Instrument Repair Business

2 Instrument Repair Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 7th, 2024

If you have a high level of technical aptitude for instrumentation engineering, you can start an instrument repair and restoration business as a part-time job or a full-time business.

As an instrument repair professional, your normal operations will include buying spare parts and fixing or repairing faulty parts. Typically, repair specialists fix instruments for players from all walks of life, from beginners to amateurs.

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

1. Flute Center of New York ($6.6M/year)

Phil Unger founded the Flute Center of New York after pivoting from his Radio-TV degree to musical instrument repair, influenced by his musician father. By specializing in professional flute repair and building personal relationships, he grew the business to $7M in sales by 2019.

How much money it makes: $6.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 16

How I Started A $550K/Month Flutes And Piccolos Online Store

Flute Center of New York is the largest flute-centric company in the world, servicing musicians globally with an impressive retail level sales of over 7 million USD in 2019 by selling flutes and piccolos ranging from $500 to an astonishing $75,000.

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2. Retro Radio Farm ($48K/year)

Allen Chiang, founder of Retro Radio Farm, came up with the idea for his business when he stumbled upon two old radios at a flea market in 2012. Despite having limited knowledge of radio repair, Chiang taught himself how to fix and restore these radios, eventually turning it into a profitable side business. With a growth rate of 20% every year, Retro Radio Farm is steadily increasing its revenue, although it has not yet reached a level that would allow Chiang to quit his full-time job in IT.

How much money it makes: $48K/year
How many people on the team: 2

Finding and Repairing Retro Radios Turned into a Successful Side Hustle

Retro Radio Farm founder, Allen Chiang, earns $50k per year as a side business restoring old radios and offering Bluetooth MP3 upgrades, with the business growing 20% every year.

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