20 Companies That Use Bold Upsell [2024]

Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.

Love Is Project generated over $1.2 million in revenue by utilizing a "Pay It Forward" business model, creating 1,200+ jobs for female artisans around the world, and utilizing storytelling to attract and retain customers.

Outlaw Soaps, a soap company that started with just $13.72 of supplies, now makes an average of $23,000/month, with 46% of website orders from repeat customers who are loyal to the company's unique products and top-notch customer service.

Footwear designer Darin Hager's brand Heyday Footwear created a successful business by transitioning from a wholesale to direct to consumer model, offering unique design-driven performance gym sneakers for the fitness-focused market, achieving widespread product placement PR without outside help and using apps such as Klaviyo and Zipify to improve sales, but ultimately the venture had to close due to inadequate funding.

Sheets & Giggles, an eco-friendly bedding brand, earned nearly $500,000 and 6,000 orders in the first 6 months of business through Indiegogo, and utilizes pun-based marketing and a DTC model to tap into a fragmented, low brand loyalty market.

Modern Producers is an e-commerce platform that sells software and tools for modern music producers and has more than doubled its revenue annually, earning $1.1 million in sales in 2019.

Pawstruck.com founder and CEO Kyle Goguen shares the story of how his all-natural, reasonably-priced pet supply e-commerce business became one of the fastest growing companies in the US, ranking #87 on the Inc 500 in 2018, and is projected to surpass 8 figures in revenue in 2019.

Felony Case, a Toronto-based company designing unique iPhone cases, started as a small shop on Etsy and has grown to become an internationally recognized fashion iPhone case brand sold in top tier retailers like Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew, Indigo, Urban Outfitters, Revolve, Free People, and made over half a million dollars in revenue last year.

BohoWrapsody founder Joseph Panetta shares the cautionary tale of how he marketed and launched his DTC fashion brand, including the struggles of slow sales despite heavy investment in Facebook ads and other marketing efforts.

Galen Leather, an Istanbul-based e-commerce store specializing in handmade leather goods, experienced a 138% increase in revenue to hit an average of around $40,000 in sales each month, with products like their Moleskine Cover helping the company achieve success.

This case study is about how the founder of ZZZ Bears created and grew a line of military teddy bears named SGT SLEEPTIGHT, primarily selling to military families and gaining success through Facebook ads and partnerships with military exchanges, Target, and TAPS, while also learning important lessons such as the power of mentors and seeking help.

Braxton Manley started Braxley Bands with only $20, creating an elastic Apple Watch band and scaling the business to an impressive $100K a month on Shopify, all without any other capital or investment.

Southern Elegance Candle Company, founded by D'Shawn Russell, started as a side hustle making around $200 per weekend at a local Farmers Market, but now averages approximately $20,000 per month in sales across their retail site, wholesale site, and Faire.

How a side-hustle turned into a full-service digital marketing fulfillment agency that is currently bringing in around $7,500 a month in revenue, with big goals for the future, by focusing on human-to-human connections and continually evolving to meet their clients' needs.

Meowijuana, a catnip company founded in a one-car garage, has now become an emerging global brand with $200K in monthly revenue, selling catnip products in thousands of pet retailers worldwide, with 90% of sales coming from brick and mortar stores and national retail chains.

Lawrence Hunt Fashion uses a balance of performance and professional wear to create sweat-wicking dress shirts, reaching $20,000/month in revenue in 2019 and expanding into corporate apparel and a membership program in 2020.

How one founder turned a successful Kickstarter campaign into a $40 million tabletop game company with a focus on crafting a few special products each year and using social media to build community and relationships with customers.

How Nils Wessell turned his love for woodworking into a profitable business grossing between $220K to $350K annually by making handcrafted cutting boards, and how he expanded his business into other creative projects with NilsWalker Designs.