Tezza Barton: I Built A $2.5M App That Every Girl Needed... With No Tech Experience Or Investors!

Tezza Barton joins Maggie Sellers Reum on Hot Smart Rich to talk about building the TEZZA app, Instagram photo editing, creator culture, and turning a launch she nearly deleted into a $2.5M first year win! Before Tezza became the app every cool girl, creator and brand had on their phone, she was selling Lightroom presets, building failed businesses with her husband, and trying to move out of their 250-square-foot apartment… Tezza tells Maggie about the brutal app launch, the reviews that made her want to delete it all, and the pivot that turned the backlash into a real business. They also get into Tezza’s rules for the perfect Instagram photo, what makes a photo dump actually work, and how her obsession with taste turned the TEZZA app into something bigger than her personal brand. Plus, working with Rare Beauty, 818, Bumble and Summer Fridays, Selena Gomez approving her work, and why the future of tech needs more feeling, not less. Get unselfish access to the insights that will help you own the room. Sign up now https://linkly.link/2jPXJ Tezza Barton is a multi-talented creator, artist, entrepreneur, and mother. She has spent over a decade as a commercial photographer, honing her vision for storytelling with brands and amassing a loyal following of over 1.2 million on instagram. In 2018, she founded TEZZA, a photo and video editing app with a mantra of "The Art of Life" which has over 2.5 million monthly active users. Barton is also a musician and has been honored by Forbes 30 under 30. She currently resides in California with husband and co-founder of the app, Cole Hermann, and her children. Download the TEZZA app here: shoptezza.com Timestamps: (00:00) Intro(01:48) Tezza Barton’s Creative Inspiration(04:05) Posting On Instagram(06:51) Curating Social Media Inspiration(08:44) Tezza Barton’s Creative Family(12:31) Female Entrepreneur Influence(13:54) Parenting With Social Media(14:54) Building An Online Community(18:25) Don’t Chase The Algorithm(20:45) Building The TEZZA App(22:25) TEZZA App Backlash(24:36) Tezza’s Creative Mission(26:23) Pipedrive Ad(27:21) Creativity In The AI Era(29:20) Failed Business Ideas(33:12) Turning Free Content Paid(35:00) TEZZA App Bigger Than Tezza(39:45) Unexpected TEZZA Fans(40:55) Rare Beauty, 818 And Bumble(42:07) Selena Gomez And Rare Beauty(44:27) Building Without Investors(46:10) Meeting Venture Capitalists(46:43) Raising Money Vs Profit(48:53) Bootstrapping The TEZZA Brand(50:12) Bilt Ad(51:09) Ollie Ad(52:09) Building With Your Husband(55:09) Tezza’s Personal Brand(56:47) Choosing Brand Partnerships(58:18) Better Creator Brand Deals(1:00:57) Startup Vs Big Brands(1:01:37) Most Popular TEZZA Filter(1:04:04) Tezza Edits Maggie’s Photo(1:11:56) Tezza Rapid Fire(1:12:08) Latest Credit Card Purchase(1:12:39) Favourite TEZZA Filter(1:13:13) First Morning App(1:13:35) Summer Filter Trends(1:14:21) Travel Photos Vs Home Photos(1:14:47) HSR Love Notes(1:15:21) The Art Of Chaos ⸻ Sponsors Pipedrive - http://pipedrive.com/HSR Bilt - Sign up at http://Joinbilt.com/HSR Ollie: Use code HSR for 70% off at http://ollie.com/hsr ⸻ Hot Smart Rich: Your Business & Culture Gossip For ambitious women wanting to own the room, gain power, and build wealth. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotsmartrich/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotsmartrich Maggie Sellers Reum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiesellersreum/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maggiesellersreum LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellersmaggie/ Locker: https://www.wantlocker.com/users/maggiesellers ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/maggiesellers Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/maggiesellers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices