At Illinois Cannabis Summit in Schaumburg, entrepreneurs learn that starting a weed business can be daunting but potentially rewarding

Business owners should try to brand themselves as different and better than their competitors, said Ellenbogen, who ran Verde Natural, a cannabis cultivator and retailer in Colorado, until it was sold last year. That company’s niche was growing hand-trimmed, slow-cured, organically fed plants in soil indoors or in its greenhouse.