Co-Founder @ Stan | building a $BN company 🚀

Hi, I’m Vitalii 👋🏻

Over the past 3 years, I’ve built a $30M ARR business with 30 people.

A $1M/employee company.

Now, we’re building a category-defining brand—with $100M ARR in sight.

To do that, I focus on Culture, People, and Product.

Everything that got me here is self-taught.

Born and raised in Russia, I started working at 13—packing parachutes and skydiving. 🪂
By 18, I had 800+ jumps and enough saved to pay for my first year of college.

Jumping out of planes redefined my relationship with fear.
Once you commit, you act. Without hesitation.

I learned English in one year to study abroad—still the hardest thing I’ve done.
That brought me to Canada, where I earned a degree in Chemical Engineering.

I never used it.

My side projects opened doors for me—first to Deloitte, then to eBay.
But the real work happened outside the job.

I made time to build:
9–5 for the paycheck,
5–9 (both morning and night) for what I actually cared about.

That’s where I proved to myself—nothing is impossible.

In 2021, I met my cofounder. We went all-in and started building Stan.

On my LinkedIn, I write about:

→ Founder war stories (unfiltered)
→ Building a $1M/employee startup
→ Creating top 1% culture

🎧 Follow me here if you're building—or want to build—something great.

People I work with would describe me as:

→ I make things happen
→ Zero tolerance for mediocrity
→ I build and run top 1% talent-density teams

🫂 DM me on LinkedIn if you'd like to work at Stan.

But know—it’s likely to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
And worth it. For the right person.

—

On LinkedIn, I share stories for founders building what’s next—
The ones who care about People, Culture, and Redefining what's possible.

If that’s you,
Follow me. Drop a comment. Or just say hi 👋🏻

Vitalii Dodonov

I've just hired Emily Talas to make Stan the #1 place to work in Toronto 🇨🇦

A day later: "You're so lucky to have her."

I got 7 texts like this following the announcement ^^. Must be doing something right 😅

Here's a stat I feel vulnerable to share:

50% of our candidates from traditional channels don't work out by month 3.

At the same time, 
90% of employee referrals stay indefinitely and create disproportionate value.

There's signal in that.

And we're acting on it ✅

Starting now, we’re going 90% community-based hiring.

When I met Emily, I knew almost instantly she'd be the one:

Born to a family of entrepreneurs. Working since 14. Found her ikigai in Community x Tech (how rare is that!?). People I respect texted me about her.

I bet on Emily because the talent I'm after doesn't talk to recruiters: 
"The best people are never unemployed."

But on occasion, they hang out with other cool people. 
Emily's mission is to create the occasion.

In 2026, Emily's likely to drive 90% of our hiring in Toronto.

Think hackathons, hacker houses, private dinners, collaborations, and special events giving unknown talent a chance to meet us.

🇨🇦 Toronto — what's one event you wish existed here? We're painting a blank canvas, share some ideas!

My first bet of 2026: $20,000 on builders in Canada 🇨🇦

Build with AI? On Jan 23 👇

I’m inviting 60 builders to embark on a weekend-long sprint to create something new at the edge of AI.

Details:
🛠 Participants: 60 builders
⏰ Duration: 2 days 
🎯 Theme: AI × Voice × Video
👥 Team: Solo, with friends, or AI teammates

Each participant/team gets a $200 tech credit and competes for:

$20,000 cash
30-min 1:1 with me (ask anything you want)

To help spread the word, please repost this and tag anyone who should see it!

This is an invite-only event.

📩 To apply, leave a comment describing the most impressive thing you’ve built in one line.

Traditional recruiting is dead. That's why I'm paying $20,000 to a stranger in January.

I've hired 40+ people.

Together, we've built a $30M ARR startup. Profitably.

One thing in common among my best hires:

I wouldn't call them if all I saw was their resume. Take a look:

Esther, now my EA, has a fashion management degree. She got the job by walking into a machine shop and producing a mechanical drawing — before we even met 💅🛠️

Jason (JSON) won a hackathon last year he couldn't legally join because he was 17. I hired him on the spot (with his parents' approval) and he's built a $1.4M product with me in 9 months 🧑🏻‍💻

Ricky, now Head of Engineering, came from a company I'd never heard of. Did fine in the interview (on his birthday! 🎂). Then called me at 10 PM with a better solution he couldn't stop thinking about. 

Resumes can only tell you so much — unreliable signal.

So instead of reading resumes, I host hackathons. Give builders a reason to come. 

Then watch.

So here we are 👇

January 23. Toronto. 2-day hackathon on the edge of AI.

Win $20,000 — and (or!) a job building a $1B company. Invite-only. 

📩 To apply: tell me a story of what you've built that you're most proud of in the comments.

CRA paid me $750K for building in Canada 🇨🇦

And now I'm giving it back - starting with $20K on Jan 23. 

In 2021, we established our office in Canada.

3 years later: $30M ARR. 30 people. One of the fastest-growing startups in the country.

My vision was to build a $1B company with 10 engineers - I'm evolving that now.

Since then, our Toronto office expanded far beyond engineering and has become HQ for 20+ brilliant people building at the edge of technology and entrepreneurship.

There are 2 major tech hubs in the world — SF and Toronto.

And while SF has access to capital and a developed VC ecosystem, California seems to be working against its own interest.

I mean… who wants to become a billionaire in California now? 👎

Anyway — Canada paid me $750K last year for building here.

And I'm paying it back to Canadian builders.

January 23. Hackathon in Toronto. 60 builders. $20,000 grand prize.

Come join us — and let the prize be the seed funding for your company (or use the opportunity to interview at Stan — whatever your ambition is).

Invite-only (curating a high calibre room!)

📩 To apply, drop your proudest project in one sentence in the comments. I'll reach out with an invite if it resonates.

I'm paying $20,000 for 2 days of someone's work on Jan 23.

Early in my career, 

I was making $8,000/mo writing code for a big company, while hacking away on side projects. I always wanted to work for myself.

One day, I was in a room with an entrepreneur who was upset about fees he was paying for software. So I asked:

V: How much are you paying?
M: 10%.

V: And how much money is that?
M: $50K/year.

My mind goes: no wonder he's upset. I bet I could do a simple Stripe integration with 3.4% fees. I already did something similar for my side project.

V: If I could get your fees down to 5%, how much would that be worth to you?
M: I'd pay $10K without even thinking.

V: I'm gonna do it for you for $10K.

It took me a weekend — 3 days (nights included), mostly repackaging code I already had across other projects.

I gave him a demo on Monday, and by Friday, $10,000 landed in my PayPal.

That weekend I learned: the right room + the right skills = life-changing opportunity. 

And now, I want to put you in that room 👇

January 23. Hackathon in Toronto. 60 builders. $20,000 grand prize. 
Invite-only. 

📩 To apply, drop your most impactful build story in the comments — I'll personally reach out to the builders I want in the room.

I hired my Executive Assistant because of her napkin drawing 📜

Her name is Esther.

A year ago, I was looking for an Executive Assistant. 

Looking for the top 1%, I needed a way to test problem-solving and initiative.

So I gave candidates a creative test:

I was building a frame for a flying car as a passion project at the time.

How many ppl know anything about flying cars anyway? 🤷‍♂️

I wrote down an abstract description of a few parts I needed.

The assignment was to research machine shops and find a way to manufacture them 

When I reviewed Esther's submission, she had a picture of this drawing inside (see the image).

I invited her to my office:

V: "Do you know anything about manufacturing?"
E: "No… I study business and fashion"
V: "How did you get this image?"
E: "They drew it for me at the machine shop"
V: "You went to the machine shop?"

(I reviewed a few dozen submissions by then. All candidates just called).

E: "I called first but what they were saying didn't quite fit what you were looking for"

E: "I figured it'd be easier if I just go there to figure it out. "
E: "So I just walked over." 

V: "That must've taken hours. Why invest that time?"

E: "Umm... I didn't really think about it. I wasn't getting what I needed. So I did what I had to do."

Having heard this I knew the interview was over.

Anyone who thinks like that will succeed in anything they do.

She got the job.

And since then, Esther was behind a number of very unique experiences we created at Stan:

Like making the big $750K CRA cheques, organizing Hacker Houses in SF and hosting AI Hackathons on Toronto. 

Congratulations on your 1 year at Stan, Esther!

undefined undefined

Executive Assistant @ Stan

Stan

HackAI 2.0 starting tonight. It’s time to build 😤

New Show: Emily in 𝙿̶𝚊̶𝚛̶𝚒̶𝚜̶ Stan (or "How to get a Founder to hire you")

A story in screenshots 👇

Hiring - Emily in Stan

I'm paying $20,000 in January to the winner of my hackathon. But the real prize isn't the $20K.

The room matters more than the prize.

When I was 13, my dad gave me a gift — working alongside him.

He's a professional skydiver. Extreme sport, expensive hobby. His clients are top-tier business people (natural selection — the sport isn't cheap) 🪂

So in between sessions when we went out for saunas and dinners, I got to sit in and listen to them. War stories, betrayals, deals, schemes, mental models, what made them successful.

I absorbed it all, without even realizing it.

Looking back, I realize — those were the building blocks that led me to a $30M ARR startup, running at $1M/employee before AI.

And that's the opportunity I'm giving you.

Join Stan on January 23 to build for 2 days alongside my team and 59 other builders competing for a grand prize of $20,000.

→ Meet me, my team, and Toronto's best builders.
→ Maybe your future co-founder — or I offer you a job. (It happened last year.)

The $20K is nice. The room might change your life.

January 23. Toronto. Invite-only.

Grab your spot with the link in comments!

I asked a seasoned exec about his worst business decision.

He didn't miss a beat: "Cancelling the 9am."

For 10 years, he ran it daily.
The 2 years he stopped were his worst.

Without that anchor, people drifted in at 9:30.
Add coffee and "how was your weekend" — real work started at 11.

Half the day, gone.

The meetings weren't about updates.
They set the rhythm.

Remove that, and people rebuild discipline from scratch.
Exhausting.

At Stan, when we skip our morning sync, everything drags.

We don't miss the information.
We miss the rhythm.

Humans need structure.
It gives them permission to just start.

What’s your version of the 9am?

Someone asked me what I hope never changes about Stan in 5 years.

Me in 5 seconds: 

"Our commitment to talent density."

I'm building a company where having worked here is the ultimate badge of honor on a resume.

Where any other employer would be fighting to get our alumni on board. 
(If they ever want to work for another company, that is.)

I fundamentally believe the reason we win is this: We attract top 1% talent.

And we put them in an environment where their ability can be utilized to its absolute maximum potential.

With ownership, autonomy, and a set of large, cutting-edge problems they can tackle.

Everything else can change. 
The market, the product, our size.

But for me, it will always be about the talent.

Founders Q: What's the one thing you hope never changes about your company?

One of my favourite Years in Review on LinkedIn. Keep going Alexia - it's okay not to know what's coming. The path unfolds as you start walking.

Putting Humans Back at the Heart of Business | Certified L&D Professional | Soft Skills Expert | Heedership® & Bring Your Asha! Founder | ICF Coach

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." 💜
George Eliot wrote these words centuries ago. I understood them at 43.

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.
Merci pour les rencontres qui sont devenues des amitiés.
Merci pour les doutes qui sont devenus des certitudes.
Merci pour chaque "oui" qui m'a rapprochée de qui je suis vraiment.

This year, I finally found where I belong. Coaching. Delivering Trainings. Learning & Development. Toastmasters: Human Connection.

And as I look at this visual, thank you for the idea Stanley (Your Content Coach) and Vitalii Dodonov, I see my entire "purple" year captured in one image. Learn. Grow. Repeat. The infinity loop between Heedership and Leadership. The three pillars. The magic.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.
I don't know exactly what's coming. And that's the most exciting part.

What I do know: I'm ready. Curious. Open.

It is never too late to become who you might have been.
And it's never too early to dream about who you're still becoming.

Pure magic. 💜

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐢𝐧: What are you curious about for 2026?

I left the corporate grind to build a Personal Brand with Writing, Design, and AI. Helping you create yours.

December 16, 2023, was the day my life changed.

On this day, I finally waved goodbye to my corporate job, the same job to which I’d given almost 10 years of my life (reasons: burnout, toxicity, and a strong gut feeling).

To do something like this is a huge deal for someone living in a country with 1.46 billion people, where people struggle to get a job, and where one opening receives millions of applications.

But I did that.

And I’m so proud of myself for making that decision. 

Honestly, I don’t even know where I’d be if I hadn’t.

Anyway, let me provide you with a brief context of how I landed in this “content” world.

- My online journey began with Pinterest (yes, the same platform with over 550 million monthly active users). Though I was a complete newbie, with learning, practice, and experimentation, I managed to achieve some noteworthy results on this platform. Check my experience section, and you’ll get an idea.

- The success on Pinterest gave me the confidence that I could actually succeed in the online world. So I started exploring other things, made my first dollar online, and it completely changed how I looked at content creation.

After that, I tried different ventures. 

Some succeed. Some failed. 

But all of them strengthened my belief that I could build something of my OWN. 

Now, I’m on my way to create as many amazing things as I can by helping fellow “humans”.

And LinkedIn has become the space where I share everything I’m building, learning, and discovering along the way.

(Fun fact: This isn’t the first account I’ve created on LinkedIn. It’s actually my second one! I once deleted an account with 7K followers. Why? Here’s the answer: https://bit.ly/47Bw1Yp) 

How can I help you📌? 
- I share insights on personal branding, content creation, writing, AI, and building a life beyond a 9-to-5 that actually works. If that’s what you want to learn, follow me.

- Every Saturday, I send out my newsletter "Breakout Insights" to 700+ amazing humans, and I'd love for you to be part of it. It’ll help you think better, create smarter, and build something that’s truly yours. Plus, there's a welcome gift waiting for you —"Creator's Launch Kit" that condenses my 1000+ hours of learning. How to get it → Check my featured section.

That’s all for now!

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for letting me share my journey with you.

See you on your home feed:)

(For any other queries, send me an email at [business@swetash.com])

Sweta Sharma

I am saying this after working in the corporate sector for 10 years...

1. Don't get used to the "comfort" of your salary and a known place. Both of them are crippling your ability to take more risks in life. 

2. Start building a "side income" before you need it. How? Leverage the internet era, learn new skills. experiment while you've got the safety net (aka your monthly paycheck).

3. For God's sake, stop buying this "WE ARE FAMILY" bulls**it. You're not family to your company. You are just a number on a spreadsheet. The moment your company gets an instinct that they can find your cheaper alternative, they will kick you out without giving any valid reason.

If you have any doubts, just look at the layoffs that have happened over the past few years. 

4. Take care of your physical and mental health. Trust me, the late nights that you're working to hit those never-ending targets will sooner or later impact your well-being.

After all, you're not a ROBOT. 

You're a human. 

Confession: I didn't do this. Result? I was burned out, and on Diwali, a cherished Indian festival, I had to visit the hospital. When I reached there, the doctor told me it was because of stress and overwork. 

Thankfully...

I rectified my mistake and made the right decision at the right time; otherwise, I'd have no idea where I'd end up. 

I hope you find the courage to do what's right for you:) 

P.S. What's the one lesson that you've learned after working in the corporate sector? 

(Repost to help fellow humans♻️)

Left the corporate grind at 30 and built a personal brand that’s hit 80M+ impressions. I write about content systems, AI, and lessons from building in public.

Portrait of a woman standing beside a calm lake with blooming pink cherry blossoms, smiling at the camera on a sunny spring day. She is wearing a light pink top layered with a denim jacket, with long dark hair falling over her shoulders. A domed historic building is visible in the background across the water, creating a peaceful outdoor setting.

This post is for those who don't want to create content on LinkedIn but still want visibility... 

If you're someone who thinks you: 
1. don't have the guts
2. don't have enough knowledge or skills
3. don't have the experience 

To build your brand or create content on LinkedIn, let me share with you the easiest way to get started: → Start commenting...

I know, I know. 

You might be wondering how commenting helps me "begin" my creator journey. 

Let me tell you. 

By commenting: 
a. You learn how to frame your thoughts in words and express them clearly.
b. You tap into an undiscovered network which might connect you with your next friend, client, or mentor. 
c. You habituate yourself to stay active on the platform. 

In short, commenting is the simplest way to build your LinkedIn presence.

So, use this ultimate growth hack and get yourself some visibility. 

P.S: How many comments do you drop in a day on LinkedIn?

(Repost to help fellow creators ♻️)

Portrait of a woman with long straight dark hair wearing a black top with green floral patterns, standing indoors in a softly lit modern room with a window and artwork in the background, looking at the camera with a calm smile.

Compounding isn’t limited to your portfolio.
It works in content creation, too.
Let me prove this.

When I first started creating content online, I used to feel overwhelmed seeing the quality and quantity of my fellow creators. 

Fast forward to today...I’ve done the same.

I’ve built audiences across multiple platforms, including Substack, Pinterest, Medium, and LinkedIn → (X is next).

And I did this without being an expert or relying on a big team. How? 

By following the most "cliched" advice that you may have heard 100 times: be consistent. 

Consistency is the "biggest" lever in content creation because it creates compounding.

How it works:

You create 10 posts → you lose the fear of publishing
You create 100 posts → you start finding your voice
You create 1,000 posts → you start finding winning patterns 

In short, each post compounds on the last. 

So stop overthinking. Start creating. 

The compounding will take care of the rest.

What do you think about it? Drop your thoughts💭

(Repost to help fellow humans♻️)

I changed my niche more than 10 times. 

And I have zero regrets for doing this. 

Niche is probably the "first" thing you think of when starting your creator journey. As if it’s a "prerequisite" to build an audience or a personal brand.

Truth be told, somewhere it is.

But not all of us have the expertise or clarity to lock in the "perfect" niche on Day 1.

So, what should you do in such a scenario?

Do this:

1. Start writing or talking about things that "genuinely" fascinate you as a person, or things you’ve experienced, or have real knowledge about.

- For example, I started writing about topics like leaving my "corporate job",  Pinterest marketing, etc., because I had grown my Pinterest account from 0 to 80 million organic impressions, and I had also left my job after almost 10 years.

Those are my lived experiences, my content USPs. 

Find what your USP is. 

Turn it into a consumable content piece...and ship it.

2. Create a "substantial" amount of content. Ideally, more than 100 pieces. Then analyze what gets you the most engagement, saves, shares, or comments. To do this, you can either use the native platform analytics or create a "customized tracker" in Google Sheets or Notion. 

3. See if you can spot any "common threads" or patterns between those top-performing pieces. 

4. Divide those common threads into legit categories. How? Group "similar winners" together:

Example: 
All career-related posts → Category 1: Career Transitions
All marketing tactics → Category 2: Organic Growth Strategies

And...boom! You've your working niches with you✌️

P.S. Tell me, what's your current niche? :) 

(Repost to help fellow humans♻️)

Portrait of a woman with long straight dark hair wearing a black polka-dot top, standing outdoors on a balcony with green trees softly blurred in the background, looking at the camera with a gentle smile.


Infographic titled “How to select a niche when you have no idea?” showing a four-step funnel process. The steps include creating content based on your experience, noticing which topics get engagement, narrowing down to topics you enjoy that perform well, and choosing a specific niche where interests and expertise align with audience demand. The funnel uses black-and-white sections with bright pink highlights and simple hand-drawn icons.

A hand holding a glass bowl of sliced bananas topped with mixed seeds and nuts, with a spoon inside, in front of a laptop screen showing a LinkedIn profile and banner. A colorful planner and pen are visible on the desk, suggesting a work-and-meal moment.

For the longest time, I was against scheduling content...

Reasons?

a. I've heard creators saying it kills authenticity
b. I've read in blogs that real-time posting is better
c. I've... just "believed" it without trying

But last year, I changed this decision when I participated in the Buffer creator camp, and since then, I've been using their scheduler to schedule content for my two social platforms:

- LinkedIn
- Pinterest

And I have to admit, I was probably wrong about keeping this resistance.

Now…

I can schedule a month of content in advance (see the screenshot below). 
I don’t panic every morning about what to post.

Lesson? 

No need to take someone else's word for it. Try it first, see if it works for you, and then decide.

P.S. Do you also use a scheduling tool? 

P.P.S.: What do you think? Should we use a scheduler or rely on manual posting? 

(Repost to help fellow humans♻️)

Professional portrait of a woman standing in a modern office workspace, wearing a black top with arms crossed, neutral confident expression, softly lit background with desks and ceiling lights slightly blurred.


Pinterest scheduling dashboard in calendar view showing a full month of posts scheduled in advance, multiple pins lined up daily at fixed times, grid-style layout with post thumbnails, dates across the top, and the account name “glowwithsweta” visible, conveying organized and consistent content planning.


LinkedIn post creation screen showing a drafted text about scheduling content, with a preview on the right displaying a professional portrait of the creator and a Pinterest calendar screenshot filled with scheduled posts, highlighting planning, consistency, and content scheduling in action.


taplio

The Battle

Vitalii Dodonov

Sweta Sharma

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreVitalii Dodonov's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSweta Sharma's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Vitalii Dodonov

Sweta Sharma

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Vitalii Dodonov's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSweta Sharma's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreVitalii Dodonov's LinkedIn Performance