Dennis Shirshikov | Founder, Professor, SEO and Growth Operator

Profile

Dennis Shirshikov profile

Current work: Founder, Growth Limit; professor of accounting, finance, and economics
Based in: Ithaca, New York
From: Flushing, Queens, New York City
Education: M.S. Derivatives Pricing; B.B.A. Finance, Queens College, CUNY
Primary fields: SEO, content, digital PR, finance, real estate, economics, web development
Family: Husband and father of four

Dennis Shirshikov is a finance-trained operator, educator, editor, and entrepreneur. His work sits across organic growth, financial publishing, real estate, startups, and higher education.

He founded Growth Limit in 2019. Before that, he worked in investment banking, financial media, manufacturing, and proptech. He teaches undergraduate accounting, finance, and economics and publishes financial education as Dennis the Professor.

10+years in growth

20+industries

200+published articles

1,000+tracked citations

Experience

Career experience and ventures

2019 to present

Growth Limit

Founder and lead strategist

SEO, content, digital PR, web development, analytics, and conversion work across B2B and B2C companies.

Site ↗

Current

College and university teaching

Professor of accounting, finance, and economics

Undergraduate instruction using applied analysis and case-based discussion.

Profile ↗

Startup / advisory

Awning, Summer, Generation Lab, and other growth engagements

Growth, content, and product operator

Organic acquisition systems, technical SEO, editorial operations, web development, and growth strategy.

2021

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP)

Managing editor

Edited GARP’s climate-risk textbook and related educational material. GARP is the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

GARP ↗

Financial media

Investopedia, Seeking Alpha, Fit Small Business

Growth and editorial roles

Financial content, SEO strategy, publishing systems, and audience growth.

2016 to 2018

Naibor

Co-founder

Real-estate startup. Placed fifth in the Harvard Business School Real Estate Venture Competition.

Early career

Latta USA

Second manufacturing hire / product manager

Helped produce and bring to market kefir and yogurt products at a food-manufacturing startup.

2012 to 2014

Cantor Fitzgerald

Investment banking

Capital markets, structured finance, and institutional financial analysis.

Selected work

Selected website work

Growth LimitFounder · SEO and digital growth ↗

FullmindVirtual education and certified teaching services ↗

AwningFormer head of content ↗

Current projects

VaultSTRIndependent short-term rental software research ↗ 401k ROBSEducation about Rollovers as Business Startups ↗ Fractional SEO DirectorFractional organic growth leadership ↗

Organizations and websites Dennis has worked with

Companies, publications, clients, and platforms Dennis has founded, operated, advised, written for, or worked on.

Current projects and open source

Organizations and information products Dennis currently operates.

Growth LimitFounder and lead strategistgrowthlimit.com ↗ VaultSTRIndependent STR software researchvaultstr.com ↗ 401k ROBSFinancial education project401krobs.com ↗ Fractional SEO DirectorOrganic growth leadershipfractionalseodirector.com ↗ Dennis the ProfessorPersonal GitHub profilegithub.com/dennistheprofessor ↗ Growthlimit Open SourceGitHub organizationgithub.com/Growthlimit ↗

Financial and business media, risk, and lending

Publishers, professional associations, and financial institutions where Dennis held editorial, growth, or writing roles.

InvestopediaFinancial education publisher; growth and editorial workinvestopedia.com ↗ Seeking AlphaInvestment research publisher; growth and content strategyseekingalpha.com ↗ Fit Small BusinessSmall-business education publisher; editorial workfitsmallbusiness.com ↗ GARPRisk-management association; climate-risk textbook managing editorgarp.org ↗ theLenderDSCR and non-QM mortgage lender; finance and real estate writingretail.thelender.com ↗

Residential real estate and home selling

Agent marketplaces, home-selling platforms, and real estate research publications.

Clever Real EstateReal estate agent marketplace and consumer education platformcleverrealestate.com ↗ Get Home CashCash home-buying platform and homeowner educationgethomecash.com ↗ Real Estate WitchConsumer real estate research and former contributor profilerealestatewitch.com ↗

Short-term rentals and hospitality

Vacation-rental management, operations, furnishing, investing, and owner services.

AwningNational Airbnb management platform; former head of contentawning.com ↗ FairlyLocal vacation-home management platformfairly.com ↗ RedAwningVacation-rental distribution and management networkredawning.com ↗ ShowplaceRental-property design and furnishing platformshowplacehq.com ↗ TechvestorPassive short-term-rental investment platformtechvestor.com ↗ Checkmate RentalsAirbnb co-hosting and vacation-rental managementcheckmaterentals.com ↗ SurgeShort-term-rental management, brokerage, and interior designgowithsurge.com ↗

K-12 teaching and professional development

Virtual instruction, teacher staffing, and educator professional-development platforms.

FullmindState-certified virtual teachers for K-12 schoolsfullmindlearning.com ↗ iTutorOnline instruction brand associated with Fullminditutor.com ↗ SimplyPDK-12 professional-development marketplacesimplypd.com ↗

Software, research, and consumer products

Health research, intellectual-property software, revenue data infrastructure, and consumer packaged goods.

Generation LabBiological-age testing and personalized health analysisgenerationlab.com ↗ PatlyticsAI-powered patent intelligence platformpatlytics.com ↗ UpsideData infrastructure for agentic go-to-market systemsupside.tech ↗ Zack & LucyNatural body-care and shea-butter brandzackandlucy.com ↗

Travel rewards technology

Award-travel search and loyalty-points tools.

RoameAward-flight search and alerts platformroame.travel ↗

Links reflect current public domains where available. Relationships span current and past professional work.

Capabilities

Areas of expertise

Organic growth

Technical SEO, information architecture, content operations, link acquisition, and digital PR.

Publishing

Editorial strategy, subject-matter content, fact review, author programs, and large-scale publishing systems.

Web

Web strategy, Webflow and frontend implementation, CMS architecture, analytics, and conversion.

Finance

Derivatives, risk, capital markets, personal finance, financial education, and investment analysis.

Real estate

Investment underwriting, short-term rentals, property operations, proptech, and homeowner education.

Education

Accounting, finance, and economics instruction using applied cases and real-world decision frameworks.

Press and writing

Press citations and author profiles

Direct links to representative coverage. A larger source-linked ledger is maintained by Growth Limit.

Wall Street Journal · 2020Mom-and-Pop Shops Get a Helping HandSmall-business stimulus analysis ↗ New York Post · 2022When layoffs are looming, get proactive to save your jobCareer profile ↗ Bankrate · 2025How interest rates are setFinance commentary ↗ U.S. News · 2025Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac privatizationMortgage analysis ↗ Semrush · 2025Local SEO pricingGrowth commentary ↗ Full archiveSearchable press and citation ledger1,000+ tracked citations ↗

Personal

Personal background

Hometown: Flushing, Queens, New York City
Current home: Ithaca, New York
Family: Married, with four children
Teaching: Accounting, finance, and economics
Online: Dennis the Professor