YOUNG MOGULS Teenage friends create clothing line to teach entrepreneurship By Collin Kelley Not too long ago, a “mogul” was usually someone older who had built a powerful, influential career. With the help of social media and an extraordinary interest in entrepreneurship, Jordan Williams and Brandon Iverson are turning the idea of what a mogul is on its head. At just 17, the teenage friends created the Young Moguls Brand, a stylish, urban clothing line of T-shirts, sweaters and hats that have earned strong sales and appearances in the national media. But the clothing is just part of their mission to educate young people on how to become entrepreneurs and chase their passions. Jordan and Brandon have known each other since they were 2, growing up in the same Atlanta neighborhood and attending the same church. When they were just 10, they started a business where they collected old toys and games and sold them online. At 13, they created Making Money Teens, a financial education company that produced two books and a series of CDs to teach teens about leadership and entrepreneurship. The creation of Young Moguls Brand was an effort to make their mission more relatable to teens. “Clothing is a big part of culture,”
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Jordan Williams and Brandon Iverson Jordan said. “We wanted to create meaningful and thoughtfully designed clothes that would help spread our message.” The current high school seniors said they spend a lot of weekends and holiday breaks on Young Moguls Brand. During the recent holidays,
Brandon and Jordan were working on new designs for 2016, including a contest to design a new beanie. The partners co-design the clothing brand and have learned new computer skills like Photoshop and Illustrator to create the distinctive line. “We want to keep developing Young
Moguls and expanding it,” Brandon said. “We want to take the quality and detail of the clothing to the next level and focus on driving customers to the website and expanding our reach.” The duo has also received a big lesson in how to prioritize and organize their busy lives. “We’re both seniors, taking finals, the SAT, applying to colleges and playing basketball,” Jordan said. “We may not wind up at the same college, but we plan to continue into college and beyond.” Brandon said they are already discussing expanding Young Moguls to offer different products and for a way to work with kids in school systems to teach entrepreneurship. And what has been the response of their family and friends to the success of Young Moguls? “The response has been great,” Jordan said. “People are so supportive, which we appreciate. Our friends have modeled the clothes for us for photo shoots, interviews, and are helping grow the brand on social media. Even our parents and family have come to model for us. Their support keeps us grounded.” For more about Young Moguls Brand, visit youngmogulsbrand. com and follow them on Twitter (@ mogulsbrand) and Instagram (@ youngmogulsbrand).
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January 2016| IN