Passion Pays
During their annual road trip from northern Italy to Sicily, cousins Joseph and Giuseppe Ferlito developed a ritual: acquiring trinkets from the Mediterranean cities and villages they visited, which they gifted to fellow travelers they met along the way and friends and relatives back home. One novelty from their 2008 trip stood out: a bracelet featuring a simple turtle bead, which a girl they’d met in Sicily had given each of them.
Upon returning home— Joseph to Lindenhurst, N.Y., and Giuseppe to his in Italy—the cousins received countless compliments on their turtle bracelets. During their road trip the following year, they tracked down the turtle bracelet vendor and bought dozens more baubles as souvenirs for friends and family. More oohs and ahhs. After repeating this for a couple more years, the lightbulb went on: Perhaps they could monetize this bracelet-sharing concept.
To find out, in summer 2013 the cousins put up $5,000 to design a beaded animal bracelet of their own. The 20,000 bracelets they placed in 100 New York City boutiques and 7-Elevens, priced at $1 to $2 each, sold out in a week. Joseph and his father then invested $150,000 to create 750,000 more bracelets. Within two months, those sold out, too. Trrtlz, as they branded the jewelry, turned into a phenomenon.
That first year, the company amassed $3 million in sales. Today Trrtlz boasts more than 175 bracelet designs and more than $65 million in sales, says Joseph, CEO. Other major retailers carrying the bracelets include Walmart, Target, Michaels and QVC. Last year the company struck up licensing deals with Disney, Sanrio, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Nickelodeon, Universal and multiple National Football League and Major League Baseball teams. Joseph estimates that this year the company will sell upward of 20 million sports team bracelets.
This story is from the August 2016 edition of Entrepreneur magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2016 edition of Entrepreneur magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE SUBMERGED ADVENTURES
Spearheading GetVantage, one of the leading alternate financing companies in the country, Bhavik Vasa knows that sometimes entrepreneurial journey can get tough and stressful, but he has his own way of clearing his mind -- a few feet underwater.
Robust Charging Infra Key To India's EV30@30 Ambition
WHILE GOVERNMENT AIMS TO HAVE 30% OF 2030 CAR SALES AS EVS IN THE COUNTRY, THE VISION SEEMS UNATTAINABLE WITH JUST OVER 12,000 PUBLIC CHARGING STATIONS IN THE COUNTRY AT PRESENT.
OWNING A SLICE OF PROPERTY
Real estate is a critical component of one's portfolio as it provides income, capital appreciation, inflation protection, and diversification.
THE FUTURE OF FINTECH
It's all about setting the house in order
ETCHING SEMICON DREAMS
Historically concentrated in regions like the US, East Asia, and Europe, there's a rising interest in expanding semiconductor assembly and packaging capabilities to emerging markets like India.\"
6 Lessons I Learnt In My First Startup Venture
EVEN THOUGH YOU PICK A BIG MARKET, IT’S IMPORTANT TO PICK A SMALL SEGMENT OF IT TO FOCUS ON FIRST AND UTTERLY DOMINATE BEFORE YOU SLOWLY EXPAND.
How AI and ML are revolutionising healthcare industry
Al ALGORITHMS CAN NOW ANALYZE VAST AMOUNTS OF BIOLOGICAL DATA TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL DRUG CANDIDATES, PREDICT THEIR EFFICACY, AND OPTIMIZE DRUG DISCOVERY PROCESSES.
5 Lessons I Learnt As An Entrepreneur Over The Last Decade
TODAY, WE ARE A PROFITABLE BUSINESS WITH 2.5 TIMES OF OVER PRECOVID BUSINESS VOLUMES.
Revolutionizing the two-wheeler industry with technology
TO CATER TO THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR TWOWHEELERS, THE INDUSTRY IS CONTINUOUSLY EMBRACING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES TO ENHANCE EFFICIENCY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY.
Who's Stealing Your Time?
Do you have less time for the things you love? You might be blaming the wrong people.