👻 How Pool Soccer Makes $9k/mo

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If you’re new here, we turn $1 into thousands building these weird but simple side hustles. Welcome to Ghost Business 👻 Your (mostly) weekly email

TLDR;

• Sell 500 trees at ~$95 → about $47.5K revenue with costs around $32K → ~$15K profit.

• Add-ons (wreaths, stands, garland, delivery) can boost profit to $20K–$22K for one lot.

• Key expenses: wholesale trees, lot rental, seasonal labor, insurance, and simple setup (tent, lights, saw).

• To start: source wholesale trees, rent a visible lot, get permits/insurance, set up a simple sales tent, and upsell wreaths for easy margin.

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Pool soccer has been popping up everywhere I look. It’s essentially a small soccer pitch in the shape of a pool table where you (gently) kick the ball into the corner pocket wondering how you’ve survived this long with two left feet.

A few companies do versions of this: Kick Social in El Paso (looks like they’re closed now) had a full business dedicated to this “sport” 👇

Games To Go in Nashville rents them out to corporate and private party events.

So how much could we make selling this made up sport as a side hustle and how hard would it be to run this business? Let’s get to work.

The MVP

Start by renting or building a single portable pool soccer field and testing demand at parks, breweries, sports complexes, and corporate events. You don’t need a bar like Kick Social to start. You just need turf, inflatable/wooden bumpers, giant soccer balls, and a place where adults already are being social.

Your only goal: prove people will pay for this and won’t immediately destroy your equipment.

Costs

• Renting a single portable pool soccer field: $500

• Insurance (event/day): $30–$70

• All in: ~$550

How to test

• Partner with a brewery: free setup, charge $5–$10 per person.

• Offer corporate team-building: $200–$400 per hour.

• Weekend public pop-ups: $20 per player, 30–50 players/day.

Early indicators you’re onto something

• Groups book hour slots.

• People ask “can you bring this to my event?”

• Many Instagram pics

Path to $9k/mo

The money isn’t in walk-ups. It’s in recurring rentals + corporate events + birthday parties. You want this to feel like the party equivalent of axe throwing: zero skill, max chaos, tons of photos.

Revenue Mix Target

• Corporate events (6 per month @ $600 each): $3,600

• Birthday parties / private rentals (6 per month @ $400): $2,400

• Brewery/park weekend pop-ups (4 weekends @ $500 each): $2,000

• Add-ons: jerseys, scoreboards, referee (you), photos: $1,000

• Total: $9,000/mo

You hit $9k when you have:

• One reliable location

• A simple online booking form

• A “we bring the chaos to you” mobile business model

• Partnerships with 5–10 breweries, parks, and corporate office managers

• A steady stream of videos on Instagram/TikTok

p.s If you found this insight into the newsletter industry valuable, imagine how helpful it could be to someone else dreaming of starting their own hustle!

Hit the share button below to pass this on to a friend, colleague, or anyone who's ever thought about turning their passion into profit.

Viability:

1 [building spaceships] 🚀 to 5 [easy peasy] 😊 

You’re dealing with logistics, hauling gear, weather, corporate schedules, and adults who behave like toddlers when you hand them a giant soccer ball. But demand is strong, equipment is durable, and the novelty sells itself.

(As usual each business will have it’s own setbacks, and it’s all about the execution and consistency rather than just having the idea)

It’s a great day to be great!

Love, Mike 👋