How a 25-Year-Old's Video Agency Helped His Parents Retire: A Simple Business Breakdown

Tuan Le's story begins with a promise made at 15. His parents had just immigrated to Canada from Vietnam, leaving everything behind for better opportunities. He saw them work tirelessly, with his father losing weight from the strain. That moment sparked a vow: he would help them retire in ten years. Fast forward to 2025, and he made good on that promise, using the success of his video agency to send his parents a monthly living stipend.

The business, ShortsCut, was born from a simple solution to a real problem. Le started small, filming food for local Toronto restaurants. His core offering was straightforward: he sold his time and expertise to produce short-form videos for brands. This wasn't about complex corporate films; it was about creating the kind of content that performs on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. He began by editing videos for online communities, charging just $20 CAD for a 20-minute piece. That's the essence of the model: taking a client's idea and turning it into a polished, shareable video.

The market for this exact service is massive and growing. The global short video platform market, which includes the apps where these videos are posted, was valued at over $53 billion in 2025 and is projected to nearly triple to $132.9 billion by 2035. This explosive growth is driven by rising internet use, 5G networks, and the fact that younger audiences are more likely to share video content. For a small agency, this means a steady stream of clients-from pet food brands to tech startups-need help creating the kind of "snackable" content that dominates these platforms. Le's business, which brought in $1.08 million last year, is a direct play on that trend.

The Numbers: Revenue, Profit, and What They Mean

The math behind Tuan Le's promise is straightforward, but the implications are powerful. In 2025, his agency, ShortsCut, generated $1.08 million in revenue and a net profit of just over $488,000. That bottom-line profit is the engine. From it, he funds a reliable $5,000 CAD ($3,652 USD) monthly cash flow to his parents.

This monthly payment is more than just a stipend; it acts as a personal 'rainy day fund' that fundamentally reduces the founder's financial risk. By covering his parents' core living expenses, Le insulated himself from a major personal liability. It allowed him to reinvest the bulk of the agency's profits back into the business-upgrading equipment, expanding his team, and pursuing bigger clients-without the constant pressure of a personal financial emergency. The business became a self-funding vehicle for his promise.

The core investment was always time and effort to build a business that could generate this income. Le started with a $20 CAD video edit for a YouTuber, a classic bootstrapped entry. The path from there to a $1.08 million revenue stream is the common, if challenging, journey for many entrepreneurs: solve a real problem (creating social media content), charge for the solution, and scale the operation. For Le, the numbers show a business model that works. It's a simple equation: consistent client projects, disciplined profit-taking, and a clear purpose. That's how a 25-year-old turned a promise into a personal and professional reality.

The Scalability Test: Can This Model Grow?

The real question for Tuan Le's promise-and for any entrepreneur-is what happens next. The business model is proven: solve a problem, charge for the solution, and scale. But scaling a video agency from a solo operation to a larger enterprise is a different beast. It's the test of moving from trading time for money to building systems that generate income without linearly increasing effort.

The growth driver here is powerful and consistent. 73% of consumers prefer to watch short-form videos to learn about a product or service. That's not a fleeting trend; it's a fundamental shift in how people consume information. This creates a steady, reliable demand for the core service ShortsCut provides. The market itself is expanding at a solid pace, with the global short video market projected to grow at a 9.75% compound annual rate through 2030. That's a tailwind for any agency that can meet the need.

Yet, scaling hits a classic bottleneck: the cost of human capital. The evidence shows the revenue model is multi-faceted, with agencies earning from client projects, stock footage, editing services, and more. For Le, the initial path was straightforward-his time and editing skill. To grow, he must move beyond that. He needs to hire a team, delegate tasks, and create standardized processes. The challenge is that each new team member adds to the payroll, a fixed cost that must be covered by new revenue. If he simply takes on more projects at the same rate, he's back to trading time for money, just with a larger team.

The key to true scalability is efficiency. This means systems that allow one person's expertise to be replicated. It could be creating a library of proven video templates, developing a training program for new editors, or building a proprietary workflow that cuts production time. The goal is to increase output without a one-to-one increase in costs. That's the difference between a growing business and a growing payroll.

So, the model can grow, but it must evolve. The demand is there, driven by consumer preference and market expansion. The path forward requires shifting from a craftsman mindset to a manager's mindset-building a machine that can produce the content the market wants, not just the founder's own hands. For Le, that's the next chapter in funding his parents' retirement.

Lessons for the Reader: Starting a Service Business

Tuan Le's story is a blueprint for anyone with a skill and a simple idea. It shows that you don't need a massive startup fund or a revolutionary product to build something meaningful. You need to start small, solve a real problem, and focus on the cash flow. Here's how to translate his journey into practical steps.

First, start with your skill and a specific, local problem. Le didn't try to build a global video empire overnight. He began by editing gameplay videos for YouTubers, charging just $20 CAD for a 20-minute piece. That's the exact starting point for a service business: trade your time and expertise for money on a small scale. Identify a need in your own community-maybe it's helping local shops create social media content, offering basic website fixes, or providing freelance writing. Solve that one problem well. The cash flow from these early gigs funds your next step and builds your credibility.

Second, understand your profit margin and what it covers. The goal isn't just to bring in revenue; it's to generate a personal paycheck after all costs. For Le, the $488,000 net profit last year was the engine for his $5,000 monthly stipend. That profit had to cover his own living expenses, business costs (like equipment and software), and taxes. Your first focus should be on pricing your service high enough to cover these costs and leave a clear profit. This profit is your personal capital. Use it to fund your own goals-like helping family, saving for a home, or building a rainy day fund-while reinvesting the rest into your business to grow it.

Finally, use that cash flow to fund both your life and your growth. Le's monthly payment to his parents wasn't a burden; it was a strategic use of cash flow that reduced his personal risk. It allowed him to reinvest the bulk of the profits back into ShortsCut to upgrade equipment and expand his team. This is the virtuous cycle of a service business: steady client work generates cash, that cash funds personal stability and business reinvestment, which leads to more work and more cash. The model is simple, but it requires discipline to separate personal spending from business profit and to consistently reinvest.

The bottom line is that service businesses are built one client at a time. Start small, charge for your skill, protect your profit, and let the cash flow do the heavy lifting. That's how a promise made at 15 became a reality for Tuan Le-and how it can become a reality for you.