TL;DR: At Stan, we’re not blindly guessing at what Creators need—we’re actively creating, growing, and monetizing audiences ourselves. That firsthand experience shapes every product decision, feature, and price, so you’re using tools made by real Creators.

Most Creator platforms are run by tech companies looking to profit off Creators rather than actually serve them. That’s where we’re different.

Stan isn’t your average tech team. It’s built, backed, and run by Creators who have faced the same struggles you’re up against. Everyone at Stan is a Creator—from our founders and investors to our team who’s constantly building for Creators. 

Just a few years ago, our CEO John Hu was growing a following on TikTok with no easy way to monetize it.

He didn’t want to sell out to big brands, but selling his own offers meant:

❌ Piecing together multiple tools—a website host, payment processor, and scheduling app just to make a sale.

❌ Giving platforms huge cuts of every transaction, making it hard to earn meaningful profit.

❌ Using tools built for big businesses, not Creators. He was constantly navigating cumbersome tech and unnecessary hurdles.

John knew Creators deserved better, so he built Stan—the tool he wished he had. 

That lived experience is still at the heart of Stan today. Our team isn’t guessing what Creators need—they’re creating content themselves, building in public, and living it firsthand.

It Started With Our Creator-Founders: John and Vitalii

Five years ago, John joined forces with Vitalii to build a tool that gives Creators everything they need to become entrepreneurs. Their mission was simple: empower anyone to make a living working for themselves.

John’s personal brand helped attract top talent and Creators that could validate the product, while Vitalii’s tech skills built the infrastructure they desperately needed. Together, they raised funds, fostered a global Creator community, built a top 1% team, and helped Creators earn over $400 million through Stan.

Along the way, they’ve continued creating—paving the way for a new wave of Creator-Founders who build in public, share what they know, and experience the highs and lows of the Creator journey.

John Hu (@jayhoovy)

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, John was spending a lot of time on TikTok and started making his own content. He was a finance guy—not a traditional Creator. But that entrepreneurial understanding filled a need. His content was educational, entertaining, and inspirational. And when it unexpectedly blew up, John leaned into it.

Today, John has a personal audience of over 489,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. His content has unlocked opportunities, like securing investment from GaryVee and Steven Bartlett. And it’s given him an edge in an industry typically dominated by people who aren’t actually Creators.

Vitalii Dodonov (@vitddnv)

In 2023, Vitalii was deep into building Stan when he realized he needed to grow his personal brand. Not for vanity metrics or fame, but to unlock opportunities and build connections that could propel the business forward.

He started on LinkedIn with just 1,724 followers and no idea what to post about. His first few posts didn’t gain much traction, but he committed to posting consistently, gradually building up to over 8,600 followers in 1.5 years. 

Now, just three years since he started, he’s built a LinkedIn audience of nearly 26,700 followers by talking about:

• Founder stories
• Building a $1M/employee startup
• Creating a top 1% culture

What changed? He shifted his strategy from quantity to quality and started using Stanley to create content that performs—andactually sounds like him.

Backed by Creators Who Believe in the Mission

As a Creator-first company, we’ve been intentional about partnering with people who share our mission and values. So naturally, we’ve joined together with Creators themselves.

Last year, Steven Bartlett and GaryVee invested in Stan. Not as passive investors, but as strategic partners who play an active role in Stan’s future and our Creator’s success. Together, we’re shaping the products, programs, and culture that support Creators at every stage of their journey.

A Company Built By Creators, for Creators

Stan’s Creator-first mindset doesn’t stop at leadership. It extends across the entire team—people building, experimenting, and creating every single day. 

Some began creating over a decade ago and have sizable audiences. Others are just getting started. But across the board, it’s given us tremendous empathy for what Creators experience daily. 

We know how hard it is to come up with ideas, show up on camera, stay consistent, and keep up with all the changes platforms continue throwing our way. And we have the utmost respect for Creators who have chosen to chart their own path anyway.

That perspective shapes how we think, what we build, and how we show up for the community.

Sean Oulashin (@seanoulashin)

Sean is a Creator and video editor who turned his own journey of intentional living into content that helps others reclaim their time and attention. With a collective 1.4 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, he challenges grind culture and champions more meaningful digital habits. 

Sean’s posts are all about the deeper mindset shifts that can help you build focus, joy, and a life worth looking back on. He’s built a strong online community, developed tools for productivity and digital mindfulness, and uses his platform to spark real change in people’s lives. 

Alaina Booth (@lainabooth)

Alaina is an LA-based director, photographer, and storyteller known for turning everyday moments into cinematic stories that feel personal. She’s been creating content ever since high school when she discovered a Creator she wanted to emulate.

“She made me feel like I wanted to make the most of every day and inspired me to start documenting my life,” she explains.

Today, Alaina has built an audience of nearly 15,000 across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Her current focus is on posting more regularly and honing her signature style. While she’s not monetizing her audience yet, her goal is to build a brand people trust—one that sets her up for long-term success.

Her content has evolved from documentaries to helping people see their lives as stories worth telling.

“I want people to come to my page and reframe the way they think about their life in a bolder, more courageous, “why not me” kind of way. And I especially want to empower young women to step into more confident versions of themselves.”

Being a Creator has given her so much empathy for Stan’s community and a clearer understanding of the challenges Creators face. Like many on our team, she treats creating as a way of life, sharing her learnings and experience along the way.

Ricky Patel (@rickybuildingcoach)

Until recently, Ricky never considered himself a Creator. As Stan’s Head of Engineering, he’s much more comfortable behind code than on camera. But when he was tasked with building Stanley (your partner for Instagram growth), he knew he needed to adopt a Creator mindset.

So he did. Ricky teamed up with Alaina and began documenting his experience, sharing what it looks like to learn in public through @rickybuildinginpublic and @rickybuildingcoach.

At first, showing up felt cringey. But with every post, it got easier. 

Ricky may be early in his Creator journey, but that’s exactly what helps him build Stanley. He’s learning what it actually takes to get started and using that perspective to create tools that make growth more approachable from day one.

Dominic Bair (@creatorstrategies)

Dominic joined Stan with an impressive track record of rapidly growing Instagram accounts, like @thoughtsmagnet and @housemusicmagnet, to hundreds of thousands of followers. 

He launched our @creatorstrategies account and proved it’s possible to go from zero to 10,000 followers in just 30 days (yes, really). 

But Dominic’s approach to growth didn’t happen overnight. It all started a few years ago when TikTok launched its beta Creator program. Back then, you could earn $1 for every 1,000 views, so he began posting short clips of YouTubers, streamers, podcasts—content that already had proven traction. The experience quickly taught him what works (and what doesn’t).

Like many Creators, Dominic isn’t comfortable showing up on camera. He understands just how hard it is to create quality content consistently when you’re the focus. That’s why he specializes in faceless accounts—letting the content speak for itself.

“When you show up on camera, you surrender yourself to likeability and people’s personal preferences in a much different way than with faceless accounts.”

Cassie Crosbie (@cassiec)

Cassie is a LinkedIn Creator and Gen-Z powerhouse who went from juggling three jobs fresh out of college to running operations at our rapidly scaling startup. She first turned to LinkedIn in 2020 to network with recruiters and find jobs. But over time, it became a space where she builds her personal brand and finds community. 

In the last few years, she’s grown an audience of over 4,200 LinkedIn followers by sharing her thoughts on growth, focus, and taking imperfect action.

While Cassie doesn’t usually work face-to-face with Creators in the day-to-day at Stan, building her own audience has brought her closer to them. It also opened her eyes to what Creators go through and just how hard it is to be one.

Jonathan Tsugawa (@jonathantsugawa)

Jonathan has loved entertaining people for as long as he can remember. After years of creating casually, he began taking it more seriously while working in retail—using content to drive traffic, sales, and commissions.

But it wasn’t until he joined Stan that everything clicked. Inspired by Stan’s ethos, the Creators he works with daily, and a conversation with fellow Creator Anthony Sistilli, Jonathan committed to posting every day for 60 days—and hasn’t stopped since.

In just four months, he’s grown from 1,800 to 5,300 followers and fallen in love with the creative process.

“Because I understand the problems Creators face much more deeply now, I’m able to bring that perspective into helping the team build features and tools that actually benefit Creators.”

Our Team Lives the Creator Journey Firsthand

This isn’t coincidence—it’s intentional. Since the very beginning, Stan has encouraged our team to create content, build personal brands, and experiment with the same platforms and tools our community uses every day.

Why? Because we firmly believe the best way to solve the problems today’s Creators face is to experience them firsthand.

At most companies, employees building audiences—especially on LinkedIn—is seen as a threat. At Stan, it’s the opposite. We believe it makes our company stronger.

You’ll see everyone at Stan, from our engineers and Creator support team to marketing and partnerships, learning in public and showing up consistently. In fact, this year, half the company committed to posting on LinkedIn at least once a week.

We’re here to learn. To grow. And to relentlessly serve Creators, so anyone can make a living working for themselves.

What Being Creator-First Means For You

Stan isn’t blindly building features, inflating prices, or trying to serve everyone. We’re laser-focused on helping Creators grow, sell, and build sustainable businesses—without breaking the bank.

Behind everything we do is a team that gets what you’re going through, genuinely cares, and will stop at nothing to help you succeed. 

That’s what makes Stan different: We’re relentless about solving real problems Creators face and helping them live their best lives, because we’re Creators, too.