8 Sports Shop Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: November 19th, 2023

Start A Sports Shop Business

A retail sporting shop provides sports equipment such as balls, bats, gloves, sticks, rackets, clubs, and protective gear.

Entrepreneurs can set up a sports shop at a strip mall or sell their products online. Renting a shop at the strip mall will require a little money to pay the rent, but depending on the entrepreneurs’ approach, it could be more profitable.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a sports shop business:

1. CROSSNET ($12M/year)

Chris Meade, co-founder of CROSSNET, came up with the idea for their four-way volleyball game during a brainstorming session with his brother and co-founder. After realizing that no one had ever invented a four-way volleyball game, they quickly created a prototype and received positive feedback from beachgoers, which led them to make multiple product improvements before officially launching the business.

How much they make: $12M/year
Current team size: 2

How We Invented A $2.5M/Year Four-Way Volleyball Net

CROSSNET, the world's first four-way volleyball game, went from $74,000 in revenue in 2018 to $2,250,000 in sales in just one year by attracting customers through social media, email marketing, and exclusive distribution agreements with retailers like Target.

About

Greg started CROSSNET over 7 years ago

Revenue

Greg grew the business to $1M/month

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2. Thurso Surf ($1.2M/year)

Childhood friends Shenglong You and Yu Li reconnected over paddleboarding and saw an opportunity to improve the gear and accessories available. They started Thurso Surf in 2017, initially testing their products on Amazon before launching their online store in 2018. With their focus on product quality, customer service, and building their brand, they have become one of the best SUP brands in the mid-range market, selling thousands of boards in dozens of countries.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size:

These Childhood Friends Designed A $1.2M/Year Stand Up Paddleboard

Thurso Surf, founded by childhood friends, has quickly grown to become one of the best SUP brands in the highly competitive mid-range market, selling thousands of boards in dozens of countries since its launch in 2018, with traffic increased 16X since their first year in operation.

About

Shenglong started Thurso Surf over 7 years ago

Revenue

Shenglong grew the business to $100K/month

Costs

It cost Shenglong $5000 to start the business

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Read by 3,326 founders

So... can you actually make money with a sports shop 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 A Sports Shop Business: Everything You Need To Know

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5. Healthkart

Website traffic: 1.11M/month

So... can you actually make money with a sports shop 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

7. Adidas Group

Website traffic: 930K/month

8. Adidas Australia Official

Website traffic: 1.28M/month