MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A young entrepreneur who started his own company because he wanted to look and feel good about himself is focused on growing his bow-tie business, and helping other young people do the same.
Moziah Bridges owns Mo’s Bows Handcrafted Bowties, and at 19 years old, his business has already taken him around the world and back, a few times. Former presidents Obama and Bush headline his wall of fame, along with a dozen or so other famous people.
“I love different colors on one bow tie. Some of the African prints,” Bridges said, showing off his newly opened Memphis retail shop. “That’s my goal, to really have different prints and patterns that pop out at you, that you can’t make a decision at the checkout line.”
At 10 years old, this sharp-dressed kid was cutting and sewing at the family dinner table like his grandmother taught him.
“When we started out on this bow-tie journey, I like to say, Mo is 9, so I’m thinking lemonade stand at best,” said his mother, Tramica Morris.
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.
Memphis kid named to Time’s Most Influential Teens of 2015
“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 kid entreprenuers reach their dreams. They started the Mo’s Bows Foundation, where they help other children grow talents into businesses.
“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’s 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.
You can find out more about the foundation at info@mosbowsmemphis.com.
