7 Product Development Consulting Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Product Development Consulting Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a product development consulting business:

1. theta. ($864K/year)

Emmanuel Iroanya, the founder of theta, had a unique journey that led him to start his civic and government-focused digital firm. Inspired by his father's entrepreneurial efforts in working with the City of Baltimore to provide mental health and family preservation services, Emmanuel realized he could make a difference by working with federal agencies. His time at a large federal systems integrator solidified his idea to create a company that existed at the intersection of technology and government, with the goal of addressing the limitations and implications of technology in the public sector.

How much they make: $864K/year
Current team size: 0

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Inspired By My Father, I Started A $72K/Mo Digital & Management Firm [Baltimore]

Digital and management firm theta. has served over six government agencies since its inception, providing innovative solutions to unique computing problems that meet client needs so effectively, it has doubled its employee number and is aiming for a 50/50 prime-subcontractor revenue split.

About
Emmanuel started theta. about 9 years ago
Revenue
Emmanuel grew the business to $72K/month
Read by 3,835 founders

2. Dusseau and Company ($420K/year)

Mark, the founder of Dusseau and Company, drew inspiration from his personal experiences as a former foster child and his professional background in software development. He saw a need to help small businesses and diverse founders build disruptive software companies, and thus, Dusseau and Company was born. With a scientific approach to product development and a commitment to empathy and helping others, Mark has successfully worked with clients like Chevron and JP Morgan Chase, helping diverse founders raise $700k in funding and achieve over $15 million in company valuations.

How much they make: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
Current team size: 0

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We Built A $420K/Year Product Development Company With Plans To Grow 20% This Year

Dusseau and Company is a boutique product development firm focused on helping diverse founders ideate, design, develop, and scale disruptive technology companies, with a leading service of executing different levels of the product development lifecycle, and boasts an impressive metric of helping diverse founders build products that have gone on to raise $700k in funding and over $15 million in company valuations.

About
Mark started Dusseau and Company almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Mark grew the business to $35K/month
Costs
It cost Mark $1500 to start the business
Read by 3,308 founders

So... can you actually make money with a product development consulting 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. illumisoft ($792K/year)

Dan Prince, founder of illumisoft, started the company because of his passion for technology and creating innovative solutions. He realized that many technical projects fail because of a lack of understanding between business and technology. illumisoft bridges that gap by understanding the client's needs and designing solutions that meet their expectations. With over $10 million in projects and zero failed projects, illumisoft has become a trusted software development company in the healthcare industry.

How much they make: $792K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 2

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I Built A $792K/Year Software Development Company [For The Healthcare Industry]

Illumisoft, a software development company specializing in cloud migration, web applications, business solutions, and data management, has experienced consistent growth and success with 42 completed projects worth over $10M, 30 different clients, and 100% 5-star reviews, while focusing on providing services solely to the healthcare industry and changing lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

About
Dan started illumisoft about 7 years ago
Revenue
Dan grew the business to $66K/month
Read by 2,303 founders

So... can you actually make money with a product development consulting 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

4. ThirstySprout ($2.4M/year)

David Stepania, the Founder of ThirstySprout, came up with the idea for his business while taking a break on a Hawaiian beach. With a background in startups and a realization that building an extraordinary startup required an extraordinary technical team, David decided to solve the problem of connecting startups with top technical talent they could trust. ThirstySprout was born out of this desire for growth and success, and it has since grown to a team of over 40 people with $2.5 million in gross revenue last year.

How much they make: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 0

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Starting A $2.5M/Year Top-Tier Technical Talent Marketplace From Scratch

ThirstySprout, a talent acquisition platform, connects remote technical talent with high-growth startups and enterprises, boasting a team of 40-60 remote contractors and $2.5 million in gross revenue last year, with plans to double that in the next year or two.

About
David started ThirstySprout almost 6 years ago
Revenue
David grew the business to $200K/month
Costs
It cost David $500 to start the business
Read by 2,747 founders