How Wes Bos Built a $10M Coding Course Empire

Introduction

Web developer Wes Bos turned a side hustle creating MySpace pages into a thriving online education brand. He built a massive following by sharing practical code tutorials, then launched video courses that today generate over $10M in total sales. His free JavaScript30 course alone attracted more than 680,000 sign-ups, while paid courses sold to over 55,000 students worldwide.

Founder Background

Wes started coding as a teen, customizing profile pages for bands on MySpace. That hands-on practice taught him HTML and CSS fundamentals. In university he freelanced and later taught workshops for Ladies Learning Code in Toronto. Those face-to-face sessions taught him which concepts trip up beginners, fueling his shift to content creation.

Course Creation Process

His first product was a self-published book on Sublime Text with accompanying videos. It netted 2,000 email sign-ups and 300-400 sales in days. Over time he focused on video courses—today he offers 7 paid and 6 free modules. Each course involves months of idea collection, modern code examples, full-time video recording over several months, careful editing, beta testing, and ongoing updates.

Marketing and Growth

Wes built a 165,000-subscriber email list with 30–70% open rates and 388,000 Twitter followers sharing daily hot tips. He promotes free mini-courses as hooks for paid content and runs geocoded pricing so students in lower-income countries pay less. Blog posts from course transcripts drive organic SEO traffic, and active Slack communities keep students engaged.

Results and Impact

To date, total paid course sales exceed 55,000 copies, driving estimated multi-million-dollar revenue. The JavaScript30 free course boasts over 682,000 enrollments. His business model balances free and paid content, delivering strong unit economics and global reach, while helping thousands launch web development careers.

Conclusion

Wes Bos’s success springs from simple teaching, community support, strategic marketing, and pricing that respects global purchasing power. His approach offers a blueprint for anyone looking to turn expertise into a scalable online education business.