Meet Dan Shaikh

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Shaikh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process started way before I launched anything. When I was around 19, I read an article on Reddit about regret. People in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond were all sharing what they wished they had done differently. And I thought, this is the roadmap to life.

So I dedicated myself to looking for passion and purpose. Through that process, I kept saying yes, getting outside my comfort zone, and not being held back by fear. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of being dictated by comfort. I knew that in my 20s, I should take the risks needed to live life and dedicate myself to pursuing purpose. And if passion and purpose could exist together, what would that look like?

That question led me to Speaker Slam.

What should our readers know about your business?
I co-founded Speaker Slam in 2016 with my partner Rina Rovinelli. It’s a speaker development agency best known for hosting North America’s largest inspirational speaking competition. This year marks our 10th anniversary season.

What sets us apart is our conviction to staying inspirational. We give everyday people a platform to share their stories. We’ve had speakers share things they’ve hidden for 30 years, finally saying it out loud in front of 200 people. Their friends and family find out for the first time. We’ve also had professional speakers take our stage. The story is a great equalizer.

Over 1,000 speakers have taken our stage. Our videos have reached millions of views, and the platform has helped speakers land TEDx talks, paid speaking gigs, book deals, and media coverage on outlets like CTV News, CBC, Breakfast Television, and Canada’s Walk of Fame. We’ve also raised over $30,000 for charitable causes through our events.

What I’m most proud of is watching first-time speakers turn into professionals. People come to us scared to share their story and leave with a career. At our March 2026 competition, a speaker named Pierre Mousseau shared how he lost his son and nearly took his own life. After his speech, a woman told him “tonight you saved a life.” That’s the impact we’re building.

Getting here wasn’t easy. Two weeks before I quit my IT job, I sent my first pitch ever to a brand I admired. I didn’t hear back. Two weeks later, I went all-in on Speaker Slam with Rina. Two days after we quit, they said yes. That one pitch changed everything.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that one win doesn’t equal success. You have to leverage that win to get the next one. Momentum is everything. The people who break through understand that there’s no finish line.

What I want the world to know is that I went from being invisible in the system to making people visible. I know what it’s like to feel unseen. My family had no connections. We were just surviving. Now I help people find their voice, build their platform, and share their story. Your story matters. You just have to be willing to share it and step into your moment to be visible.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The path really started when a friend invited me to an event totally outside my comfort zone. It was called the Passion Search Competition. As a child of immigrants, I never knew what passion and purpose meant. We just knew duty and survival. But this event appealed to me, and I showed up. I was inspired by the people who were sharing their stories.

At the time, I was on track to become an IT guy. It was the safest path. I was going to be the first in my family to become a white collar employee. But soon after, I decided to join the organization and learn from them. I started recruiting talent for them and going out to events.

That’s where I met a woman who was running an event for aspiring entrepreneurs. She pitched me on joining a Toastmasters group. This wasn’t like any Toastmasters I’d ever been a part of. It was based out of the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto, so the people in that room were different.

That group was so supportive. They really helped me grow my confidence, and my identity started to shift through those early wins.

So shout out to CSI Toastmasters. I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing without you.

Website: https://danshaikh.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedanshaikh/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedanshaikh/

Twitter: https://x.com/TheDanShaikh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDanShaikh/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDanShaikh

Image Credits
Event Photos: Philip Zave
Portrait Photo: Darius Bashar