From Color Up Therapeutics to House of VXN / Building a Small Business Ecosystem and Leading the Cannabis Revolution

Our Journey with platforms and processing:

 

  • 2015–2017: Cash-Based Beginnings
    We ran entirely on cash, building our brand from grit and intention.
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    In these early years, we operated as a grassroots team without access to credit cards, banks, or processors. Everything was built by hand, in-person, and with purpose. That foundation shaped our ethos.

  • 2018: First Bank + Elavon
    Opened our first business accounts and began processing — until Elavon shut down CBD merchants.
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    We finally opened checking and savings accounts at Partner Colorado Credit Union. Elavon gave us our first taste of larger-scale payment processing — before pulling the rug out from the entire CBD industry.

  • 2019: Shutdowns + Square Beta
    Survived through Irish processors, then joined Square’s first wave of CBD brands. It changed everything.
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    After several shutdowns and withheld funds, we found an Irish solution — which failed too. Then Square launched their beta CBD program, and we were invited in. It gave us our first stable digital commerce platform.

  • 2023: Authorize.net
    Secured high-risk processing through Visa’s platform. Reliable, but expensive and restrictive.
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    Authorize.net provided merchant stability despite not having a public CBD program. Fees are high, terms are strict, and it’s only available through high-risk underwriters.

  • 2024: VXN LUX on Amazon
    Launched our non-CBD line on Amazon, but it drained our capacity and pulled us from our mission.
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    In an effort to stabilize, we launched our non-CBD products on Amazon in 2024 while reorganizing our company. The reach was big, but the trade-off in bandwidth and alignment was too steep.

  • 2024: All In With Faire
    Invited to Faire’s first CBD cohort — lower fees, better support, aligned values. We’re going all in.
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    Faire’s new CBD program welcomes us into their inaugural class of cannabinoid brands. With lower fees, broader reach, and platform-level support for small businesses — it finally feels like the right fit.