Ballon Football

From Canton Fair Chaos to Custom Boot Success

Ballon Football is a passionate Australian startup on a mission: to provide young football players (ages 2-10) with high-quality, customized boots at accessible prices. But founder John Gouskos quickly discovered that creating a football boot isn't as simple as jumping online and typing "football boot supplier." The path from vision to reality required navigating Chinese manufacturing, building supplier relationships, and managing complex international logistics — all while ensuring quality worthy of young athletes.

The Overwhelm of the Canton Fair

John made the bold decision to attend the Canton Fair in China to find the right manufacturing partner. What he encountered was staggering.

"What happens in the Canton Fair just blew me away in terms of the size and scope of it. I thought to myself, this is going to overwhelm me. So I jumped online and Googled 'Canton Fair support,' and Epic Sourcing came up."

Within hours, TK from Epic Sourcing called back. The conversation was "excellent, unbelievable and everything changed.”

Strategic Partnership from Day One

Ballon Football engaged Epic Sourcing for comprehensive, boots-on-the-ground support. Krystal, their dedicated Canton Fair liaison, arrived with a pre-researched list of potential suppliers and a clear strategy.

Over 3 days, Krystal guided John through:

• 15 supplier meetings at Canton Fair, translating not just language but John's vision and business goals
• 7 sample sets collected and coordinated from shortlisted factories
• Centralized logistics — Epic consolidated samples in China and shipped them efficiently to Australia

Once John selected his manufacturing partner, Epic's team became instrumental:

• Drafted comprehensive contracts for first orders
• Conducted on-ground QC inspections and factory visits 
• Managed relationships with suppliers 
• Coordinated all shipping logistics with transparent, upfront pricing

"It's like basically having a Ballon representative in China to support our business, which was ideal."

The team also helped John navigate shipping complexity that had felt like "a foreign language" with half a dozen other agents.

Results & Peace of Mind

Today, Ballon Football has successfully launched and scaled their custom football boots business with:

• 1,335+ pairs per bulk order with predictable 75-day production cycles
• Expanded product line , including boots, shin pads, and accessories across multiple styles
• Backup supply chain established in Vietnam (1,380 AUD) for business resilience
• "Nothing short of extraordinary" customer feedback on comfort, durability, price, and convenience

Most importantly, John can focus on strategy and growth rather than operational worries.

"The availability of the team is paramount. It makes your life a whole lot easier and gives you time to focus on the strategy of your business rather than having to worry about where's this or where's that."

The impact of seeing his vision realized:

"To see your product from thought process to design to final unit was a really exciting day for us. Then, when you see the boots on kids actually playing — that's an even greater feeling."

John's Advice to Entrepreneurs

"My advice to any new business is make sure that you have solid people who understand the whole logistical process of importing or creating a product, and that's what Epic does for us with having feet on the ground. It's a small price to pay in terms of peace of mind. You can't put a price on that." — John Gouskos, Founder, Ballon Football Pty Ltd

Ready to transform your sourcing challenges? Book a free consultation or contact us.