Tony Barragan
Founder & CEO
Hemp Ville CBD/Hybrid Relief
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
Let’s go back to the ages of 14-20 (1990-1996) when I joined the gang—went from selling drugs to becoming addicted.
In '96, I decided to move away from Chicago, Illinois, to get away from the streets only to find myself getting high in the streets of Memphis, Tennessee.
I didn’t last long in Memphis. I got homesick, went back to Chicago, and it was no time before I hit back into the bad habits and ended up in jail for 9 days. I decided to give Memphis another shot.
This time, I came to Memphis with my girlfriend and tried to start a life on our own and it was no time again before I got back into drugs. Now in Memphis with a pregnant girlfriend and addicted.
After traveling to Mississippi to work from Memphis, we decided to move to Mississippi. That’s when I started to tap into my entrepreneurial skills and decided to open up a small taco shop.
Things seemed to get better but I knew nothing about managing a business so it was a struggle keeping it alive and that’s when the drugs came back into play. This time for a quick buck not just a high
I got busted soon after I started and spent 9 years in prison for selling 4 lbs of weed. But that’s where I met all of the right people and when I came home, I hit the ground running.
I was released in 2010 and since then, I’ve opened up several restaurants and two CBD stores and I hold the contract to feed the inmates and sell them commissary at the jail I served my time at.
Keep following my journey
Education
Some High School
Career
Founder & CEO
I own two CBD stores and I have just received one of the first medical marijuana dispensary licenses in Mississippi.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Entrepreneurship
Business
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
A typical day at work consists of making sure our consultants have the knowledge to sell our products. We teach patients what types of CBD might be good for whatever ailment they are dealing with and how to dose properly. I also deal with General Contractors on building our new cultivation facility and building our our new dispensary.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Money didn’t do it! Stop thinking that money is the only way to make it. Yes it’s needed for startups and to live, but money doesn’t fix everything. Faith and believing that nothing but you can stop you from living your dreams. I was homeless when someone financed me a restaurant with no money down. FAITH DID THAT!
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Bachelor
Business, Marketing, Technology
Business, Marketing, Technology
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"I’ve always heard I've been hard on myself because of my past. Being a two-time convicted felon and battling addiction for more than half of my life has always made me feel unworthy of my accomplishments or chasing my dreams."
Challenges I Overcame
Drugs / Addiction
