I Make $150K/Month From 20 Apps

Key Concepts

• Portfolio Approach to Software: Building and operating multiple, related software products instead of focusing on a single product.
• WordPress Plugins: Small to medium-sized software applications that extend the functionality of WordPress websites.
• WooCommerce: An e-commerce plugin for WordPress, enabling online store functionality.
• Organic Search: Acquiring customers through unpaid search engine results.
• Cross-Promotion: Marketing products to existing customers of related products.
• Shipping Muscle: The ability to quickly build and launch software products.
• Lifetime Deals: One-time purchase options for software, providing perpetual access.
• Compliance (SOC 2, ISO 2701): Standards and certifications demonstrating data security and operational excellence.

Katie Keith’s Software Portfolio: A Deep Dive

This episode of Starter Story features Katie Keith, who has built a remote team and a portfolio of 20 software products – 19 WordPress plugins and one Shopify app – generating $1.8 million in annual revenue. This summary details her journey, strategies, and insights into building a successful multi-product software business.

1. Business Overview & Revenue Streams

Katie’s business primarily revolves around WordPress plugins, designed to add specific functionality to WordPress websites and WooCommerce stores. These plugins are categorized as small to medium-sized applications, offering features like document libraries, product tables, and store protection.

• 2025 Revenue: $1.7 million (with additional revenue from affiliate income and development services contributing to the $1.8 million figure).
• Average Monthly Revenue: Approximately $150,000, fluctuating seasonally (higher in November, lower in December).
• Lifetime Sales: $9.8 million in WordPress plugin sales.
• Active Users: Over 90,000 sites utilizing the premium plugins, with additional users on free versions.
• Paying Customers: 17,000 active subscriptions, plus approximately 15% revenue from lifetime deals.
• Pricing Model: Annual subscriptions or lifetime licenses, tiered based on the number of sites (1, 5, or 20).

2. Idea Generation & Product Development

Katie emphasizes that her portfolio wasn’t built on a pre-defined list of 19 ideas. Instead, it evolved organically, driven by market demand and customer feedback.

• Initial Idea: The first plugin, “WooCommerce Protected Categories,” was identified through the “WooCommerce Ideas Forum,” responding to a popular user request.
• Client-Driven Development: The second plugin, “Post Table Pro,” originated from a client project, with added features later released as a premium plugin.
• Iterative Approach: Subsequent plugin ideas stemmed from user requests and feature suggestions for existing plugins. Katie advocates for releasing a product first and then actively listening to user feedback to identify new opportunities. She states, “get a product out there and then keep your ears open to get those ideas from your users because that's when you have that information coming into you without even needing to ask for it.”

3. Growth Strategies & Marketing

Organic search is the primary driver of customer acquisition for Katie’s plugins.

• Content Marketing: She initially achieved top Google rankings for “WooCommerce Protected Categories” by creating helpful, unique content (blog posts and tutorials) addressing a specific, underserved need.
• Unique Value Proposition: Identifying a gap in the market and providing a unique solution was crucial for initial success.
• Cross-Promotion: Leveraging the existing customer base across multiple plugins is a key growth tactic. This includes:
  • Bundles: Offering combined plugin packages.
  • Targeted Emails: Sending post-purchase emails with discounts on related plugins (50% off within 3 days).
  • Black Friday Campaigns: Segmenting email lists to offer discounts on complementary products to existing customers.
  • In-App Banners: Displaying promotions for related plugins within the settings pages of existing plugins.

4. Operational Infrastructure & Tech Stack

Katie’s business relies on a combination of tools to manage development, project management, and operations.

• Project Management & Communication: ClickUp (for project management, time tracking, and company chat).
• Version Control: GitHub (for storing source code repositories).
• Automation: Zapier (for automating tasks).
• Website & E-commerce: WordPress (for the company website) and Easy Digital Downloads (for selling plugins, licensing, and delivery).
• Coding Languages: Not explicitly stated, but implied to be PHP (common for WordPress plugin development).

5. Portfolio Strategy & Future Playbook

Katie outlines a specific playbook for building a portfolio of software products, particularly relevant in the current landscape of AI-assisted development.

• Step 1: Leverage Existing Expertise: Focus on an area you’re already familiar with to gain unique insights.
• Step 2: Generate Multiple Ideas: Brainstorm a long list of potential products, research and validate them, and prioritize those with overlapping markets for cross-promotion.
• Step 3: Prioritize & Launch: Start with the product having the largest potential audience and market share. Focus on launching and growing it before adding distractions.
• Step 4: Implement Cross-Promotion: Market new products as standalone offerings while developing advanced cross-promotion tactics (website links, email campaigns, beta testing invitations, documentation).
• Step 5: Repeat & Scale: Continue the process, building a portfolio of revenue-generating products without overextending resources.

6. Addressing Scalability & Compliance

As the business grows, Katie acknowledges the increasing importance of compliance (SOC 2, ISO 2701) for attracting larger enterprise clients. The episode features a sponsored segment highlighting Delve, an AI-powered compliance platform designed to streamline this process.

7. Concluding Advice

Katie’s advice to aspiring software entrepreneurs is simple: “just do it.” She emphasizes the importance of launching a product to gain experience, gather feedback, and unlock new opportunities. She believes that inaction guarantees no progress, while launching a product, even if unsuccessful, provides valuable learning experiences.

Synthesis:

Katie Keith’s story demonstrates the viability of a portfolio approach to software development, particularly within the WordPress ecosystem. Her success is rooted in identifying underserved niches, prioritizing organic growth through content marketing, and leveraging cross-promotion to maximize revenue from a diverse customer base. Her emphasis on iterative development, customer feedback, and a pragmatic approach to scaling offers valuable insights for anyone looking to build a sustainable software business. The rise of AI tools further enhances the feasibility of this strategy, making it easier to build and launch multiple products with a smaller team.