What We Do

Youth Entrepreneurship Training

We introduce teens and young adults to real business models they can start, own, and grow—showing them what opportunity looks like in action.

Financial Literacy & Wealth-Building Skills

From credit to budgeting to investing, we teach the financial knowledge Tony wishes he had at 20.

Mentorship for Youth Facing Setbacks

Life happens. We support youth navigating trauma, legal involvement, or instability and help them get back on track.

Industry Exposure & Hands-On Learning

Students learn about salon ownership, product manufacturing, senior services, and retail distribution directly from Tony’s businesses.

Corporate & Community Partnerships

We connect young people with professional networks, job-shadowing opportunities, and business leaders ready to invest in their success.

Personal and Professional Development

We help youth build confidence, communication skills, discipline, and a vision for their future.

Our Story

Tony Cozart is a lifelong Durham native whose journey reflects the spirit and resilience of Black Wall Street. Raised by a single mother in downtown Durham, Tony found early direction through cosmetology, a trade he pursued in high school when academics didn’t feel like his path. After graduating, he attended the historic Deshazor’s Beauty School—an HBCU cosmetology institution located in downtown Durham—and began apprenticing in a salon at just 18.

By age 19, Tony earned his cosmetology license, and by 20 he purchased the salon, becoming a six-figure Black entrepreneur in the same community that raised him. Lacking financial literacy and mentoring, he struggled for over a decade with substance use and harmful influences. Through the support of peers, clients, and business associates, Tony overcame addiction and rebuilt his life.

In 2009, he entered the world of product manufacturing, creating and retailing his own hair-care line nationwide. He is now a registered vendor with the State of North Carolina and operates The Cozart Experience Senior Salon in partnership with the Durham Center for Senior Life.

Today, Tony is committed to using his story, his trade, and his business expertise to empower justice-involved and underserved youth. Tony’s journey from limitation to liberation fuels a simple mission to guide young people who have been “derailed” by life circumstances—just as he once was—and help them redirect their paths through entrepreneurship, economic literacy, and real opportunity.