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Teenage entrepreneur Sir Darius Brown of Newark has donated more than 1,000 Beaux & Paws bow ties to animal shelters, partially through a buy-one-donate-one program. – BEAUX & PAWS
First impressions matter. Teenage entrepreneur Sir Darius Brown of Newark recognized that in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, when the then 13-year-old was struck by how many animals were being transported from Texas to New York City shelters and therefore needed rehoming.
Brown made it his mission to sew and donate bow ties to shelters for dogs and cats to wear in hopes of helping them find a new home. “I noticed that the dogs who got the bowties were immediately being adopted. I really wanted to help as many dogs and cats around the world as I could,” he said.
Now, at 15, Brown’s donated more than 1,000 Beaux & Paws bow ties to shelters, partially through a buy-one-donate-one program. His bow ties are for sale online and for each one purchased, Brown donates one to a shelter dog or cat in need.
Like other young entrepreneurs, social media sales have been Brown’s friend.
When Facebook invited him to participate in Buy Black Friday – an online initiative to promote sales for Black business owners – Brown managed $7,000 in sales from that day alone.
But, creating Beaux & Paws hasn’t just helped shelter animals. It’s been integral in helping Brown himself, who started making the bowties to fine-tune his motor skills after being diagnosed with a speech impediment as a toddler. His sister taught him how to sew when he was just 8 years old. Together, they made hair bows, which was her business. He’d wanted to start sewing three years prior to that, but Brown said his mom was concerned he’d hurt himself. His family eased him into learning by first allowing him to work with and cut fabric.
Sir Darius Brown’s business, Beaux & Paws, has allowed the teen to raise more than $300,000 to help shelter animals, sponsor adoption fees, donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to sponsor a Puppy Wish, and give thousands of bow ties to shelters and adoption centers across the world. – BEAUX & PAWS
“Learning how to sew helped me overcome the delays I had. Using the fabrics and playing around with bowties step-by-step is complicated, so I used my hands a lot. Compared to where I was, now I was able to overcome those delays. Same with the speech and comprehension,” Brown said.
Through his platform he’s been able to raise more than $300,000 to help shelter animals, sponsor adoption fees, donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to sponsor a Puppy Wish, and give thousands of bow ties to shelters and adoption centers across the world.
“My mom always had an entrepreneur mindset and she instilled it in me and my sister,” Brown said. “She taught us it’s not gonna be easy, you just have to find a way to become successful entrepreneur.”
Brown has received several accolades in the past two years, including The Presidential Volunteer Service Award and the Chewy Hero of the Month Award. His proudest moment, he said, was receiving a letter of encouragement from President Barack Obama.
“It was life changing. It was very motivational for me at the time. I was low in spirits, and it gave me so much hope to keep on going with the business and come up with more creative ideas,” he said
This year, Brown was recognized with the Global Child Prodigy Award, which recognizes talented children across the world. Among the thousands of nominations received from nearly 70 countries, an international selection committee chose Brown as one of 100 Global Child Prodigies of the World.
The Global Child Prodigy Awards will be held in Dubai on Aug. 20. Brown set up a GoFundMe to help offset the cost of his trip; it’s currently about half-funded.
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August 15, 2022
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