12 Video Marketing Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Video Marketing Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a video marketing business:

1. Lemonlight ($18M/year)

Hope Horner came up with the idea for Lemonlight when he saw an opportunity to bring transparency to the video production industry. With the average cost for a 30-second commercial at $342,000, Lemonlight offered small and medium-sized businesses access to high-quality, affordable video content through pre-built pricing menus and transparent pricing. Since its launch in 2014, Lemonlight has grown to generate $6M in sales per year, with over 7000 videos produced for more than 3000 brands and notable clients including Amazon and TripAdvisor.

How much they make: $18M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 75

article

How I Started A $500K/Month Video Production Company From My Bedroom in LA

Lemonlight CEO, Hope Horner, co-founded an on-demand video production company that has produced over 7,000 videos for more than 3,000 brands, generating over $6 million in sales and growing to a 45-person team, all without taking any outside capital and being recognized in Inc 5000 and Entrepreneur 360 for three years in a row.

About
Hope started Lemonlight almost 10 years ago
Revenue
Hope grew the business to $1.5M/month
Costs
It cost Hope $500 to start the business
Read by 16,982 founders

2. GreenRope ($1.92M/year)

metrics for our business are our customer satisfaction and retention rates, which remain consistently high. We currently have over 1,000 customers in over 20 countries, ranging from startups to universities and municipalities. Moving forward, we plan to continue evolving and improving our platform to meet the changing needs of businesses and provide even greater value to our customers.

How much they make: $1.92M/year
Current team size: 15

article

On Starting A $160K/Month CRM & Automations Company After A US Air Force Career

GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.

About
Lars started GreenRope almost 16 years ago
Revenue
Lars grew the business to $160K/month
Read by 10,959 founders

So... can you actually make money with a video marketing business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. 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 they make: $384K/year
How much did it cost to start: $18K
Current team size: 5

article

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%.

About
Tim started Video Jaguar over 4 years ago
Revenue
Tim grew the business to $32K/month
Costs
It cost Tim $18000 to start the business
Read by 5,406 founders

4. Explainer Videoly Pte. Ltd. ($1.2M/year)

Kasra Design, also known as Explainer Videoly, was founded by Alex Safavinia. With a background in Creative Multimedia, Alex saw the potential in offering animation services to businesses. Starting with email marketing and showcasing their work on social media, the company attracted clients and grew steadily. Today, Kasra Design has completed over 700 projects, generated over half a million dollars in revenue annually, and plans to expand further in the future.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $7K
Current team size: 15

article

My Animation Passion Led Me To Starting A $480K/Year Business

Kasra Design produces customized animated and live-action explainer videos for corporate clients, enterprises, startups, and nonprofits; it generated around USD70k in the first year and currently generates over half a million dollars with over 700 projects completed and over 400 clients from around the world.

About
Alex started Explainer Videoly Pte. Ltd. over 12 years ago
Revenue
Alex grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Alex $7000 to start the business
Read by 3,383 founders

So... can you actually make money with a video marketing business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

5. Breadnbeyond ($2.16M/year)

The founder, Andre Oentoro, started Breadnbeyond in 2009 as a digital agency offering graphic design services. However, after working on a kinetic typography animation project for a client, the company pivoted to focus solely on animated explainer videos. They have since grown their client base, become profitable from day one, and currently have 42 employees.

How much they make: $2.16M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 41

article

How We Make $2M/Year Crafting Explainer Videos From Scratch
About
Andre started Breadnbeyond over 15 years ago
Revenue
Andre grew the business to $180K/month
Costs
It cost Andre $5000 to start the business
Read by 2,715 founders

6. Filmbaker ($600K/year)

Tarun Lachhwani, along with his co-founders Rakesh R, Gaurav Singh, and Soman Surya Yadav, developed their passion for storytelling while making short films in college. Inspired by their success and their desire to help brands tell their stories, they launched Filmbaker in 2017 with just 4-5 lakhs (INR) in initial funding. Since then, they have grown to serve over 250 clients, including Google and Kingfisher, and are projected to reach 5Cr in revenue this year.

How much they make: $600K/year
Current team size: 35

article

How We Started A $50K/Month Video Production Company With A Bunch Of Engineers

Indian video production company Filmbaker has a clientele of over 250 brands and has grown from an initial funding of 4-5 lakhs INR to clock over 3Cr in FY 20-21, en route to cross 5Cr this year, by providing storytelling services and delivering consistent, high-quality work.

About
Tarun started Filmbaker over 6 years ago
Revenue
Tarun grew the business to $50K/month
Read by 4,414 founders

So... can you actually make money with a video marketing business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

7. eWebinar ($600K/year)

Melissa Kwan, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar, came up with the idea for the business after experiencing the pain of having to run the same webinar over and over again for her previous enterprise SaaS startup. Recognizing the need for a scalable webinar automation solution, Melissa decided to create eWebinar, a platform that turns any video into an interactive webinar that can be set on a recurring schedule or made available on demand. With customers ranging from solopreneurs to publicly traded companies, eWebinar has achieved an MRR of around $50k and continues to focus on delivering the best product and customer experience.

How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500K
Current team size: 0

article

How A Non-Technical Founder Bootstrapped A $50K/Month Automated Webinar Platform

Melissa Kwan, CEO of eWebinar, discusses how she identified the pain point of running the same webinar over and over again, leading her to build an automated webinar solution, with a current MRR of $50k and a focus on word-of-mouth marketing.

About
Melissa started eWebinar almost 5 years ago
Revenue
Melissa grew the business to $50K/month
Costs
It cost Melissa $500000 to start the business
Read by 2,911 founders

8. FranchiseFilming ($1.2M/year)

Trevor Rappleye started his video production company, Franchise Filming, after attending the International Franchise Association's Annual Convention and noticing the lack of quality video content in the franchising industry. He created a VIP Subscription Service that offers franchisors a hassle-free way of getting professional videos, resulting in a remarkable 3,200% growth rate for his business.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
Current team size: 5

article

From $80K In Debt To $1.2M In 4 Years With A Video Production Company

Franchise Filming founder, Trevor Rappleye, shares how he scaled his full-service video production company to 3,200% growth in the franchising industry by offering a VIP Subscription Service with no travel fees, no scripts, and videos edited and delivered in 10 days or less without hidden costs.

About
Trevor started FranchiseFilming about 9 years ago
Revenue
Trevor grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Trevor $300 to start the business
Read by 2,710 founders