How Boost Auto Turned $5K into a Million with Shopify

Overview

Boost Auto began in 2015 when founder Adam Wolfe wanted cool towing mirrors for his GMC Sierra. Spotting a gap in the auto parts market, he spent $5K on samples, snapped iPhone photos, and launched a Shopify store from his college basement. The early days were lean: no developers, a simple free theme and organic marketing. Within 24 months, Boost Auto hit $1M in sales while keeping advertising costs under 1% of revenue. Today, the company employs 30 staff in Chicago, has served 340,000+ enthusiasts, and offers a broad catalog of custom parts.

Key Challenges

Adam knew auto parts but lacked online selling experience. Setting up a store on Adobe Magento felt heavy, so he switched to Shopify for its speed and ease. Once live, the next hurdle was organizing hundreds of fitment-sensitive SKUs so customers could instantly find parts by Year, Make and Model. On the back end, manual order routing and custom assemblies risked errors and slow fulfillment. Boost Auto needed a unified system for product discovery, personalization, and efficient logistics.

Solutions Applied

Shopify’s out-of-the-box features got Boost Auto online fast. Then apps from the Shopify ecosystem played a starring role:

• Teifi Parts: Automated Year-Make-Model fitment search and MyGarage saved customer vehicles for repeat visits.
• Custom Metaobjects: Enabled conditional logic so customers answer assembly questions during build-your-mirror flows.
• Paid Shopify 2.0 Theme: Brought native cross-sell, product recommendation and search features in-house, cutting app fees.
• Klaviyo Integration: Pushed detailed vehicle and purchase data into email campaigns for hyper-targeted offers.

On the back end, integration with the ERP system means every custom order appears with split line items and assembly steps. Wholesale orders via Shopify B2B port seamlessly into existing workflows with price lists and volume discounts. Native Shopify speed boosts SEO, landing new products on Google’s first page within weeks without hiring agencies.

Results

• Reached $1M in sales in 24 months
• Expanded team from 1 to 30 employees
• Grew non-mirror lines to 40% of revenue
• Kept ad spend below 1% of total revenue
• Served 340,000+ customers worldwide

Looking Forward

Boost Auto continues to roll out new products and tap Shopify Editions updates twice a year. Adam spends time reviewing the latest feature releases, selects what drives value, and deploys updates in days instead of weeks. With a solid tech stack, a passionate community on social and email, and an efficient back-office, the road ahead looks clear. The next stops include expanded B2B partnerships, international markets, and further automation.