Katelyn Pegg pries open a smooth wooden box to reveal a large colorful assortment of handmade friendship bracelets. As the Palo Alto High School sophomore’s friends pick out their favorites to admire, she describes each bracelet in detail. From a weaved depiction of Harry Styles’ “Fine Line” album cover to a Totoro-inspired string keychain, closer inspection shows the level of attention to detail in each hand-tied knot that can only be achieved by one who truly loves their craft.

Pegg’s videos of threading and knotting friendship bracelets went viral on TikTok in April 2021, and her account (@braceletsbyk_) currently has over 300,000 followers and 15 million total likes.

While she now has an active business and wide viewership on social media for her crafts, Pegg said that her interest started from just making friendship bracelets for fun at summer camps as a child. Even after rekindling the interest as a high school student, she was still hesitant to start making videos.

“I never really just decided that I wanted to [pursue content creation], but I made a TikTok while I was on Zoom school,” Pegg said. “The first one ended up doing really well, so I just kept going, and it led to something bigger than I thought it would.” 

Pegg started her bracelet business half a year prior in the summer of 2020 and even without TikTok, she received numerous orders right off the bat. Pegg said she quickly had to develop a system to manage orders as well as the materials needed to supply the creation of each bracelet. 

“It was difficult to figure out a website because I started with a Google Form as an order form and it was getting really overwhelming,” Pegg said. “It took me a while to research different ways to sell, then I eventually landed on Big Cartel and I’ve been using it since.” 

Utilizing Big Cartel, an online selling platform for independent artists and sellers, Pegg’s business is mostly a one-person operation. 

“Although my mom helps me with the actual business aspect of it, I make everything myself,” Pegg said. “If I have any issues, I can always go to her but it’s pretty much all on my own.”

After almost three years of experience running her business, Pegg said she has started to notice trends in her business’ sales. Specifically, she said she noticed that views on her videos and friendship bracelet popularity are directly related to the time of year. 

“Usually during the summer season is when business is the best,” Pegg said. “More people tend to wear friendship bracelets in the summer and they have more time to be on TikTok which is why my videos do better.”

To combat slower sale seasons, Pegg said filming and posting promotional TikTok videos helps sales stay steady all year around.

“Depending on how a video is doing, I will get around five to 10 orders per video,” Pegg said. “I like to make sure I have all the bracelets made, because I don’t like to make them as orders come in.”

However, between managing and crafting orders to filming videos, Pegg said she balances being a teen business owner by making sure not to sacrifice education over business.

“I definitely prioritize school and the business is not too much of a time commitment because I make my own deadlines,” Pegg said. “It’s just something I do for fun and for myself.”

Pegg said she plans to keep the store running for as long as she can, as a business and more importantly, as a hobby. 

“Even if it’s not going so well in the beginning, you just have to keep going,” Pegg said. “One thing I wish I’d known is that sometimes you won’t really do well but you just have to keep trying because it can end well.”

Not only does TikTok boost sales for Pegg’s business, but she said she finds that the feedback she receives helps her stay motivated and inspired to keep her business up and running.

“Seeing a positive response from people is great, and I really enjoy it,” Pegg said. “It’s fun to see that so many people are enjoying what I’m making and it makes me want to keep continuing it.”