How to Earn Money Selling Friendship Bracelets

If you love making friendship bracelets, you can turn your passion into a business and earn money. Set up your operation with an eye towards profits by keeping track of costs and by marketing wisely. Make a quality product and provide excellent customer service to create the best kind of buzz to increase sales.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Create an Inventory

1. Purchase cotton embroidery floss and cotton yarn in brilliant colors. Look for sales at craft and discount stores. Coordinate the colors when making your selection.

2. Research friendship bracelets in craft books and online. Look at different sites that sell bracelets and check out the patterns, color combinations and any interesting variations.

3. Practice making the bracelets. Make them one-of-a-kind and unlike anything else available. Learn a variety of knots and then combine them to create unique patterns. Add beads or charms to the bracelets. Slide them up on the threads and continue knotting.

4. Make friendship bracelets using the school colors. Create a line of "birthday" bracelets using the color of the birthstone (purple for February, green for May, etc.) with matching colored beads added.

5. Create identical pairs of friendship bracelets. Make them at the same time, side by side on the clipboard or foam core board so that they are perfectly matched. Sell them to best friends or couples.

Market the Product

6. Price the bracelets competitively while covering costs and making a profit. Keep track of all expenses for floss, yarn and equipment. Keep a journal of the hours spent working on the bracelets.

7. Have an adult help calculate the cost per bracelet and any overhead to determine the retail cost for each. Keep track of sales and which items sell better than others. Consider a price reduction for the purchase of multiple bracelets (3 or more).

8. Build an inventory of friendship bracelets before spreading the word that they are for sale. Tell friends and ask them to let others know. Offer to make bracelets to order (for an additional fee) in custom colors and designs.

9. Set up a small table at the school Christmas bazaar. Suggest to organizers that a special section be created at the bazaar where students can rent a space for a nominal fee to sell their crafts.

10. Take cash payments for the friendship bracelet sales. Resist the temptation to extend credit to anyone. Consider an attractive trade.

11. Engage customers. Find out what they want and fill the need. Offer to do custom work. Tell customers the legend of the friendship bracelet.

Tips & Warnings

• Legend says that if you wear a friendship bracelet until the threads fray and the bracelet falls off, you will remain friends for life with the giver of the bracelet.
• Don't post your name, phone number or address anywhere in an effort to sell the friendship bracelets. Rely on word-of-mouth and face to face sales.

Resources

• Birthstones and colors.
• How to set up an online business (for kids).