If you ask Shalik Rizni who he is, he won’t give you a fancy title first. He’ll tell you he’s someone who loves solving problems with technology. Today, he’s the founder of Toggle, an AI-powered development agency that helps startups build MVPs in just 3–4 weeks. But this journey didn’t begin in a boardroom. It started with a teenager scrolling through YouTube and Instagram.

At 16 or 17, Shalik came across videos about making money online. Dropshipping, freelancing, online businesses, everything looked exciting. But what truly caught his attention was technology. The idea that code could solve real problems fascinated him. He didn’t jump straight into startups. He experimented.

First, graphic design. Then video editing and VFX. Slowly, he moved into programming, building websites and applications. Over time, he became a software engineer and worked with multiple startups. He didn’t just write code. He saw products being built from zero, users being acquired, and even companies being sold. Those four years quietly became his real education.

Why starting young mattered

Shalik always knew he wanted to build something of his own. Freedom mattered to him, freedom of time, decisions, and direction. Coming from a business family, entrepreneurship wasn’t a strange idea. His father runs an import-export business, so risk and responsibility were part of everyday conversations.

But there was another reason to start early. By the mid-20s, life changes. Responsibilities grow. Bills arrive. Risks feel heavier. Shalik realised that starting young meant having the freedom to fail without fear. Fewer responsibilities meant faster learning.

When you’re young, you can experiment. You can lose money, learn lessons, and still start again. That mindset shaped everything that followed.

Building without big capital

Like most first-time founders, capital was a concern. But Shalik didn’t see it as a roadblock. Toggle was built as a service-based business. That meant no factories, no huge investments, and no external funding at the start.

All he needed was a laptop, internet, and skills he had already monetised through freelancing. Since money was already flowing from clients, Toggle didn’t begin from zero. It grew organically, powered by real work and real revenue.

This approach removed pressure and gave him control. No investors to impress. No artificial timelines. Just focus on solving problems better.

The real struggle: building a team

If there’s one challenge Shalik speaks honestly about, it’s team-building. Hiring, training, and retaining people is not easy. Teams change. People leave. Expectations break.

Early on, he believed he needed to know everything before starting. Over time, he realised that’s not how entrepreneurship works. You learn while building. You grow with mistakes.

There are ups and downs. Sometimes sales drop. Sometimes you need to let people go. What keeps things moving is mindset. Showing up every day, even when things aren’t working, is non-negotiable.

Finding the right model

Toggle didn’t start as an AI-powered MVP engine. Initially, it focused on basic development and websites. But the rise of AI tools like GPT and Cursor changed everything.

While many engineers feared AI, Shalik embraced it. His belief is simple. AI won’t replace you, but someone using AI will. He saw founders with great ideas but no technical time or skills. They didn’t want to spend six months and burn thousands just to test an idea.

That’s where Toggle found its purpose. Launch fast. Learn from users. Improve quickly. In today’s market, speed is survival.

This clarity came from years of observing clients, understanding pain points, and asking one simple question repeatedly. How can this be done better?

Validating before scaling

Toggle wasn’t built in isolation. Shalik validated the idea aggressively. He spoke to existing clients. He reached out to hundreds of people on LinkedIn daily. He asked for opinions, feedback, and criticism.

Social media became his testing ground. LinkedIn posts, comments, and X all played a role. Once enough data pointed in one direction, he launched. Even now, outreach and content remain core to growth.

Content is not optional

If Shalik could give one loud piece of advice, it would be this. Create content.

For him, content rests on three pillars, documentation, value, and offers. Share your journey. Teach what you know. Clearly state what you’re offering.

Before ads, before scaling, content builds trust. Every client Toggle has worked with came through content. In a world where building products is becoming cheaper, distribution is the real game.

If you can handle distribution, you don’t need to be the most skilled person. You can still win.

A global, remote-first team

Today, Toggle has a team of 13 people across countries like Sri Lanka and the UAE. The model is flexible. Sometimes they build full products. Sometimes they embed their developers directly into client teams.

This global approach brings diverse perspectives and solves cost challenges for international startups. It’s lean, fast, and aligned with modern startup needs.

Hiring, for Shalik, isn’t about perfection. It’s about skills, basic execution, confidence, and cultural fit. Ownership and accountability matter more than fancy resumes.

Looking ahead

Shalik doesn’t see Toggle as just a development agency. His vision is bigger. He wants to build a full startup ecosystem that includes development, go-to-market support, training, and possibly investor connections.

Global expansion is part of the plan. So is building digital products in the future. For now, the focus remains clear. Build Toggle, build his personal brand, and keep learning.

One simple lesson

Start early. Start imperfectly. Show up daily.

Entrepreneurship is lonely, uncertain, and slow at times. But if you’re solving a real problem and staying honest with your vision, progress happens, even if you don’t notice it immediately.

As Shalik puts it, don’t chase money first. Chase purpose. Money will follow.