.

No panic.
No disappearing acts.

The Hidden Payroll Risk Most Operators Are Carrying

Many cannabis businesses are exposed without realizing it.

Common risks include:
• employee misclassification
• incorrect tax treatment under 280E
• manual payroll processes that don’t scale
• providers unprepared for audits
• lack of contingency planning if dropped

These risks don’t announce themselves.
They surface as fines, penalties, audits, and lost time.

That’s why evaluation matters before a crisis hits.

Verified Industry Data: Why Cannabis Payroll Demands Specialization

This isn’t opinion — it’s economic reality.

• The U.S. cannabis industry supports tens of thousands of jobs, with nearly 15,000 dispensaries nationwide and approximately 93,000 retail cannabis employees alone.
• Since legalization began, U.S. states have collected over $20 billion in cannabis tax revenue, placing heavy compliance pressure on operators.
• Market volatility is real: states like Arizona and California have seen mass workforce contraction, with thousands of cannabis jobs lost in a single year due to regulatory and financial strain.
• Cannabis remains federally illegal, forcing operators to navigate payroll, banking, and tax systems that were never designed for them.

Translation:
This is a large, regulated, unstable industry with zero margin for payroll failure.

Generic solutions break here.

What You Should Do Next (Even If You Don’t Switch Today)

Step 1: Get a Free Payroll Risk Audit

We’ll review:
• compliance gaps
• tax exposure
• operational weaknesses
• provider risk

No obligation. No pressure.

Step 2: Build a Transition Plan

Even if you stay put, having a documented exit strategy protects you from emergency switches.

Step 3: Stress-Test Your Current Provider

Ask them directly:
• How do you handle multi-license cannabis entities?
• What happens if your risk policy changes?
• Who supports us during an audit?

Their answers will tell you everything.

FAQ: Straight Answers for Cannabis Operators

Is switching payroll risky?
Switching without a plan is risky. Switching with a roadmap is controlled, predictable, and often safer than staying.

Why does 280E matter for payroll?
Because payroll expenses intersect with cost allocation, tax reporting, and compliance. Mistakes here can create audit exposure.

Can’t large payroll companies handle this?
Some can — many can’t. Scale doesn’t equal specialization.

What makes Paragon different?
We don’t disappear when things get complicated. That’s the difference.

Final Truth

Payroll should not be the thing that breaks your business.

In cannabis, it often is.

This is not about software.
It’s about stability, trust, and operational survival.

This is more than payroll.

This is your comeback story. 

Let’s Talk — Before the Next Crisis Hits

You don’t need to wait for a payroll failure to take action.

Let’s walk through this together — no surprises, no pressure, just clarity.