Blue Line Protection Group, Inc. [BLPG] Filings

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023

For the Transition Period from __________ to _______

Commission File Number: 000-52942

BLUE LINE PROTECTION GROUP, INC.

(Name of small business issuer in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number: (800) 844-5576

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, $0.001 par value

(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicated by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files) Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☐ No ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2023 was approximately $1,144,000.

As of April 1, 2024 the registrant had 8,250,144 outstanding shares of common stock.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

BLUE LINE PROTECTION GROUP, INC.

FORM 10-K

For the year ended December 31, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements about our business, financial condition and prospects that reflect our management’s assumptions and beliefs based on information currently available. We can give no assurance that the expectations indicated by such forward-looking statements will be realized. If any of our assumptions should prove incorrect, or if any of the risks and uncertainties underlying such expectations should materialize, our actual results may differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements.

The key factors that are not within our control and that may have a direct bearing on operating results include, but are not limited to, acceptance of our services, our ability to expand our customer base, managements’ ability to raise capital in the future, the retention of key employees and changes in the regulation of our industry.

There may be other risks and circumstances that management may be unable to predict. When used in this report, words such as, “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “estimates” and similar expressions are intended to identify and qualify forward-looking statements, although there may be certain forward-looking statements not accompanied by such expressions.

PART I

We were originally incorporated in Nevada on September 11, 2006, under the name The Engraving Masters, Inc. (the “Company”).

On May 2, 2014, we changed our name to Blue Line Protection Group, Inc.

On February 8, 2021, our directors approved a 100-for-1 reverse split of our common stock. The reverse stock split became effective in the public market in July 2021.

We provide armed protection and transportation, currency processing and training, and compliance services for businesses engaged in the legal cannabis industry. During the year ended December 31, 2023 approximately 45% of our revenue was derived from transportation services. The remaining 55% of our revenue was derived from currency processing services (54%) and training and compliance services (1%).

Our operations are based out of the Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan areas. Our corporate headquarters are located at 5765 Logan Street, Denver, CO 80216.

Principal Services

Cultivation facilities are the producers of legal cannabis that eventually make its way to consumers. Growers’ operations typically span a large geographic footprint, making them susceptible to theft, as are shipments from the growers to testing laboratories or to retail dispensaries. Additionally, due to current federal marijuana legislation and banking environment, growers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure their cash, purchase equipment and obtain financing for expansion.

Dispensaries are the retail face of the legal cannabis industry. All legal sales of cannabis products are transacted through dispensaries that are state-licensed. To maintain their licenses, dispensaries must comply with a variety of state-mandated reporting requirements, including reporting every gram of cannabis passing in and out of the store. Dispensaries also face financing and banking challenges similar to those that growers encounter.

We do not grow, test or sell cannabis.

Our services cover the following:

Protection and Transportation

Fundamental to the legal cannabis industry is the protection of product and cash throughout the distribution channel. Manufacturers ship samples of their product to independent laboratories where the samples are tested for compliance with state-mandated parameters. If the samples are in compliance, the product is then shipped to the retail dispensaries, where it is sold to the public.

Due to the current banking and regulatory environments, payments between each step in the distribution network are predominantly made in cash from the customer. Therefore, these businesses are forced into having to transport bags of money between growers and dispensaries and their own vaults or storage facilities.

The risk of theft of cash and product is present at every stage, even when they are not in transit. Accordingly, all cannabis businesses require security measures to prevent theft, mitigate risk to employees and maintain regulatory compliance.

We began our security and protection operations in Colorado in February 2014. Since that time, we have become one of the largest legal cannabis protection services companies in the state. We offer a fully integrated approach to managing the movement of cannabis and cash from growers through dispensaries via armed and armored transport, currency processing, vaulting and related credit. Currency processing services generally include counting, sorting and wrapping currency.

In 2018 we expanded our operations into Arizona and Nevada, and in 2022 we began servicing the New Mexico market.

We currently supply asset protection via armored transportation and currency processing services to licensees in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, out of our two business locations. We are focused on encompassing all compliance needs on behalf of our clients, as mandated by the State and Federal authorities for the protection, transport and sale of cannabis.

Banking

The banking system in the U.S. is, in most states, federally regulated. Possession or distribution of marijuana violates federal law, and banks that provide support for those activities face the risk of prosecution and assorted sanctions. Currently, almost all payments for the sales of cannabis are made in cash, due the inability of sellers to obtain merchant processing accounts. As a result, processing money from marijuana sales puts federally insured banks at risk of drug trafficking and racketeering charges, so they’ve refused to open accounts for marijuana-related businesses. 


Marijuana businesses that can’t use banks may have too much cash they can’t safely put away, leaving them vulnerable to criminals. Jurisdictions that allow cannabis sales want a channel to receive taxes, so safely securing cash is of paramount importance.

In February 2014, the Obama administration gave banks a road map for conducting transactions with cannabis sellers operating within state regulations so these companies can deposit cash, make payroll and pay taxes like a traditional business. The move was designed to let financial institutions serve such businesses while ensuring that they know their customers’ legitimacy and remain obligated to report possible criminal activity.

We have created a means for the banks to validate compliance with the federal mandate mentioned above. Currently only a security company could match the compliance requirements as only we can vertically integrate the source of funds through the Federally required 12 steps, summarized as from grow, to sale, (to those of approved age or license), to purchaser, to funds received, to where the funds were held, to vault, to third party validation, to tax, to profits, to access to the banking system etc. We are uniquely positioned, through a number of partnership and cooperation agreements, to provide banking solutions to our clients.

Compliance

Laws concerning business procedures and practices are changing across the nation. It’s hard to keep up with all the changes, and business owners have to balance their day-to-day operations with remaining compliant with and responsive to regulatory agencies. Blue Line Protection Group provides daily on-site compliance verification to ensure that local business owners are operating lawful and inspection-ready establishments. Our security experts, trained in “crime prevention through environmental design” (CPTED) techniques, can provide crucial advice about enhancing the interior and exterior security of your establishment.

We communicate regularly with local and national government representatives to ensure that we remain the top-tier security and protection group in the states where we do business. Retail establishments aren’t the only ones who have to remain compliant with the pertinent laws - we do, as well.

With the addition of our compliance module clients can be confident they will not lose their license for some small or large error by their staff that might put their cannabis license in jeopardy. Their license being, in most instances, their most valuable asset. We are relieving them of several burdens they are ill suited to comply with. (Most licensees were formally acting outside the law prior to the legislation and have little to no compliance experience).

Training

Many of our security personnel have established military or police backgrounds. We ensure our employees are prepared to offer clients, their staff and customers a safe and secure environment. All members of our armored transportation team and security operators are required to undertake our mandatory, rigorous 40-hour introductory compliance and training curriculum created and supervised by veteran law enforcement officers. They also undergo required annual training and firearm requalification to maintain proper licensing.

In addition to internal training, we also offer other businesses, houses of worship and the general public a wide variety of safety, security and personal defense courses and firearms training.

Growth Strategy

The development of the legal markets for cannabis is a function of state legislation. As a result, while specific markets may not be currently available, we actively monitor the progress of legislation and know with some degree of certainty when new geographic markets will be coming on line. This allows us to target our limited sales and marketing resources to those new markets. In this way, we believe the current legislative environment works in our favor - if the whole country were currently a potential market our limited resources would result in an inability to effectively cover all potential market territories. With limited markets open we can better cover those available territories.

Marketing

Virtually all of our sales, to date, have been generated without using paid media. Our armed operators conduct the majority of our marketing and advertising efforts. Several of our operators are former police officers or military personnel and are the face of our company. They interact with business owners, employees, and customers on a daily basis. As such, they generate significant brand awareness and word-of-mouth goodwill. Complementary to this, our sales team and our management actively engage with business owners directly to generate awareness of our company and the services we provide, as well as to identify the potential for sales or referrals.

In addition to a direct sales approach and word-of-mouth advertising, we have been featured in news articles and video documentaries by outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fortune and CNBC, which have served to increase brand awareness nationwide. We have also attended a variety of industry trade shows and have been granted membership in industry groups.

Industry Background

The total market for marijuana, is estimated to exceed the economic value of corn and wheat combined. Marijuana is widely considered the largest cash crop in the United States. Businesses have been positioning themselves for years, each trying to establish a leadership position in the legal cannabis industry, projected to reach as high as $37 billion in retail sales by 2024.

Competition

We believe the primary factors in attracting and retaining customers are expertise, service quality, and price. Our competitive advantages include:

Our cost structure is generally competitive, although certain competitors may have lower costs due to a variety of factors, including lower wages, lower initial and ongoing training requirements, less costly employee benefits, or less stringent security and service standards. We anticipate facing competitive pricing pressure in many markets; however, we plan to resist competing on price alone. We believe our high levels of service and security, as well as value-added solutions, differentiates us from competitors.

We compete with companies of all sizes in a variety of geographies that offer solutions that compete with single elements of our platform, such as regulatory compliance, armored transportation services and cash processing. The security services industry is a large and competitive market. More specifically, however, the market for security and storage solutions as it pertains to legal marijuana companies is a nascent market, resulting in a highly fragmented and fractured marketplace. Some of the companies we compete with are much larger than us, and such companies have significantly greater resources than us. None of the large security companies, such as Brinks, Argyle, Tyco or Torment, are currently competing in this market segment, although there can be no guarantee this trend will continue.

Significantly all of our current and potential traditional competitors have longer operating histories, larger customer or user bases, greater brand recognition and significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to secure experienced employees, accommodate customers more efficiently and adopt more aggressive pricing policies than we can. Many of these current and potential competitors can devote substantially more resources to advertising, marketing and attracting experienced talent than we can. In addition, larger, more well-established and financed entities may acquire, invest in or form joint ventures with our competitors.

Government Regulation

In most jurisdictions we are required to obtain government approval to provide security and/or investigative services. We expect to make every effort to comply with all existing and pending regulatory conditions and licensing requirements in each state we currently or potentially operate in.

Continued development of the marijuana industry is dependent upon continued legislative authorization of marijuana at the state and federal levels. Any number of factors could slow or halt progress in this area. Further, progress, while encouraging, is not assured. While there may be ample public support for legislative action, numerous factors impact the legislative process. Any one of these factors could slow or halt use of marijuana, which would negatively impact our proposed business.

Marijuana is a Schedule-I controlled substance and is illegal under federal law. Even in those states in which the use of marijuana has been legalized, its use remains a violation of federal laws. There are currently 38 states and the District of Columbia allowing its citizens to use Medical Marijuana. Additionally, 24 states and Washington D.C. have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use. The state laws are in conflict with the federal Controlled Substances Act, which makes marijuana use and possession illegal on a national level. The former Obama administration has effectively stated that it is not an efficient use of resources to direct federal law enforcement agencies to prosecute those lawfully abiding by state-designated laws allowing the use and distribution of medical marijuana. However, any administration could change this policy and decide to enforce the federal laws strongly. Active enforcement of the current federal regulatory position on cannabis may thus indirectly and adversely affect our revenues and profits. Any such change in the federal government’s enforcement of current federal laws could cause significant financial damage to us. While we remain non-plant touching and do not intend to harvest, distribute or sell cannabis, we may be irreparably harmed by a change in enforcement by the Federal or state governments that affects our customers’ businesses.

Intellectual Property

We are developing proprietary streamlined government-certified software capable of tracking all movements of cannabis products through to cash to taxes paid to deposits with the Federal Reserve Bank. The technology behind our software is being engineered and developed by subcontractors, and we consider it proprietary and confidential, and protected under trade secret laws. We have not sought to patent our aspect of this technology; however, we have not yet determined if we will seek to patent any aspect of the software in the future.

We plan to protect our proprietary and confidential information through a series of non-compete and non-disclosure contracts with our employees, contractors and other interested parties. The law of protection of confidential information effectively allows a perpetual monopoly in secret information, and it does not expire as would a patent. The lack of formal protection, however, means that a third party is not prevented from independently duplicating and using the secret information once it is discovered.

Number of employees

As of April 1, 2024, we had 31 full and part-time employees, some of which are former military or law enforcement professionals.

Properties

We lease our offices in Denver, Colorado pursuant to a lease which expires on October 26, 2026. We have the option to extend the term of the lease for two additional five-year periods. The lease requires rental payments of approximately $11,487 per month which increases 2% annually.

We lease our offices in Phoenix, Arizona pursuant to a lease which expires on May 31, 2028. We have the option to extend the term of the lease for one additional five-year period. The lease requires rental payments of approximately $6,380 per month which increases 4% annually.

Not applicable.

None.

We have not adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, or persons performing similar functions since one person, Daniel Allen, serves in all the above capacities.

Companies such as ours face a variety of risks, including financial reporting, legal, credit, liquidity, operational, health, safety and cybersecurity risks. The Board believes an effective risk management system will (1) identify the material risks that we face in a timely manner, (2) communicate necessary information with respect to material risks to senior executives and, as appropriate, to our directors (3) implement or oversee implementation of appropriate and responsive risk management and mitigation strategies consistent with our risk profile, and (4) integrate risk management into our decision-making.

Our Board oversees risk management after receiving briefings from Integris IT and also based on its own analysis and conclusions regarding the adequacy of our risk management processes. The Board continuously evaluates and manages material risks including geopolitical and enterprise risks, financial risks, environmental risks, health and safety risks and cybersecurity risks. Integris IT informs our directors about any cybersecurity risks and monitors the prevention, detection, mitigation, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents.

Integris IT, which provides security systems and firewalls for our computer and data network, is responsible for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks, which may affect us. Integris IT is experienced in assessing and managing cybersecurity risks as a result of providing computer and data network security systems for its clients.

To date we have not experienced any cybersecurity threats and any risks from cybersecurity threats have not materially affected, and are not reasonably likely to materially affect, our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.

See Item 1. Business.

None.

None.

PART II

The high and low closing prices of our common stock for the periods indicated are set forth below. These closing prices do not reflect retail mark-up, markdown or commissions.

As of April 1, 2024 we had 8,250,144 outstanding shares of common stock held by approximately 216 shareholders of record. Our transfer agent is Pacific Stock Transfer Company, 4045 South Spencer Street, Suite 403, Las Vegas, NV 89119, phone (702) 361-3033.

Not applicable.

Certain statements set forth below under this caption constitute forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” preceding Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional factors relating to such statements.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Report.

Results of Operations

Material changes in line items in our Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the same period last year, are discussed below:

Capital Resources and Liquidity

Our material sources and <uses> of cash during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were:

General

See Notes 6 and 7 to the financial statements included as part of this report for information concerning our notes payable.

Other than as disclosed above, we do not anticipate any material capital requirements for the twelve months ending March 31, 2025.

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this report, we do not know of any trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that will result in, or that are reasonable likely to result in, our liquidity increasing or decreasing in any material way.

Other than as disclosed in this Item 7, we do not know of any significant changes in our expected sources and uses of cash.

We do not have any commitments or arrangements from any person to provide us with any equity capital. During the next 12 months, we anticipate that we will incur approximately $1.860.000 of general and administrative expenses in order to execute our current business plan. We also plan to incur sales, marketing, research and development expenses during the next 12 months. We may need to obtain additional financing to continue our operations. We may not be able to obtain additional funding on terms that are favorable to us or at all. We may not be able to obtain sufficient funding to continue our operations, or if we do receive funding, to generate adequate revenues in the future or to operate profitably in the future. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have not entered into any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies

Management considers the following policies critical because they are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and operating results, and they require management to make judgments and estimates about inherently uncertain matters.

Accounts receivable. Accounts receivable are stated at the amount we expect to collect from outstanding balances and do not bear interest. We provide for probable uncollectible amounts through an allowance for doubtful accounts, if an allowance is deemed necessary. The allowance for doubtful accounts is our best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in our existing accounts receivable; however, changes in circumstances relating to accounts receivable may result in a requirement for additional allowances in the future. On a periodic basis, management evaluates its accounts receivable and determines the requirement for an allowance for doubtful accounts based on its assessment of the current and collectible status of individual accounts with past due balances over 90 days. Account balances are charged against the allowance after all collection efforts have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote.

Revenue recognition. As all of our Revenue is generated from services offerings, Revenue recognition is the same for each of our revenue streams. We recognize revenue when all of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement; (2) the service has been provided to the customer; (3) the amount of fees to be paid by the customer is fixed or determinable; and (4) the collection of its fees is reasonably assured.

Stock-based compensation. The Company records stock based compensation in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 505 and 718, which requires the Company to recognize expenses related to the fair value of our employee stock option awards. This eliminates accounting for share-based compensation transactions using the intrinsic value and requires instead that such transactions be accounted for using a fair-value-based method. We recognize the cost of all share-based awards on a graded vesting basis over the vesting period of the award.

The Company accounts for equity instruments issued in exchange for the receipt of goods or services from other than employees in accordance with FASB ASC 718-10 and the conclusions reached by the FASB ASC 505-50. Costs are measured at the estimated fair market value of the consideration received or the estimated fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. The value of equity instruments issued for consideration other than employee services is determined on the earliest of a performance commitment or completion of performance by the provider of goods or services as defined by FASB ASC 505-50.

Significant Accounting Policies

See Note 2 to the financial statements included as part of this report for a description of our significant accounting policies.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, the FASB or other standards setting bodies issue new accounting pronouncements. Updates to the FASB ASCs are communicated through issuance of an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”). Unless otherwise discussed, we believe that the impact of recently issued guidance, whether adopted or to be adopted in the future, is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

To understand the impact of recently issued guidance, whether adopted or to be adopted, please review the information provided in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included as part of this Report.

Not applicable.

Our financial statements are contained later in this report beginning on page F-1.

None

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain a set of disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that this information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. We evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this report. As a result of this evaluation, management concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 for the same reasons that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective:

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the company’s board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and includes those policies and procedures that:

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Because of the inherent limitations of internal control, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to reduce, though not eliminate, this risk.

As of December 31, 2023, management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013) and SEC guidance on conducting such assessments. Based on that evaluation, management concluded that, during the period covered by this report, such internal controls and procedures were not effective due to the following material weakness identified:

This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit the Company to provide only the management’s report in this annual report.

Implemented or Planned Remedial Actions in response to the Material Weaknesses

We will continue to strive to correct the above noted weakness in internal control once we have adequate funds to do so. We believe appointing a director who qualifies as a financial expert will improve the overall performance of our control over our financial reporting.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2023 that materially affect, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

The Company’s management, including the chief executive officer and principal financial officer, do not expect that its disclosure controls or internal controls will prevent all errors or all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake.

None of our directors or officers adopted or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or a non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K) during the quarterly period ending December 31, 2023.

Not applicable.

PART III

Our directors are elected by the stockholders to a term of one year and serve until their successors are elected and qualified. The officers are appointed by our Board of Directors to a term of one year and serve until his/her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until he/she is removed from office.

The names and ages of our directors and executive officers and their positions are as follows:

Daniel Allen was appointed an officer and director July 28, 2015. Mr. Allen resigned as an Officer on March 13, 2020. Mr. Allen was appointed our Chief Executive, Financial and Accounting Officer on August 4, 2022. Mr. Allen provided us with consulting services in the areas of banking and financing for four months in 2014. Between April 2013 and March 2014 Mr. Allen served as the Regional Vice President of Sunflower Bank in Longmont, Colorado. Between June 2001 and April 2013, Mr. Allen was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mile High Banks in Longmont, Colorado. Mr. Allen holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and Finance from the University of Utah. On March 13^th, 2020, Daniel Allen resigned from his position as CEO. Dan remains an active member of our Board.

Doyle Knudson was appointed as one of our directors on July 28, 2015. Between 1975 and 2002 Mr. Knudson held various positions with C.H. Robinson Company, a large multimodal transportation service provider. In 1975 he started in the corporate marketing center responsible for information services for carrier capacity, carrier insurance verification and research at the ICC in Washington, DC for common carrier authority. In 1976 Mr. Knudson was transferred to Ross Truck, a division of C.H. Robinson – customer support for publication logistics for Target stores and RR Donnelly. In 1978 Mr. Knudson was transferred to Lake Wales, FL as a Transportation Salesman responsible for customer development with agri business customers. In 1982 Mr. Knudson was promoted and transferred as Transportation Manager when he opened a new branch office in Houston, TX. In 1987 Mr. Knudson was promoted to General Manager at a new branch office in El Paso, TX, developing and providing logistics services for Coca Cola; Phelps, Dodge, Dell Computers and Phillips Electronics.

Andrew Berman was elected as one of our directors on February 28, 2023. Berman has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. His work experience includes practicing law, Business Affairs at America Online, C-level roles in technology businesses, private investing, and extensive cannabis experience in 7 states since 2015. This cannabis work includes Maui Wellness Group (HI), Ohio Grown Therapies (OH), CEO of Harborside Inc. (CA), which he took public on the CSE in 2019, President of Greenfield Cannabis Co. (CA), a cultivator and manufacturer of premier cannabis products located in Monterey County, and PRICH Biotech, Puerto Rico’s largest vertical operator. Berman also has broad government relations experience, having been twice elected to the City Council for the City of Mill Valley, California, including two terms as Mayor.

Audit Committee, Independent Directors and Financial Expert

We do not have an Audit Committee; our board of directors currently acts as our Audit Committee. Doyle Knudson is an independent director, as that term is defined in the rules of the NYSE American. None of our directors is considered a “Financial Expert”.

Code of Ethics

We have not adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, or persons performing similar functions since one person, Daniel Allen, serves in all the above capacities.

Overview of Compensation Program

Our Board of Directors acts as our Compensation Committee and has responsibility for establishing, implementing and continually monitoring adherence to our compensation philosophy. The Board of Directors ensures that the total compensation paid to our executives is fair, reasonable and competitive.

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

The Board of Directors believes that the most effective executive compensation program is one that is designed to reward the achievement of specific annual, long-term and strategic goals by the Company and that aligns executives’ interests with those of the stockholders by rewarding performance above established goals, with the ultimate objective of improving stockholder value. As a result of the size of the Company and only having two executive officers, the Board evaluates both performance and compensation on an informal basis. Upon hiring additional executives, the Board intends to evaluate the necessity of establishing a Compensation Committee to evaluate both performance and compensation to ensure that the Company maintains its ability to attract and retain superior employees in key positions and that compensation provided to key employees remains competitive relative to the compensation paid to similarly-situated executives of peer companies. To that end, the Board believes executive compensation packages provided by the Company to its executives, including the named executive officers, should include both cash and stock-based compensation that reward performance as measured against established goals.

Role of Directors

Our Directors make all compensation decisions for, and approve recommendations regarding, equity awards to our Directors and employees.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 the compensation paid by the Company for those years to its officers:

Equity Compensation Plan

Up to 15,000,000 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance under our 2014-2015 Stock Incentive Plan (“the Plan”).

The purposes of the Plan are to enhance our ability to attract and retain the services of qualified employees, officers and directors, contractors and other service providers upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts the successful conduct and development of our business largely depends, and to provide additional incentives to such persons or entities to devote their utmost effort and skill to our advancement and betterment by providing them an opportunity to participate in the ownership of our common stock and thereby have an interest in our success.

Shares that are eligible for grant under the Plan include Incentive Stock Options, Non-Qualified Stock Options and Restricted Stock. “Incentive Options” are any options designated and qualified as an “incentive stock option” as defined in Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code. “Non-Qualified Options” are any options that are not an Incentive Option. To the extent that any option designated as an Incentive Option fails in whole or in part to qualify as an Incentive Option, it will constitute a Non-Qualified Option. “Restricted Stock” are shares of common stock issued pursuant to any restrictions and conditions as established by the Plan.

Only our employees (including our officers and Directors if they are employees) are eligible to receive Incentive Options under the Plan.

Our employees, officers and Directors (whether or not employed by us), and service providers are eligible to receive Non-Qualified Options or acquire Restricted Stock under the Plan.

The following tables list the options granted, cancelled and exercised during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 to our officers and directors pursuant to the Plan:

Options Granted

Options Cancelled

Options Exercised

The following shows certain information as of December 31, 2023 concerning the stock options and stock bonuses granted pursuant to the Plan. Each option represents the right to purchase one share of common stock.

Directors’ Compensation

During 2023, we paid each director $7,500 for serving as a director. During 2022 we paid each director $2,500 for serving as a director.

Insider Trading Arrangements and Policies

We are committed to promoting high standards of ethical business conduct and compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. As part of this commitment, we have adopted our Insider Trading Policy governing the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of our securities by our directors, officers, employees and others that we believe is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations. A copy of our Insider Trading Policy is filed as Exhibit 19 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following table shows the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock as of April 1, 2024 by (i) each person whom the Company knows beneficially owns more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock; (ii) each of the Company’s officers and directors; and (iii) all the officers and directors as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, each owner has sole voting and investment powers over his shares of common stock.

Note: As used in this table, “beneficial ownership” means the sole or shared power to vote, or to direct the voting of, a security, or the sole or share investment power with respect to a security (i.e., the power to dispose of, or to direct the disposition of a security).

See Note 7 to the Financial Statements included as a part of this report for information regarding notes payable to related parties.

The following table sets forth fees billed to us by our independent auditors for the years ended 2023 and 2022 for (i) services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and the review of our quarterly financial statements, (ii) services rendered that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements that are not reported as Audit Fees, and (iii) services rendered in connection with tax preparation, compliance, advice and assistance.

Audit fees and audit related fees represent amounts billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and the review of our interim financial statements. Before our independent accountants were engaged by to render these services, their engagement was approved by our Directors.

None.

SIGNATURES

In accordance with Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized.

In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Annual Report was signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates stated:

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and

Stockholders of Blue Line Protection Group, Inc.

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Blue Line Protection Group, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has an accumulated deficit and had a working capital deficiency as of December 31, 2023, which raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding those matters are discussed in Note 3. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Derivative Liabilities

As discussed in Note 8, the Company borrows funds through the use of convertible notes payable that contain a conversion price that may be fixed or fluctuates with the stock price.

Auditing management’s estimates of the fair value of the derivative liability involves significant judgments and estimates given the embedded conversion features of the notes.

To evaluate the appropriateness of the fluctuation of the conversion price, the embedded conversion feature requires bifurcation from the host contract and is recorded as a liability subject to market adjustments as of each reporting period. Significant judgment is exercised by the Company in determining derivative liability values for these convertible note agreements, including the use of a specialist engaged by management.

We evaluated management’s conclusions regarding their derivative liability, reviewed support for the significant inputs used in the valuation model and assessed the model for reasonableness. In addition, we evaluated the Company’s disclosure in relation to this matter included in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.

/s/ M&K CPAS, PLLC

M&K CPAS, PLLC

PCAOB ID 2738

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.

The Woodlands, TX

April 1, 2024

BLUE LINE PROTECTION GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

BLUE LINE PROTECTION GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

BLUE LINE PROTECTION GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 AND 2022

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

BLUE LINE PROTECTION GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 AND 2022