Prison B.R.E.A.K. is an acronym for Building Relationships Empowerment and Knowledge
When it comes to business, nothing can stop 12-year-old Mason Wright and his mission to be one of Atlanta’s premier young entrepreneurs.
No matter where he goes young Mason always seems to find potential in making it a thriving business. From the simplest of things, such as a trip to the market with his mom, he would ask one of the clerks if he could get a job assisting them. Like clockwork, the clerk would always chuckle at young Mason’s drive, informing him that he wasn’t old enough and had to be at least 16 years old in order to work.
Well, Mason couldn’t wait that long.
He had the entrepreneur itch, and it bugged him to no end. He had goals of opening his own business, as well as showing his friends, who come from broken homes due to the absence of fathers doing time in prison, that they too could become young Black entrepreneurs.
Mason said his friends didn’t believe him. At the tender age of 10, he and his big sister took a trip to New York City with their mother. Mason knew then that failure wasn’t an option. Winning was his plan. He marveled at New York’s fast-paced environment. Looking around, he saw people dressed up like superheroes. He thought to himself, “I don’t want to be a superhero.” Then he spotted a hot dog cart. His mother took him to purchase a hot dog, but he recalled it wasn’t as tasteful as it looked. He told his mother he felt he could do better. Just one bite of that hot dog opened his eyes to a business venture that he would embark on for many years to come.
After they returned to Atlanta, he went back to washing cars and cutting grass, all the while thinking about that hot dog cart in New York City. Cutting grass made good money, but the physical work was a bit hard. “I want to work smarter not harder,” he thought to himself. He quickly began saving more of his earnings to start his own hot dog cart business.
His persistence and dedication paid off. He saved $400 — a large amount of money for such a small kid to raise on his own — to buy a small electric hot dog cart. Mason began selling hot dogs at various events in and around Atlanta, and soon he was in high demand and needed to expand. He began saving again. After saving $2,500, Mason’s grandfather was so proud of him, he blessed his grandson n with the another $2,500.
Mason made his way to an area near the campus of Morehouse College and set up his hot dog cart. He instantly became known for the gourmet sauce he offered as a topping for his franks. One day, Mason received a message that ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank” was holding auditions at Morehouse and looking for entrepreneurs wanting to start or expand their businesses.
By this time, Mason has finally grabbed the attention of his friends, who were becoming more mischievous and getting into trouble. He told his friend that stealing was the wrong route to take and could land them in the same situation as their fathers, which wasn’t the way to go. “There’s nothing like being in charge of your own destiny,” Mason said.
He was showing them how to put the CEO handle on their names just as he had. Now a few of his friends are success stories as well. While Mason wasn’t chosen for “Shark Tank,” his perseverance paid off. Opening the eyes of his friends was his goal, they finally began believing in him and were willing to change.
CEO Mason is on his way. The president of Morehouse College has given the young entrepreneur his blessings to continue thriving and using the college’s campus as a catalyst for success while teaching his friends that earning money the legitimate way is the only way.
In doing so, they will be making their imprisoned fathers proud as they continue staying on the path of success and far away from failure. In the words of a CEO named Mason, “Start mixing your ingredients for success now.”
We salute young Mason doing it the Wright way.
