Dropshipping Success Stories: 7 Entrepreneurs Who Made it Big

Many people considering an Ecommerce business of their own wonder if dropshipping is worth it. For us, the answer is an easy “Heck yeah!”

High ticket dropshipping is the best model – if you do it the right way.

We’ll look at seven real-world dropshipping success stories of folks who have made substantial incomes through high ticket dropshipping.

You’ll find no exaggerated claims here – just straightforward accounts of what works, what doesn’t, and the earnings resulting from dedication and smart strategies in the dropshipping business.

We’ll also tell you a little about each dropshipper’s backstory, so you’ll see that anyone can launch a successful dropshipping business if they do the work.

But first, let’s talk about what “dropshipping success” actually means.

What Is the Dropshipping Success Rate?

There are no real numbers on how many people have tried and failed to make serious income through dropshipping. What we can tell you is what we know is true through direct experience and success with high ticket dropshipping – plus knowing a lot of people in our community who are killing it!

High ticket dropshipping can be lucrative, when done right. And when comparing high vs. low ticket dropshipping, high ticket rules the roost.

Success in high ticket dropshipping hinges on consistent sales of high-dollar products, rather than volume sales of lower-priced items.

To have a successful high ticket dropshipping business, you need:

A steady flow of traffic that converts into sales
A high average order value (AOV)
A stable monthly income

The key to success is selecting the right products, targeting the right audience, applying solid marketing strategies, and, most importantly, focusing on the person behind the screen.

7 Inspiring Dropshipping Success Stories

Meet the real-life entrepreneurs who’ve navigated the competitive waters of high ticket dropshipping and emerged with profits in their pockets.

Keep in mind that all of these dropshipping success stories stem from selling high ticket products. (Find out more about what high ticket dropshipping is and what makes it different from low ticket.)

Jon Warren’s First Foray Into Dropshipping

Before getting into high ticket dropshipping, My co-founder at Dropship Breakthru, Jon Warren, worked many different jobs, from human resources to construction. When he started his first store, he had no prior experience in online marketing or Ecommerce.

Jon admits that he “borrowed” his niche idea from someone in the U.S. because he realized no one was running a business like that in Australia (where he was based at the time). And although he was highly successful with this first business, he admits that perhaps he could’ve done a bit more research on his niche.

But it worked out for him! Only 10 days after launching his site, Jon made his first sale. By the end of the first year, he estimates his revenue was around $300,000 to $400,000, which escalated to over $1 million by the second year. In the third year, he sold the business for about $250,000.

And if he could go back and give himself advice as a first-time dropshipper, knowing what he knows now, he’d say, “Focus on SEO from the start.”

When he started, everyone told Jon to focus on paid ads, so that’s what he did. But at the time, he didn’t know what was possible with organic traffic. Now he does!

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Ben Knegendorf Faces His Fear of Failure

Dropship Breakthru’s other co-founder, Ben Knegendorf (me), also had no previous online or Ecommerce experience before jumping into dropshipping. My work history included overnight care for disabled individuals, a brief stint at a plastics factory, and operating a forklift at a Walmart distribution center.

My entry into dropshipping was a bit unusual. I wasn’t thrilled about calling suppliers and talking to them, so I purchased an existing online store, The 3D Printer Guy. That store already had suppliers, so I could avoid picking up the phone. However, I immediately faced a setback when the main supplier dropped me right after the sale. So I was forced to face my fear of supplier outreach.

It took me two to three weeks to land my first sale. I operated the business for 10 months before selling it for a year’s salary at the distribution center where I used to work. Although I don’t recall the exact figures, I estimate a monthly profit of $1,500 to $2,000 from revenues of approximately $20,000 to $30,000 per month.

My key advice for dropshipping newcomers is to embrace failure. I was scared of everything when I first started, and was so worried about failure that I didn’t take any action.

“You’re going to fail a bunch of times, and that’s fine.”

“You’re going to make a lot of mistakes, and that’s fine. Fail fast, and you will succeed in the end.”

Take action despite your fears and uncertainties.

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Isaac Smith’s Positive Pivots

We spoke to Isaac Smith about his transition from a career in architecture to the world of dropshipping.

He had a few false starts with niches, including remote-controlled vehicles, and had to pivot several times. It was a pedicure chair product that eventually led to a breakthrough, turning a profit of $1,000 from a single sale after months of perseverance.

After that, Isaac spent four years growing his dropshipping store, with a rolling 12-month revenue of about $600,000. Then he sold his business for $150,000.

Isaac’s advice to new dropshippers is to invest in coaching and find someone who can guide you through picking a niche, setting up your store, and getting started. He believes having a mentor could’ve saved him years of costly trial and error.

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The Personal Touch: Brian Angel's Journey from Back Injury to Booming Business With Standing Desks

Brian spoke at our inaugural Dropship Breakthru live in July.

Before getting into dropshipping, Brian Angel worked as a professional sailor. He also did coaching, sales, marketing, and corporate strategy.

Brian’s journey into high ticket dropshipping began with a product that personally impacted his life: standing desks. After a back injury, the standing desk was not only a solution to his pain but also improved other aspects of his life. This personal connection to the product drove his passion for the business.

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Hint: This reinforces a concept we teach in our articles and our course: Selling something you believe in can help you build a more successful dropshipping business!

Brian’s first sale came in just a few months after he launched his shop, and in his first full year, he brought in approximately $700,000 in revenue. By the second year, his business had hit seven figures!

Brian advises new dropshippers to conduct thorough research on high ticket dropshipping niches. He told us:

“My selection worked out for me, but I wasn’t doing the research that I would do now. Now, if I was going into a niche, I would care a lot less about the general search volume and trend of a niche. I would care a lot more about the problem I’m trying to solve or the result I’m trying to create for the person I’m selling to.”

How John Murphy Built a Thriving Dropshipping Business from a Simple Online Video

John Murphy’s story is also inspiring. He moved from a conventional day job to establishing a seven-figure Ecommerce store through dropshipping. And he’s coming on board to be a success coach for us at Dropship Breakthru!

John chose his niche after stumbling upon an online video that explained the niche selection process. John knows he made some initial mistakes going through this process, and now he emphasizes the importance of thorough vetting to find a viable niche.

It took John three to four months to make his first sale. His revenue in the first year was modest at $5,000, but by the second year, it had grown to around $150,000. By the third year, his revenue had doubled to approximately $300,000, which continued to triple each year after.

John advises newcomers to invest in the best dropshipping course they can afford. He also stressed that dropshipping is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes time and effort. A structured course can give you a valuable roadmap to the whole process.

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Kellon Ambrose's Remarkable Rise from Restaurant Manager to Multimillion-Dollar Dropshipper

Kellon Ambrose spent 11 years managing restaurants, and to be honest, he hated it. Then he built his first dropshipping store and launched a new career as a serial entrepreneur.

To choose his niche, Kellon dug into extensive Google research. He looked at competition levels, search volumes, and trends, narrowing his options to three potential niches. The one that resonated most with him was his final choice.

Kellon made his first sale about a month after starting. His revenue showed impressive growth: in the first year, he brought in over $400,000; in the second year, he reached around $1.3 million. By the third year, his revenue increased to $2.25 million, and in 2021, he hit $4.4 million (pretty impressive, right?).

His advice to newcomers is to trust the process. He says:

“You’re probably taking a course, so just go through that course. Don’t be overwhelmed by all the different sections and videos. Just take it one day at a time, narrow things down into one actionable item each day, or maybe it’s even in a week or a few weeks. And just follow through and complete that one action or task. Invest in yourself, invest in coaching, invest in a mastermind.”

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Tris Coffin's Deep Dive Into Dropshipping: A Marine Scientist's Profitable Pivot

Tris Coffin, a marine scientist from the UK living in Australia, successfully transitioned into operating several high ticket dropshipping stores.

Tris found a set of criteria for selecting a high ticket dropshipping niche, and used that to narrow down his options. Ultimately, he wasn’t sure his niche 100% met the criteria – but it mostly fit, and he went with it.

His first sale came pretty quickly, about two and a half weeks in. Then Tris saw significant revenue growth: He brought in approximately $80,000 in the first year (2019). Then revenue surged to over $500,000 in 2020, coinciding with the pandemic, and around $200,000 in 2021. The figure for 2021 could have been higher, but he turned off ads for about four months for personal reasons.

If you’re new to dropshipping, Tris recommends treating this business like a marathon, not a sprint. Picture it like you’re pursuing a university education, and understand that you’ll need to invest several years in learning and growing before you can expect significant success.

Take the long-term view of your business, and you’ll get to where you want to go.

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Best Tips for Building a Successful Dropshipping Business

So are there some central themes of all these stories of people who built successful dropshipping businesses? Yep.

Strategic planning and a long-term vision are the keys to long-term success in dropshipping.

Here are some essential strategies for laying a solid foundation for your dropshipping business so it stands the test of time:

Expanding traffic channels: Don’t rely on a single source like Google Ads. Diversify to include organic traffic through SEO and other channels.
Supplier diversification: Work with multiple suppliers so you can shift gears if one goes under or changes terms.
Effective remarketing: Focus on turning site visitors into customers for higher conversion rates.
Brand recognition: To reduce advertising costs and give your business a competitive edge, aim to build brand recognition and become a household name in your niche.
Developing a Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Stand out with a clear UVP highlighting what makes your business different and more appealing than your competitors.
Hiring the right help: You don’t have to do it all alone – delegate tasks to scale your business without compromising quality or your sanity.

Want to start your own high ticket dropshipping business?

Watch this FREE, on-demand training session that will uncover the exact steps you need to take to launch your first high ticket dropshipping business in the next 30 days.

Unpacking the Secrets of Some of the World’s Most Successful Dropshippers

As we’ve seen through the stories of Jon, Ben, Isaac, Brian, John, Kellon, and Tris, success in dropshipping is a blend of strategic decision-making, patience, and flexibility.

These entrepreneurs came from varied backgrounds, bringing their own experiences and lessons to their businesses.

The key takeaway from their stories is clear: success in dropshipping requires more than just finding the right products. You’ll need to keep yourself up-to-date on market research, engage with your customers, and be willing to learn continuously.

We hope these stories will inspire you as you launch or build your own business. After all, success in high ticket dropshipping is absolutely possible if you have good teachers, the right mindset, and smart strategies.

Ready to start your own high ticket dropshipping success story? Sign up for our free training and discover how to launch your business in just 30 days.

Article by Ben Knegendorf

Ben Knegendorf realized at 29 he needed to find another career path. Since then, he’s:

Successfully exited a high-ticket drop shipping business that he helped take from $1 to $11M annual revenue in just 2.5 years
Eliminated $40,000+ of personal debt
Joined Dropship Breakthru as co-owner in 2021