StaffMarch 12, 2021
24-year-old entrepreneur Narmin Jarrous is the Chief Development Officer of Exclusive Brands, Michigan’s first-ever licensed dispensary. From her own life experiences, Narmin has dedicated her life to ensuring the industry succeeds in the best way possible while educating others about the health and wellness benefits of cannabis.
Narmin graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2018 with a degree in Behavioral and Biological Sciences and a minor in Sociology and then went into medical sales and was promoted to the Director of Marketing in just three short months.
Narmin worked at a restaurant management company throughout her high school and college tenure, where she was introduced to the team that would eventually be Exclusive Brands. She left her role in medical sales to run Exclusive’s Business Development department because her values aligned with the overall company mission of making clean and safe cannabis accessible to all while promoting social equity. She is the youngest executive in Exclusive history and hopes to make her mark on the cannabis industry.
The state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) turned to Narmin to structure and run its first remote Business Resource Workshop as part of the state’s social equity program. The presentation was a huge success and over 70 attendees turned out (usually there’s a crowd of about 10 for such state workshops). Narmin was diagnosed with Endometriosis about 10 years ago. Using different cannabis wellness products significantly helped her minimize the complications caused by Endometriosis and improved Narmin’s quality of life.
This inspired Narmin to launch a new cannabis lifestyle and wellness product line Neno’s Naturals that offers both medical and adult-use consumers access to superior quality natural products by utilizing ingredients sourced from local farmers to support health and strengthen communities. The line has a tranquil aesthetic and includes vaporizers, topical patches, tinctures, and capsules.
Full name: Narmin Jarrous
Title: Chief Development Officer
Company: Exclusive Brands
Years at current company: 1 year, 10 months
Education profile: University of Michigan-Dearborn, BA in Behavioral and Biological Sciences with a minor in Sociology.
Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: After graduation, I went into medical sales, where in just three short months I got promoted to Director of Marketing. This really pushed me out of my comfort zone as I never thought of myself as someone who’s necessarily creative, and I think marketing takes a lot of creativity. I’m much more of an analytical person, and I think that I brought a lot to the role, and the things I learned in that position really influenced the way I wanted to roll out Neno’s Naturals.
Company Mission: Increasing access to safe, clean cannabis on a nationwide scale by applying the same successful business model that Exclusive Brands established in Michigan in other states.
Company’s most successful achievement: Securing Michigan’s first adult-use licenses in cultivation, processing, and retail is something that I’m very proud we accomplished. We’ve managed to grow our retail presence, including opening a new retail store in Grand Rapids, while continuing to produce Michigan’s top brands. Being able to reach almost every cannabis consumer through our retail partners is such a great feeling.
Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): We have not raised any capital, and are completely self-funded and debt-free as of 2021.
Any plans on raising capital in the future? The market is changing every day. Our plans to secure capital will depend on the changing market conditions and how aggressively we choose to pursue our expansion in 2021 and beyond.
Most important company 5-year goal: My vision for the company is to continue expanding in a way that allows us to increase access to cannabis for everyone who needs it. As marijuana gains acceptance on the federal level, I hope we continue to see growth into other states where safe, high-quality cannabis isn’t accessible.
Cannabis has historically been difficult to access – especially in black and brown communities. These communities have been demonized, excessively policed and disenfranchised from the industry. Our hope is to increase cannabis accessibility in every way – from a geographic standpoint to an affordability standpoint. Anyone who wants access to this medicine should have it. That’s the idea behind Neno’s Naturals, the latest brand being launched through Exclusive Brands. Neno’s Naturals is committed to amplifying the message that cannabis is for everyone. Everybody is different, so people need a comprehensive approach to their cannabis consumption. Neno’s Naturals offers that through our wide selection and combination of patches, tinctures and vapes.
