8 Wordpress Memberships Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Wordpress Memberships Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a wordpress memberships business:

1. Paid Memberships Pro ($1.2M/year)

After building various websites for clients, Jason and Kimberly Coleman realized the value of focusing on a niche and creating repeatable work. In 2010, they identified a need for a membership platform specifically for WordPress sites and developed Paid Memberships Pro. They launched the plugin in 2011, offering it for free with paid support plans, and eventually shifted to annual pricing to provide ongoing value to customers. The business steadily grew, reaching $100k per month in revenue by 2020.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
Current team size: 15

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How We Developed A $100K/Month Paid Memberships Plugin For WordPress

Learn how two entrepreneurs developed a successful open-source membership plugin for WordPress that brought in an average of $100k per month in revenue and grew to over 100,000 sites while offering premium add-ons and support services.

About
Jason started Paid Memberships Pro almost 14 years ago
Revenue
Jason grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Jason $30000 to start the business
Read by 9,679 founders

So... can you actually make money with a wordpress memberships 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

2. WP Engine ($227M/year)

How much they make: $227M/year
Current team size: 1170

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Jason Cohen Interview On Bootstrapping To 132 Million ARR

Find out how WP Engine became a market leader, with over 85,000 customers and generating more than $227 million in yearly revenue by providing digital solutions for businesses using key takeaways like automation and proper customer support.

About
Jason started WP Engine over 14 years ago
Revenue
Jason grew the business to $18.9M/month
Read by 663 founders

5. WordPress.com

Create a free website or build a blog with ease on WordPress.com. Dozens of free, customizable, mobile-ready designs and themes. Free hosting and support.

Where they're located: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Website traffic: 333M/month

article

So... can you actually make money with a wordpress memberships 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. GoDaddy

Where they're located: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Website traffic: 49.8M/month

8. Wordpress

Open source software which you can use to easily create a beautiful website, blog, or app.

Website traffic: 22.5M/month

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