3 Fitness Gear Business Success Stories [2026]
Looking to break into the fitness industry with a tangible twist? Consider starting a fitness gear business. This venture involves designing, sourcing, and selling equipment like resistance bands, yoga mats, and dumbbells.
The appeal lies in the ever-growing market for health and wellness products. You’ll need to spend time finding reliable suppliers, ensuring product quality, and creating an attractive online storefront. However, the payoff is the chance to own a piece of a booming industry, catering to fitness enthusiasts' increasing demands.
Starting a fitness gear business isn't effortless, but the rewards are significant. With the right planning and commitment, you can build a brand that stands out in the crowded fitness market. Take the first step today, and turn your passion for fitness into a profitable business.
In this list, you'll find real-world fitness gear business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a fitness gear business that makes money.
1. Bells of Steel ($14.4M/year)
Bells of Steel founder, Kaevon Khoozani, came up with the idea for his fitness equipment business after realizing the lack of availability of equipment for his own strength training. He started by ordering equipment from China and selling it directly to his network, eventually growing the business to achieve $15 million in sales in 2021. His focus on creating high-value products and leveraging word-of-mouth marketing has contributed to the company's success.
How much money it makes: $14.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $3.5K
How many people on the team: 38
Bells of Steel, an e-commerce fitness equipment company, generated $15 million in sales by creating a high-value product line and focusing on word-of-mouth marketing, email marketing, and social media ads.
2. Gym and Fitness ($1.8M/year)
Dave Barnes, a former Olympic athlete in archery, came up with the idea for Gym and Fitness after experiencing a disappointing process of setting up his own home gym. Frustrated with the lack of range and steep prices offered by local gym equipment stores, he found a small business that had everything he needed at competitive prices and started selling the equipment on eBay. After realizing the demand, he decided to stock up on more equipment and the early Gym and Fitness business model was born.
How much money it makes: $1.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $550
How many people on the team: 50
Gym and Fitness is one of the largest online retailers of home gym equipment in Australia and New Zealand, servicing 450 customers a week and generating $150k/month in revenue, and founder Dave Barnes shares tips for aspiring founders.
3. Bold Tribe ($112K/year)
In June 2015, Temo Valle founded Bold Tribe with the goal of offering high-quality sports products for CrossFit. After conducting detailed market research, Valle identified resistance bands as the ideal starting product. Through strategic branding and content creation on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, Bold Tribe has become the #1 brand for resistance bands in Mexico, achieving impressive sales growth year after year.
How much money it makes: $112K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 5
Bold Tribe, a Mexico-based company, became the #1 resistance band brand in the country, with a sales growth rate from $25,000 in 2016 to $550,000 in 2020, by initially investing $300 in testing the product through one of the popular marketplaces.
