Tennessee entrepreneur starts foundation to help young business owners

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A young Tennessee entrepreneur has started a foundation to help other young business owners.

Moziah Bridges owns Mo’s Bows Handcrafted Bowties. At 19 years old, his business has already taken taken off.

Bridges just opened a retail shop in Memphis and counts President Barack Obama and George W. Bush as people who have worn his designs.

At 10 years old, Bridges was cutting and sewing at the family dinner table, just as his grandmother had taught him.

His mother, Tramica Morris, said she noticed that she’d send her son to school with a bow tie, and he’d come home without it, telling her he’d sold it or traded it at school.

“At the same time, he saw the value in his product, so once it started making money, I think I said quickly, ‘Mo could be my boss,’” Morris said. “And then that’s what happened, at 9 years old, my boss was my son.”

The savvy grade-school entrepreneur landed on “The Steve Harvey Show,” then “Shark Tank.” He made the glossy pages of style magazines. At 13, the NBA even hired him as a fashion correspondent for Draft Day. Two years later, he got a licensing deal with them.

“It’s been great to have so many mentors,” Bridges said. “Of course I have Obama, and Daymond John. He’s been a great mentor from ‘Shark Tank,’ and I always say that he gives me great advice.”

Bridges realizes the importance mentors have played in his success, so that’s why he and his mother plan to help other young entrepreneurs reach their dreams. They started the Mo’s Bows Foundation, where they help other children grow talents into businesses.

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“I thought, I’ve done it with Mo and it’s proven to be pretty good, so I just wanted to use the resources that we’ve made over the years to help and invest in other children,” Morris said.

During the pandemic, Bridges added swanky masks to his inventory, coordinating them with his bow ties. His goals now are a clothing line and more retail shops.

Mo’s Bows also makes a signature bow tie each year, giving the proceeds to a summer camp program. Last year, the Go Mo program sent more than 50 kids to summer camp.

While his business keeps growing, so do Bridges’ dreams — not just for himself, but for others.

“It’s basically, if we can’t leave something behind or if we can’t help someone else achieve what I have achieved, then there’s no point in this at all,” he said.