Aside from what others have mentioned I'd say there a few (related) things to consider.
1) Market Saturation - Places like Iquitos (which you mentioned) and Baños/Puyo, Ecuador have plenty of options available to tourists. How would you stand out in a place like this?
2) Who is the face of your business? Is it you or the shaman? When I was researching different agencies I found one that said something along the lines of "come have an ayahuasca experience with our own shaman, Gringo Bob!" While I think that people without a real connection to the rainforest can't have a truly authentic experience*, this is flagrantly flaunting the fact that it's a fully inauthentic transactional experience. Some people have said to me that the most meaningful ayahuasca experience comes to you and not vice versa. They recommend just being in the place where people have traditionally used it and hanging around for awhile until someone approaches you because they sense that you're ready. GlobalMan's response hints at this. Maybe this is how you should find your shaman (assuming you would have one to administer and lead the ceremonies).
3) What is your intention? It's not clear from your post above. You mention making money or helping people improve their math scores and vision. What about helping people overcome their demons, see themselves or their life situations with perfect unbiased clarity, or otherwise having some sort of psychological and spiritual benefit? Another related question here is whether you think it's really worthwhile to offer these experiences outside of the natural ecosystem where the plants grow, like a beach or even an urban area.
You're considering Tijuana as your location. Think about the clientele you'd get there - yahoo American thrill seekers. You say you don't want the SoCal/LA crowd but realistically this will be the majority of your clients and in what region of the world do people have less self awareness and connection to spirituality? While curiosity is a legitimate reason to do it (once) you know full well that it's not a recreational drug, yet this is exactly the type of usage you'd be encouraging. I think you know as well as I do that this is a recipe for freakouts and most of your time would be spent on psychedelic harm reduction as opposed to helping someone grow.
While I support your venture, I don't think this is something to be taken lightly. Although GlobalMan's analogy is somewhat apt, I think the stakes are much higher than opening a bar or a restaurant. If you end up serving shitty food at a restaurant, people have a bad meal and give you 1 or 2 stars on Yelp but here we're talking about an experience that can be potentially traumatizing with permanent effects if it isn't handled very skillfully.
In any case I wish you the best and I hope you keep us posted.
* Don't get me wrong, I think anyone can have a deeply meaningful and beneficial experience with ayhausaca, but I suspect that there's another deepest level that can only be experienced by people who evolved along with it in the selva.
1) Market Saturation - Places like Iquitos (which you mentioned) and Baños/Puyo, Ecuador have plenty of options available to tourists. How would you stand out in a place like this?
2) Who is the face of your business? Is it you or the shaman? When I was researching different agencies I found one that said something along the lines of "come have an ayahuasca experience with our own shaman, Gringo Bob!" While I think that people without a real connection to the rainforest can't have a truly authentic experience*, this is flagrantly flaunting the fact that it's a fully inauthentic transactional experience. Some people have said to me that the most meaningful ayahuasca experience comes to you and not vice versa. They recommend just being in the place where people have traditionally used it and hanging around for awhile until someone approaches you because they sense that you're ready. GlobalMan's response hints at this. Maybe this is how you should find your shaman (assuming you would have one to administer and lead the ceremonies).
3) What is your intention? It's not clear from your post above. You mention making money or helping people improve their math scores and vision. What about helping people overcome their demons, see themselves or their life situations with perfect unbiased clarity, or otherwise having some sort of psychological and spiritual benefit? Another related question here is whether you think it's really worthwhile to offer these experiences outside of the natural ecosystem where the plants grow, like a beach or even an urban area.
You're considering Tijuana as your location. Think about the clientele you'd get there - yahoo American thrill seekers. You say you don't want the SoCal/LA crowd but realistically this will be the majority of your clients and in what region of the world do people have less self awareness and connection to spirituality? While curiosity is a legitimate reason to do it (once) you know full well that it's not a recreational drug, yet this is exactly the type of usage you'd be encouraging. I think you know as well as I do that this is a recipe for freakouts and most of your time would be spent on psychedelic harm reduction as opposed to helping someone grow.
While I support your venture, I don't think this is something to be taken lightly. Although GlobalMan's analogy is somewhat apt, I think the stakes are much higher than opening a bar or a restaurant. If you end up serving shitty food at a restaurant, people have a bad meal and give you 1 or 2 stars on Yelp but here we're talking about an experience that can be potentially traumatizing with permanent effects if it isn't handled very skillfully.
In any case I wish you the best and I hope you keep us posted.
* Don't get me wrong, I think anyone can have a deeply meaningful and beneficial experience with ayhausaca, but I suspect that there's another deepest level that can only be experienced by people who evolved along with it in the selva.
