7 Outdoor Gear Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: November 19th, 2023

Start An Outdoor Gear Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a outdoor gear business:

1. Glade Optics ($1.5M/year)

Curt Nichols started Glade Optics as a side project while working at a market research company. He saw an opportunity to create a challenger brand in the skiing industry due to a lack of competition and a common marketing approach. With just $5,000 in savings, he launched the business, and it has since grown to close to $1 million in annual sales. Nichols focused on building a strong product-market fit and used tactics like email marketing and targeted advertising to attract and retain customers. Glade Optics is now a profitable business experiencing over 100% YoY growth.

How much they make: $1.5M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 3

How I Started A $70K/Month Premium Ski Goggles And Helmets Brand With Just $5K

Glade Optics is a premium ski goggles and helmets brand that achieved close to $1M in annual sales with just $5,000 to start, using a favorable price point, streamlined messaging and marketing, and partnering with like-minded brands to lower CACs and get in front of more skiers.

About

Curt started Glade Optics about 8 years ago

Revenue

Curt grew the business to $125K/month

Costs

It cost Curt $5000 to start the business

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Read by 14,831 founders

2. Gear Up Hiking ($16.2K/year)

Asen, the founder of Gear Up Hiking, started his journey in affiliate marketing in 2018. After selling his first blog, he bought Gear Up Hiking in a niche he loved and practiced himself. With a focus on quality content, keyword research, and outreach, Asen has built the website to average over $1,300 per month and attract 20k to 30k visitors monthly.

How much they make: $16.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.7K
Current team size: 1

I Make $1,350/Month With A Hiking Advice Website [Side Hustle]

From almost zero knowledge about SEO and marketing, this founder grew Gear Up Hiking, a hiking and camping niche affiliate blog that currently averages $1300+ per month and has a traffic range of 20k to 30k visitors monthly, and is worth over $50,000 if sold for profit.

About

Asen started Gear Up Hiking about 5 years ago

Revenue

Asen grew the business to $1.35K/month

Costs

It cost Asen $1700 to start the business

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Read by 6,811 founders

So... can you actually make money with a outdoor gear business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

4. Free Website Builder For Your Business

Google My Business can automatically generate a free website for you using info from your Business Profile, and you can edit it anytime.

Website traffic: 66M/month

5. L.L.Bean

Enjoy Free Shipping with $50 purchase on clothing, shoes, outdoor gear and more, all made for the shared joy of the outdoors.

Where they're located: South Australia, Australia
Current team size: 1000
Website traffic: 8.93M/month

So... can you actually make money with a outdoor gear business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

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Starting An Outdoor Gear Business: Everything You Need To Know

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