7 Sunglasses Business Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a sunglasses business:
1. Woodies ($2.28M/year)
Cory had previously launched a semi-successful watch brand. Due to his watch business, he traveled a couple of times to China, and after one of the trips, he came back with the idea for wood sunglasses. Wood sunglasses seemed awesome so Cody tried to jump on them early. He was able to sell 8,000 glasses in a week with a launch on Groupon.
How much they make: $2.28M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 1
Woodies, a wood sunglasses brand founded by Cory Stout, reached over $3.5M in revenue in 2018, despite starting with only $15K from a failed business and has succeeded through Amazon sales, spending $50K monthly on PPC and keeping ACOS at 30%.
2. Grown Eyewear ($168K/year)
Jeff Phillips, the founder of GROWN® Eyewear, came up with the idea for his business while watching a documentary about an eye doctor named Fred Hollows. Inspired by Hollows' selfless work providing eye treatments to those in need, Phillips decided to create a company that would "do only good." He chose to design and sell sustainable wood and bamboo sunglasses, using profits to fund eye surgeries and help orphaned animals.
How much they make: $168K/year
Current team size: 4
GROWN® Eyewear is Australia's first sustainable wood and bamboo sunglasses company that fully funds sight-restoring eye surgery or diagnostic exams for children or supports orphaned or injured animals in the country; the average monthly revenue is $25,000.
So... can you actually make money with a sunglasses 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:
3. Tomahawk Shades ($240K/year)
Andrew Shapiro, the co-founder and CEO of Tomahawk Shades, came up with the idea for his eyewear brand while doing a business management project in college. After purchasing glasses from another company, he decided to take things further and identify manufacturers, leading to the birth of Tomahawk Shades. With a focus on affordable yet high-quality eyewear, the brand has experienced a 175% increase in sales year over year.
How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 3
Tomahawk Shades, co-founded by Andrew Shapiro and his twin brother, Ryan Shapiro, is an eyewear brand that has seen a 175% increase in sales year over year, focusing on small batches of quality acetate, with an e-commerce business acting as its main area of focus to release new ideas and products.
4. Hawkers ($6M/year)
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size:
How Alejandro's sunglasses e-commerce, Hawkers, used influencer marketing to raise over €70M and generate a monthly revenue of €6M.
So... can you actually make money with a sunglasses 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:
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- 4,818 founder case studies
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- 8,628 business ideas
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
