HubSpot Helps Sports Startup Turn False Deals Into Real Growth

The challenge: too many “deals,” not enough structure

Launching a new company is no small feat, especially when every process has to be created from the ground up. One US-based youth sports accessories startup, founded in 2024, faced this reality head-on. Their mission was clear: make golf more fun and accessible for kids. Their challenge? Managing sales, marketing, and customer data without a real system in place.

When the startup began, its sales process relied on two cold callers working from spreadsheets. The team had 172 open deals that were not actual deals but contacts — a sign of how disorganized their CRM was. The founder wanted a clear pipeline, but without the right tools, the team struggled to track leads, prioritize outreach, or measure progress. On top of that, they had no real marketing strategy: just a five-email sequence, no newsletter, and no content plan.

Adding complexity, they needed to integrate HubSpot with Shopify (their e-commerce platform) and Kixi (a cold-calling software), but didn’t know where to start.

The solution: a clean slate and a strong foundation

• CRM cleanup: More than 544 incorrect deal records were deleted to eliminate clutter and reset the system.
• Pipeline design: A customized deal pipeline was created to mirror their actual sales process, giving the team clarity on deal stages.
• Automation: Workflows were built to automatically create deals when meetings were booked, removing manual steps.
• Training: Hands-on sessions gave the founder and team the skills to manage imports, build reports, and use HubSpot’s sales and marketing tools effectively.

Instead of passively “setting up” HubSpot, the approach emphasized education and empowerment — giving the team control over their own system.

The results: clarity, efficiency, and confidence

• A functional and centralized sales system in HubSpot, replacing manual tracking with a clean, structured pipeline.
• A clear plan for data management, including how to prepare spreadsheets for future imports.
• Custom dashboards and reports to track deal velocity, close ratios, and other vital sales metrics.
• A team that felt empowered and self-sufficient — confident in using HubSpot to manage leads, sequences, and reporting.

This wasn’t just a technical fix. It was a turning point. The company moved from ad-hoc processes to a scalable sales system that can grow with them.

Why it matters

For any early-stage company, it’s tempting to push sales systems to the back burner. But without clean data and a clear pipeline, growth stalls before it even starts. By investing in a solid HubSpot foundation, this youth sports brand created the clarity and structure it needed to focus on what matters most: building customer relationships and growing the business.

Key metrics from the engagement

Call to action

If your team feels stuck in spreadsheets or drowning in messy CRM data, media junction® can help you build a foundation for scalable growth.