By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Nate Smith has compiled an impressive resume as a student-athlete at Campbell County High School. He has one of the highest grade-point averages in the senior class, played quarterback on the football team and he’s a starting forward in basketball.
The teenager also finds time to run his own business, buying popular preowned basketball shoes and reselling them online. According to an Excel spreadsheet the astute young owner maintains for tax purposes, KySoles has already cleared more than $28,700 in profits this year.
Campbell County senior Nate Smith is a two-sport athlete who also runs an online business selling preowned basketball shoes. (Photo provided)
“That’ll go up because I still have about 200 pairs right now that I haven’t sold,” Smith said. “Christmas is the best time when you have the most sales. And then also July and August, right before school starts, those are big months, too.”
Smith launched KySoles two years ago after coming across a similar resale shoe business online. The top brands in his inventory are Nike and adidas, companies that manufacture, market and sell iconic basketball shoes that appeal to young people around the world.
Smith buys preowned shoes online and from friends at school if they are in good condition. Then he’ll clean and refresh the merchandise before putting them up for sale on eBay and Instagram.
Most of the shoes on his KySoles eBay website sell for $179.99 or less, including some Nike Air Jordan models that are mainstays in the athletic fashion shoe craze.
“I buy a lot of high-demand shoes,” Smith said. “Brand new they’re going to be paying a couple hundred dollars or more, but if I can get them a preowned pair for a little over a hundred (dollars), people would much rather spend that if they’ve only been worn a few times.”
The young entrepreneur handles it all himself. Over the last two years, he has bought and sold shoes from his home, at school and online. He has packed and shipped resold shoes all across the country, as well as Canada, Finland and Brazil.
The young owner’s image is part of the KySoles online business logo. (Photo provided)
“I never thought this would be how it is,” Smith said of his profitable business venture. “I never thought I could take it this far. But I never look back, I just keep chasing for more and more.”
Smith’s father, Jeff, is part owner of a landscaping business and his mother, Tracy, is a lawyer. He said they support him running a business while also doing his classwork and participating in two varsity sports.
As the quarterback on Campbell County’s football team, Smith passed for 1,575 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He was also the Camels’ leading rusher with 841 yards and leading scorer with 16 TDs.
The Campbell County boys basketball team is off to a 6-1 start with him in the starting lineup. The 6-foot-2 forward is averaging 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
In the classroom, Smith’s numbers are equally impressive. He has a weighted GPA of 5.56 that ranks 18th out of 345 students in the senior class.
KySoles has been an ideal first step into the business world while he’s still in high school. He can devote time to it whenever it doesn’t interfere with his studies or athletics.
“The nice thing is I can do it all from my phone,” Smith said. “If I’m not doing anything or get some time off, I can just go on my phone and see if anybody has any shoes posted and I can be working deals. It really doesn’t matter where I’m at, I can do it whenever I want.”
Smith said he received a partial academic scholarship from the University of Kentucky, but some small colleges are showing an interest in recruiting him for football. Wherever he enrolls, he plans to pursue a degree in finance or marketing because he wants to own a bigger business some day.
“I don’t care what business it is, just having a successful business when I get older is definitely my dream,” he said.
