In 2017, despite struggling to afford rent of $2,800 a month in New York, Tessa Barton AND Cole Hermann have turned their creative and technical talents to developing photography filters for Adobe Lightroom.
This effort laid the foundation for Tezzaa photo editing app named after Barton’s college nickname.
Initially a side business, Tezza later morphed into a lifestyle brand, racking up $26.5 million in sales last year, or an average of $2.2 million a month, according to documents reviewed by CNBC.
“We started this without the intention of it becoming a business,” Herrmann shared, noting the venture’s humble beginnings.
The couple’s journey from struggling to pay rent to achieving financial success highlights the transformative power of passion and perseverance.
Building the brand
The creation of Tezza was a blend of Barton’s photography and Herrmann’s software development skills.
Despite early challenges and doubts, Barton recalls that “[it] there was a lot of tears and trial and error and I thought, “OK, this is a stupid idea.” It will never work” – the couple insisted, working late into the night to develop their app.
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A unique approach to photo editing
To stand out in a crowded market, Tezza has embraced a bold, easy-to-use design and casual millennial lingo, diverging from the professional aesthetic of its competitors.
This strategy resonated with users, pushing Tezza onto Apple’s “Essential Photo & Video Apps” list and achieving high rankings in app stores.
Co-CEOs Barton and Herrmann continue to innovate in the photo and video editing space, with plans to expand Tezza to physical events. Despite their success, they remain focused on creativity and learning, according to CNBC.
Tezza’s journey from side hustle to multi-million dollar enterprise is not just a financial success story, but a testament to the power of following your passion and the impact of creative collaboration.
This story is part of a series of columns on the topic of success, Petrol inspiration.
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This content was partially produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.