Leadership Training Business Success Stories [2024]
Great leaders aren't born, they’re made, and that’s where a leadership training business comes into play. This business involves curating and delivering programs that build strong, effective leaders within organizations.
By focusing on areas like effective communication, conflict resolution, and strategic planning, you can create workshops or online courses that cater to various industries. Unlike many passive businesses, this one demands active engagement and expertise. You’ll need to develop curriculum, conduct sessions, and perhaps even offer personalized coaching.
The appeal of this idea lies in its impact. Companies are always seeking to hone their leadership to improve employee retention and productivity. If you have experience in leadership or professional training, this business allows you to leverage your skills for a meaningful venture. Inspired to cultivate the next generation of leaders? This business idea might just be the perfect fit.
In this list, you'll find real-world leadership training business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a leadership training business that makes money.
1. SquarePlanet ($3.49M/year)
Brian Burkhart, founder of SquarePlanet Presentations & Strategy, came up with the idea for his business after witnessing a top doctor give a painfully boring presentation at a healthcare conference. The wasted time, money, and missed opportunities motivated him to help people improve their presentation skills. With his experience in business communications and a deep understanding of what makes presentations go wrong, he created SquarePlanet to provide consulting, training, and execution services for impactful presentations. The company has since seen consistent and upward revenue growth, working with big brands like Coca-Cola and Google.
How much money it makes: $3.49M/year
How many people on the team: 7
SquarePlanet Presentations & Strategy is a Phoenix-based business communications firm that helps its clients tell their stories in the most impactful ways possible through meeting creative, brand voice, presentations that matter, engineered delight, speaker training/workshops, and keynote addresses, resulting in consistent and upward trajectory since inception.
2. Half a Bubble Out ($1.18M/year)
Michael and Kathryn Redman, childhood friends turned spouses, founded Half A Bubble Out 18 years ago as a marketing and advertising agency. They later established HaBO Village, a membership website that helps leaders build successful companies. Through their expertise and experience, they have generated millions of dollars for their clients across various industries, and are now focused on helping businesses find clarity and success through their strategic direction and coaching services.
How much money it makes: $1.18M/year
How many people on the team: 8
Half A Bubble Out is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in Chico, California that has helped business leaders around the world grow their companies through traditional and digital marketing, business coaching, and leadership development, making millions of dollars for their clients across industries such as property management, medical, agriculture, and various nonprofits.
3. Agile Worx ($480K/year)
David Bishop, the founder of Agile Worx, came up with the idea for his business after realizing that the knowledge he accumulated in the technology industry was constantly becoming obsolete. He decided to pursue a Ph.D. and focus on creating a long-lasting body of work. While working with a firm that was struggling to adopt agile and scrum techniques, he applied his new research skills to create a scientific theory and patented framework called "Metagility" that maximizes productivity and efficiency for technology companies.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How many people on the team: 3
How a Ph.D. in computer engineering created a patented agile framework and turned it into a profitable training and consulting business, after realizing that his accumulated technology knowledge was losing value over time.
4. Vorttx Training and Testing ($180K/year)
Kyle Golding, co-founder of VORTTX Training and Testing, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the need for a more efficient and engaging emergency response training system in long-term healthcare facilities. With a market potential of $100 million per year, VORTTX has seen over 500% adoption rate in its first 12 months and continues to grow. By providing a virtual solution instead of a physical "training in a box," VORTTX has been able to reduce costs and increase ease of use for its customers.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How many people on the team: 0
VORTTX Training and Testing is a virtual emergency response training system generating 1% of its market potential of one hundred million dollars a year in its second year of full-time operation through utilizing email marketing, trade shows, trade events, referrals, personalized LinkedIn messages, and featuring testimonials from early adopters.
5. Humor That Works ($150K/year)
Andrew Tarvin, the world's first humor engineer, came up with the idea for his business, Humor That Works, while working at Procter & Gamble. He started incorporating humor into his job, adding jokes to his emails and teaching improv exercises to his team. Realizing the same skills needed to be an effective improviser were the same skills needed in the workplace, Andrew built Humor That Works part-time, eventually leaving his six-figure salary to focus on the company full-time.
How much money it makes: $150K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Humor That Works is a training company that focuses on human effectiveness, and has worked with thousands of people at over 250 organizations, including Microsoft, the FBI, and the International Association of Canine Professionals, and has grown 24% YoY.
6. Thrivette ($120K/year)
Stacey Haynes, the founder of Thrivette, came up with the idea for her business after realizing that many people settle for an unfulfilling Monday-Friday work week and put off their dreams due to a lack of motivation and money. She and her husband, Jason, used their skills in design and customer experience to start small businesses and fund their bigger dreams, eventually earning over $165,000 through Kickstarter. Thrivette now offers consulting and free resources to help others achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 2
This case study follows the story of Stacey Haynes, founder of Thrivette, a business consulting and resource community that helps people start and grow their businesses, and how she and her husband have made over $10k per month through consulting and merchandise sales on platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify.
7. Commissioning and Startup ($42K/year)
Paul Turner, a professional electrical engineer and project management professional, came up with the idea for his business, Commissioning and Startup, after seeing numerous projects struggle due to poor commissioning. He created a suite of training programs to teach project managers and engineers the structured process of commissioning complex projects. These programs have been well received, with over 10,000 people taking the free intro course and positive feedback circulating on social media.
How much money it makes: $42K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 1
Learn how one professional engineer created online commissioning training programs to help project managers and engineers deliver complex projects on time and budget, with over 10,000 people taking his free mini-course and growing interest in his courses.
8. Pause Box LLC ($12K/year)
Meredith Vaish, the founder of Pause Box, came up with the idea after leaving her corporate job due to a repetitive stress injury. During her year-long break, she discovered the power of intentional pauses and wanted to make spiritual retreats accessible to modern, non-religious individuals. With over 20 years of experience in brand and email marketing, she launched Pause Box in September 2019 and has been generating nearly $1k in monthly revenue.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Founder of Pause Box, Meredith Vaish, shares how she launched a business helping people take intentional breaks, with her revenue in the first year almost hitting $1k per month through virtual retreats, personalized pause day designs and a new Pause Box containing retreat essentials.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
