Meet Moziah Bridges, the 12-year-old Memphis entrepreneur who turned handmade bow ties into a business that generated about $150,000 in sales and funded summer camp for local children

At an age when most children were focused on school, sports and weekend plans, Moziah Bridges was already thinking about fabric, patterns and customers. He was only 9 when he started making bow ties, but the hobby quickly became a business with a growing customer base and a small team behind it. Within three years, Bridges had built Mo’s Bows into a business reported to be worth about $150,000, attracting national media attention along the way.

How did a love of bow ties become a business?

Bridges’ interest in fashion started well before he understood entrepreneurship. At 4, he was already drawn to suits and ties and preferred choosing his own clothes. The problem that eventually led to his business was surprisingly simple: he wanted bow ties designed for children, but did not like what he found in stores.

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The available choices were limited in color and style, and many of the bow ties were clip-ons. Bridges wanted something different. With help from his grandmother, he learned to sew by hand and operate a sewing machine, turning fabric scraps into bow ties that matched his own taste.

His first collection grew quickly. Within months, Bridges had made more than two dozen bow ties using vintage fabrics from his grandmother. Floral patterns, African prints and pieces of old taffeta dresses gave the designs a distinctive look. What began as something made for himself soon caught the attention of friends and relatives who wanted bow ties of their own.

What happened when demand started growing?

The business expanded largely through word of mouth. Bridges began accepting orders through Facebook and opened an Etsy store, giving customers outside his immediate circle a way to buy his designs. As orders increased, his mother, grandmother and other relatives became involved in production.

That family support became an important part of the early business. Bridges was still a child, but the operation around Mo’s Bows was becoming more structured as demand grew. The bow ties continued to be made from scratch, while the range of fabrics expanded beyond vintage materials to include tweeds, ginghams, satin and silk.

The products eventually reached boutiques in Texas, South Carolina and Tennessee, alongside sales through the company’s own online store and Etsy. The growth showed how a very small handmade operation could use social media and online marketplaces to reach customers without beginning with a traditional retail network.

How did Mo’s Bows attract national attention?

Bridges’ age became part of the story as the business grew. His work drew coverage from major publications and eventually led to an appearance on Shark Tank, where he met entrepreneur Daymond John. Bridges later identified John as a role model and mentor following that appearance.

The attention also helped introduce Mo’s Bows to audiences far beyond Memphis, where Bridges was based. His story combined several elements that naturally attracted interest: a child entrepreneur, a handmade fashion business, family involvement and a product built around a personal frustration.

Yet the business was not simply about publicity. Each bow tie still required the practical work of cutting, sewing and finishing the material. The attention surrounding Bridges brought visibility, but the product itself remained rooted in a craft he had learned from his grandmother.

Why did Bridges begin giving back to his community?

Business success also became connected to Bridges’ interest in helping other children. He donated $1,600 to send 10 children from his hometown of Memphis to Glenview Summer Camp, linking his business achievements with a local cause.

In a blog post about the donation, Bridges discussed child hunger in Memphis and described the importance of children having access to meals and activities during the summer. He wrote that giving back had made him feel humble and that seeing other children enjoy the camp made him happy.

The gesture offered another dimension to the young entrepreneur’s story. Mo’s Bows was built around fashion and commerce, but Bridges was also using some of the opportunities created by the business to support children in his community.

What did Moziah Bridges want to do next?

Even as a young entrepreneur, Bridges was already thinking beyond bow ties. He said he wanted to attend college and eventually build a complete clothing line by the time he was 20.

That ambition fits the unusual path that had brought him to that point. A dislike of children’s clip-on bow ties led to sewing lessons with his grandmother. Those lessons produced a collection, the collection became a business, and the business developed into a company with employees and national exposure.

The most revealing part of Bridges’ early success may be how ordinary the starting point was. There was no complicated technology behind Mo’s Bows and no elaborate business plan at the beginning. A child wanted better bow ties, learned how to make them and found that other people wanted them too. The business that followed turned a personal interest into a practical lesson in design, production, marketing and giving back.