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“I always loved arts and crafts,” Collins said. “But with moving and school and other hobbies, I just kind of stopped doing art.”

After being in a “slump,” they went to summer camp and became inspired to make bracelets. They started with a simple twist pattern and kept at it.

“I made 50 of those and it was really hard, but I gave them all out. My friends knew I was making the bracelets and gave me a whole kit,” they said.

Collins ended up with bags of embroidery thread in hundreds of different shades and colours. Collins has now learned about 20 different popular patterns for making bracelets by watching video tutorials and improvising.

“Now I’ve just been figuring out my own patterns and making new ones that I like,” said Collins.

There are ones with leaves, ones with heart chevrons and ones that can incorporate many different rainbow colours. People who want one can pick their pattern and the colours they would like and even get measured for size. Collins usually fits everyone personally, to make sure the bracelet is just right.

“I think the big appeal is that you get to fully customize it. I don’t just pre-make bracelets,” they said.

The costs vary but are extremely reasonable, they said. They were meant for other young people to buy, but often when an adult is interested, they comment that Collins could be charging much more for their work.

“It’s $4 to $10 from the least expensive to the most, depending on which bracelet it is, the knots, how easy it is to memorize and the amount of string it uses,” said Collins. “Mostly just how much I like it.”

One inspiration to stay in business was that Collins wanted to buy a hoverboard. They said they have since surpassed that goal and still have additional savings.

“Now the plan is to get a hoverboard and a record player so I can play ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ by Chappell Roan out loud,” they said.

Although there are things Collins likes about bracelet-making as a business, they have discovered that there are also a lot of things they don’t like about it. For instance, they would much rather switch it up, learn new patterns or at least do different ones that don’t get boring. Some patterns are really popular, so Collins makes them again and again.

They also don’t like cutting the threads or choosing the colours.

“I don’t like being in a rush because I prefer to do the things I don’t like in the short bursts of motivation that I have,” said Collins.

Sometimes they do have rush orders, which means Collins must quickly get to work, but when it’s just a random afternoon, they said, they enjoy making the bracelets much more.

One of the great things is that Collins can make them wherever and whenever. They make them at school when they’re done work, at home or anywhere they have a minute to do something with their hands.

Many things that Collins has learned along the way could be a lesson for folks of any age starting out in business.

“I feel stressed a lot when there are so many things I have to do. It’s hard to take one thing at a time because I look at my list,” Collins said. “But if I’m cosy in my bed with nobody talking to me, and I’m listening to a podcast, I can get a bracelet done like that and I enjoy every second of it. I lose track that it’s supposed to be fun sometimes, but then I remind myself that, yeah, look at me. I’m doing a thing.”

Sometimes there are “minor inconveniences” in the process of making, like tangled strings, but for the most part, the making comes naturally to Collins.

For now, they just make bracelets for a small group of friends, classmates, teachers and family members, but they have considered expanding in the future.

“I have thought many times about starting an Etsy, but I’m scared of that. It feels like a big commitment. There’s money you have to spend, and shipping involved,” they said.

But ideas of presentation and marketing are already in the works, like creating special cards to wrap the bracelets around and how to brand their image.

“Maybe I can find a craft fair that will let me in, even though I’m 12,” said Collins.

For other young people who want to get started building a business and making their own items to sell, Collins said there are lots of opportunities.

“I would say just do it. What’s the worst that can happen, really?” they said.