JONES SODA CO. 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS. You should carefully consider the following risk factors that may affect our business, including our financial condition and results of operations. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business could be harmed, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment in us. Risks Related to our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements We have experienced recurring losses from operations and negative cash flows from operating activities We have experienced recurring losses from operations and negative cash flows from operating activities. We incurred a net loss of $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Our accumulated deficit increased to $92.9 million as of December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year’s deficit of $83.1 million. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our financial condition. Our prior losses and possible future losses may have an adverse effect on our financial condition. If our products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance and our revenues do not increase as expected, we may continue to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future. If we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our Company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our Company could cause you to lose all or part of your investment. If we are not able to successfully execute on our future operating plans, our financial condition and results of operation may be materially adversely affected, and we may not be able to continue as a going concern. It is critical that we meet our sales goals and increase sales revenues going forward as our operating plan already reflects prior significant cost containment measures, and we believe any further significant cost reductions could harm our operations. If we do not meet our sales revenue goals, our available cash and working capital will decrease and our financial condition will be negatively impacted. We may need additional financing in the future, which may not be available when needed or may be costly and dilutive. We may require additional financing to support our working capital needs in the future. The amount of additional capital we may require, the timing of our capital needs and the availability of financing to fund those needs will depend on a number of factors, including our strategic initiatives and operating plans, the performance of our business and the market conditions for debt or equity financing. Additionally, the amount of capital required will depend on our ability to meet our sales revenue goals and otherwise successfully execute our operating plan. We believe it is imperative that we meet our annual sales revenue objectives in order to lessen our reliance on external financing in the future. We intend to continually monitor and adjust our operating plan as necessary to respond to developments in our business, our markets and the broader economy. Although we believe various debt and equity financing alternatives may be available to us to support our working capital needs, financing arrangements may not be available to us when needed or on terms acceptable to us or, if available, may be dilutive to our shareholders. In addition, the incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed payment obligations and we may be required to agree to certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to make certain dividends, incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Moreover, these alternatives may require significant cash payments for interest and other costs or could be highly dilutive to our existing shareholders. Any such financing alternatives may not provide us with sufficient funds to meet our long-term capital requirements. If necessary, we may explore strategic transactions that we consider to be in the best interest of the Company and our shareholders, which may include, without limitation, public or private offerings of debt or equity securities, a rights offering, and other strategic alternatives; however, these options may not ultimately be available or feasible when needed. If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis, we may be required to curtail, delay or discontinue our operations or be unable to expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities, as desired, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Risk Factors Relating to Our Current Brand and Beverage Industry We compete in an industry that is brand-conscious, so brand name recognition and acceptance of our products are critical to our success. Our business is substantially dependent upon awareness and market acceptance of our products and brands by our target market, trendy, young consumers looking for a distinctive tonality in their beverage choices. In addition, our business depends on acceptance by our independent distributors and retailers of our brands as beverage brands that have the potential to provide incremental sales growth. If we are not successful in the revitalization and growth of our brand and product offerings, we may not achieve and maintain satisfactory levels of acceptance by independent distributors and retail consumers. Any failure of our Jones Soda brand to maintain or increase acceptance or market penetration would likely have a material adverse effect on our revenues and financial results. Our brand and image are keys to our business and any inability to maintain a positive brand image could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Our success depends on our ability to maintain brand image for our existing products and effectively build up brand image for new products and brand extensions. We cannot predict whether our advertising, marketing and promotional programs will have the desired impact on our products’ branding and on consumer preferences. In addition, negative public relations and product quality issues, whether real or imagined, could tarnish our reputation and image of the affected brands and could cause consumers to choose other products. Our brand image may also be adversely affected by unfavorable reports, studies and articles, litigation, or regulatory or other governmental action, whether involving our products or those of our competitors. Competition from traditional and large, well-financed non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers may adversely affect our distribution relationships and may hinder development of our existing markets, as well as prevent us from expanding our markets. The beverage industry is highly competitive. We compete with other beverage companies not only for consumer acceptance but also for shelf space in retail outlets and for marketing focus by our distributors, all of whom also distribute other beverage brands. Our products compete with all non-alcoholic beverages, most of which are marketed by companies with substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than ours. Some of these competitors are placing severe pressure on independent distributors not to carry competitive sparkling brands such as ours. We also compete with regional beverage producers and “private label” soft drink suppliers. Our direct competitors in the sparkling beverage category include traditional large beverage companies and distributors, and regional premium soft drink companies. These national and international competitors have advantages such as lower production costs, larger marketing budgets, greater financial and other resources and more developed and extensive distribution networks than ours. We may not be able to grow our volumes or maintain our selling prices, whether in existing markets or as we enter new markets. Increased competitor consolidations, market-place competition, particularly among branded beverage products, and competitive product and pricing pressures could impact our earnings, market share and volume growth. If, due to such pressure or other competitive threats, we are unable to sufficiently maintain or develop our distribution channels, we may be unable to achieve our current revenue and financial targets. As a means of maintaining and expanding our distribution network, we intend to introduce product extensions and additional brands; however, we may not be successful in doing this, or it may take us longer than anticipated to achieve market acceptance of these new products and brands, if at all. Other companies may be more successful in this regard over the long term. Competition, particularly from companies with greater financial, marketing and other resources than ours, could have a material adverse effect on our existing markets, as well as on our ability to expand the market for our products. - 17 - Table of Contents We compete in an industry characterized by rapid changes in consumer preferences and public perception, so our ability to continue developing new products to satisfy the changing preferences of consumers will determine our long-term success. Failure to introduce new brands, products or product extensions into the marketplace as current ones mature and to meet the changing preferences of consumers could prevent us from gaining market share and achieving long-term profitability. Product lifecycles can vary and consumer preferences and loyalties change over time. Although we try to anticipate these shifts and innovate new products to introduce to our consumers, we may not succeed. Consumer preferences also are affected by factors other than taste, such as health and nutrition considerations and obesity concerns, shifting consumer needs, changes in consumer lifestyles, increased consumer information and competitive product and pricing pressures. Sales of our products may be adversely affected by the negative publicity associated with these issues. If we do not adequately anticipate or adjust to respond to these and other changes in consumer preferences, we may not be able to maintain and grow our brand image and our sales may be adversely affected. We may experience a reduced demand for some of our products due to health concerns (including obesity) and legislative initiatives against sweetened beverages. Consumers are concerned about health and wellness; public health officials and government officials are increasingly vocal about obesity and its consequences. There has been a trend among some public health advocates and dietary guidelines to recommend a reduction in sweetened beverages, as well as increased public scrutiny, new taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, and additional governmental regulations concerning the marketing and labeling/packing of the beverage industry. See Risk Factor - Legislative or regulatory changes that affect our products, including new taxes, could reduce demand for products or increase our costs. Additional or revised regulatory requirements, whether labeling, tax or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, increasing public concern with respect to sweetened beverages could reduce demand for our beverages and increase desire for more low-calorie soft drinks, water, enhanced water, coffee-flavored beverages, tea, and beverages with natural sweeteners. We are continuously working to reduce calories and sugar in our Jones Cane Sugar products while launching additional products, to pair with existing brand extensions such as Jones Sugar Free that round out our diversified portfolio. Risk Factors Relating to Our Business Operations and Financial Results Our reliance on distributors, retailers and brokers could affect our ability to efficiently and profitably distribute and market our products, maintain our existing markets and expand our business into other geographic markets. Our ability to maintain and expand our existing markets for our products, and to establish markets in new geographic distribution areas, is dependent on our ability to establish and maintain successful relationships with reliable distributors, retailers and brokers strategically positioned to serve those areas. Most of our distributors, retailers and brokers sell and distribute competing products, including non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, and our products may represent a small portion of their businesses. The success of this network will depend on the performance of the distributors, retailers and brokers of this network. There is a risk that the mentioned entities may not adequately perform their functions within the network by, without limitation, failing to distribute to sufficient retailers or positioning our products in localities that may not be receptive to our product. Our ability to incentivize and motivate distributors to manage and sell our products is affected by competition from other beverage companies who have greater resources than we do. To the extent that our distributors, retailers and brokers are distracted from selling our products or do not employ sufficient efforts in managing and selling our products, including re-stocking the retail shelves with our products, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected. Furthermore, such third-parties’ financial position or market share may deteriorate, which could adversely affect our distribution, marketing and sales activities. Our ability to maintain and expand our distribution network and attract additional distributors, retailers and brokers will depend on a number of factors, some of which are outside our control. Some of these factors include: ● the level of demand for our brands and products in a particular distribution area; ● our ability to price our products at levels competitive with those of competing products; and ● our ability to deliver products in the quantity and at the time ordered by distributors, retailers and brokers. We may not be able to successfully manage all or any of these factors in any of our current or prospective geographic areas of distribution. Our inability to achieve success with regards to any of these factors in a geographic distribution area will have a material adverse effect on our relationships in that particular geographic area, thus limiting our ability to maintain or expand our market, which will likely adversely affect our revenues and financial results. We incur significant time and expense in attracting and maintaining key distributors. Our marketing and sales strategy depends in large part on the availability and performance of our independent distributors. We currently do not have, nor do we anticipate in the future that we will be able to establish, long-term contractual commitments from some of our distributors. We may not be able to maintain our current distribution relationships or establish and maintain successful relationships with distributors in new geographic distribution areas. Moreover, there is the additional possibility that we may have to incur additional expenditures to attract and maintain key distributors in one or more of our geographic distribution areas in order to profitably exploit our geographic markets. It is difficult to predict the timing and amount of our sales because our distributors are not required to place minimum orders with us. Our independent distributors and national accounts are not required to place minimum monthly or annual orders for our products. In order to reduce their inventory costs, independent distributors typically order products from us on a “just in time” basis in quantities and at such times based on the demand for the products in a particular distribution area. Accordingly, we cannot predict the timing or quantity of purchases by any of our independent distributors or whether any of our distributors will continue to purchase products from us in the same frequencies and volumes as they may have done in the past. Additionally, our larger distributors and national partners, may make orders that are larger than we have historically been required to fill. Shortages in inventory levels, supply of raw materials or other key supplies could negatively affect us. If we do not adequately manage our inventory levels, our operating results could be adversely affected. We need to maintain adequate inventory levels to be able to deliver products to distributors on a timely basis. Our inventory supply depends on our ability to correctly estimate demand for our products. Our ability to estimate demand for our products is imprecise, particularly for new products, seasonal promotions and new markets. If we materially underestimate demand for our products or are unable to maintain sufficient inventory of raw materials, we might not be able to satisfy demand on a short-term basis. If we overestimate distributor or retailer demand for our products, we may end up with too much inventory, resulting in higher storage costs, increased trade spend and the risk of inventory spoilage. If we fail to manage our inventory to meet demand, we could damage our relationships with our distributors and retailers and could delay or lose sales opportunities, which would unfavorably impact our future sales and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, if the inventory of our products held by our distributors and retailers is too high, they will not place orders for additional products, which would also unfavorably impact our sales and adversely affect our operating results. - 18 - Table of Contents If we fail to maintain relationships with our independent contract manufacturers, our business could be harmed. We do not manufacture our products but instead outsource the manufacturing process to third-party bottlers and independent contract manufacturers (co-packers). We do not own the plants or the majority of the equipment required to manufacture and package our beverage products, and we do not anticipate bringing the manufacturing process in-house in the future. Our ability to maintain effective relationships with contract manufacturers and other third parties for the production and delivery of our beverage products in a particular geographic distribution area is important to the success of our operations within each distribution area. Competition for contract manufacturers’ business is intense, especially in the western United States, and this could make it more difficult for us to obtain new or replacement manufacturers, or to locate back-up manufacturers, in our various distribution areas, and could also affect the economic terms of our agreements with our existing manufacturers. We may not be able to maintain our relationships with current contract manufacturers or establish satisfactory relationships with new or replacement contract manufacturers, whether in existing or new geographic distribution areas. The failure to establish and maintain effective relationships with contract manufacturers for a distribution area could increase our manufacturing costs and thereby materially reduce gross profits from the sale of our products in that area. Poor relations with any of our contract manufacturers could adversely affect the amount and timing of product delivered to our distributors for resale, which would in turn adversely affect our revenues and financial condition. In addition, our agreements with our contract manufacturers are terminable at any time, and any such termination could disrupt our ability to deliver products to our customers. Our dependence on independent contract manufacturers could make management of our manufacturing and distribution efforts inefficient or unprofitable. We are expected to arrange for our contract manufacturing needs sufficiently in advance of anticipated requirements, which is customary in the contract manufacturing industry for comparably sized companies. Based on the cost structure and forecasted demand for the particular geographic area where our contract manufacturers are located, we continually evaluate which of our contract manufacturers to use. To the extent demand for our products exceeds available inventory or the production capacity of our contract manufacturing arrangements, or orders are not submitted on a timely basis, we will be unable to fulfill distributor orders on demand. Conversely, we may produce more product inventory than warranted by the actual demand for it, resulting in higher storage costs and the potential risk of inventory spoilage. Our failure to accurately predict and manage our contract manufacturing requirements and our inventory levels may impair relationships with our independent distributors and key accounts, which, in turn, would likely have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain effective relationships with those distributors and key accounts. Increases in costs or shortages of raw materials could harm our business and financial results. The principal raw materials we use include glass bottles, aluminum cans, labels and cardboard cartons, aluminum closures, flavorings, sucrose/inverted pure cane sugar and sucralose. In addition, certain of our contract manufacturing arrangements allow such contract manufacturers to increase their charges to us based on their own cost increases. These manufacturing and ingredient costs are subject to fluctuation. Substantial increases in the prices of our ingredients, raw materials and packaging materials, to the extent that they cannot be recouped through increases in the prices of finished beverage products, would increase our operating costs and could reduce our profitability. If our supply of these raw materials is impaired or if prices increase significantly, it could affect the affordability of our products and reduce sales. The beverage industry has experienced increased prices for glass bottles over the last several years and the availability of glass supply diminished for companies not under contract. Our fixed-price purchase commitment for glass, which helps mitigate the risk of unexpected price increases, expires at the end of 2025. The prices of any of the above or any other raw materials or ingredients may continue to rise in the future. Due to the price sensitivity of our products, we may not be able to pass such increases on to our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. If we are unable to secure sufficient ingredients or raw materials including glass, sugar, and other key supplies, we might not be able to satisfy demand on a short-term basis. Moreover, in the past there have been industry-wide shortages of certain concentrates, supplements and sweeteners and these shortages could occur again from time to time in the future, which could interfere with and delay production of our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. In addition, suppliers could fail to provide ingredients or raw materials on a timely basis, or fail to meet our performance expectations, for a number of reasons, including, for example, disruption to the global supply chain as a result of pandemics, which could cause a serious disruption to our business, increase our costs, decrease our operating efficiencies and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Increases in costs of energy and increased regulations may have an adverse impact on our gross margin. Over the past few years, volatility in the global oil markets has resulted in high fuel prices, which many shipping companies have passed on to their customers by way of higher base pricing and increased fuel surcharges. If fuel prices increase, we expect to experience higher shipping rates and fuel surcharges, as well as energy surcharges on our raw materials. It is hard to predict what will happen in the fuel markets. Due to the price sensitivity of our products, we may not be able to pass such increases on to our customers. Disruption within our supply chain, contract manufacturing or distribution channels could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our ability, through our suppliers, business partners, contract manufacturers, independent distributors and retailers, to make, move and sell products is critical to our success. Damage or disruption to our suppliers or to manufacturing or distribution capabilities due to weather, natural disaster, fire or explosion, terrorism, pandemics such as influenza, labor strikes, military conflict, geopolitical events or other reasons, could impair the manufacture, distribution and sale of our products. Many of these events are outside of our control. Failure to take adequate steps to protect against or mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We rely upon our ongoing relationships with our key flavor suppliers. If we are unable to source our flavors on acceptable terms from our key suppliers, we could suffer disruptions in our business. We currently purchase our flavor concentrate from various flavor concentrate suppliers, and continually develop other sources of flavor concentrate for each of our products. Generally, flavor suppliers hold the proprietary rights to their flavors. Although we have the exclusive rights to flavor concentrates developed with our current flavor concentrate suppliers, we do not have the list of ingredients or formulas for our flavors and concentrates. Consequently, we may be unable to obtain these same flavors or concentrates from alternative suppliers on short notice. If we have to replace a flavor supplier, we could experience disruptions in our ability to deliver products to our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. If we are unable to attract and retain key personnel, our efficiency and operations would be adversely affected; in addition, management turnover causes uncertainties and could harm our business. Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees in such areas as finance, sales, marketing and product development. We compete to hire new employees, and, in some cases, must train them and develop their skills and competencies. We may not be able to provide our employees with competitive salaries, and our operating results could be adversely affected by increased costs due to increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover or increased employee benefit costs. To the extent we experience management turnover, our operations, financial condition and employee morale could be negatively impacted. In addition, competition for top management is high and it may take months to find a candidate that meets our requirements. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified management personnel, our business could suffer. - 19 - Table of Contents If we fail to protect our trademarks and trade secrets, we may be unable to successfully market our products and compete effectively. We rely on a combination of trademark and trade secrecy laws, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property rights. Failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our brand and our reputation, and adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Further, enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights, including our trademarks, copyrights, licenses and trade secrets, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. We regard our intellectual property, particularly our trademarks and trade secrets to be of considerable value and importance to our business and our success, and we actively pursue the registration of our trademarks in the United States, Canada and internationally. However, the steps taken by us to protect these proprietary rights may not be adequate and may not prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our trademarks, trade secrets or similar proprietary rights. In addition, other parties may seek to assert infringement claims against us, and we may have to pursue litigation against other parties to assert our rights. Any such claim or litigation could be costly. In addition, any event that would jeopardize our proprietary rights or any claims of infringement by third parties could have a material adverse effect on our ability to market or sell our brands, profitably exploit our products or recoup our associated research and development costs. As part of the licensing strategy of our brands, we enter into licensing agreements under which we grant our licensing partners certain rights to use our trademarks and other designs. Although our agreements require that the use of our trademarks and designs is subject to our control and approval, any breach of these provisions, or any other action by any of our licensing partners that is harmful to our brands, goodwill and overall image, could have a material adverse impact on our business. If we encounter product recalls or other product quality issues, our business may suffer. Product quality issues, real or imagined, or allegations of product contamination, even when false or unfounded, could tarnish our image and could cause consumers to choose other products. In addition, as a result of changing government regulations or implementation thereof, or allegations of product contamination, we may be required from time to time to recall products entirely or from specific markets. Product recalls could affect our profitability and could negatively affect brand image. We could be exposed to product liability claims which could materially damage our reputation and brand image and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. Although we have product liability and basic recall insurance, insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all product liability claims that may arise. To the extent our product liability coverage is insufficient, a product liability claim may have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition. In addition, any product liability claim brought against us may materially damage the reputation and brand image of our products and business. Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation. On March 25, 2024, our indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Mary Jones Michigan LLC, received a Notice of Claims for arbitration from Core Manufacturing, LLC (“Core”), who claimed that the Company was in breach of its commitments under the agreement between the Company and Core. Core is seeking, amongst other damages, the enforcement of the break-up fee provision in such agreement, which they calculate to be $7,220,357. In February 2025, a confidential settlement agreement was entered into between all the parties to the Litigation Matters, which has resulted in the settlement and/or dismissal of both Litigation Matters. We may also become party to other litigation claims and legal proceedings. Litigation involves significant risks, uncertainties and costs, including distraction of management attention away from our business operations. We evaluate litigation claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, we establish reserves and disclose the relevant litigation claims or legal proceedings, as appropriate. These assessments and estimates are based on the information available to management at the time and involve a significant amount of management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from those envisioned by our current assessments and estimates. Our policies and procedures require strict compliance by our employees and agents with all U.S. and local laws and regulations applicable to our business operations, including those prohibiting improper payments to government officials. Nonetheless, our policies and procedures may not ensure full compliance by our employees and agents with all applicable legal requirements. Improper conduct by our employees or agents could damage our reputation or lead to litigation or legal proceedings that could result in civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines, as well as disgorgement of profits. We are subject to risks inherent in sales of products in international markets. Our operations outside of the United States, contribute to our revenue and profitability, and we believe that developing and emerging markets could present future growth opportunities for us. However, there can be no assurance that existing or new products that we manufacture, distribute or sell will be accepted or be successful in any particular foreign market, due to local or global competition, product price, cultural differences, consumer preferences or otherwise. There are many factors that could adversely affect demand for our products in foreign markets, including, but not limited to, our inability to attract and maintain key distributors in these markets; volatility in the economic growth of certain of these markets; changes in economic, political or social conditions, the status and renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, imposition of new or increased labeling, product or production requirements, or other legal restrictions; restrictions on the import or export of our products or ingredients or substances used in our products; inflationary currency, devaluation or fluctuation; and/or increased costs of doing business due to compliance with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations. If we are unable to effectively operate or manage the risks associated with operating in international markets, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. Climate change may negatively affect our business. There is growing concern that a gradual increase in global average temperatures may cause an adverse change in weather patterns around the globe resulting in an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters. While warmer weather has historically been associated with increased sales of our products, changing weather patterns could have a negative impact on agricultural productivity, which may limit availability or increase the cost of certain key ingredients such as sugar cane, natural flavors and supplements used in our products. Also, increased frequency or duration of extreme weather conditions may disrupt the productivity of the facilities that produce our products, the operation of our supply chain or impact demand for our products. In addition, the increasing concern over climate change may result in more regional, federal and global legal and regulatory requirements and could result in increased production, transportation and raw material costs. As a result, the effects of climate change could have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations. Our business and operations may be adversely impacted in the event of a failure or interruption of our information technology infrastructure or as a result of a cybersecurity attack. The proper functioning of our own information technology (IT) infrastructure is critical to the efficient operation and management of our business. We may not have the necessary financial resources to update and maintain our IT infrastructure, and any failure or interruption of our IT system could adversely impact our operations. In addition, our IT is vulnerable to cyberattacks, computer viruses, worms and other malicious software programs, physical and electronic break-ins, sabotage and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our computer systems. We believe that we have adopted appropriate measures to mitigate potential risks to our technology infrastructure and our operations from these IT-related and other potential disruptions. However, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of any such IT failures or disruptions, we could potentially be subject to downtimes, transactional errors, processing inefficiencies, operational delays, other detrimental impacts on our operations or ability to provide products to our customers, the compromising of confidential or personal information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks, financial losses from remedial actions, loss of business or potential liability, and/or damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, competitive position, financial condition or results of operations. Our results of operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter for many reasons, including seasonality. Our sales are seasonal and we experience fluctuations in quarterly results as a result of many factors. We historically have generated a greater percentage of our revenues during the warm weather months of April through September. Timing of customer purchases will vary each year and sales can be expected to shift from one quarter to another. As a result, management believes that period-to-period comparisons of results of operations are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as any indication of future performance or results expected for the fiscal year. - 20 - Table of Contents In addition, our operating results may fluctuate due to a number of other factors including, but not limited to: ● Our ability to maintain, develop and expand distribution channels for current and new products, develop favorable arrangements with third party distributors of our products and minimize or reduce issues associated with engaging new distributors and retailers, including, but not limited to, transition costs and expenses and down time resulting from the initial deployment of our products in each new distributor’s network; ● Unilateral decisions by distributors, grocery store chains, specialty chain stores, club stores, mass merchandisers and other customers to discontinue carrying all or any of our products that they are carrying at any time; ● Our ability to maintain, develop and expand our direct-to-retail sales channels and national retail accounts, as well as our “MyJones” business; ● Our ability to manage our resources to sufficiently support general operating activities, promotion allowances and slotting fees, promotion and selling activities, and capital expansion, and our ability to sustain profitability; ● Our ability to meet the competitive response by much larger, well-funded and established companies currently operating in the beverage industry, as we introduce new competitive products; and ● Competitive products and pricing pressures and our ability to gain or maintain share of sales in the marketplace as a result of actions by competitors. Due to these and other factors, our results of operations have fluctuated from period to period and may continue to do so in the future, which could cause our operating results in a particular quarter to fail to meet market expectations. Changes in tax laws or the imposition of additional duties, quotas, tariffs, and other trade restrictions could adversely affect our business. Changes in U.S. trade policy, such as the renegotiation of the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the imposition of additional tariffs, present risks to our business. Currently the Company’s soft drink beverage products are duty-free under the existing USMCA if they meet the rules of origin (e.g. they are produced in North America). Currently the Company imports raw materials from the US into Canada where it produces glass products for the US and Canadian markets. Any change to these tariffs could adversely affect our ability to produce and market products at competitive prices which could impact sales and financial results. The Company may not be able to move its Canada based glass production to the US at a similar production cost if high tariffs are imposed by the US on Canada sourced soft drink beverages of North American origin. Our business and periodic financial results can be affected by currency rate fluctuations, because a significant percentage of our business is in Canada. A significant percentage of our sales are conducted through our Canadian subsidiary, for which we receive revenues in the Canadian dollar. In addition, a significant percentage of our costs of goods are denominated in the Canadian dollar, due to our co-packing facility in Canada. Because of this we are affected by changes in U.S. exchange rates with the Canadian dollar. In preparing our consolidated financial statements, certain financial information is required to be translated from the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar. The translation of our Canadian revenues, cash and other assets is adversely affected when the United States dollar strengthens against the Canadian dollar and is positively affected when the U.S. dollar weakens. Similarly, translation of our Canadian expenses and liabilities is positively affected when the U.S. dollar strengthens against the Canadian dollar and adversely affected when the U.S. dollar weakens. This exposure to foreign currency risk could significantly affect our revenues and profitability from our Canadian operations and could result in significant fluctuations to our periodic consolidated statements of operations and consolidated balance sheets. Throughout 2024, the U.S. dollar’s strength fluctuated significantly in comparison to the Canadian dollar. Based on the Noon buying rates in New York City for cable transfers in foreign currencies as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a s of March 28 , 2025, the Canadian dollar exchange rate for one U.S. dollar was equal to $0.6989 compared to $0.6944 as of December 31, 2024 and $0.7575 as of December 31, 2023. We cannot predict future changes in these exchange rates. We do not engage in foreign currency hedging transactions. Changes in our effective tax rate may impact our results of operations. We are subject to taxes in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Tax rates in these jurisdictions may be subject to significant change due to economic and/or political conditions. A number of other factors may also impact our future effective tax rate including: ● the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; ● the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities; ● changes in valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; ● increases in expenses not deductible for tax purposes, including write-offs of acquired intangibles and impairment of goodwill in connection with acquisitions; ● changes in availability of tax credits, tax holidays, and tax deductions; ● changes in share-based compensation; and - 21 - Table of Contents ● changes in tax laws or the interpretation of such tax laws and changes in generally accepted accounting principles. Any material increase in the taxes we owe could materially impact our financial results and results of operations. Global economic, political, social and other conditions may continue to adversely impact our business and results of operations. The beverage industry, and particularly those companies selling premium beverages like us, can be affected by macro-economic factors, including changes in national, regional, and local economic conditions, unemployment levels and consumer spending patterns, which together may impact the willingness of consumers to purchase our products as they adjust their discretionary spending. Adverse economic conditions may adversely affect the ability of our distributors to obtain the credit necessary to fund their working capital needs, which could negatively impact their ability or desire to continue to purchase products from us in the same frequencies and volumes as they have done in the past. If we experience similar adverse economic conditions in the future, sales of our products could be adversely affected, collectability of accounts receivable may be compromised and we may face obsolescence issues with our inventory, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition. Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results. The United States generally accepted accounting principles and related pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide variety of matters that are relevant to our business, such as, but not limited to, stock-based compensation, trade spend and promotions, and income taxes are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by our management. Changes to these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments by our management could significantly change our reported results. If we are unable to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, our stock price and investor confidence could be materially and adversely affected. We are required to maintain both disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting that are effective. Because of their inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting, however well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the controls will prevent or detect misstatements. Because of these and other inherent limitations of control systems, there is only the reasonable assurance that our controls will succeed in achieving their goals under all potential future conditions. The failure of controls by design deficiencies or absence of adequate controls could result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial results, which could also negatively impact our stock price and investor confidence. There can be no assurance that our acquisitions, investments or expansions of scope of existing relationships will have a beneficial impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have entered into and may in the future enter into additional acquisitions or investments with third parties that we believe will complement our existing business. Our ability to complete acquisitions or investments is dependent upon, and may be limited by, the availability of suitable candidates and capital. In addition, acquisitions or investments could present unforeseen integration or operational obstacles or costs, may not enhance our business, and/or may involve risks that could adversely affect us, including by diverting significant amounts of management time from operations in order to pursue and complete such transactions or maintain such relationships. Future acquisitions or investments could result in the incurrence of additional debt, costs and contingent liabilities, and there can be no assurance that future acquisitions or investments will achieve, the expected benefits to our business or that we will be able to consummate future acquisitions or investments on satisfactory terms, or at all. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. In addition, future acquisitions by us could result in future issuances of shares of our common stock which may result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our shareholders and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. Risk Factors Relating to our Cannabis Business in Canada Our plans to expand our cannabis operations may not be successful, which would have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our strategy for growth in the cannabis industry is dependent on, among other things, our ability to partner with local licensed cannabis manufacturers to launch and market THC/CBD-infused and/or cannabis-infused beverages, tinctures, edibles and other products in various provinces. Although we intend to devote significant financial and other resources to expand our business to the production of cannabis-containing beverages and related products, these efforts may not be commercially successful or achieve the desired results. Our financial results and our ability to maintain or improve our competitive position will depend on our ability to effectively gauge the direction of the cannabis industry and successfully identify, develop, market and sell new or improved products and services in this changing marketplace. Our inability to successfully implement our cannabis strategy could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The cannabis industry is an evolving industry and we must anticipate and respond to changes. The cannabis industry is not yet well-developed, and many aspects of this industry’s development and evolution cannot be accurately predicted. While we have attempted to identify any risks specific to the cannabis industry that would be applicable to our planned cannabis operations, you should carefully consider that there are other risks that cannot be foreseen or are not described in this report, which could materially and adversely affect the development of our cannabis business and our future financial performance. We expect that the cannabis market and our business will evolve in ways that are difficult to predict. Our long-term success will depend on our ability to successfully adjust our strategy to meet the changing market dynamics. If we are unable to successfully adapt to changes in the cannabis industry, our operations could be adversely affected. Risks Relating to Regulation and Compliance Legislative or regulatory changes that affect our products, including new taxes, could reduce demand for products and/or increase our costs. Taxes imposed on the sale of certain of our products by federal, state and local governments in the United States, or other countries in which we operate could cause consumers to shift away from purchasing our beverages. Several municipalities in the United States have implemented or are considering implementing taxes on the sale of certain “sugared” beverages, including non-diet soft drinks, fruit drinks, teas and flavored waters to help fund various initiatives. These taxes could materially affect our business and financial results. Our business is subject to many regulations and noncompliance may be costly. The production, marketing and sale of our beverages, including contents, labels, caps and containers, are subject to the rules and regulations of various federal, provincial, state and local health agencies. If a regulatory authority finds that a current or future product or production batch or “run” is not in compliance with any of these regulations, we may be fined, or production may be stopped, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, any adverse publicity associated with any noncompliance may damage our reputation and our ability to successfully market our products. Furthermore, the rules and regulations that our business is subject to are subject to change, and while we closely monitor developments in this area, we cannot anticipate whether changes in these rules and regulations will adversely impact our business. Additional or revised regulatory requirements, whether labeling, environmental, tax or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. - 22 - Table of Contents Significant additional labeling or warning requirements may inhibit sales of affected products. Various jurisdictions may seek to adopt significant additional product labeling or warning requirements relating to the chemical content or perceived adverse health consequences of certain of our products. These types of requirements, if they become applicable to one or more of our products under current or future environmental or health laws or regulations, may inhibit sales of such products. In California, a law requires that a specific warning appear on any product that contains a component listed by the state as having been found to cause cancer or birth defects. This law recognizes no generally applicable quantitative thresholds below which a warning is not required. If a component found in one of our products is added to the list, or if the increasing sensitivity of detection methodology that may become available under this law and related regulations as they currently exist, or as they may be amended, results in the detection of an infinitesimal quantity of a listed substance in one of our beverages produced for sale in California, the resulting warning requirements or adverse publicity could affect our sales. Cannabis is a controlled substance in the United States and therefore subject to the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). In the United States, cannabis is regulated at both the federal and state levels. To our knowledge, there are to date a total of 39 states, and the District of Columbia, that have now passed legislation or legalized cannabis in some form, 24 of which have authorized its recreational use including California, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, and Washington. Although several states allow the sale of cannabis at the state level, cannabis continues to be categorized as a controlled substance under the CSA and, as such, cultivation, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis violates federal law in the United States. The inconsistency between federal and state laws and regulations may result in a loss of the value of our investment in such business. While state regulation in certain U.S. states may take a permissive approach to medical and/or adult-use of cannabis, the CSA may still be enforced by U.S. federal law enforcement officials against individuals and companies operating in those states for activity that is legal under state law. If the U.S. Department of Justice opted to pursue a policy of aggressively enforcing U.S. federal law against financiers or equity owners of cannabis-related businesses, then we could face (i) seizure of our cash and other assets used to support or derived our cannabis business activities; and/or (ii) the arrest of its employees, directors, officers, managers and/or investors, who could face charges of ancillary criminal violations of the CSA for aiding and abetting and conspiring to violate the CSA. Violations of any federal laws and regulations could result in significant fines, penalties, administrative sanctions, convictions or settlements arising from civil proceedings initiated by either the federal government or private citizens, or criminal charges, including, but not limited to, disgorgement of profits, cessation of business activities or divestiture. This could have a material adverse effect on us, including our reputation and ability to conduct business, the listing of our securities on the CSE or other exchanges, our financial position, operating results, profitability or liquidity or the market price of our listed securities. Overall, an investor’s contribution to and involvement in our activities may result in federal civil and/or criminal prosecution, including forfeiture of his or her entire investment. We operate in highly regulated industries where the regulatory environments are rapidly developing and we may not always succeed in complying fully with applicable regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions where we carry on business. Our business and activities are heavily regulated in all jurisdictions where we carry on business. Our operations are subject to various laws, regulations and guidelines by governmental authorities (including, in Canada, Health Canada) and other federal, provincial, state and local regulatory agencies relating to, among other things, the cultivation, manufacture, processing, marketing, labeling, packaging, management, transportation, distribution, import, export, storage, sale, pricing and disposal of cannabis, hemp and cannabis-based products, and also including laws, regulations and guidelines relating to health and safety, insurance coverage, the conduct of operations and the protection of the environment (including relating to emissions and discharges to water, air and land, and the handling and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous materials and wastes). Our operations may also be affected in varying degrees by government regulations with respect to, among other things, price controls, import or export controls, controls on currency remittance, increased income taxes, restrictions on foreign investment and government policies rewarding contracts to local competitors or requiring domestic producers or vendors to purchase supplies from a particular jurisdiction. Laws, regulations and guidelines, applied generally, grant government agencies and self-regulatory bodies broad administrative discretion over our activities, including the power to limit or restrict business activities as well as impose additional disclosure requirements on our products and services, as well as on our personnel (including management and the Board). Achievement of our business objectives is contingent, in part, upon compliance with regulatory requirements enacted by these governmental authorities and obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals for the cultivation, production, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, sale, import and export, as applicable, of our products. The cannabis and hemp industries are still new, and in Canada, in particular, the Cannabis Act has no close precedent in Canadian law. The effect of relevant governmental authorities’ administration, application and enforcement of their respective regulatory regimes and delays in obtaining, or failure to obtain, necessary regulatory approvals may significantly delay or impact the development of markets, products and sales initiatives and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. For example, in the U.S., registered federal trademark protection is only available for goods and services that can be lawfully used in interstate commerce; the United States Patent and Trademark Office is not currently approving any trademark applications for cannabis, or certain goods containing hemp-derived cannabinoids (such as dietary supplements and food) until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) provides clearer guidance on the regulation of such products. The regulatory environment for our products is rapidly developing, and the need to build and maintain robust systems to comply with different and changing regulations in multiple jurisdictions increases the possibility that we may violate one or more applicable requirements. While we endeavor to comply with all relevant laws, regulations and guidelines, any failure to comply with the regulatory requirements applicable to our operations could subject us to negative consequences, including, but not limited to, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, asset seizures, revocation or imposition of additional conditions on licenses to operate our business, the denial of regulatory applications (including, in the U.S., by other regulatory regimes that rely on the positions of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), FDA and USDA in the application of their respective regimes), the suspension or expulsion from a particular market or jurisdiction or of our key personnel, or the imposition of additional or more stringent inspection, testing and reporting requirements, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Additionally, scheduled or unscheduled inspections of our facilities or facilities of our third party suppliers, co-manufacturers, and distributors by applicable regulatory agencies could result in adverse findings that could require significant remediation efforts and/or temporary or permanent shutdown of our facilities or those of our third party suppliers. In the United States, failure to comply with FDA and USDA requirements (and analogous state agencies) may result in, among other things, injunctions, product withdrawals, recalls, product seizures, fines and criminal prosecutions. The outcome of any regulatory or agency proceedings, investigations, inspections, audits, and other contingencies could harm our reputation, require us to take, or refrain from taking, actions that could harm our operations or require us to pay substantial amounts of money, harming our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Increasingly, communication and coordination among regulators has led in other industries to coordinated responses to regulatory and licensure applications. To the extent that regulators coordinate responses to license applications and regulatory conditions, limitations or denials of licenses in one jurisdiction may lead to denials in other jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that any pending or future regulatory or agency proceedings, investigations, inspections and audits will not result in substantial costs or a diversion of management’s attention and resources, adversely impact our future growth plans and opportunities or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any part of our business activities are found to be in violation of any of federal, state, provincial or local laws or any other governmental regulations, in addition to the items described above: we may be subject to “Warning Letters,” untitled letters, fines, penalties, administrative sanctions, settlements, injunctions, product recalls and/or other enforcement actions arising from civil, administrative or other proceedings initiated that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity, cash flow and operational performance; the profits or revenues derived therefrom could be subject to anti-money laundering statutes, including the Money Laundering Control Act, which could result in significant disruption to our business operations and involve significant costs, expenses or other penalties; and our suppliers, service providers and distributors may elect, at any time, to breach, terminate or otherwise cease to participate in supply, distribution or other agreements, or other relationships, on which our operations rely. - 23 - Table of Contents We may be subject to heightened scrutiny by regulatory authorities. Any future investments, joint ventures or operations in the United States, may become the subject of heightened scrutiny by regulators, stock exchanges and other authorities in Canada and/or the United States. As a result, we may be subject to significant direct and indirect interaction with public officials. There can be no assurance that this heightened scrutiny will not in turn lead to the imposition of certain restrictions on our business. Anti-money laundering and other banking laws and regulations may limit our ability to access financing and hamper our growth. We are subject to a variety of domestic and international laws and regulations pertaining to money laundering, financial recordkeeping and proceeds of crime, including the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (Canada), as amended and the rules and regulations thereunder, the Criminal Code (Canada) and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by governmental authorities internationally. In the event that any of our operations or investments, any proceeds thereof, any dividends or distributions therefrom, or any profits or revenues accruing from such operations or investments are found to be in violation of money laundering legislation, such transactions may be viewed as proceeds of crimes under one or more of the statutes noted above or any other applicable legislation. This could restrict or otherwise jeopardize our ability to declare or pay dividends, effect other distributions or subsequently repatriate such funds back to Canada. Furthermore, while we have no current intention to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future, in the event that a determination was made that proceeds obtained by us could reasonably be shown to constitute proceeds of crime, we may decide or be required to suspend declaring or paying dividends without advance notice and for an indefinite period of time. Any rescheduling of U.S. Schedule I cannabis to Schedule III would have an uncertain impact on our business. In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the DEA move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA and on May 16, 2024, the DEA issued a proposed rule to reclassify marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. There can be no assurance that the proposed DEA rule will go into effect in its present form or at all, and the impacts of any such adoption on our business and competitive position are unclear. For example, rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III may be accompanied by additional regulatory obligations as prerequisite to participate in the U.S. market, and it may provide a greater benefit to the businesses of our competitors than our business, including by providing favorable tax treatment to their U.S. operations. The rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III could result in significant volatility in the market for our common stock. To the extent that market speculation results in an increase in the price of our common stock, the price of our common stock could decline significantly thereafter if the DEA fails to act on the recommendation or investor optimism fades. Risk Factors Related to Our Common Stock Our common stock is traded on the OTCQB Marketplace and the Canadian Stock Exchange, which may have an unfavorable impact on our stock price and liquidity. Our stock is traded on the OTCQB in the United States and the Canadian Stock Exchange (“CSE”) in Canada. The OTCQB and CSE are significantly more limited markets than national securities exchanges in the United States such as the New York Stock Exchange, or Nasdaq and there are lower financial or qualitative standards that a company must meet to be listed on the OTCQB and CSE. Trading in our common stock on each of the OTCQB and the CSE may be subject to abuses, volatility and shorting, which may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. This volatility could depress the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to operating performance. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), which has jurisdiction over the OTCQB, has adopted rules that require a broker-dealer to have reasonable grounds for believing an investment is suitable for that customer when recommending an investment to a customer. FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for some customers and may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may result in a limited ability to buy and sell our stock. The price of our common stock may be volatile, and a shareholder ’ s investment in our common stock could suffer a decline in value. There has been significant volatility in the volume and market price of our common stock, and this volatility may continue in the future. The market price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors, including the following: ● quarterly variations in our operating results; ● our issuance of new securities; ● announcements about Company developments and initiatives; ● failure to meet or exceed financial projections we provide to the public; ● failure to meet or exceed the estimates and projections of the investment community; ● changes in the market valuations of companies similar to ours; ● announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors; ● additions or departures of key personnel; ● sales of our common stock by us or our shareholders in the future; ● trading volume of our common stock; ● changes in analysts’ estimates affecting our Company, our competitors and/or our industry; ● changes in the accounting methods used in or otherwise affecting our industry; ● fluctuations in interest rates and the availability of capital in the capital markets; ● addition or loss of significant customers, manufacturers, distributors or other business partners; ● litigation involving us; ● general trends relating to the beverage industry; ● actions by governmental agencies; ● general economic, industry and market conditions; ● health epidemics and outbreaks or other natural or manmade disasters which could significantly disrupt our operations; ● the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section; and ● events and circumstances beyond our control. - 24 - Table of Contents Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our common stock will trade. In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. If there is extreme market volatility and trading patterns in our common stock, it may create several risks for investors, including the following: ● the market price of our common stock may experience rapid and substantial increases or decreases unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects, which may make it more difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our common stock; ● if our future market capitalization reflects trading dynamics unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial performance or prospects, purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial losses as prices decline once the level of market volatility has abated; and ● if the future market price of our common stock declines, investors may be unable to resell their shares at or above the price at which they acquired them. We cannot assure you that the market of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future, in which case you could incur substantial losses. Broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political, regulatory and market conditions, may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, shares of our common stock may be more thinly traded than securities of larger, more established beverage companies and, as a result of this lack of liquidity, sales of relatively small quantities of shares of our common stock by our shareholders may disproportionately influence the price of our common stock. The market price of our common stock may decline below the amount you invested, and you may lose some or all of your investment. Furthermore, a prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital. If we are unable to raise the funds required for all of our planned operations and key initiatives, we may be forced to allocate funds from other planned uses, which may negatively impact our business and operations, including our ability to develop new products and continue our current operations. We could be subject to securities class action litigation. In the past, securities class action litigation has been brought against companies following a decline in the market price of their securities. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business. Future sales and issuances of our common stock, or securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our shareholders and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. From time to time, we may issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock, in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. We also expect to issue additional shares of our common stock to directors, officers, employees, and consultants pursuant to our equity incentive plan. The issuance of these securities could dilute our shareholders’ ownership in our Company and may include terms that give new investors rights that are superior to those of our current shareholders. Moreover, any issuances by us of equity securities may be at or below the prevailing market price of our common stock and in any event may have a dilutive impact on our shareholders’ ownership interest, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Substantial future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, could cause our share price to fall. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of our common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the trading price of our common stock and may make it more difficult for you to sell your common stock at a time and price that you deem appropriate. Unstable market and economic conditions and adverse developments with respect to financial institutions and associated liquidity risk may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and stock price. The global credit and financial markets have recently experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, inflationary pressure and interest rate changes, increases in unemployment rates and uncertainty about economic stability. The financial markets and the global economy may also be adversely affected by the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, terrorism or other geopolitical events. Sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries in response to such conflicts, including the one in Ukraine, may also adversely impact the financial markets and the global economy, and any economic countermeasures by the affected countries or others could exacerbate market and economic instability. There can be no assurance that future credit and financial market instability and a deterioration in confidence in economic conditions will not occur. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturn, liquidity shortages, volatile business environment or continued unpredictable and unstable market conditions. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, or if adverse developments are experienced by financial institutions, it may cause short-term liquidity risk and also make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult, more costly and more dilutive. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely manner and on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy, financial performance and stock price and could require us to delay or abandon our business plans. In addition, there is a risk that one or more of our current customers, distributors, manufacturers, financial institutions or other third parties with whom we do business may be adversely affected by the foregoing risks, which may have an adverse effect on our business. We do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the near future, so our shareholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell their shares. We intend to retain any future earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividend. Accordingly, investors must be prepared to rely on sales of their shares after price appreciation to earn an investment return, which may never occur. Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Washington law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our shareholders, difficult and prevent attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management. Provisions in our Articles of Incorporation, as amended, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Washington law may delay or prevent an acquisition of us or a change in our management. These provisions include a prohibition on shareholder actions by less than unanimous written consent, limitations on the ability of shareholders to call a special meeting of shareholders and advance notice procedures with respect to the nomination of candidates for election as directors. In addition, because we are incorporated in Washington, we are governed by the provisions of Chapter 23B.19 of the Washington Business Corporation Act, which, among other things, restricts the ability of shareholders owning 10% or more of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us. Although we believe these provisions collectively provide for an opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors, they would apply even if an offer may be considered beneficial by some shareholders. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management by making it difficult for shareholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. We are a “ smaller reporting company, ” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors. We are a “smaller reporting company” under applicable SEC rules, meaning that the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million and our annual revenue was less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company if either (i) the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million, or (ii) our annual revenue was less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates was less than $700.0 million. As a smaller reporting company, we may choose to present only the two most recent years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations disclosure in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we may take advantage of reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation. - 25 - Table of Contents General Risk Factors If securities industry analysts do not publish research reports on us, or publish unfavorable reports on us, then the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected. Any trading market for our common stock may be influenced in part by any research reports that securities industry analysts publish about us. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities industry analysts. If no securities industry analysts commence coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected. - 26 - Table of Contents