Sports Shop Business

3 Sports Shop Business Success Stories [2025]

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Updated: April 15th, 2025

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.

In this list, you'll find real-world sports shop business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a sports shop business that makes money.

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 money it makes: $12M/year
How many people on the team: 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.

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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 money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K

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.

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3. Live Tourney ($36K/year)

During COVID lockdowns, Matt Robinson, a 29-year-old software engineer obsessed with golf, saw the need for a simpler, more affordable tournament management tool when his home course's head pro mentioned issues with existing options. This led him to create Live Tourney, now rapidly growing with $18K in revenue in January 2024 alone.

How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $250
How many people on the team: 1

My Golf App Side Project Makes $36K/Year

Golf course software startup Live Tourney saw $18k in revenue, with $3k MRR after launching in 2023, focusing on a simple web-based live leaderboard solution for golf events and targeting customer growth through cold calls and innovative recruitment strategies.

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