5 Shipping Company Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Shipping Company

A shipping company can be a great business to start. You can get the support and training that you need to run a successful small business. You may already have some of the resources at hand. This could include what you need to transport goods and a vehicle or two that you can use to get these materials from point X to point Y.

Shipping is a crowded industry. Starting your own shipping company isn't as hard as it used to be. With the explosion in eCommerce, there's an increasing demand for small package shipping. Becoming a shipping company entrepreneur has its rewards. Shipping is an area where there's a lot of potentials to earn bounties, it serves as a good source of income.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a shipping company:

1. Car Shipping Calculator ($240K/year)

Dvir started as a freelancer at a locksmith company, which eventually led him to open his own locksmith business. After receiving an offer to sell the business, he decided to explore advertising and stumbled upon the idea of starting a towing company. However, a frustrating experience with a truck shipping company led him to start Nationwide Auto Transportation, where he now ships approximately 4,000 vehicles per month.

How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
Current team size: 7

article

How I Started A $20K/Month Auto Shipping Broker Business

Nationwide Auto Transportation ships approximately 4,000 vehicles per month and has served more than 50,000 customers, offering custom services such as help for clients who cannot find suitable carriers for their vehicle.

About
Dvir started Car Shipping Calculator over 13 years ago
Revenue
Dvir grew the business to $20K/month
Costs
It cost Dvir $100000 to start the business
Read by 28,969 founders

2. Velocity International Group ($1.8M/year)

Ben Elizer, the founder of Velocity International Group, came up with the idea for his logistics company after working at another logistics company for almost five years. He wanted more responsibility and growth opportunities, so he decided to start his own company using the knowledge he had acquired. Despite facing financial difficulties and having to move back in with his mom, Ben put everything he had into Velocity and it has since grown into a successful business, with revenue increasing by over 300% in the past two years.

How much they make: $1.8M/year
Current team size: 17

article

How I Started A $100K/Month Logistics And Delivery Service Company

How a logistics company grew its revenue over 300% in 2 years, starting with just 2 vans and 25k+ square feet of warehouse space, and focused on relationships, efficiency, and building trust with its customers.

About
Ben started Velocity International Group over 8 years ago
Revenue
Ben grew the business to $150K/month
Read by 12,191 founders

So... can you actually make money with a shipping company?

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

But how?

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

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. ShipHero ($28.8M/year)

Nicholas Daniel-Richards and Aaron Rubin founded ShipHero in 2013 after experiencing frustrations with legacy warehousing software. They saw a market for a more accessible solution that could work on iPhones or tablets, offering features like order management and integration with e-commerce channels. Since then, ShipHero has grown to bootstrapped revenues of $30 million annually, processing over $5 billion of e-commerce gross merchandise volume annually.

How much they make: $28.8M/year
Current team size: 193

article

How We Started A $30M/Year Warehouse Management Software And Outsourced Ecommerce Fulfillment Business

ShipHero co-founders built their successful e-commerce fulfillment business, offering warehouse management software and outsourced eCommerce fulfillment, growing revenues from zero to $30 million annually, processing over $5 billion of e-commerce gross merchandise volume (GMV) annually while only having received $435,000 in outside capital investment.

About
Aaron started ShipHero about 11 years ago
Revenue
Aaron grew the business to $2.4M/month
Read by 8,837 founders