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What No One Tells You About Building a Startup With Your Spouse (Our Story)

We built a startup called Linguatrip, got into 500 Startups, moved to Silicon Valley and scaled from 5 to 60 people in 6 months - all as a couple. Some investors saw this as a red flag. In 2019, we made the decision to stop working together. In this episode, we finally share why. 🗣 Linguatrip courses: - Sound like a native - https://linguatrip.com/en/online/english/courses/pronunciation/?utm_source=siliconvalleygirl&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=10042025 - From Intermediate to advanced - https://online.linguatrip.com/i2a-en?utm_source=siliconvalleygirl&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=10042025 - Get 100 or above on TOEFL - https://linguatrip.com/en/online/english/courses/intensive-toefl/?utm_source=siliconvalleygirl&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=10042025 Links: 📩 Follow my Newsletter: https://siliconvalleygirl.beehiiv.com/subscribe 🔗 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconvalleygirl/ 📌 My Companies & Products: https://Marinamogilko.co 📹 Video brainstorming, research, and project planning - all in one place: https://partner.spotterstudio.com/ideas-with-marina 💻 Resources that helps my team and me grow the business: - Email & SMS Marketing Automation - https://your.omnisend.com/marina - AI app to work with docs and PFDs - https://www.chatpdf.com/?via=marina 📱Develop your YouTube with AI apps: - AI tool to edit videos in a minutes https://get.descript.com/fa2pjk0ylj0d - Boost your view and subscribers on YouTube - https://vidiq.com/marina - #1 AI video clipping tool - https://www.opus.pro/?via=7925d2 💰 Investment Apps: - Top credit cards for free flights, hotels, and cash-back - https://www.cardonomics.com/i/marina - Intuitive platform for stocks, options, and ETFs - https://a.webull.com/Tfjov8wp37ijU849f8 ⭐ Download my English language workbook - https://bit.ly/3hH7xFm Timestamps: 00:00 - Teaser 00:35 - Sharing our story 2:10 - What's up with Dmitry's English? 3:05 - Why we were so good at working together 4:10 - No one believed we could make it in Silicon Valley when you don’t know enough, sometimes its goo 5:34 - American culture VS Russian culture 6:54 - About the company that we founded 8:44 - What I missed most about working together 9:54 - Why we stopped working together 13:35 - Advice for couples or friends starting a business together 15:05 - Some investors told us it was a red flag back then; Is it a bad idea working together? 15:46 - We went from 5 people to 60 in 6 months - advice for those who build a company right now 17:35 - What we wish we could change 18:06 - Can similar backgrounds be a liability in a startup? 20:01 - Why did Dmitry want to start a company? 22:00 - How Dmitry found a win-win for everybody 23:05 - Would we ever work together again? Our honest answer I use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using my affiliate links, I will get a bonus). #podcast #siliconvalleygirl #linguatrip

Dmitry ShishkinguestMarina Mogilkohost
Apr 10, 202524mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:00 – 0:35

    Teaser

    1. DS

      Silicon Valley is, like, for people from Stanford, Harvard, Google, whatever, like, we don't belong there, and I'm like, "Come on."

    2. MM

      My husband, Dmitry, when we came here as immigrants, no friends, no network, nothing.

    3. DS

      And, um, we started growing so fast. We went from, like, five or six people to 60 people, like, less than half a year.

    4. MM

      Dmitry has been my longtime business partner. Some investors, they said, uh, to us it was a red flag.

    5. DS

      Oh, I was so mad after this meeting, you remember? Like, come on, like-

    6. MM

      But we stopped working together around 2019, and, uh, let's talk about why. [upbeat music]

  2. 0:35 – 2:10

    Sharing our story

    1. MM

      Hey, guys. Welcome to Silicon Valley Girl. I have someone very special today, and this is your first time on this channel.

    2. DS

      Oh, wow! Yeah.

    3. MM

      We did some videos together back in the day.

    4. DS

      I made it. [laughing]

    5. MM

      [laughing] We did some videos together back in the day, but this is the first time. My husband, Dmitry, uh, we've been married since 2017. We've been together since-

    6. DS

      Right, I'm sorry, yeah. [laughing]

    7. MM

      [laughing] We've been together since 2010, which means 15 years. And, uh... Oh, my God, is it today? Is it- was it yesterday? Yesterday was 15 years since move- we moved in together.

    8. DS

      lived together.

    9. MM

      Um, and uh, Dmitry has been my longtime business partner, had been my longtime business partner. We stopped working together in 2019, and this is what I wanna talk to you about today. Like, in general, uh, can you talk about the time we worked together, what you liked about it, and what you didn't like?

    10. DS

      First of all, I think, uh, yeah, thanks for inviting me to the podcast. That's how you understand you made it in [laughing] Silicon Valley.

    11. MM

      [laughing]

    12. DS

      I think that's the definition of co-founders, because if, uh, not you and me, the company would not exist, because we're very different in our skill set. And, um, I was, like, dreaming big and, like, say, say, like, "We have to go to Silicon Valley. We have to raise capital there. We have to change the market and, like, build online tools," blah, blah, blah. And you were the, like, the person who actually deliver all the operational thing, and you were an expert in the product. So, um, I think if not you and me, like, the company would not exist, simply. So, uh-

    13. MM

      For people who are wondering

  3. 2:10 – 3:05

    What's up with Dmitry's English?

    1. MM

      what's going on with your English, [laughing] 'cause I know a lot of people ask all the time-

    2. DS

      Yeah, like-

    3. MM

      ... let's, let's just get it right.

    4. DS

      Okay, guys, let's fight one-on-one, like-

    5. MM

      [laughing] He came to the US-

    6. DS

      Let's bring it outside - - barely speaking English.

    7. MM

      Yeah.

    8. DS

      Which happened in 2015. So I think the progress is great. The progress is there. Um-

    9. MM

      Thanks for bringing it up. [laughing]

    10. DS

      [laughing] I just wanted to... 'Cause I know people are gonna ask.

    11. MM

      Let's address elephant in the room, you know?

    12. DS

      Yes, let's. [laughing]

    13. MM

      And I couldn't even, like, dream to say this phrase, like, 10 years ago. [laughing]

    14. DS

      Exactly. He knows so many idioms and cool phrases because now he talks-

    15. MM

      Watching TV shows all the time. [laughing]

    16. DS

      Watching TV shows in English. [laughing]

    17. MM

      [laughing] Yeah, that's basically all I do, you know? [laughing] But, uh, I want you to understand that, like, the dynamics in our couple, what Dmitry just said, or... I call him Dima. I know it's very confusing for a lot of Americans. They're like, they think Dima-

    18. DS

      Call me John, as you can see here for you guys. [laughing]

    19. MM

      ... Call you John, whatever. Um, that

  4. 3:05 – 4:10

    Why we were so good at working together

    1. MM

      he is all about dreaming big, and if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here, 'cause he was the one like, "Let's raise money in Silicon Valley. Let's approach Silicon Valley VCs," et cetera. I remember DM-ing Mark Zuckerberg on LinkedIn. I actually- I will... If I get him on this interview, I'm gonna show him that [laughing] DM.

    2. DS

      Yeah, I, I remember, like, sitting in my pants behind the laptop, like, in this small room, and, like, and saying, "This is broken," like, yeah, like-

    3. MM

      It wasn't small.

    4. DS

      Uh-

    5. MM

      It was an okay room. [laughing]

    6. DS

      And I was like, "Okay, guys, I'll give you a favor if I'll ask you to, like, you know, invest in us."

    7. MM

      That was his- that's his mindset, okay?

    8. DS

      And, uh, yeah-

    9. MM

      My mindset-

    10. DS

      A little bit delusional, but I guess it's necessary-

    11. MM

      This is-

    12. DS

      ... to, to be things, yeah

    13. MM

      ... exactly, exactly, this is necessary, and I lack that. Like, my approach to everything that I do is like, "Hey, okay, this is a really big goal. I don't even know if I'm gonna reach it, but I'm gonna try. It makes me excited, so I'm gonna work every single day. I'm gonna make some small steps towards that goal." And we're very different in that, and this is what made us, makes us or made us, um, a great couple to work together. We're still a great

  5. 4:10 – 5:34

    No one believed we could make it in Silicon Valley

    1. MM

      couple as a family, but we stopped working together around 2019, and, uh, let's talk about why. Can I start?

    2. DS

      I just wanna say, like, finishing previous part, uh, big thanks to Alfred Lin. I remember, like, I was googling, like, what's the best investors, and Sequoia pop up as number one. I'm like, "Okay, like, sure, we have to work with the best ones." Everybody told me, like, "Come on, guys, like, Silicon Valley is, like, for people from Stanford, Harvard, Google, whatever. Like, we don't belong there." And I'm like, "Come on, like, Silicon Valley is all about, like, results. If you can show that you d- to have a good idea, you have results, like, they don't care about where are you from," and so blah, blah, blah. And he was the one of the first, among the first, who actually from the big guys, who replied and say, like, "Okay, brilliant, cool," um, blah, blah, blah. "Keep us posted." And for me, back then, keep us posted meant, like... And I told Marina: "Come on, that's almost done deal."

    3. MM

      Yeah.

    4. DS

      "You see, Sequoia, like, interested in us." And that's also a thing, like, when you don't know enough, sometimes it's good because now, when we're here, I know, like, keep us posted mean basically, "No. Sorry, guys," like, it's polite way to say, "We're not interested," but I didn't know that back then. We used this energy for, like, next half a year, and, like, to, to-

    5. MM

      Kept them updated

    6. DS

      ... Yeah, and then, like, we, we ended up here, like, in 500 Startups.

    7. MM

      Very.

    8. DS

      It's actually helped back then because it's gave me confidence.

    9. MM

      Of course, and, and we had, again, coming

  6. 5:34 – 6:54

    American culture VS Russian culture

    1. MM

      back to Dmitry's English and everything, my honest-

    2. DS

      I asked Marina to, to check this email because I couldn't write the email.

    3. MM

      My understanding of American culture was, like, his English, [laughing] like, zero. We basically, every-

    4. DS

      [laughing] Like his English now. [laughing]

    5. MM

      [laughing] Yeah, but it was so funny because whenever people were like, "Keep us posted. Oh, oh, my God, guys, you're doing something so exciting," and they, they would come up with suggestions, we're like, "Oh, they're actually really interested 'cause they said our startup is amazing."

    6. DS

      Yeah.

    7. MM

      When in reality, it meant nothing. They're just being polite and saying, like... Oh, and another one-... when people didn't reply to us, remember? Like, we would have a meeting with a person, would email them the next day, and they would just disappear.

    8. DS

      Yeah.

    9. MM

      And we'd be like, "We will be following up." And then I started asking around, like, other Americans, like, "What does it mean?" And they explained it's an open door.

    10. DS

      Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    11. MM

      They don't wanna say no, they don't wanna say yes. They-

    12. DS

      Keep us, keep us posted basically is also-

    13. MM

      Yeah

    14. DS

      ... an open door, but more like, "No."

    15. MM

      They want to have this opportunity in two years maybe. If you become a hot startup, they'd be like, "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry I completely missed your email." [laughing]

    16. DS

      Yeah.

    17. MM

      Like, like, yeah, but you-

    18. DS

      Came to the spam folder, sorry about that.

    19. MM

      Oh, yeah, it's so... Here we are. Yeah, let's talk about investing. So but you only understand it once you hear it. It's so funny. And we- I think it's amazing that we went through all of this together.

    20. DS

      100%.

    21. MM

      And we have so many stories to tell.

  7. 6:54 – 8:44

    About the company that we founded

    1. MM

      [swishing] The company that Dmitry and I have co-founded is called Linguatrip, and trip because it was initially a booking platform for study abroad experiences, so you could travel and learn a language. COVID completely changed our business idea. We had to pivot from travel to online, so now it's a platform where you can improve your English significantly, and we specialize in intensive courses, intensive classes, where you try to fit everything in seven or eight weeks, 'cause I was inspired by my own progress. Most of my progress happened when I immersed myself into English, and we try to create an atmosphere that's very similar to studying abroad. You're taught by either native speakers or people whose English is almost native speaker level, and you will never believe that English is not their first language. And we connect you with people from all over the world, so you could practice English online by chatting to each other, by talking to each other. If you're a non-native speaker watching this channel, I highly, highly recommend, uh, some of our courses. Because you understand this video, uh, I can highly recommend American pronunciation course. This is how I trained my pronunciation. I don't sound 100% like a native speaker, but I think I don't really have a strong accent. Uh, and, uh, that course taught by my ex-teacher, Vanya, is absolutely amazing and can help you sound more American. Another course is called Intermediate to advanced, and this one is for people who are trying to speak like a native, trying to sound more like a native, but are also lacking some grammar and vocabulary, uh, structures. And, uh, you can check that one out. And of course, if you're willing to study in the US, we have a dedicated TOEFL course, uh, that helps you prepare for the TOEFL test, which you take, and then, uh, you apply to American universities and universities worldwide. I will leave the link down below, and we continue our conversation with Dmitry.

  8. 8:44 – 9:54

    What I missed most about working together

    1. MM

      [swishing] But then someday, we stop working together, and we're gonna talk about that. I... We're just postponing this, but something I wanted to tell you, like, I love your mindset so much, and now when we're talking and, um, you know, you're doing your own thing, I'm doing my own, I'm always thinking like, "It would've been so cool if you could work for my [laughing] media company."

    2. DS

      Okay, now we know the reason for this podcast, guys, right?

    3. MM

      [laughing]

    4. DS

      That's a negotiation right here.

    5. MM

      You know, because-

    6. DS

      Sorry, no. [laughing]

    7. MM

      Your business vision is always like, "Let's build a billion-dollar company. Let's this, let's, let's do this thing." And because I'm completely different and now I run my own media company, and I'm the CEO, I'm the one who makes decisions, I don't really... I have a COO, but I don't have a partner who I could consult with. I have my investors, they're great, but it's not like I'm gonna call them every day. I miss that a lot-

    8. DS

      Thanks a lot

    9. MM

      ... about working together.

    10. DS

      Feel free to [laughing] -

    11. MM

      No, that, that's what I do

    12. DS

      ... we brainstorm a lot, right?

    13. MM

      But at the end, at the end of the day, we brainstorm a lot, but at the end of the day, I realize it's just my decision, when back then it was our common decision, and I could always tell you, "Hey, um, I don't think I can make this decision. It's your... It's your go. You just do whatever you want." So I miss that a lot. Something I don't

  9. 9:54 – 13:35

    Why we stopped working together

    1. MM

      miss, and comes from a woman who's always thinking about plan B, plan C, working for the same company, relying on the same income stream. And I know people who watch this channel have seen my video about my anxiety that comes from losing income streams led me to the reality where I have 19 different [laughing] income streams.

    2. DS

      Great.

    3. MM

      Yeah, I'm good. [laughing] But it's a little bit... You know, I think when I look-

    4. DS

      It's perfect

    5. MM

      ... when I looked at that video, I'm like: "Okay, this fear is, like, real." Um, so this is what I didn't like, and this is what happened during... So I was pregnant. Uh, we actually had a baby. COVID started, and we were basically, our main source of income was Linguatrip, and that was like, oh, my God, I was so glad some of my vlogs were already taking off, and I was able to make some income with them, so I could support our family. And it was like, yeah, some of the worst times.

    6. DS

      First of all, like, if you wanna work together, I think it's very important to, from the beginning, to say, like, who will make a calls because, uh, that's why we were able... We never have an argument.

    7. MM

      Oh, yeah, and he has 1... He still has, and he had 1% more than me.

    8. DS

      But-

    9. MM

      So and I think it's great. I know a lot of entrepreneurs who do 50/50, and it looks like it's a common thing on the market, but I think what... And I've never heard anyone suggest 51/49 when partners start together, but I think it's actually genius. 'Cause you, right from the start, you know who's gonna be the key decision-maker, and, uh, for my personality, it's actually better. I want someone to make those, uh, big decisions.

    10. DS

      The most important is not even, like, the stock split, it's, like, m- decisions, basically-

    11. MM

      Who makes the decision

    12. DS

      ... the board. Yeah, yeah, because I think I don't, uh, understand the situation where it's like everybody has, like, equal votes and, like, equal, uh, like, in terms of decision-making. Yeah, because it's very good when you have clarity in the beginning and consensus, like, uh, who, yeah, it should be the one who, at the end of the day, makes the decision. Uh, it worked out really well-

    13. MM

      Yeah

    14. DS

      ... I think so, uh-

    15. MM

      We never had an argument about it-

    16. DS

      We never had an argument

    17. MM

      ... any decision.

    18. DS

      Yeah.

    19. MM

      Yeah.

    20. DS

      In terms of, um, working together, yeah, I think, uh, I have a slightly different perspective. Like, I wanna surprise you as a woman, you know? And when you, um, uh, have the same company, you're doing the same thing, you can't surprise you, right? Because I can't surprise-

    21. MM

      Yeah, 'cause it's coming, and you're like, "Why is spending his time on this?"

    22. DS

      Because we all, we, we equally contributed to this thing, and like-... um, it's our thing, our company, we're doing it together, and there is no room for this, like, man-woman relationship thing when you can- when you want surprise.

    23. MM

      Exactly.

    24. DS

      And that's why I think it's not good energy. I think it's amazing that we did it. It's great to have this experience because we learn from each other, we, like, uh, c- we accomplished the goal, et cetera. Um, but now it's the next phase, and I, like, uh, I think, yeah, it's even better when you have different spheres, and we, you, you... Yeah, you can surprise each other.

    25. MM

      Yeah. Uh, when we came here as immigrants, no friends, no network, nothing, and when you're networking together, this means you're going to the same parties, you're meeting the same people, and it kind of... Like, it just cuts some opportunities from you. What I notice now is that our networks are completely different.

    26. DS

      Yeah.

    27. MM

      I do my own creator thing, you do your own thing, and, uh, it's actually better 'cause we meet more people, and then we can, you know, just-

    28. DS

      Yeah, exactly

    29. MM

      ... have more people come over to our-

    30. DS

      Exactly

  10. 13:35 – 15:05

    Advice for couples or friends starting a business together

    1. MM

      What would you say to couples or people who want to start a company together as a couple or as friends, or maybe, for example, someone has a good creative career and they want their husband to come in? Like, what would be your advice for people who work together?

    2. DS

      Like, I mean, for first part, uh, as I mentioned already, like, uh, clearly, um, think and feel who is better in terms of making key decisions, and, uh, make it clear. So who will make the calls in the end of the day? It will be, like, very narrow thing in terms of, like, your private life and business life because it would be, like, sometimes you'll discuss business stuff during, like, s- late nights, sometimes you will... You don't-

    3. MM

      Well, I said-

    4. DS

      So I mean, it's, it's okay.

    5. MM

      At some stage, we actually stopped that, 'cause I was too bored. Or too bo- not too bored, but I was like, "Oh, come on." It was just not-

    6. DS

      Yeah, and what was, what was the second part?

    7. MM

      It was the same question, just advice for people who want to work together and who are-

    8. DS

      Don't. [chuckles]

    9. MM

      [chuckles]

    10. DS

      No, no, no, I'm kidding.

    11. MM

      Yeah?

    12. DS

      No, no, no, no.

    13. MM

      But it works for some people, right?

    14. DS

      No, no, I'm kidding. No, no, no, I, I think it's, uh, if it's organically what you wanna do, definitely do it. Just like, uh, uh, discuss, like, everything u- upfront, like, what's your expectations, what, what... Like, what do you want to achieve? So be clear in terms of objectives and how you wanna do it, then just enjoy the ride.

    15. MM

      It was more about our- us as a couple versus us as entrepreneurs.

    16. DS

      Hundred percent. It was, like, the fun journey-

    17. MM

      Yeah

    18. DS

      ... and we were, like, achieving this dream together, and it was super exciting journey. For me, like, I never thought about it as, as about a job or work or something. For me, it was fun.

    19. MM

      But remember, uh, some investors, they said,

  11. 15:05 – 15:46

    Some investors told us it was a red flag back then; Is it a bad idea working together?

    1. MM

      uh, to us it was a red flag, and they would never invest-

    2. DS

      Oh, I was so mad after this meeting, you remember? I'm like, "Come on," like...

    3. MM

      It was after YC or something?

    4. DS

      It was, I mean, many people told us this, uh, different investors, but, uh, we proved them wrong.

    5. MM

      Well. [chuckles]

    6. DS

      No, I mean- [chuckles]

    7. MM

      [chuckles]

    8. DS

      I mean, uh, their, their concern were, like, uh, that if, like, uh, that you have an argument and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but, I mean, everything is good.

    9. MM

      Yeah, it was never an argument.

    10. DS

      Yeah.

    11. MM

      Yeah.

    12. DS

      So if you wanna do it, don't listen, like, people who say like, "Oh, it's like blah, blah, blah," because, uh, I mean, a lot of examples when it's working, and, uh, it, it can be fun for sure.

  12. 15:46 – 17:35

    We went from 5 people to 60 in 6 months - advice for those who build a company right now

    1. MM

      So we came to Silicon Valley in 2015. It's 2025, it's been 10 years. We're gonna celebrate 10 years in April. What would you change about our journey?

    2. DS

      At the beginning, um, like, when it was, like, second year or third year of our company, so 2019, 2017, uh, we started, uh, growing so fast, uh, so, like, three times year-over-year in terms of revenue. Like, 2017 probably was even faster. And, um, I think, like, we did strategic mistake in terms of hiring because we went from, like, five or six people to 60 people, like, less than half a year, something like this, and, um, we keep the same people, uh, first employees, like, uh, we made, made them, like... They were SMM manager, for example, and we made them, like, operational director or something like this, and it was a huge mistake, uh, because company were growing. We need, like, expertise from people who already, uh, passed this phase, and, like, they know how to do it. And, uh, we were in a position where we were a hot startup, and we could raise, like, enough capital, and, uh, we could hire cool people, but we didn't do it. Instead, we just kept our team because also maybe it's cultural, personal thing, like, okay, like, we have these people, they working for us already two, three years. They enjoying the company. We wanna put trust on them, et cetera, et cetera. But as an entrepreneur, sometimes you have to have, like, prioritize the goal of the company more than anything else, and it's take a huge courage, and sometimes you have to be tough. And, um, yeah, I didn't, I didn't make this call. It was, like, it, it was my mistake, and, uh, yeah, so that's w- I definitely changed that. Also, we had an offer, uh, for acquisition. Like, it started,

  13. 17:35 – 18:06

    What we wish we could change

    1. DS

      like, the discussion was started, but I said, like: "No, we're not interested because, like, we just start growing," et cetera, and we didn't even saw the term sheet. Now I understand, so it's like, it's better to always, always get your term sheet and then decide. That's the first rule, and then it's also very good when you have an exit very early, and then it's, it, it's not even about the money that you have from your first exit. It's about the reputation, and then it helps you with your n- second company.

    2. MM

      But do you think that happened

  14. 18:06 – 20:01

    Can similar backgrounds be a liability in a startup?

    1. MM

      because we came from the same background, and that was the mistake initially? Like, you don't start a company with someone who has the same background, same education, same interests. Maybe you need to have someone who-

    2. DS

      Mm, I-

    3. MM

      From my experience, anyway

    4. DS

      ... no, I think, like, uh, on paper, it sounds good, but I think it's very impor- it's very important that we have the same background, same culture. It, it- that's why we s- like, we managed to-... do it together and, uh, no argument, et cetera. But, um, for example, if we hired, like, people, local people, w- who, like, worked in the companies who got acquired or something like this, they could give us this advice: "Okay, come on, guys, let's, uh, let's be strategic about it." Because I remember I didn't want to dilute ourselves, so we raised exact amount of money that we know how to deploy, uh, to, to- in order to get, like, higher valuation and then raise small checks again with the, like, twice or three times more valuation. That's why we're still not diluted at all, almost. But, um, maybe if you're, like, in Silicon Valley, maybe it was wiser to get cool investors on board, and these cool investors, they navigate- help you navigate through this. And, uh, uh, maybe it's even good to give them a board seat, create a board, board s- with a seat of directors so you can discuss these topics. So definitely I would go this route back then, and especially because it's a first company and my end goal always was, like, with this company, come here, establish the track record, and then do huge things. That's why I want to be here in Silicon Valley. And now I understand that this, this main logic didn't correlate with my small, like, meal- my tactic decisions because it was way smarter to say, like, "Okay, exit, great. Couple of mills, let's go. I have this record of, like, selling the company. Let's, let's try to find the big thing now." Um, so definitely a mistake.

    5. MM

      But would you ever start a company with me?

  15. 20:01 – 22:00

    Why did Dmitry want to start a company?

    1. DS

      Uh, [laughing] I mean, yes, because, uh, I remember myself at the university, I had these all crazy ideas, and it was, like, third year of the university, and I remember this vis- visualization, that I spent so much time and energy, and my family also spent so much time, and energy, and money to prepare myself to get accepted to this best top Russian math university, et cetera. And, um, on the third year, I remember, okay, if it stops now, I'm nowhere. I didn't start the company with my, like, um, classmates. I didn't, like, start the company myself, and I have only two more years, and I have to, to, to have the company already until this point. And, um, and I had only, like, big ideas and stuff, and I understand, okay, with these big ideas, when I don't have money at all, I don't have reputation, uh, I could... Like, probably it's hard to pull it off. Uh, and I start seeking for ideas that I can actually can implement without capital because we didn't have this, a beautiful station, like in Silicon Valley, in the rest of the world, where you can raise for- ra- raise money for idea, be- being a freshman and out of the college. I mean, with you, I saw that, okay, we actually can pull it off because you are an expert in this field, you're passionate about it, and, uh, we definitely can do marketing, and we can create a product, and we don't need much to start. I, I just went... I remember I told all our, uh, classmates that we, we already have this company. If you want to go study abroad, go with us, and that's how we get our first customers. And, uh, that's how we were able to build a website, rent an office, et cetera, et cetera. I think it's, uh, it was opportunistic, and we didn't have a choice, you know?

    2. MM

      Mm-hmm.

    3. DS

      So it wasn't like, uh, I can do this comp-

    4. MM

      It wasn't like you was ch- you were choosing from.

    5. DS

      I mean, yeah, it was like a flow-

    6. MM

      Yeah

    7. DS

      ... and it was organically good, and, like, it was, like, perfect way.

    8. MM

      Yeah.

    9. DS

      Uh, and also understand,

  16. 22:00 – 23:05

    How Dmitry found a win-win for everybody

    1. DS

      I remember thinking that you... I never dreamed to live, like, in other countries or something like this, and I remember that it was your primary goal to actually move to English-speaking country. That was your mission- like, life mission.

    2. MM

      [laughing]

    3. DS

      And, um, I understood that it's important for you in, like, huge part. We never spoke about this, but-

    4. MM

      But then once I called you from Canada saying that we're moving [laughing] --

    5. DS

      Yeah, I was like-

    6. MM

      ... and then you told me, "There's this immigration program." [laughing]

    7. DS

      I had to... Yeah, yeah, this Silicon Valley move, like, I even, like, uh, I doubled my, uh, emails amount, like, that, that night [laughing] to be able to get accepted to-

    8. MM

      [laughing]

    9. DS

      ... Silicon Valley accelerators and stuff because there's no way, like, we have to make it-

    10. MM

      [laughing] Not, not Canada

    11. DS

      ... to Silicon Valley because I don't want to move to Canada. [laughing] Jokes aside, I understood that it's very important for you-

    12. MM

      Thank you

    13. DS

      ... and to be able to fill your need, and also, uh, my dream as an entrepreneur, I found that this path, path is actually a win-win for everybody. That's also, like, y- the truth.

    14. MM

      Yeah.

    15. DS

      You know? Like, why it was a very, like, the way it is.

    16. MM

      Yeah.

    17. DS

      It's not only business, it's you.

    18. MM

      But now, would you make this business

  17. 23:05 – 24:34

    Would we ever work together again? Our honest answer

    1. MM

      decision again, or you think because everything we mentioned, everything we went through and understood, this has made you realize-

    2. DS

      I mean, of course. I mean, first of all, it's like, what i- if, would've, should've, could've, like, I mean, it's doesn't work this way. It is what it is. And uh, I think it's perfect, happy journey-

    3. MM

      Yes

    4. DS

      ... because, like, we had so much great memories together, and we went through a lot of cool stuff, agreed together. I think it's awesome.

    5. MM

      Thank you. I think it's great.

    6. DS

      What about you?

    7. MM

      Uh, [laughing]

    8. DS

      No, no, no.

    9. MM

      No, I told you, I would love to have someone like you in my media company, but I also understand that taking your goals into consideration, this is not at all what you want to do, so I'm not even talking about it [laughing] at all. But yeah. Ideally, yeah, but now I feel like I'm more in the media space, and you're doing your own thing, and I think it's a great... It's the best decision for now. Let's see what happens in 10 years. Thank you so much.

    10. DS

      Thank you, guys.

    11. MM

      Thank you for having me again.

    12. DS

      Sorry for the bad English. I'll practice.

    13. MM

      It's just-

    14. DS

      Maybe I-

    15. MM

      It's getting better every single day.

    16. DS

      Yeah.

    17. MM

      So.

    18. DS

      So, um, thanks a lot. It's pleasure to watch your growth and, uh-

    19. MM

      Thank you

    20. DS

      ... uh, you do an amazing job. Keep doing that.

    21. MM

      Thank you so much. [bell ringing]

    22. DS

      I love you.

    23. MM

      [laughing] I love you too. Bye, guys. Thank you so much for watching to the very end. Please subscribe to my new Instagram for this channel. It's called I Am Silicon Valley Girl. It's more focused on business and, uh, this, uh, particular podcast. Thank you so much, and see you soon. Bye!

    24. DS

      See you, guys. Bye.

Episode duration: 24:34

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