We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Naseim Jabr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Naseim below.

Naseim, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Securing our first office space was a monumental risk for Project Marque. At the time, we were progressing, but I needed to determine if it was the right kind of growth to build a great company. Were the clients we were working with daily the ones who could elevate Project Marque to the next level? Initially, we had to accept clients that weren’t the perfect fit due to our need for cash flow and capital growth. It was a difficult time emotionally and a significant financial risk, especially having to personally guarantee the lease as a relatively unestablished company, which added considerable pressure.
Despite these challenges, I realized that securing an office was essential to realize the vision for Project Marque and its future growth. Scouring downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Commerce, and several other cities, but nothing was suitable until a friend showed me an unlisted unit within a property he owned. After some negotiation and installing new flooring Project Marque secured its first office space. Quickly out growing that 1,500sqftoffice, leading us to now share a 10,000 sqft warehouse with friends. The risk in expanding and leasing an office, significantly benefited Project Marque and taught us the invaluable lesson that taking risks is essential for achieving greater success.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Naseim Jabr, founder and CEO of Project Marque. My journey in the apparel industry began with a failed clothing brand called Saints Culture, started alongside Project Marque’s current head of operations, Neo Santos. Though the brand didn’t last, it opened doors to opportunities in apparel development, eventually leading to the creation of Project Marque.
At Project Marque, we address a common challenge in the market: while many can sell merchandise once, they often fail to optimize the consumer experience or align products with their demographic’s expectations. As market dynamics shift, we help brands adapt, turning intangible ideas into tangible products.
Our mission is to chart a clear path through the choppy waters of apparel brand management. We provide a comprehensive range of services including product launch strategy, storage, fulfillment, customer service, web development, inventory management, and apparel development. Unlike typical apparel development companies, we partner with our clients to refine and build the infrastructure they need to succeed.
Our commitment to integrity and goal-oriented collaboration has been pivotal in fostering long-term relationships with our clients. We engage only with clients whose visions align with ours on a bigger picture. Focusing on robust, sustainable partnerships rather than spreading our resources too thin. This tailored approach ensures that each project receives our full attention and resources.
We pride ourselves on maintaining integrity and earning the trust of our clients. We believe in accountability, learning from our mistakes, and prioritizing long-term relationships over short-term gains. At Project Marque, we aim to resonate deeply with the people we work with every day, helping them develop products and customer experiences that resonate with their audience deepening the connection between brand and consumer.
Our message to potential clients, staff, and supporters is clear: we are deeply committed to building brands that develop products and customer experiences that resonate. Our goal is to endeavor in work that not only meets but exceeds expectations, fostering deeper connections between brands and their communities. At Project Marque, we take steps to contribute to our clients’ success.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One invaluable lesson I had to unlearn is the thought process that hard work will solely allow you to achieve your goals. Growing up, I constantly heard, “If you want to achieve anything, just work hard, and you’ll reach your goals.” This does have partial truth within it but does not give full direction on how to achieve your goals. Through my journey, I discovered that hard work, though essential, is not the sole factor in achieving a goal. There was not a particular moment where this had clicked, but through the accumulation of experiences over time such as playing basketball, venturing into entrepreneurship, or even maintaining relationships I realized that hard work alone was not the sole factor of positive outcomes within these experiences. Other critical factors like strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness also play a large role in achieving your goals. Life in my opinion is not just about pushing harder—it’s about working smarter and growing holistically.
For example, I used to and still do sometimes just power through tasks, even though my mind is not in the best state to do those things. When I could do the simplest thing, which may be to step back for a couple of minutes to just breathe and clear my head, and get back to it after that. I used to experience brain fog in the mornings but dismiss it, thinking persistence would be enough to push through. I know I have decided to think about why this is this happening to me? Leading to me changing my morning routine—adding this regiment in this particular order of exercise, coffee, and a shower—and suddenly, my productivity and clarity improved significantly. It wasn’t about brute force; it was about finding the right approach.
The lesson I had to unlearn is that hard work and brute force alone will not help you achieve your goals. Achieving your goals is about balance—working hard, yes, but also being thoughtful, strategic, and many more things depending on the situation at hand.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding a business is a difficult endeavor, even more so when you choose the route of not utilizing debt or equity stakes. Further past the hardships of gathering capital, there’s also an emotional weight to investing a lump sum of capital allocated from personal savings into a venture that carries the risk of failure any startup has.
My road map to financing Project Marque started unconventionally in middle school. I started by purchasing snacks like PPUSHU PPUSHU, candy, chips, and beverages from local stores like Smart and Final and Korean markets to resell. This remote brick and motor store came to a close when the dean of the school heard about it. From there, I got into the resale of apparel and sneakers through Instagram and my growing network in two markets: business-to-business and direct-to-consumer model. I would do research for upcoming sneaker releases, entering raffles throughout the city by walking, taking the bus, or getting rides from my parents. I would sometimes camp out overnight to secure items that I could sell for a profit. Looking at it now, all this for a few hundred dollars seems like a lot, but the experience was invaluable. Leading to the creation of a clothing brand, which ran at a loss each year, I try to look at it as a paid learning experience for me. This venture provided the foundational skills and industry insights necessary to transition into apparel development. Today, I continue to reinvest capital back into the business, fostering organic growth. This is the story of how I secured the initial capital to start and sustain my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.projectmarque.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectmarque?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw%3D%3D
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-marque/

Image Credits

Joelle Nessim took one of the photos.

Tatiana Cait took one of the photos.

They are both friends of mine and one is an employee.