Who we are
Creswell Advisory is an experienced group of specialists focused on the transaction of business licenses and assets in highly regulated industries. We have had a hand in building these industries, brick by brick, over decades and disciplines.
With a deep network of regulatory and financial consulting experts, we lead clients through the acquisition, startup, expansion, and exit phases of the business life cycle.
Our passions lie in industries that require special attention and care due to their effect on the human condition and experience. From alcohol, to cannabis and hemp, psychedelics, and beyond, we facilitate the networks and deals necessary to evolve each sector.
We believe in service, authenticity, entrepreneurship, and strong ecosystems built to last via clear communication and fair deal-making.
Our leadership
Michael Werner is a Founding Partner and the Managing Director of Creswell. With nearly two decades of leadership and consulting experience, from early-stage startups to established industry leaders, he advises Creswell clients along the business life cycle.
A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin with degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship, he began his career in new business development, venture capital, sales, and operations across industries such as tech, real estate, and CPGs, including founding and funding caffeine and alcohol companies. Michael then worked in cannabis license pursuit consulting for nearly a decade, producing hundreds of cannabis entrepreneurs and selling tens of millions in services, before working independently for a brief period, and then founding Creswell with his fellow experienced and specialized partners. His work today focuses on expansion and exit strategies through business license markets, with a particular focus on cannabis and hemp.
Michael also serves as a strategic advisor to small and mid-sized companies in caffeine, alcohol, and psychedelics, and is an active member of the National Cannabis Industry Association Financial Services Committee. He is driven by the belief that well-run businesses offering well-crafted products and services can meaningfully enhance and advance the human condition. When not working with clients and colleagues to build the future of these industries, you can find Michael coming down from a long hike in the Rockies, headed toward some barbecue and craft beer, with his wife, Justine, and pup, Emmie-Lou.