Back in 2011, 9 year old Moziah Bridges faced an issue. Nothing that I can find to wear fits my style! How can I look classy and feel good while I do it? The answer was simple, make your own accessories, specifically bow ties. With the help of his grandmother and her box of fabric scraps, a baby business was born. Mo saw a personal need and filled it, and it spread to so many others.
He learned to sew from his grandmother and started producing ties, 2000 of them by the time he was 11! a helpful boost to his business was his appearance on the Oprah magazine. At 11 years old, Mo appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank”. He was offered 3 three dollar royalty by Kevin, and Daymond offered to mentor him, but would not be giving any money. Mo accepted Daymond’s offer of mentorship, and the two have been working together since. in 2014 Mo was accepted into the Tennessee State Museum Costume and Textile Institute, and grew his fashion expertise to a whole new level with the skills he acquired there. In 2015, Mo served as the fashion correspondent for the NBA. This led to the NBA signing him on in 2017 to create custom bow ties and neckties for all 30 teams. Along with the Oprah magazine, Mo appeared twice on Time magazine list of most influential teens, and on Fortune’s “18 under 18” list.
Mo’s Bows, with just 5 employees(including his mother grandmother, and himself, as well as his mentor) has now sold over 700,000 worth of men’s accessories, including bow ties, neckties, pocket squares, and hats, all with Mo’s unique fabrics and designs. Mo’s Bows has also partnered with several retailers, including Cole Haan, Bloomingdale’s, the Home Shopping Network and Neiman Marcus.
Time to tie this all together. Mo’s entrepreneurial mind saw a personal need, and eventually that grew into a whole business venture. He used his fame and publicity to gain mentorship and guidance, and used that guidance to profit doing something he loves.
You can find Mo’s website here!