Tezza Barton is a well-known name to many Instagram users, also the owner of a business that drew in over $30M in revenue last year. She’s become the face of modern fashion on IG and is even responsible for her own photo editing app that helps users develop their style. Her app and her coaching all help to show others that everyone can discover their inner artist and explore their creative side. Barton’s creativity came from heartbreak.
The Pain That Birthed An Empire
Barton grew up as a member of an artistic family. Most of her early artistic exploration was done alongside her sister. Barton says that her sister was the dreamer and the explorer between the two of them.
Unfortunately, Barton’s sister passed away at 17, and it changed her life and how she saw the world forever. It taught her that life was short, and she had to get on it while she could if she wanted to make her dreams a reality.
Success Defined
Her first steps into art were when she attended Parsons School Of Design in New York. Here, she embraced photography and realized she was very good at it. Yet this was where she first saw that success meant something unique for everyone.
Most of her classmates saw success as being true to their vision as an artist. There was an ongoing discussion about “selling out” for financial gain. For Barton, the idea of selling out never occurred to her. Success was related to economic stability in her mind.
Jumping On The Instagram Train
Naturally, when Instagram dropped, none of her classmates got the app. They saw it as a way to commercialize their art form and a threat to their artistic vision. Barton saw an opportunity to bring her photos out to the world and celebrate her art.
Like so many others, she wasn’t sure what her signature style was when she first got onto IG. Little by little, she developed her photography into the style we see today as hers. Year after year, she figured out what her followers wanted to see and gave them the photography they’d come to expect from her.
Sharing The Secrets to Her Success
Social media influencers, especially those on IG, don’t openly discuss their tactics and share their secrets with others. Barton realized this early on, but it confused her. She decided to go another route and invite her fans into her creative process.

She says that she had spent years creating her own “secret sauce” and that sharing what she learned with others would help them. She sees sharing what she does as an artist to be the best way to grow and engage with fans while giving them something meaningful.
Most Users Didn’t Really Listen
Despite being so open and honest with her users about what she did to take and edit her photos, many didn’t really pay attention. Barton realized it was because there were so many “easy” ways to edit photos.
Barton knew that people would use an app if it were easy enough, and that’s where her app, Tezza, came from. Tezza was designed to give users the whole Barton photography experience without people having to go through the same steps she did to create her photos.
Asking For Help
Barton was no programmer, but her boyfriend, Cole Herrmann, was. He and Barton would spend much of their free time working on the app and making it as user-friendly as possible. Over a year, they perfected the interface and the processing before releasing it to the world.
Barton’s marketing of the app helped it to garner massive support when it was released. Even today, the app is seeing a lot of new downloads every day and has over 34,000 five-star ratings on the Android storefront.
Using Community Marketing and Word of Mouth
What sets Tezza apart from other photo editing apps? Barton has the support of a whole community behind it. Each of her followers who uses her photo editing tips or who admires her style is an instant convert to the app.
Barton likes to say that Tezza isn’t just another faceless app on someone’s phone. It’s an app that is created by an influencer who understands her audience and is supported by an audience that enjoys the creator’s content. It’s as close to a symbiotic relationship that an influencer can have with their audience.
Profitable From the Start
Unlike so many other app creators and startups out there. The Tezza app was profitable from the start. It was designed on a shoestring budget but with a specific goal–giving other creators a shortcut to Barton’s photo editing style.
With over 2.5 million monthly members and a reasonable subscription fee of $3.99, the app is approaching $25 million in recurring annual revenue. Without any loans or investors to pay off, this makes it among the most profitable ventures for a small app creator.
Not Just An Online Presence
Barton is keen to highlight that the success of the Tezza app is not just because of the online presence she has. The community isn’t just limited to online but extends to the real world. Tezza also earns money by bringing their brand to the real world for these supporters.
Users can get chic Tezza-themed prints and even clothing collections. Additionally, the company invests money into planning real-world meetups and experiences, creating even stronger bonds with those who use the app online. Many large brands struggle with bridging the gap from online to offline, but this small one seems to be doing it seamlessly.
Many More Things to Do
Despite being a multi-millionaire while still so young, Barton isn’t yet done with her contributions. She still has great joy in taking pictures and showing them to her IG followers. Meeting users of the Tezza app and encouraging them gives her another avenue to support new, upcoming creators. Barton maintains that the app would never have been a hit without the deeply supportive community she has built. She advises creators to develop their community first, then monetize it afterward.