From Sale to Scale

This presentation is a no-fluff, deeply personal exploration of what it really takes to move from the stability of a corporate job to the rollercoaster ride of a start-up. Vladimir Baranov, a founder, coach, and veteran of fintech and space-tech startups, shares the mindset shifts, tactical preparations, and gut-check moments that define this transition. You'll get a candid look at what it's like to go from having a clearly defined role to wearing every hat. He breaks down how to prepare mentally and financially, build early momentum, and learn by doing. Topics include managing risk, building your “why,” navigating ambiguity, and learning how to sell (yes, even if you hate it). Whether you're considering joining a startup or starting your own, this talk will help you assess your readiness, and your appetite. It’s not about a perfect plan; it’s about momentum, resilience, and radical ownership. Full of founder truths, lived lessons, and a few laughs.

Let’s be real—being a little weird is the best thing you can do for your brand. In a world full of sameness, it’s the memorable quirks, the unexpected twists, and the “wait, who are you?” moments that make people pay attention.

I’ve taken an unconventional path to get here (think: almost failing design school, living in a van in Australia, running a wedding company in China—yeah, it’s a story), and along the way, I realized that the magic in branding isn’t about fitting in. It’s about helping people own what makes them different and turning that into a brand that feels like them.

We’ll talk about:

• Why your weirdness is your unfair advantage
• How to help clients find their real brand essence (aka their secret sauce)
• Creative confidence—showing up fully as yourself
• The unexpected paths that lead to success

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit the mold—good. That’s exactly why you’re going to thrive. Let’s talk about it.

Building a side hustle or business is challenging! I'll share the roadmap to your first customer and then all the way to your first $10K. We'll cover everything from pricing, branding, sales and marketing.

My company Path Unbound, a boutique UI/UX design school, is a challenger brand in a saturated market with many big named schools. We experienced a long slump in revenue in the first couple of years in business because we couldn’t find our product positioning. We offered products similar to our big competitors and tried to beat them with lower price only to have the opposite effect. People start doubting if we are bad because we were so much cheaper.

Last year, we discovered the magic formula to growth for us as a small challenger brand without big budget for advertising. We started to repackage our big product offerings into smaller ones that are ultra flexible serving mini segments of user personas. We started to see results within weeks of launching our new offerings, attracting more customers than we’ve ever have. In this talk, I’ll how we structured our product offerings according to customer personas and how other small businesses that are challenger brands to big competitors can thrive doing the same.