Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways
- The American dream is shifting. Many of today’s workers are motivated less by ladder climbing and more by sharing their expertise and making a decent living while doing it.
- I built a solution to help creators get paid for the work they were already doing. It’s a one-stop shop that removes the friction that prevents them from building true online growth.
- The most successful creators understand the specific need their brand fulfills and share their journey authentically, which helps build a real connection with their audience.
As an Asian-American kid growing up to an immigrant mom in North Carolina, I was taught to follow the rules (no exceptions). I was a Boy Scout, graduated top of my class and was hired by Goldman Sachs immediately after graduating undergrad. I had followed what I thought was the “right” path. I was living in the greatest city in the world (New York City, of course) and working at one of the best companies in the world … but none of it felt right.
Like many others in corporate America, I walked away from the high-powered banking job. Not because I couldn’t do it, but because it wasn’t my dream. Spending 100 hours a week working for someone else felt like living in the wrong skin.
After leaving Goldman, I went to Stanford Business School and started thinking about what’s next. Like everyone else in 2020, I was making stupid dance videos on TikTok when I realized I could also use social media to promote myself, my skills and whatever job I would land next.
Instead, what I found was much more meaningful: an online creator community authentically sharing their talents with the world.
The passion of these creator-entrepreneurs, the businesses they build and the way they bring people together through their shared digital community is, I believe, the essence of today’s American Dream. Regardless of generational differences, the American workers I talk to are (for the most part) no longer motivated by ladder climbing; they — we — are motivated by sharing our knowledge and expertise with others, and also making a decent living while doing it.
Dare to dream
What I also found among fellow creators was a web of disparate, broken systems, a misunderstanding of how to build true online growth, or even how to create an email campaign. Everything felt harder than it needed to be, none of the tools connected, and much of it was overwhelming (and overpriced) for new entrepreneurs.
I had a bit of programming experience, so I created and launched the first version of my company, Stan, in 2021. The beta launch was very basic but brought together many of the pain points my fellow creators and I were experiencing. We made it a one-stop shop, with everything a creator needs conveniently packaged and designed in one place.
Next, I convinced a few fellow content creators to let me set up their online brand presence, and the first creator saw an instant sale of their online course (for $999 no less) overnight — with no marketing and no other outreach except the creator’s own work up until that point.
The idea was simple: Make it easier for people to get paid for the work they were already doing. Stan wasn’t built to teach creators how to monetize. It was built to remove the friction altogether.
The business model proved to fill a unique gap in the marketplace, and building Stan became my full-time job. Today, five years in, we have more than 80,000 active creators on the platform, who have collectively made more than $400 million, and we even have backing from Gary Vaynerchuk and Steven Bartlett.
The everyday entrepreneur
What I’ve seen over the past five years is the creator economy becoming the default path for anyone looking to build something of their own. What defines a “creator” in 2026 can be anyone from a fitness coach, a special education teacher or a mechanic. These “non-traditional” influencers are moving into creatorship to truly own their brand, build their community and monetize what they know on their own terms.
It’s these everyday entrepreneurs, the ones working toward their dream and taking their ideas to the next level, that continue to motivate me and my team. Among these new creators, the ones who succeed typically have two key things:
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They understand the needs their personal and professional brand fulfills: The most successful creators have clearly identified a gap in the market for their product or services and identified how they can help fill that need.
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They share their experience authentically: You have to believe in your dream to build it, so why not share your story and experience authentically? Being true to yourself helps audiences connect with you and understand the “why” behind what you do.
Do good, and do well
When it comes to my “why,” like many other immigrant children in the U.S., I grew up with very little. While working at Goldman, I realized that I needed my work to be fulfilling (no, working at an investment bank didn’t check that box). I wanted my work to be meaningful and to give back to the greater good in some way.
Through my current work with Stan and the creator community, I’m able to directly help others build their dreams and monetize their businesses, turning their creative passions into a livable wage.
While many are still burning the candle at both ends, creating their businesses while also being parents, caregivers, partners and working one, two (or even three) other jobs, they’re working towards their dream of a successful future business built on their experience and creativity. If that doesn’t sound like “living the dream,” I don’t know what does.
Key Takeaways
- The American dream is shifting. Many of today’s workers are motivated less by ladder climbing and more by sharing their expertise and making a decent living while doing it.
- I built a solution to help creators get paid for the work they were already doing. It’s a one-stop shop that removes the friction that prevents them from building true online growth.
- The most successful creators understand the specific need their brand fulfills and share their journey authentically, which helps build a real connection with their audience.
As an Asian-American kid growing up to an immigrant mom in North Carolina, I was taught to follow the rules (no exceptions). I was a Boy Scout, graduated top of my class and was hired by Goldman Sachs immediately after graduating undergrad. I had followed what I thought was the “right” path. I was living in the greatest city in the world (New York City, of course) and working at one of the best companies in the world … but none of it felt right.
Like many others in corporate America, I walked away from the high-powered banking job. Not because I couldn’t do it, but because it wasn’t my dream. Spending 100 hours a week working for someone else felt like living in the wrong skin.
