Social Media Marketing Service

38 Social Media Marketing Service Success Stories [2024]

Updated: October 6th, 2024

Looking to leverage the immense power of social media for business growth? Consider starting a social media marketing service.

In simple terms, this business involves helping companies enhance their online presence, attract more followers, and drive engagement using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You'll create and manage content, analyze engagement metrics, and fine-tune strategies to boost client success.

A strong understanding of social media trends and marketing best practices is essential. This business allows you to work flexible hours and can scale up as you gain more clients.

Investing in this business idea lets you become an indispensable asset to other businesses. Establishing your expertise can lead to recurring revenue, offering both stability and growth.

In this list, you'll find real-world social media marketing service success stories and very profitable examples of starting a social media marketing service that makes money.

1. Retention ($21.4M/year)

Adam Robinson, the founder of Retention, found inspiration for his business while grappling with challenges from his previous startup. He initially struggled to compete in the highly saturated email marketing space, dominated by giants like MailChimp and Klaviyo, which left him searching for a unique angle. One day, he learned about the possibility of identifying email addresses of website visitors who hadn't filled out a form, sparking an idea that set him on a year-and-a-half journey to figure out how to implement this technology effectively.

Adam conducted extensive research and development to create a feature that could capture these anonymous email addresses through a method that combined AdTech and MarTech. When users of the initial feature in his email app gave positive feedback despite the cumbersome process, he recognized a strong product-market fit and decided to spin out the feature into its own product. This product eventually evolved into Retention.com, a tool designed to help businesses retain customers by capturing unidentified potential leads.

Throughout the ideation phase, Adam faced numerous challenges, including technical barriers and market apprehension about data privacy. However, through continuous experimentation, customer feedback, and refining his concept, he found a scalable solution that addressed a significant pain point for his target audience. His key lesson was the importance of identifying a unique and valuable proposition within a competitive space by listening closely to early user feedback and being willing to pivot based on those insights.

How much money it makes: $21.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2M
How many people on the team: 120

SMALLBORDER

How Adam Robinson Bootstrapped Retention.com to $21M ARR

Retention.com converted anonymous website visitors into $20 million ARR by leveraging $5,000 in Facebook ads to generate $10,000 MRR in the first month, scaling with cold emails, LinkedIn thought leadership, and personalized events for high-value clients.

Read by 58 founders

2. Zero Gravity Marketing ($9.6M/year)

Chris Uzzo, the founder of Zero Gravity Marketing, came up with the idea for his digital marketing agency after building and overseeing the SEO and PPC departments for multiple agencies. With a focus on data-driven strategies and a commitment to transparency, Zero Gravity Marketing has experienced impressive growth, including being recognized by Inc as one of the fastest-growing privately-owned companies and projecting over $10 million in revenue for 2022.

How much money it makes: $9.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 70

We Grew Our Digital Marketing Agency To $9.6M/Year [70 Employees]

Zero Gravity Marketing is a five-star rated digital marketing agency with Premier Google Partnership and recognized by Inc 5000 for the last three years, on track to gross over $10M in 2022, specializing in SEO, paid media management, social media marketing, email marketing, website design, CRO, content marketing and creative services.

Read by 4,525 founders

3. Dux-Soup ($4.8M/year)

Will van der Sanden, the Founder and CEO of Dux-Soup, came up with the idea for his business after his wife expressed frustration with manual lead generation for her publishing company. Recognizing the potential in LinkedIn scraping, Will saw a gap in the market for a product that offered more value at a lower cost than existing options. The result was Dux-Soup, a LinkedIn automation tool that now has over 70,000 users and nearly $5 million in revenue.

How much money it makes: $4.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 20

SMALLBORDER

How I Created A $5M/Year LinkedIn Marketing Automation Tool

Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.

Read by 8,946 founders

4. SharpNet Solutions, Inc ($4.2M/year)

SharpNet Solutions was founded in 1998 by Christopher Sharp, a chemical engineer who wanted to secure his family's future. After self-training in website building, he realized the potential of internet marketing and launched his own company. Today, with a team of 38 talented members, SharpNet generates over $4 million in annual gross sales, offering SEO, PPC, social media management, and website design services with a strong focus on customer satisfaction.

How much money it makes: $4.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 39

I Taught Myself How To Build Websites & Now My Agency Makes $4.2M/year

This case study is about Christopher Sharp, who founded digital marketing company SharpNet Solutions, which employs 38 people and has gross sales of over $4 million/year, and focuses on customer satisfaction and producing bottom-line results.

Read by 4,180 founders

5. MeetEdgar ($4M/year)

Laura Roeder, the founder of MeetEdgar, came up with the idea for her social media automation tool after realizing the burden of managing social media accounts and creating new content across multiple platforms. With her background in teaching social media marketing and her own online course business, she saw the need for a tool that could handle the grunt work of social media management. By validating the idea through her course, she decided to create MeetEdgar and launched the software in 2014.

How much money it makes: $4M/year
How many people on the team: 11

SMALLBORDER

How I Bootstrapped A Social Media Automation Tool To $2MM/Year

MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.

Read by 15,300 founders

6. Pony Express Studio ($3.6M/year)

Thibault Louis-Lucas, the founder of Taplio and Tweet Hunter, came up with the idea for his startups after experiencing failures with previous ventures. Through trial and error, he and his co-founder committed themselves to building new products every week until one gained traction. Their "aha" moment came when they developed Tweet Hunter, a simple search bar that retrieved viral tweets, leading to a successful launch and subsequent growth.

How much money it makes: $3.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 7

SMALLBORDER

How We Built A $3.5M ARR LinkedIn Tool That Will Be Acquired For $10M-$15M

Taplio and Tweet Hunter, founded by Thibault Louis-Lucas, experienced tremendous growth, going from $0 to $3.5m in ARR in just two years, targeting Twitter, LinkedIn and social media creators and becoming one of the most successful startups in the industry.

Read by 8,833 founders

7. Digital Next ($3.48M/year)

Nathan Elly, founder of Digital Next Australia, came up with the idea for his search marketing agency after completing a year of industry experience in SEO. Through selling SEO services and witnessing the growing importance of digital marketing, he recognized the potential for SEO to become an essential part of the marketing mix. After launching the business in Australia, they have since achieved a turnover of approximately $2 million per year.

How much money it makes: $3.48M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 13

SMALLBORDER

How I Started A $2M/Year Search Marketing Agency In Australia

Nathan Elly, founder of Digital Next Australia, shares how he started a search marketing agency that now turns over approximately $2 million per year through organic growth, cold calling and effective partnerships.

Read by 5,790 founders

8. Flying V Group ($3M/year)

Flying V Group was founded by Robb Fahrion and his brother based on an opportunity they identified in the market. After helping a mentor with his website and seeing the demand for digital help, they decided to start a marketing services firm. They focused on serving professional service industries and used SEO and content marketing to establish their clients as industry experts online. The company has since grown to employ 12 people, worked with over 300 clients, and is on track to double its revenue for the second year in a row.

How much money it makes: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 16

SMALLBORDER

These Brothers Quit Their Jobs & Started A $3M/Year Digital Marketing Agency

Flying V Group, a digital marketing agency co-founded by Robb and Tyler Fahrion, has experienced explosive growth and profitability through their focus on SEO and content marketing, generating 540% more traffic in 2020 compared to the previous year, and increasing revenue YoY, all while operating debt-free and cash-positive.

Read by 5,641 founders

9. Fomo ($1.08M/year)

Ryan Kulp, a marketer and self-taught developer, acquired a social proof tool called Notify in 2016 and rebranded it as Fomo. Through strategic product-led growth, integrations, and a focus on social proof, Fomo scaled its business by 600% and achieved over $1 million in annual revenue.

How much money it makes: $1.08M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 5

SMALLBORDER

How I Bought A Shopify App And Grew It To A $1M/Year

Fomo, a social proof tool for eCommerce stores, scaled its original business by 600% and now generates >$1m in annual revenue through product-led growth via integrations and an extensive case study library.

Read by 4,846 founders

10. Trusted CMO ($900K/year)

Burnt out from her full-time CMO roles, Alison Murdock founded Trusted CMO in 2020 to provide fractional marketing services for B2B startups. With minimal investment, the consultancy has scaled by 50% annually and hit a million in revenue by 2023.

How much money it makes: $900K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 4

SMALLBORDER

How I Turned 20 Years Of Marketing Experience Into A $1M Business

Trusted CMO founder built a marketing consulting firm from scratch, growing 50% yearly, attracting clients via word of mouth from investors, founders, and marketing leaders, with plans to expand educational offerings and managed services based on client needs.

Read by 1,147 founders

11. Postoplan.app ($840K/year)

Alex Bozhin, founder & CEO of Postoplan, came up with the idea for his automated marketing platform for social media and messengers after working with various social media instruments in his marketing agency and feeling that something was missing. He saw an opportunity to revolutionize the market and create his own instrument for working with social media. After months of research and interviews with potential clients, he launched Postoplan and attracted over 1,000 users, including paying ones, through a Product Hunt launch.

How much money it makes: $840K/year
How much did it cost to start: $11K
How many people on the team: 27

SMALLBORDER

How We Developed A $70K/Month Social Media Management Tool

Postoplan, an automated marketing platform for social media and messengers, has reached over $1M in revenues and boasts 112,000 users in 147 countries with an average annual revenue growth of +25% MoM, making it among Estonia's Top 5 most promising startups in 2020, a finalist for the Global Business Owners Startup Awards in 2021, and placing 2nd at Seedstars Tallinn in 2020, all while being the only marketing platform that enables automated posting to WhatsApp.

Read by 4,829 founders

12. CASTANET ($732K/year)

Started reaching out to people he knew who either owned a business or had higher-up positions in a business in order to brainstorm business ideas. A consistent theme that came up was lead generation. There's always a big demand for good leads and salespeople are willing to pay.

How much money it makes: $732K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0

SMALLBORDER

How I Built A LinkedIn Outreach Tool That Generated $61K MRR Before Getting Acquired

Discover how an aspiring founder turned countless failed projects into a $61,000/month LinkedIn outreach tool by leveraging strategic networking, relentless customer engagement, and a savvy reseller model to scale rapidly without hiring a single employee.

Read by 3,902 founders

13. Hubbub Labs ($720K/year)

George Chilton, the co-founder and Creative Director of Hubbub Labs, had a background in teaching and editing. He realized that startups and companies struggle with communications and decided to start a content marketing agency to help them express their ideas and brand clearly. With a mission to provide value through journalistic-quality content, Hubbub Labs has grown to a 10+ person team and is profitable, experiencing a 40% year-on-year growth rate.

How much money it makes: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 8

SMALLBORDER

We Took Our Agency From Zero To $720K/Year In 3.5 Years

Find out how a creative content marketing agency grew from a team of two with only €500 in the bank, to a 10+ person team generating €720k a year, by prioritizing a niche market, providing excellent service, word of mouth, and consistent quality work.

Read by 4,941 founders

Jake Jorgovan, a serial entrepreneur and business advisor, came up with the idea for Lead Cookie, a LinkedIn lead generation and appointment setting company, after brainstorming various business ideas and realizing the untapped potential in the market. Within the first two weeks of launching, Jorgovan closed $12k of monthly recurring revenue by selling to individuals within his existing network, providing rapid validation for his concept. Lead Cookie is now a thriving company, generating between $45k-$70k in monthly revenue and boasting a team of 20 full-time members.

How much money it makes: $660K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 24

SMALLBORDER

How I Started A $55K/Month Linkedin Lead Generation Business

Serial entrepreneur Jake Jorgovan explains how he started and grew his LinkedIn lead generation company, Lead Cookie, which now averages between $45k-70k every month with only 4-8 hours of his own time per week, and shares insights on building and scaling a successful business.

Read by 7,225 founders

15. Add Value | Growth Marketing Agency ($600K/year)

24-year-old Joachim Brouckaert founded Add Value, a growth marketing agency, after noticing that many marketing agencies prioritized money over delivering value to their customers. With a background in digital marketing and experience freelancing as a digital marketer, Joachim decided to start his own agency focused on full-funnel marketing services. After a year in business, Add Value generates an average monthly turnover of 30k and works with 18 active clients.

How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 5

SMALLBORDER

My Growth Marketing Agency Generated $360K In Its First Year [Belgium]

A 24-year-old founder shares how his growth marketing agency generated €360,000 in its first year, with a team of 5 people working for 18 active clients per month, using SEO, Facebook and Google ads, organic content on LinkedIn, and a hybrid agency model with a focus on client retention.

Read by 4,291 founders

16. Vital Traffic Labs ($600K/year)

David Schlais, co-founder of Vital Traffic Labs, came up with the idea for his social media marketing agency after realizing the massive margins that larger marketing firms were making for mediocre work. With almost no experience in social media marketing, he and his partner set up their agency in a day and quickly secured their first client, leading to a successful growth trajectory and the ability to leave their 9-5 jobs within six months.

How much money it makes: $600K/year
How many people on the team: 0

SMALLBORDER

How We Left Our 9 to 5 Jobs To Start A $50K/Month Marketing Agency

This case study follows the co-founder of a social media marketing agency who left their 6-figure 9-5 jobs to build a business that has grown to between 50-60K in monthly recurring revenue in just 3 years, attributing their success to putting clients and quality of work first while scaling to new clients and opportunities.

Read by 8,797 founders

17. Attrock ($500K/year)

While working at an Ireland-based digital marketing agency in 2012, Gaurav Sharma saw clients frustrated with generic SEO packages, leading him to launch Attrock in 2014, offering customized digital marketing solutions and generating $500,000 annually.

How much money it makes: $500K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 25

SMALLBORDER

Starting A Bootstrapped Digital Marketing Agency At Age 24 [$500K/Year]

Attrock, a digital marketing agency, has grown its business to generate revenues of half a million dollars annually by providing highly tailored solutions to clients and prioritizing retention over acquisition, resulting in a 95% client retention rate and 25-30% YoY growth.

Read by 1,537 founders

18. Travel Tractions ($420K/year)

Matthew Davison, the founder of Travel Tractions, came up with the idea for his tourism-focused marketing agency after scaling his previous travel startup to over 500,000 page views a month. He saw an opportunity to help other travel businesses achieve similar results and launched Travel Tractions as a productized service agency, focusing on SEO content and audits before expanding into other services like social media, PPC, and web builds. Despite facing challenges during the COVID pandemic, the company has rebuilt and grown to a monthly revenue of $35k, with a focus on client retention and a predicted triple-digit growth in 2024.

How much money it makes: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 11

SMALLBORDER

How We Started Our $35K/Month Tourism-Focused Marketing Agency With Just A Basic Wordpress Site

Travel Tractions, a tourism-focused marketing agency, which produces and optimizes almost half a million words of content a month for a wide range of travel publications and businesses all over the world, has built back up to be a formidable business today after losing 95% of its business due to COVID and many of the team two years ago, now doing around $35k/month.

Read by 2,432 founders

19. Social Ktchn ($420K/year)

Chris and Camila, founders of Social Ktchn, came up with the idea for their digital marketing business after realizing the value of social media for restaurants. They leveraged their experience in photography, fashion, branding, and design to offer services such as social media management and email marketing. Eventually, they focused on Facebook and Instagram paid ads, capitalizing on the platforms' growth and becoming experts in the field.

How much money it makes: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $250
How many people on the team: 1

SMALLBORDER

How This Couple Started A $400K/Year Advertising Agency

Social Ktchn is a successful digital marketing company, specializing in providing Facebook and Instagram paid ads for small to midsize businesses in the lead gen and eCommerce spaces, with an annual revenue of $300-$400k.

Read by 2,858 founders

20. Video Jaguar ($384K/year)

Since launching Video Jaguar, Tim Sumer has focused on driving attention to his website and perfecting his video creation software. He utilized his digital marketing firm, USA Marketing Pros, to design and promote the website. He also leveraged his client base by offering a 30-day free trial in exchange for referrals. By showcasing the video templates in individual blog posts and utilizing SEO tactics, Tim was able to attract customers and gain visibility.

How much money it makes: $384K/year
How much did it cost to start: $18K
How many people on the team: 5

SMALLBORDER

How I Launched A $400K/Year All-In-One Video Marketing Software

Video Jaguar is an all-in-one video marketing software that has generated $25,038.74 in sales from August-December 2019, $188,672.22 in sales in 2020, and is now doing $32,911.77/month in sales with an expected $700K in sales in the current year while boasting a gross margin of 80%.

Read by 5,972 founders

21. Base Coat Marketing ($360K/year)

Austin Houser, the founder of Base Coat Marketing, came up with the idea for his business after acquiring painting businesses as clients at his previous agency and realizing the industry lacked effective marketing solutions. By creating a niche-focused agency dedicated to the professional painting industry, Houser has been able to quickly scale his business and generate impressive results, with $30,000 in monthly recurring revenue and a 50% profit margin within just three months of launching.

How much money it makes: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 2

SMALLBORDER

How I Built A $144K/Year Digital Marketing Agency For The Painting Industry

Austin Houser, founder of Base Coat Marketing, launched a full-service digital marketing agency catering exclusively to the professional painting industry and within three months exceeded last year's revenue under his previous agency and is generating $30,000 in monthly recurring revenue with roughly a 50% profit margin by offering simple, niche-focused packages and providing personalized, valuable interactions with customers.

Read by 5,406 founders

22. Major Impact Media ($342K/year)

Brice Gump, the founder of Major Impact Media, got his start in digital marketing after helping a friend sell cell phones online. He saw the explosive growth of the business and realized the power of working on the internet. After taking online courses and freelancing in various areas of marketing, Brice launched Major Impact Media in 2015, offering Google Ads for a monthly retainer. He learned through trial and error and eventually found his niche, providing high-quality marketing services to a specific market. Today, the company has generated over $5.8 million in online sales for their clients and is expanding their services to adapt to changes in the advertising landscape.

How much money it makes: $342K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 3

SMALLBORDER

How My Agency Helped Customers Generate Over $5.8M in Online Sales

This case study follows the story of Brice Gump, founder and CEO of Major Impact Media, a hybrid agency/education company that has generated over $5.8M in online sales for their clients through their marketing services.

Read by 3,622 founders

23. Restoration Digital Marketing ($300K/year)

Jeff Carrier came up with the idea for Restoration Digital Marketing after speaking to restoration owners who lacked focus on internet marketing. With their industry-specific knowledge and experience as a restoration company, RDM was able to educate the industry and generate $25,000/month in leads.

How much money it makes: $300K/year
How many people on the team: 2

SMALLBORDER

How I Started A $25K/Month Digital Marketing Agency Dedicated To The Disaster Restoration Industry

Restoration Digital Marketing generates over $25,000 per month helping restoration companies achieve positive ROI through its specialized digital marketing services, and its success has been fuelled through word-of-mouth marketing tactics and developing client relationships.

Read by 5,903 founders

24. Windhill Design LLC ($263K/year)

Link Moser, founder of Windhill Design, came up with the idea for his WordPress development and SEO company after teaching himself HTML and building his first website for a real estate company in 1996. Over the years, the business has grown organically through referrals and search engine optimization, and has recently experienced growth through acquisitions, reaching a gross revenue of $212,000 in 2021.

How much money it makes: $263K/year
How much did it cost to start: $30
How many people on the team: 1

SMALLBORDER

How I Started A $211K/Year WordPress Development and SEO Company

Learn how Link Moser started a WordPress development and SEO company with just $30 and grew it to a business that generated around $212,000 in gross revenue in 2021 by focusing on providing excellent customer service and leveraging growth through acquisitions.

Read by 3,074 founders

25. Maildroppa ($240K/year)

Feeling stifled in corporate life, Marcus Biel leveraged his Java development skills to create Maildroppa, an affordable email marketing tool for solo founders. The platform's unique free plan and bootstrapper ethos helped it achieve $20,000 in monthly revenue, transforming the email marketing landscape.

How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 0

SMALLBORDER

I Built An Email Marketing Tool For Solopreneurs That Makes $20K/Mo

Bootstrapper turned entrepreneur created an affordable yet powerful email marketing solution, offering a free plan for 100 subscribers forever, leading to $20,000 in monthly revenue, catering to solo founders and bootstrappers building their businesses.

Read by 3,293 founders

26. LV8 ($240K/year)

George Chatzicharalampous and George Margaritis, founders of lv8 - Consulting, came up with the idea for their digital marketing and consulting agency after realizing that other agencies they worked with were slow and difficult to communicate with. They decided to start an agency that genuinely cared about their clients and focused on delivering top-quality work. Since launching in December 2020, they have grown rapidly and are currently generating $12,000 per month, helping some of the largest companies in their area.

How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 4

SMALLBORDER

How We Started A $12K/Month Digital Marketing And Consulting Services Business

LV8 Consulting generated $12,000 per month helping some of the biggest companies in Lamia, central Greece, achieving a 2680% increase in revenue in one month for one of their clients and now offering services in video production, social media management, web development, SEO, and PPC management.

Read by 6,104 founders

27. Ignore No More ($156K/year)

Sophia O’Neal’s relentless desire to avoid mundane employment led her to launch Ignore No More, a SaaS-focused marketing agency. Inspired by Warby Parker's innovative branding, Sophia built a $21K/month business through savvy positioning and strategic no-code solutions, employing a globally diverse team.

How much money it makes: $156K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 2

SMALLBORDER

I Built My Marketing Agency From Scratch To $13K/Month

Case study about how Sophia O'Neal built Ignore No More, a profitable marketing agency for SaaS companies, working with 2-5 clients/mo and bringing in $13K-$21K/month, with a team of 10 employees speaking 12+ languages, showing how she went from freelancing to agency success despite financial struggles and setbacks.

Read by 1,333 founders

28. Social Burro Inc. ($156K/year)

Frank Kecseti, the creator and data nerd behind Social Burro, came up with the idea for the business after being laid off and receiving negative feedback about his overthinking and non-traditional approach to marketing. He walked up and down Main Street sharing his ideas with business owners, and within 48 hours, he secured his first two clients. Since then, Social Burro has grown and helped 37 brands increase their revenue by 235.3%.

How much money it makes: $156K/year
How much did it cost to start: $125
How many people on the team: 2

SMALLBORDER

We Started A $13K/Month Business After Being Laid Off

Social Burro Inc, a social media agency founded during the pandemic, has increased its revenue by 235.3%, averaging $13,000 per month, and has helped 37 brands gain momentum, clarify their purposes, and rally their offline communities.

Read by 4,648 founders

29. DAD OF AD ($154K/year)

Shamreen and Rumit, with backgrounds in graphic design and computer science engineering, respectively, came up with the idea for Dad of Ad over a party discussion. They saw the opportunity to provide social media marketing services during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and since then, the agency has grown to have an average annual revenue turnover of $153,840 with 12 retainer clients and project-based services. Despite facing challenges and making mistakes in the beginning, they have continuously adapted and learned to attract and retain customers through effective communication, moment marketing, and setting clear goals.

How much money it makes: $154K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.26K
How many people on the team: 35

SMALLBORDER

How We Started A $153K/Year Creative Marketing Agency In Mumbai [India]

Dad of Ad, a social media marketing and advertising agency based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, has 12 retainer clients and provides project-based services, generating an average annual revenue turnover of $153,840 while catering to various industries like sport, skin care, and venture capitalists.

Read by 3,612 founders

30. SocialBu ($144K/year)

Usama, the CEO and co-founder of SocialBu, came up with the idea for his social media management platform while freelancing as a developer and managing social media accounts. He saw a need for a more powerful and affordable solution, so he built a simple tool that gained traction and eventually led him to create SocialBu. Since its launch, the bootstrapped company has made $300K in revenue and has plans for future improvements and features.

How much money it makes: $144K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 6

SMALLBORDER

How I Leveraged My Coding Skills And Built A $144K/Year Business

Social media management platform SocialBu is 100% bootstrapped and has made about $300K since its launch, and CEO Usama shares his process of building a social media management tool that solved a real problem and attracted users through online communities and organic traffic.

Read by 2,414 founders

31. Tatum Digital Agency ($120K/year)

AJ Tatum, founder of Tatum Digital Agency, came up with the idea for his business after realizing his passion for digital marketing and automation. With a background in web development and a desire to work with startups and small businesses, he launched TDA and has maintained an impressive average monthly income of ~$10k since May 2021. Through networking, offering free consultations, and creating quality content, AJ has been able to attract and retain customers for his digital presence management agency.

How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
How many people on the team: 1

SMALLBORDER

I Used My Programming Skills & Built A $120K/Year Freelance Business

Aspiring founders can learn how leveraging programming skills and effective digital marketing strategies enabled AJ Tatum to grow Tatum Digital Agency into a $120k/year freelance business, averaging around $10k in monthly income.

Read by 3,970 founders

32. Socialbuzzhive ($96K/year)

Emily Standley, a single mother with a passion for digital marketing, started her blog Socialbuzzhive to provide expert resources for entrepreneurs looking to grow their business online. With a community of over 4 million, Emily earns over $8,000 monthly through a combination of affiliate marketing, advertising, digital courses, and product reviews. Her blog serves as a go-to resource for those seeking work-life balance and financial success in the digital age.

How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 1

How I Started A $96K/Year Digital Consultancy Business As A Single Mother

South Florida-based digital marketing strategist turned blogger grows her online business from zero to over 4 million followers, using a combination of affiliate marketing, advertising, digital courses, and product reviews, earning over $8,000 monthly.

Read by 4,173 founders

33. Social Reach ($78K/year)

Stephen, the founder of Micro Bikes UK, stumbled upon the idea of mini bikes when his suppliers sold a few of them alongside ride-on cars on their eBay store. After realizing their potential, he took some time away, developed a business plan centered around mini bikes, secured seed investment, and launched Micro Bikes. With a solid after-sales service and his expertise in digital marketing, Stephen was able to overtake older, handymen-run competitors and generate six-figure revenue within 18 months.

How much money it makes: $78K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 2

SMALLBORDER

Launching a Mini Dirt Bike Shop and Growing To £6,000/Month

Micro Bikes UK is a successful e-commerce store specializing in kids quad bikes and dirt bikes with petrol engines, currently on track to hit six-figures in revenue with strong branding and a solid after-sales service.

Read by 9,224 founders

34. Altar'd Socials ($60K/year)

Altar’d Socials was founded by Claire Ficek, who started the business at 18 years old in the midst of 2020. Inspired by her parents' entrepreneurial background, she decided to offer social media management services to other companies. Within 24 hours of launching her business, she had secured three clients, which reassured her that there was a market for her expertise.

How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 2

SMALLBORDER

How This Student Is On Her Way To Make $100K In Just One Year

Altar'd Socials, a social media management company founded by Claire Ficek, grew to 10+ clients and a team of 5 women with revenue on track to hit $100k in the first year of business, specializing in full-time social media management and online courses targeted towards women-owned businesses.

Read by 2,404 founders

35. Siva Solutions Inc. ($60K/year)

Senthil Kumar, the founder of Siva Solutions Inc and American Dental Software, was inspired to start his business after his wife, who is an oral surgeon, told him about the exorbitant prices charged by website developers in the dental industry. As a software developer himself, Kumar saw an opportunity to offer affordable website development solutions specifically tailored to dentists. He incorporated features such as 3D dental education videos and interactive patient forms into the websites, ultimately helping dentists improve their online presence and streamline their processes.

How much money it makes: $60K/year
How many people on the team: 20

SMALLBORDER

On Starting A Niche Web Design Business In The Dental Industry

Senthil Kumar spearheads Siva Solutions Inc, a game-changing digital marketing and software development company which caters to dentists using an array of well-crafted products to manage patient data and inquiries, thus enabling efficient management of processes, while boosting them to the 1st page on Google.

Read by 5,984 founders

36. DKDesigns ($36K/year)

David and Kaitlyn Gilbert founded DKDesigns after realizing their combined corporate skills could meet the diverse needs of small businesses in Brooklyn, NY. Starting as a side hustle aiming for $10K annually, they surpassed this in the first quarter alone, hitting $3K in monthly revenue quickly.

How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 0

SMALLBORDER

Setting Off On Our Own In NYC, Running A $3K/Month Digital Agency

Case study about DKDesigns, a web design agency in Brooklyn, NY, that offers affordable corporate quality digital marketing services to small businesses, surpassing their $10K annual revenue goal in the first quarter and closing in on $3K in monthly revenue in their first year.

Read by 953 founders

37. NextWave Social ($36K/year)

Samuel Gordon, the founder of NextWave Social, got the idea for his boutique-styled digital marketing agency after realizing the outdated websites and social media struggles of wedding vendors while attending a wedding. With a background in marketing and a fascination with the data behind ads, Samuel identified a problem and a need within the service industry and decided to provide a solution.

How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
How many people on the team: 1

SMALLBORDER

From Agent For Professional Skateboarders To Starting A $3K/Month Boutique Styled Digital Marketing Agency

NextWave Social, a boutique-styled digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, social media management, web development, and Facebook ads for service and product-based industries, hit six figures in revenue for 2021 since launching in January 2020 with only $1,500 in startup costs and a team motto of "Under promise and Over deliver."

Read by 5,010 founders

38. SideGains ($36K/year)

Paul Franklin, founder of SideGains, started his business in 2015 after being made redundant. He initially began freelancing as a contractor, focusing on PPC campaigns. As he gained clients through recommendations, he saw an opportunity to monetize his blog and create a more stable source of income. Despite the challenges of maintaining a blog, Franklin is committed to long-term growth and plans to scale his business by outsourcing work and making the blog his primary source of income.

How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 1

SMALLBORDER

On Starting A $3K/Month PPC And WordPress Development Business

This case study follows the journey of Paul Franklin who runs SideGains, offering PPC campaign management and WordPress development; despite COVID-19's impact, his blog generates 10% of income and he plans to shift this to 50-50 in a year's time.

Read by 6,902 founders