Bringing In $26.5 Million A Year From Our Photography Startup

In 2018, Tessa "Tezza" Barton and Cole Herrmann launched a photo editing app called Tezza to simplify photo editing for social media users. Instead of startup funds, the husband-and-wife duo relied on Barton's photography expertise and Herrmann's software engineering skills to create the app - starting with premade filters and expanding into more complex editing tools. Tezza brought in $26.5 million in 2023, and boasts 2.5 million monthly users today.
Check out the Tezza app here: apps.apple.com...
Produced and Additional Camera by: Lauren Shamo
Senior Managing Producer: Eric M. Clark
Sr. Production Manager: Kathryn Mavrikakis
Camera: John P. Beatty
Editor: Nic Golden Henry
Animator: Elham Ataeiazar
Reporter: Megan Sauer
Additional Footage: Tessa Barton and Cole Herrmann, Getty Images
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Bringing In $26.5 Million A Year From Our Photography Startup

[@AgentKain]

I used to hang out with Tessa and Cole back in the day and I'm not surprised she was able to find this level of success. Not only was she a talented photographer but also a very talented musician. Glad to see her hard work paid off!

[@EcomCarl]

Tessa and Cole's journey from collage kits to a multi-million dollar app is a testament to the power of pivoting and evolving with your audience's needs. For any entrepreneur, their story highlights the importance of building a community around your product early on. 🚀

[@oshayefarrare2819]

It's really cool that they grew up together from babies.

[@remip3604]

Congrats Tezza and Cole! You’ve come such a long way!

[@FlutterPythoncombo]

Cute couple.. Would be great to see more of these couple-founders startup in the tech scene

[@JenniferVuong]

Love their app! I continue going back to it and pay $5.99/month. Their filters are so much better than other apps. I’m definitely their target audience.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

Are there a lot of apps out there? I've never heard of theirs. But I'm not really much of an instagram user. But doesn't instagram itself have good features now?

[@GoldenArmory]

Creativity is the gateway to limitless possibilities. Amazing story and cool app! wow

[@followGreatness]

Thank you for showing respect for each other in this business.and interview! Im inspired .

[@BearingMySeoul]

How lovely to see gorgeous people with actual talents! 😆 Kudos to them on cracking the code for a product and niche where they can outperform the big players!

[@Mxy-ff4zk]

'Done is better than perfect'

[@kikiz3893]

Perfect match. And i m still wondering what i m doing with a guy who throw his sox on the floor and expecting me to take care of it....omg now i know what i have to do.

[@RealTalkwithLou]

You go girl 💪❤

[@bnwo]

you're obnoxious

[@jasminecontreras7341]

this guy could also throw his sox on the floor and expect her to pick it up for him. it's not likely, but ya never know ;)

[@tera_windon]

Comparison is the thief of joy. Especially since the video doesnt show their actual day-to-day life. Also, am I the only person that finds it unnerving that this joint project, that he put in all of the coding work for, is named solely after her. I'm a web designer and I've seen the work that out software developers do and HOLY MOLY

[@thisisdanni]

​@@tera_windon agree that engineering is a lot of work (I'm in tech also) but she had already put in a lot of time and effort to build up and nurture an online community who is the user base for the app, not to mention making the photo presets etc which is the core product

[@iambrian769]

The Journey Is What Matters ❤

[@Annii_Oakley_]

The world needed their creative eye. I look back at my instagram edits, they were amazing. None of those filters are available anymore… I’m so happy I found this…

[@turklurk]

Mormon money is crazy.

[@followGreatness]

Lol. Its a cult. What do you expect? Wonder what this cults serve.😅😅😅

[@kunalincredible]

​@followGreatness Every religion is a cult basically!! 😂😂😂

[@nwilt7114]

All the Mormons use their app. 😅

[@bharath2508]

😮 This is real business

[@AjaDang]

This so awesome. I purchased their presets many years ago and use their app almost daily

[@StephanieQuake]

I wasn't financial free until my 40’s and I’m still in my 40’s, bought my third house already, earn on a monthly through passive income, and got 4 out of 5 goals, just hope it encourages someone's that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any of them right now, you can start TODAY regardless your age INVEST and change your future! Investing in the financial market is a grand choice I made.

[@LaurenPhina]

I would highly recommend Professional Chrissy Barymoer his strategies are just great especially for novice in this stock field

[@KindnessGodfrey]

Being able to withdraw 80,000$ after 2weeks was just unbelievable

[@CharlesWalker-jb1yl]

{}That's true I know Barymoer. I met him at a conference in New York in 2022 where he introduced us to his business strategy, he helped me cover my student loans with ease and so many more to be mentioned

[@AnneliaCoccu]

Since my aunty introduced me to Prof Chrissy Barymoer,I can't help but to thank God,I have made so much that I can't mention

[@adakkristinn]

When I saw testimonies all over the place I thought it was all made up stories till I was convinced and gave it a try and honestly I don't regret the move i made because I invested in a big way

[@TendaiPottinger]

Super inspirational story!! A creative business with the person you love is a real dope goal.

[@SugSean]

Done is better than perfect

[@bakeraus]

It always a start fail, start again maybe get close, start ding ding ding! Winning. Takes time and effort in all spaces. Congratulations folks and all the best in the future!

[@AlanSmith88888]

Goodness. The good looks on these two, especially the lady. wow.

[@hassanmeraj8037]

Their new York dress and lifestyles didn't look like the were struggling 🤔🤔🤔 anyways I might be wrong.

[@SamOlof-nv9vo]

What a dream couple. Perfect partners!

[@diegoebustamante]

Their color filters are super unique, super inspiring to see how much they have grown over the years

[@joe_fabricator]

Inspiring story. Thanks for sharing this. 2 New follows

[@radiantmasterpiece5649]

I love this app! I’m so happy they were featured they deserve it!!

[@sergeayissi939]

How many similar stories ending up as failures!?? Congrats to them btw.

[@SummerSausage1]

99% according to many publications and reports.

[@pat4005]

It's only a failure when you give up. Plus, they did say they tried and had success and failures with other things.

[@olgamoraiti]

How inspiring! I love how they talk about all the struggles, unlike others who talk about success overnight...

[@rf8221]

Wow, never heard of them until today. I'm not a fan of all the fake film border filters but whatever works for you. Good for them.

[@ccora_faith]

Very inspiring! Loved that they combined their skills & passions to create their business.

[@tiredtechie]

Im an app developer and love this story. The idea is always the hardest but they had a strong following for users before launching which is hard to achieve

[@RHCPsTv]

You are probably the only app developer I see saying that the idea is the hardest. Most people say ideas are nothing without execution - which is very true, but that leaves out a lot of very important aspects and ignores how crucial for a business is finding the right idea.

[@AuricVibes]

Absolutely inspiring!

[@prayercompanion]

love how they look at each other when one is talking

[@funmijoyous]

Inspiring ❤❤

[@israelsimmons4944]

So cool I’ve been using this app for a couple years and I didn’t know the story behind it. It’s really cool to see. 😊

[@patriciamckeon4650]

What's the name of the App? Thanks 🥂

[@israelsimmons4944]

@@patriciamckeon4650Tezza lol

[@farahnazphotography]

In my opinion it’s not photography income. That’s photo editing software that all copy paste of lightroom and premier pro with some small changes. It was good idea to make money from that app instead of photography…

[@Ellesappellejejeje]

They’re inspiring and cool. 🥂

[@stephanielake11]

So inspiring!!💕💕💕

[@JoshWilliams-mf9fc]

Just downloaded the app. User interface is terrible. I have no idea where to go or what to click. At least have an on boarding tutorial.

[@Annii_Oakley_]

Ahhhh 🤗 that 2012 MacBook unibody. Goat…

[@maxiecharles2842]

Everyone needs more than their salary to be financial stable. The best thing to do with your money is to invest it rightly, because money left for saving always end up used with no returns.

[@ningyen1444]

Who is your financial coach, do you mind hooking me?

[@kingbush9328]

Am looking for something to venture into on a short term basis, I really need to create an alternate source of income, what do you think I should be buying?

[@maxiecharles2842]

Cryptocurrency investment, but you will need a professional guide on that.

[@maxiecharles2842]

Facebook 👇

[@maxiecharles2842]

Telgrm..

[@caravanlifenz]

People from Utah are so good-looking. They always look like models. Beautiful people.

[@hamburgerzzzzz]

Carrington from Love Island further proves that point

[@WayneMay]

Good thing we all have different taste and opinions...

[@omarrahman88]

Yeah because they don’t drink.

[@Chandrell_S]

NBA young boy is on house arrest in utah

[@joannk5259]

She looks like Jackie o

[@livingaktive]

Cole, where did you get your brown leather shirt?

[@joshuapeterson3461]

Done is better than perfect - are you coming for me? love this

[@gdwlaw5549]

Anything that can help me avoid ADOBE is a good thing

[@kedr77]

Very inspirational

[@plannerjoy]

Humble beginnings…we grew up in Utah. Um, ok. We can barely afford our rent in NYC…says everyone who moved into a hip neighborhood. None of these people actually consider uncool, more affordable neighborhoods. But these stories sell

[@pat4005]

They had to be where the action was due to their jobs.

[@JuanRojas956]

Photographer here… never heard of this app

[@gilbertnicholas1582]

Nice story

[@Leroyteam]

Always surprises me people make money by being nr 13 in a dozen of the same type of app.

[@r3dp1ll]

she "leveraged" her large insta audience.

[@ABc-nu6jb]

Especially this much money. $26millions per year seems a lot for this app.

[@pat4005]

@@ABc-nu6jbNot at all. It's free for the basic editing tools, then a purchase-in-app fee for more filters and features. They offer 2 other levels of features that users are charged monthly for a small fee. The apps are offered world-wide and since there are millions upon millions of iPhone users, out of those the small number of users by comparison that would need to subscribe monthly to equal that figure is not surprising.

[@Annii_Oakley_]

“We met as babies” is a wild way to say we grew up together 🤭

[@fayr8807]

That’s so dope

[@kwameosantos]

This is so cool!

[@mainmain5303]

This is an ad?

[@talashasawant6862]

Such a cool video! Always heard about their kits on KZbin

[@mauryser3299]

I would not pay one dime for this

[@bigrobotnewstoday1436]

Miss leading its a 7 day trial and then you have to pay every month. I remember the good old days of buying a app once and you owned it.

[@ahzootube]

Did not they get in trouble with that collage kit? After all, the photos are someone elses property right?

[@ashleyc5257]

They took all the photos in the collage kits

[@ahzootube]

@@ashleyc5257 cool! I take street photos :) Cool Idea

[@UnknownSageMaster]

Now I see why girl bffs say " Lets have babies at the same time so our kids will be bffs too"

[@newlinegirls]

Hello 😊😊😊

[@santostv.]

So another founders video full of PR lies they will do great in business, i never heard of the app but it´s n´84 in my country under photography and video meanwhile vsco is n11 and lightroom is nº16. The media is full of lies.

[@DeanBKK]

Keyword: "your country" 🤦‍♂️

[@santostv.]

I’m calling bs on the founders history and not on the app because I never used the app I don’t know if it’s good or not.

[@jasminecontreras7341]

@@DeanBKK right. victim mentality.

[@JaneDoe-ni2ft]

The whole has negative money but had jobs??, built the app between 10pm to 3am. It was only a side project. Just be honest ! I doubt the above

[@tnijoo5109]

Living in NYC is expensive.

[@pat4005]

They said they had occasional negative money in their bank account. It happens. They did not say they were living in the negative every day! Also, they did not d]say they built the app in one day between 10pm and 3am. 🤪 They built it over many months with lots of trial and error and testing. Those were the hours they could squeeze in together when working on it due to whatever day jobs they had. And any "side project" can turn into the big or consistent money-maker. You just don't know. They prob thought ot would sit in the app store and bring in just enough extra to make life a little easier. They didn't know that it would do so well. But they took success and ran with it, and kept improving the app to satisfy their customers. I believe it. In business, even a side hustle can become a big money-maker, and the well-planned thing you may lime the best, may not catch-on.

[@patriciamckeon4650]

Whats the name of their APP 😂

[@AnnkurKumar]

You have an Instagram account for photography, you upload photos. What you do to safeguard your photos on Instagram from stealing.

[@mex5341]

cuz she was influencer . now its impossible to achieve these stats with no paying for adv

[@JCizzleSoCal]

Rocky Dennis

[@MorningCoffeeDaily]

never heard of it ...and its since 2018??? hmmm USA is indeed land of business... They can survive just with US market.

[@Emperors_Enterprise]

Hey, your expertise is exactly what my business needs to thrive. Would love to chat for a moment about how your guidance could take us to the next level. Let's connect! 🚀 #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship

[@EmpStateXplorer]

Wow. Where did the nice weather?

[@Jesuslovesyou0316]

God loves you so! John 3:16✝

[@pwilliams2531]

When you can cash in on being a good looking couple 😂🤣😂😂

[@jamewilliams7660]

Great content! as the world crisis progresses the smartest thing people do lately is building a strong investment that isn’t controlled by the government. Like digital currencies.

[@kourtneyrice8667]

That’s really interesting! I’ve been thinking about investing in digital currencies lately but wondering how to do it, do anyone have any thought on that?

[@RobertKulusix]

To avoid losses as a and enhance profits as a newbie you’ll need to consult a professional

[@kourtneyrice8667]

Thank so much for the advice do you recommend any professional ?

[@RobertKulusix]

Yes Kimberly Jane Carl

[@burrinch5142]

"Hey everyone! 👋 Just starting my investment journey in crypto and stocks. 🚀 Learning the ropes and excited about the possibilities. Any tips or or info on how I’ll reach out to Kimberly Jane Carl,Let's grow together! 🌱

[@tj2375]

WTF no one heard of this app ever

[@JohnDoe-sk6wy]

Makes me question if some of these people are exaggerating the numbers… Could be true but most likely it is less than what they advertise. It’s a tactic many entrepreneurs use to make people jump on the bandwagon

[@Cheesecake32437]

Just tried Tezza. Boy, was I blown away!

[@lua604]

Love them!

[@Alptraumification]

I hope that they now have a chance to afford rent New York.

[@gasparini76]

This guy won the lottery twice. His lady is a 5 star hotel... not everyone in this life get both or at least one...

[@robertazov1420]

Whos gonna tell her? Isnt it obvious?

[@AlanSmith88888]

Winners of the genetic lottery

[@winstonchurchill571]

Creating an app cost minimum 25/50 K...

[@Kozette007]

Not really. FlutterFlow 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@bnwo]

Not if you know who to do it yourself, which the guy does.

[@winstonchurchill571]

@@bnwo So? The title of the video emphasizes that they spend 0$ to launch a business but isn't an easy business model to replicate because creating an app is very expensive.

[@bnwo]

@@winstonchurchill571were you dropped on your head as a child?

[@winstonchurchill571]

@@bnwo I hit my head in something called EDUCATION and RESPECT towards others, something that obviously you don't have. If offending is your way of responding to my perplexity about replicating this business model, you show that you have zero arguments. I have no intention of lowering myself to your level with even more serious offenses because, unlike you, I know how to have a conversation. I hope you learn to do the same.

[@Editnamehere]

This is why people go broke.

[@777Bviews]

My goal is to make 4 Million dollars a month by posting video on KZbin.

[@infini.tesimo]

Are they Mormons? They look like one.

[@sidn515]

tech dudes? she thinks she's better than everyone huh?

[@bnwo]

Why are you acting like she did anything when the only person with the skills to build the app is the guy?

[@dopemusic6414]

Jellyfish don't hate ❤

[@ccora_faith]

Yes he built the app but as a photographer & photo editor she probably worked on the photo editing features such as the filter presets, effects, templates, etc...and she initially brought in the sales through her social media following.

[@JayBishopFunk]

Obviously you did not watch the whole video.

[@locker47]

Good thing the video is not just about an app but a successful software business. If you think software development is the only skill necessary to build a successful software business then you have no idea what it takes to be an entrepreneur in that field.

[@bnwo]

@@locker47 cry baby

[@witness1013]

Speaking of 'dudes' - the chin is strong with this one.

[@Monster_Mover_Stocks]

Not to mention the size of her wrists and hands.

[@nkululekondlovu5585]

Is it me or doesn't she kind look like Kylie jenner👀

[@Bibirallie]

Just you babes.

[@kelsilulu]

Not even close 😂

[@jasminecontreras7341]

Anyone that wants to maintain their large following on social media needs to tweak their look to look like one of the Kardashians/Jenners. That's what's trendy right now

[@nkululekondlovu5585]

@jasminecontreras7341 True, but I'm talking about her looking like her, not her wanting to look like her there is a different

[@godsinbox]

where is the detail? just superficial garbage reporting. how did they go from NO time, clearly NO photography skills to talking about raking in subscription fees? how did this app get developed? who did the gritty work of grinding out the bugs? why gloss over that, because that is the real toil of running a business. they honestly don't seem smart enough for any of that story to make sense. 'I'm so inspired now'

[@000CloudStrife]

Smart of them but terrible work. Not high end at all.(edit/retouch) the industry needs a shock. Too many relying on bad technique,presets and ai. Lying to customers it’s high quality.

[@clarawakanda]

What a confusion state of incompetence and corruption that runs through this administration in our government are getting more risky and ridiculous, i feel the sympathy and empathy of the citizens not getting due help they deserve, thank you Citadel Moore, imagine investing $4,000 within 4 days of your investment you're profited with $6,530, wow thank you Jesus ❤

[@LillieTamara]

Same here, with my current portfolio made from my investment with my personal financial advisor I totally agree with you

[@AmariReign]

Getting citadel Moore to help me really helped me clear all my debits. I started with what I have left and it's been the best decision I ever made

[@GilbertTevez]

is there any means of communicating with her? I need help,

[@clarawakanda]

She mostly interacts on telegrams, using the user below

[@clarawakanda]

Citadeltrade That's her username

[@sfxfoto]

seems like using other people's presets is same as using ai to do all the work