8 Shoe Making Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 1st, 2023
Start A Shoe Making Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a shoe making business:

1. The Shoe Consultant Ltd ($48K/year)

Susannah Davda, the founder of The Shoe Consultant, came up with the idea for her business after realizing that aspiring shoe entrepreneurs lacked access to the footwear industry. With 22 years of experience in the industry, Davda started offering consultancy services, speaking engagements, and writing to help people start their own shoe brands. Through networking events and online marketing, she attracted clients and expanded her services, including launching an online course on how to start a shoe brand. Currently experiencing strong growth, Davda plans to further diversify her offerings and expand internationally by partnering with shoe business professionals.

How much they make: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $700
Current team size: 1

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How I Started A $3.5K/Month Business Helping People That Want To Start Shoe Brands

Susannah Davda explains how she started a niche consultancy business helping people start shoe brands, earning $3.5k per month through personalized services and a highly successful online course.

About
Susannah started The Shoe Consultant Ltd almost 9 years ago
Revenue
Susannah grew the business to $4K/month
Costs
It cost Susannah $700 to start the business
Read by 8,719 founders

2. Rothy's ($132M/year)

How much they make: $132M/year
Current team size: 222

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A Case Study of Rothy's Shoes Startup

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.

About
They started Rothy's about 12 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $11M/month
Read by 819 founders

Learn more about starting a shoe making business:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start a shoe making business?
-> Pros and cons of a shoe making business

Need inspiration?

-> Examples of established shoe making business

Other resources

3. TOMS ($391M/year)

How much they make: $391M/year
Current team size: 671

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How To Live the Life You Are Truly Made For with TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie

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.

About
They started TOMS about 18 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $32.6M/month
Read by 670 founders

4. Fuchsia Shoes ($7.2M/year)

How much they make: $7.2M/year
Current team size: 5

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How to Start a $60K/Month Shoe Line From Scratch

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.

About
They started Fuchsia Shoes about 8 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $600K/month
Read by 682 founders

5. Nike ($1B/year)

How much they make: $1B/year
Current team size: 112479

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Nike - Ruling The Sneaker Industry

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.

About
They started Nike about 60 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $83.3M/month
Read by 751 founders

6. Smoove Creations ($40K/year)

How much they make: $40K/year
Current team size: 8

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Smoove Creations and the power of customizing entrepreneurship at a young age

Founder of Smoove Creations generates $40,000 revenue in 2020 despite pandemic by offering unique, personalized sneakers for "sneakerheads" and fans of athletic footwear.

About
They started Smoove Creations about 5 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $3.33K/month
Read by 660 founders