Vietnam-born college dropout, 25, runs $1 million-a-year video business in Canada, fulfilling promise to retire parents

Founded in 2023, Le’s Toronto-based firm ShortsCut generated US$1.08 million in revenue in 2025, with net profit exceeding $488,000, allowing him to cover his parents’ rent and living expenses.

Le, 25, said that before migrating, his family had been "extremely comfortable in Vietnam," but his parents chose to sell everything and start over in Canada to provide better opportunities for him and his sister. After arriving in Canada, he struggled to adapt. At 15, he spoke little English and found it difficult to adjust after spending his childhood in Vietnam. Watching his parents work long hours to support the family became a defining moment.

"I remember my old man coming home at, like, 7 a.m., and my mom told me that he lost like five pounds after one week," Le told CNBC Make It. "That was an awakening moment for me. That’s when I told my parents, ‘Give me 10 years, I’m gonna retire you guys.’"

Tuan Le, founder of production company ShortsCut. Photo from Le's LinkedIn

Le first learned video editing by compiling gaming replays for fun before offering his services to YouTubers, charging as little as CAD$20 (US$15) for 20-minute videos. Recognizing its potential, he enrolled at Toronto Film School a year after graduating from high school in 2018.

While studying there, Le earned a place in the school’s hall of fame for a short film about his parents. The recognition, however, prompted him to reconsider his path and eventually leave school to pursue freelance work. "To me it was like, ‘Wow, that’s sick,’ but at the same time, I heard this quote that goes like, ‘If you’re the best in the room, then you’re in the wrong room.’"

After dropping out, he went through a difficult period. He cold-emailed "every single CEO, production company, marketing agency in Toronto," worked unpaid for a local production firm to learn entrepreneurship, and filmed restaurant videos in exchange for meals. He also approached small food stalls and family-run shops, charging $2,000 to produce 10 TikTok videos, with a promise of a full refund if the content did not go viral. After his first client videos went viral, he said he realized he had a repeatable formula that could be scaled into a larger business.

He founded ShortsCut at the end of 2022 and officially launched the company in January 2023. The firm specializes in short-form promotional videos designed for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. As demand grew, ShortsCut expanded beyond restaurant clients and raised monthly retainers to between $10,000 and $16,000 per client. As the company built a name for itself, Le said he no longer needed to guarantee refunds.

"Now that I have a track record of making things go viral and have the credential to myself, I don’t have to make that promise anymore," he said, adding that the company had issued only one refund.

Tuan Le (far R) and his team at ShortsCut. Photo from Le's LinkedIn

That growth has been supported by a broader shift in how businesses market themselves, with more companies turning to social media to boost sales, increase exposure, generate leads, drive traffic, and build loyal audiences through short-form content.

"Social media is the only media platform left [where brands can] build mass awareness," Quynh Mai, founder and CEO of digital creative agency Qulture, told Business.com. "Outdoor, print and even TV are now easily ignored or skipped. By being in the feed and integrated into the user’s scroll, brand integration is most seamless on social media."

The 2025 Social Media Marketing Industry Report found that 83% of marketers said social media increased exposure for their businesses, 73% reported higher traffic, 65% saw more leads, 62% said it helped build loyal fans, and 52% noted improved sales.

That environment has allowed ShortsCut to scale quickly. By the end of 2025, the company had grown into a team of 15 content creators, scriptwriters, project managers, and other staff working across multiple countries.

For Le, the company’s success represents more than a business milestone. He said he is proud of fulfilling his promise to his parents, who have now stepped back from full-time work. They still run a farmers market stall two days a week, largely because they want to stay active.

Looking ahead, Le has set ambitious goals for ShortsCut.

"I want [ShortsCut] to be doing $100 million [in revenue] in about five years," he said. "It’s a bit delusional, but ... you’ve got to be a little bit delusional to play this game."