11 Shoe Designing Business Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a shoe designing business:
1. B Street Shoes ($720K/year)
Blake Barash, the founder of B Street Shoes, was inspired by street and sneaker culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. His passion for street art and custom designs led him to start painting shoes for fun and eventually launch his own business. From painting shoes in his bedroom to now running a 1,500 sq ft Studio Warehouse and employing 6 people, Blake's business has grown significantly.
How much they make: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 8
Meet Blake Barash, a custom shoe painter who grew his business from his bedroom to now making $50k per month and employing six people.
2. Creative Souls ($12K/year)
Drew McNamara, the founder of Creative Souls, came up with the idea for his business while in a social entrepreneurship class during his junior year of college. He was inspired by a non-profit that had artists with disabilities selling their artwork on shirts, but noticed that no one was printing their designs onto shoes. This led him to create Creative Souls, a brand that prints designs from individuals with disabilities onto canvas shoes and apparel, providing them with opportunities for success and income.
How much they make: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $45K
Current team size: 0
Creative Souls is a shoe and apparel brand that prints designs created by individuals with disabilities onto their products, paying artists over $1,000 since August 2019, with an average of $1,000 monthly sales, while providing opportunities for people with disabilities to earn money by creating art.
So... can you actually make money with a shoe designing 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:
3. Rothy's ($132M/year)
How much they make: $132M/year
Current team size: 222
Rothy's, a sustainable lifestyle company, opened their own factory in China in 2016 and utilizes a waste-reduction 3D knitting production process, transforming environmentally friendly materials into stunning and long-lasting product designs.
4. TOMS ($391M/year)
How much they make: $391M/year
Current team size: 671
TOMS shoes revolutionized the fashion industry with its One for One® concept, donating money to charity for each item sold and improving over 100,000,000 lives since its launch.
So... can you actually make money with a shoe designing 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:
5. Fuchsia Shoes ($7.2M/year)
How much they make: $7.2M/year
Current team size: 5
Fuchsia is a successful direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear company that sells premium quality and artisanal shoes, pouches, masks, and other products made in South Asia, with a transparent selling approach, and a dedicated vegan range.
6. Smoove Creations ($40K/year)
How much they make: $40K/year
Current team size: 8
Founder of Smoove Creations generates $40,000 revenue in 2020 despite pandemic by offering unique, personalized sneakers for "sneakerheads" and fans of athletic footwear.
So... can you actually make money with a shoe designing 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:
7. Nike ($1B/year)
How much they make: $1B/year
Current team size: 112479
Discover how Nike went from a small shoe and t-shirt company to become a multinational corporation, now one of the world's top manufacturers of athletic apparel and footwear.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
