When Daria Astanaeva’s businesses went under in 2024, it was a blessing in disguise. She’d been splitting her time between running an influencer marketing consulting business and a small talent management agency, relying on a few clients for most of the revenue. “I was so afraid to fail,” she recalls. Astanaeva, who was growing her online presence, decided to share how she was feeling with her followers. Instead of putting a positive spin on the closures, she offered an honest story about struggling. “I’m very glad that I did,” she says.
Shortly after, she started The Sell Well on the premise of helping women entrepreneurs be their authentic selves online—and attract clients from it. As both a content creation and coaching company, The Sell Well builds profitable, personal brands for its clients through lead generation and working with them to create short-form videos like Instagram reels.
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Astanaeva immigrated to Canada from Russia at 18, looking to build her own business. She has carved her own path and now helps other women do the same. “Meeting so many incredible women all over North America, connecting with them and learning about their journey,” she reflects, “seeing how we can help each other grow… it’s been extremely rewarding.”
Since its inception, The Sell Well has helped over 300 early-stage women entrepreneurs—wedding planners, photographers, real estate agents—in Canada and the U.S. grow their online brand. It has generated over $500,000 in revenue in just under two years, growing from a one-woman-run business to a mighty four-person team. Looking ahead, Astanaeva hopes to scale the agency to make $300,000 a month, with an eventual acquisition in The Sell Well’s future.
Who is your role model and why?
“Marc Randolph, one of the co-founders of Netflix. He always keeps Tuesday evenings for date night with his wife—no matter what is happening at the company. My husband and I set Thursdays as a mandatory date night; prioritizing that has been the biggest life changer.”
See the full list of our 2026 30 Under 30 winners here.
