6 Outdoor Sports Store Success Stories [2024]
Looking for a business that combines passion for the outdoors with entrepreneurship? Think about starting an outdoor sports store. This venture involves selling gear and equipment for activities like hiking, camping, and kayaking.
Set up a brick-and-mortar shop in an area that attracts outdoor enthusiasts, or create an online store to reach a wider audience. You’ll need to stock popular items from well-known brands and offer expert advice that helps customers pick the right gear.
Building relationships with suppliers and understanding seasonal product demand will be key. There’s potential to host workshops or demo days to engage with the community and drive sales.
If the idea of doing business in the world of outdoor adventure appeals to you, an outdoor sports store could be both rewarding and profitable. The blend of passion and commerce might just provide the ideal work-life balance you’re looking for.
In this list, you'll find real-world outdoor sports store success stories and very profitable examples of starting a outdoor sports store that makes money.
1. Be Activewear ($1.5M/year)
Julie New, founder of Be Activewear, came up with the idea for her online retail store after realizing there was a need for a place where women of all sizes could find affordable Australian activewear and swimwear. With only $150, Julie launched the store in October 2014 and now generates over $1.5 million a year in sales, attracting customers through strategic Facebook and Instagram campaigns.
How much money it makes: $1.5M/year
How many people on the team: 1
Australian woman launches affordable activewear store with only $150 and now sees over $1.5 million a year in revenue, using Shopify as the sales platform and Facebook and Instagram campaigns as the best source of advertising.
2. Dispatch Custom Cycling Components ($300K/year)
Brian De Groodt, the founder of Dispatch Custom Cycling Components, came up with the idea for his business while looking for ways to diversify the revenue of his custom bicycle frame company. After experimenting with laser-engraved bicycle headset caps and realizing their popularity, he made the difficult decision to shut down the frame manufacturing and focus on Dispatch full-time. Since then, Dispatch has grown steadily, with over 20,000 cyclists customizing their bikes with their unique products.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
How many people on the team: 1
Dispatch Custom Cycling Components has grown its business by 40% since 2021, generating over $300,000 in annual revenue while selling products such as customizable headset caps and bar-end plugs for bikes, aimed at passionate cyclists.
3. Comfy Cup LLC ($300K/year)
At just 8 years old, Kyler was frustrated by the uncomfortable athletic cup his baseball coach required him to wear. Instead of complaining, his parents challenged him to come up with a solution, and thus the idea for the Comfy Cup was born. Now, at 12 years old, Kyler's invention has grown into a successful business venture, with the Comfy Cup grossing over $100,000 in revenue last year and being sold in all 50 states, Canada, and Australia.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
How many people on the team: 2
A 12-year-old invented The Comfy Cup, a more comfortable athletic cup for boys, which has grown into a successful business venture grossing over $100k in revenue last year, available on Amazon, The Grommet, and in local sporting goods stores.
4. Bold Tribe ($112K/year)
In June 2015, Temo Valle founded Bold Tribe with the goal of offering high-quality sports products for CrossFit. After conducting detailed market research, Valle identified resistance bands as the ideal starting product. Through strategic branding and content creation on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, Bold Tribe has become the #1 brand for resistance bands in Mexico, achieving impressive sales growth year after year.
How much money it makes: $112K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 5
Bold Tribe, a Mexico-based company, became the #1 resistance band brand in the country, with a sales growth rate from $25,000 in 2016 to $550,000 in 2020, by initially investing $300 in testing the product through one of the popular marketplaces.
5. Silent Pursuit ($24K/year)
Cody, a 24-year-old entrepreneur and avid hunter, developed the idea for Silent Pursuit, his hunting moccasin business, after a disappointing hunting experience where his worn-out socks jeopardized his stalk. Unsatisfied with the existing products on the market, Cody spent 9 months designing, prototyping, and manufacturing his own hunting moccasins, which are both affordable and effective in reducing noise. With a successful launch and plans to expand into apparel and accessories, Cody's dream of making Silent Pursuit a household name in the hunting industry is well on its way to becoming a reality.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $14K
How many people on the team: 0
Silent Pursuit is a hunting industry startup that sells deer stalking/hunting moccasins designed to reduce noise and increase comfort while hunting, with a successful launch that brought in around $2k per month, and plans to expand their product line and improve online sales with efficient marketing on Facebook and Google.
6. Rainier Watch ($23.8K/year)
David, a full-time Front End Developer, came up with the idea for his business, Rainier Watch, when he realized there was no online platform to track the visibility of Mount Rainier, a beloved mountain in the Greater Seattle area. He started a Twitter account to post daily updates on the mountain's visibility, which gained a following. Eventually, he decided to turn it into a business by selling stickers and expanding the product line to include shirts, hats, and more.
How much money it makes: $23.8K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 0
Rainier Watch is an outdoor-inspired apparel brand that grew from selling stickers to generating several thousand dollars in sales each month through its custom Woocommerce website, as a community-driven business for quality goods inspired by mountains, donating to organizations protecting and supporting the National Parks upon purchase.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
