AI Cult Leader | AI-Augmented VAs, AI-First Training & Custom AI Solutions | Turning Teams into AI Superstars

AI-First puts humans second. That's backwards.

I believe in Human + AI. Together. Not versus. Not competing. Working alongside each other to create what neither could alone.

That's why I built AI Operator, created the ADOPT Method™, and started the Human + AI Manifesto movement at humanaimanifesto.org.

THE PROBLEM I SOLVE

Your team has AI tools. But adoption is scattered, results are inconsistent, and it's not hitting the P&L. 95% of AI initiatives fail to deliver business value (MIT 2025).

WHAT I DO DIFFERENTLY

The ADOPT Method™ transforms behavior, not just skills. Our Innovation Competition is where teams ship real production AI solutions (not demos) - this alone generates $250K+ in value per client.

Results:
- 1,000+ professionals trained (including Google)
- $21M+ client value created
- Up to 1,211% documented ROI
- 6-Week ROI Guarantee

THE JOURNEY HERE

I've been in AI for 10 years. But before that: door-to-door sales, printed magazine marketing, translator. Many failed entrepreneurial attempts.

Then I found my path:
- 3 years teaching at 2 universities (giving back)
- Growth consultant for 50+ companies and coach to CEOs
- CGO/Head of Growth at multiple Deep Tech startups
- COO scaling a B2B SaaS from $58K MRR to $300K MRR in 18 months
- CEO of a 110-person company

After all that, I finally found my passion. My obsession.

WHAT I'M BUILDING

AI for Better Lives is the vision. AI Operator is where it starts.

If your team has AI tools but isn't seeing real results, that's what we fix: aioperator.com

THE HUMAN SIDE

AI geek who builds systems in spare time—not just for fun, but to push boundaries and bring what I learn to businesses. Dad who partners with Claude on family adventures. Sailor dreaming of sailing the world. Multilingual (EN/FR/ES/TR). Bodrum beachside based, traveling to clients across the globe.

Let's talk: tim@aioperator.com

Tim Cakir

14 years, 3 C‑level roles, 1 promise for 2026.

I’m using AI on myself before I touch your team.

Right now Claude Code with Opus 4.5 runs my work.

Terminal. Chrome. MCPs into my Notion, Gmail, Zapier, SEMrush, Search Console.

Ridiculous.

It reads long docs, checks comments, replies with context.
It runs SEO analysis I used to pay experts 25K for.

Not theory.

I rebuilt complex workflows that made 250K in revenue.
I now run them from my own laptop, my own browser, my own IP.

No pilot purgatory.

Before AI Operator I spent 14 years in the arena:
CEO of a 110‑person company.
COO of a 65‑person B2B SaaS.
Chief Growth Officer at a 20M revenue cannabis company.

Plus professor, growth hacker, deep tech, computer vision.

Now I test everything on myself first.

If I cannot get clear ROI in my own workflows, I do not bring it to your team.
If AI does not remove repetitive work for me, I do not sell it as “transformation.”

Human + AI.

In 12 months we certified 1,000+ people.
Worked with 25+ companies.
Made close to 500K with a tiny team.

The best messages I get are simple:
“Less boring work.”
“More time for the best parts of my job.”

That is my promise for 2026.

I am here to help ambitious Founders work with AI, not fear it.

If you want to see how I run my own stack first, start with my LinkedIn, newsletter, or YouTube, or if you do take your AI transformation seriously, DM me.

Comment Happy New Year below to show each other some love. Why not right?

My 2026 tech stack runs like a small AI army.

Here’s what each tool does so I don’t have to.

Claude Code is my HQ.

I run Opus 4.5 on my computer with a full AI Operator folder.
Inside: sales, content, customers, each with Claude markdown files full of context, skills, agents, and workflows.

Result

Claude Code trains me to think in systems and code.
The terminal looks scary, but it makes me more technical every single day.

Next soldier

Aqua Voice is my brain-to-text pipe.
I talk, it writes. No keyboard. No fixing typos. No broken flow.
It already saved me over 20 hours by letting me think out loud while I work.

Inbox

I am moving from Superhuman to Jace AI after 5 years.
Jace now has multi-inbox, AI rules, and deep links into Notion, Drive, Slack.
It feels like a chief of staff that reads everything and replies for me.

Pipeline

I am also switching from Folk CRM to Lightfield.
Chat-first CRM that updates deals, creates emails, and catches every potential lead.
Less “did I forget something?” in my head, more clarity in my pipeline.

Nervous system

Notion + Notion AI + Notion agents hold the whole company.
Agents send Friday week reports, Monday plans, and my daily morning brief from all tools.
My founder time goes into the right problems, not hunting for context.

Support crew

Granola for meeting notes.
Stoic for daily journaling.
Raycast as my launcher.
NotebookLM for custom learning podcasts on systems, first principles, and behavior change during walks with my son.

My goal

Use AI to remove busywork, grow my skills, and keep my focus on people, product, and vision.

What part of this stack feels most useful for your own AI army this year?

We’re entering a split AI world.
Chat-first toys for consumers, deep integrations and agents for operators.

Today I canceled ChatGPT Pro and downgraded to Plus.

Key reason is very simple. Claude Code took over my life.

Everywhere.

Claude Code lives inside my Notion with the Notion MCP.
It talks to my Gmail and Google Calendar with Zapier MCP.

It runs 75+ agents with skills for client work and CEO work.

It writes to GitHub repos.

It runs my company systems from intake to delivery.

It runs my personal CEO systems from planning to reporting.

Non‑stop.

I paid $200 for ChatGPT Pro with love because it added value.
I would pay $400 or even more for Claude Max because it runs my whole stack.

ChatGPT moved to consumers: health, images, Sora, kitchen use cases.
Fun for my family. Not how I run an AI transformation practice.

Custom GPTs and Projects had huge promise.

Then progress slowed and focus spread thin.

Claude Code shipped deep agents, MCPs, real integrations instead.

For operators that need ROI, not toys, that split now matters.

I help founders build these AI systems inside their teams every week.

If you are an ambitious founder, think about where your AI time goes.

Chat toys or operating system.

DM me if you want a sherpa for the operator side of this split.

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Claude Code was intimidating.

Claude Cowork makes it accessible for everyone.

What's even crazier is that Anthropic used Claude Code to build it 🤯

This week, I'm talking about Claude Cowork and why this is a huge shift in the right direction.

Introducing Cowork, an easy-to-use interface that makes Claude Code more accessible. Hi everyone, Something dropped yesterday that has me more energiz

Open article: Claude Code is now for everyone. It's called Cowork. by Tim Cakir • 5 min read

Claude Code is now for everyone. It's called Cowork.

In 2026, I’m not using AI to cut people.

I’m working with AI to cut the wrong versions of myself.

For years, my identity was “do everything, be everywhere, say yes to every project.”
Founder, operator, advisor, mentor, recruiter, builder of ten different things at once.

From the outside, it looked exciting.
Inside, it was noise.

I started asking myself in a quiet way:
Where do I create the most value?
Where do I feel alive, not drained?
Where does my weird brain plus AI create real change for people at work?

The answer was clear:
Helping leaders and teams with AI to gain more energy, more focus, and more meaning.

So in 2026, I am cutting:
→ The version of me who says yes out of fear
→ The version of me who hides behind “busy”
→ The version of me who builds things that do not fit my strengths

I am doubling down on:
→ AI as a partner to protect human focus, not destroy it
→ AI to remove the boring work, not the people
→ AI systems that give teams confidence, not fear

Human + AI for me means one thing:

More clarity for leaders and teams.

Clear vision.
Clear strengths.
Clear boundaries.
Clear systems that support humans, not replace them.

I want leaders to feel safe to do the same.
To let go of old versions that do not fit the AI era.
To build cultures where humans + AI win together.

What part of your old leadership self are you ready to cut this year?

Had a great conversation with Chris Daigle on his podcast about why so many companies feel overwhelmed by AI.

The short version: most aren't "bad at AI"—they're just chasing tools instead of outcomes.

We dug into what actually works: building habits over policies, role-specific training over generic prompts, and positioning AI as a collaborator rather than a replacement.

Link to the full episode is in the comments 👇

AI Transformation - I teach AI to Execs & their teams, develop & execute their AI strategy, implement AI across departments and make them AI Enabled businesses

Most companies aren’t “bad at AI.” They’re just drowning in tools and calling it strategy.

In the new podcast episode, I sat down with Tim Cakir, founder of AI Operator, to unpack why AI adoption feels overwhelming and how leaders can actually fix it.

→ AI fails when companies chase tools instead of outcomes
→ Training breaks when everyone gets the same prompts, regardless of role
→ Policies don’t change behavior—habits do
→ Fear drops when AI is positioned as a collaborator, not a replacement

This episode is for operators and executives who want results, not another dashboard.


🎙️ Full episode link in comments

Limited time and limited capacity! 

This is huge, the value I can deliver excited me so much 🥰 

Already got 2 starting this month, space for 3 more 1-1 founder coaching.

Lets build you systems that build systems, lets work on the work that will do the work! 

2026 starts on a huge high!

Just had my mind blown by Tim Cakir and  Claude Code 

I've been working with Tim the AI Operator on using AI more effectively as a founder. Three sessions in, and this one changed everything.

Here's what happened: I've been struggling to write the Love Not Fear book. All the content exists—it's sitting in my course curriculum on Upcoach. But pulling it together? Painful.

In one session, we built a system that:
- Went through my entire course automatically
- Extracted the key information
- Created a book outline
- Built ANOTHER system that prompts me daily with questions for 30-minute writing sprints.

The system built the system.

This is my 2026 mindset shift: Stop working ON the work. Start working on the systems that do the work.

Tim said it perfectly—it's a compounding effect. And despite the name, Claude Code isn't just for developers. I was a Linux engineer 20 years ago and still avoided it. One hour later? Completely comfortable.

Two tools that have transformed how I work:
Claude Code — My 2026 game-changer for building systems that build systems.
Aqua Voice — My 2025 MVP.  Finally at inbox zero because responding to emails is now: press, speak, send.

The future is talking to machines in natural language. Not just text—voice too.
If you're a founder looking to upskill on AI, reach out to Tim. This isn't about coding. It's about leverage.

Ferenc Fekete

Helping non-tech Founders transform Ideas into SaaS products @ VeryCreatives | Product Agency, SaaS & MVP Development | Startups

I've watched many startup founders fail at the same exact point: turning their validated idea into actual software.

They waste months (or even years):
→ Trying to hire the right developers
→ Burning cash on poor planning and execution
→ Second-guessing every technical decision along the way

Meanwhile, competitors move faster, investors demand traction, and the pressure to deliver keeps building more and more.

After watching this pattern destroy countless promising startups, we built VeryCreatives to fix it.

But here's what makes us different:

We don't just build your MVP and disappear. We're product people who think like founders, not just developers who code to spec.

👉 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: We start by pressure-testing your assumptions before writing a single line of code. If the market doesn't want it, we'll tell you straight.

👉 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲: We build like it's our own startup, obsessing over user experience, scalability, and investor readiness from the first sprint.

👉 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱: Whether you're at napkin sketch or Series B, we've been there. We've helped founders go from zero to acquisition, and we stick around for the entire journey.

For the past 14 years, we've built products for venture-backed startups, fast-growing scale-ups, and globally recognized brands like Red Bull, Nestlé, and Philips.

The startups we work with have:
✅ Launched investor-ready MVPs in under 90 days
✅ Secured funding from top-tier investors and VCs
✅ Scaled from first users to thousands of paying customers
✅ Successfully exited to strategic acquirers

Got a SaaS idea that's been sitting in your head for months? 
Let's map out your 90-day path to launch → https://verycreatives.com/book-a-call

Co-Founder

At VeryCreatives, we are a team of expert developers who create powerful SaaS apps that solve problems and drive growth for founders with initial funding. We believe in empowering our clients with innovative software that helps them achieve their goals and stand out in their industry.

Our audience consists of driven and ambitious founders who have just received initial funding for their startup. They are looking for a software development partner who understands their vision, can help bring their ideas to life, and deliver results that will help them achieve their business goals.

Founders with initial funding have a pressing need to build their product quickly and efficiently to maximize their chances of success. At VeryCreatives, we understand this need and are dedicated to creating high-quality SaaS apps that not only meet their requirements but also exceed their expectations. We are committed to delivering value and results that help our clients succeed.

VeryCreatives stands out in the market for our ability to deliver high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the needs of our clients. Our unique approach to software development, coupled with our expertise and commitment to excellence, is what drives us to provide outstanding results to our clients.

Industries our clients operate in, using the SaaS products we've built: 
- Digital marketing, Event marketing & Influencer marketing SaaS
- Foodtech & Delivery 
- Fintech, Banking & Investments
- 2-sided marketplace platforms
- Agriculture & Livestock management
- Packaging compliance & Waste

Markets we cover: UAE, EU, UK, US.

Your product isn't the problem. Your budget split is.

I've built countless SaaS products and apps over the past decade for some of the biggest brands in the world. Here's the biggest mistake I see first-time SaaS founders make that kills their product:

They map out their entire product budget... and allocate 100% of it to development.

They're planning to build the full product, launch it, then HOPE customers show up.

But the problem is, a good product is only 50% of the equation. The other half is getting it in front of the right people (which costs a lot of money too).

Especially in B2B, you'll need to spend some cash to speed up your learning curve and learn:

👉 Which channels work
👉 What messages resonate
👉 What makes your ideal customers actually convert

Some founders ignore this until it's too late. And by that time, they've burned through their development budget and launched something that MIGHT be great without anyone actually knowing it exists.

That's why whenever we work with clients, we often help them adjust the product scope before building anything out. Because we want to free up budget for marketing, user acquisition, and proper positioning so they can actually get customers and scale the business.

You could have the best product in the world. But if nobody knows it exists, it won't mean a thing.

Before you finalize your budget, ask yourself:

What's my plan to get 100 people to see this?

Helping startup founders & innovation labs validate and scale ideas into exit-ready products @ VeryCreatives | 🔥 Two decades in tech

You created your own bad developers.

I have seen this pattern too many times.

Founder says:

"My devs are slow"
"They do not get it"

Then we look closer.

And see a decision vacuum the team is trying to survive.

There are three calls only you can make as the founder.

If you dodge them, even a strong team will look useless:


👉 Decision 1: Who is our primary user right now?

One founder I worked with tried to serve agencies and tiny solo founders at the same time.

Sales promised custom features to big accounts, product built self serve onboarding for tiny ones, devs got whiplash.

Nine months of work, nobody truly happy.


👉 Decision 2: What is the next business outcome we are willing to bet on?

MRR from a segment, activation rate, expansion from existing customers.

If this is not written down, every feature feels urgent.

You ship a lot of stuff and still cannot answer why revenue or usage is flat.


👉 Decision 3: What constraints are non negotiable?

Time, budget, compliance, integrations.

If these move every week, scope will quietly double and your v1 will arrive six months late.


Which of these three have you been dodging?

Most failed software projects don't fail at the finish line.

They fail in week 2, when the team realizes the core feature can't actually be built.

That's why one of the smartest things you can do as a SaaS founder, before writing a single line of code, is build a proof of concept.

Not a full product or MVP. Just enough to answer one question: "Can we actually build this thing?"

We've gone through this exact process hundreds of times for both our clients and our own internal tools.

Here's how it works:

👉 Proof of Concept (PoC): Does this work technically?

This is where you test your riskiest assumption. Can it even be built the way you imagine? It's not going to be pretty, and it's not public-facing. But it's real.

Skip this, and you're three months into development before realizing your AI feature needs data you can't legally access.

👉 Prototype: What will it look and feel like?

Map the user flow, add just enough UI to walk someone through it, and start shaping the product experience.

Skip this, and your dev team builds something technically correct that no user can figure out how to use.

👉 MVP: Will people actually use and pay for it?

Now you're testing the market. You've built something lean and functional to prove there's demand and that your positioning makes sense.

Skip this, and you spend 18 months perfecting a product nobody asked for.

A good proof of concept helps you spot technical roadblocks early and gives stakeholders the confidence that your idea is real.

It's faster (and cheaper) to find the cracks now than to rebuild everything later.

What's the riskiest technical assumption you've had to validate before building?

Your first 10 customers are friends.

Your next 100 are stress tests.

Most MVPs crack right there.

And it's rarely the thing you're watching for.

Not because of one big bug.

Because of 4 invisible gaps almost every founder forgets:


1. Role and permission basics

A single login is fine at the very start.

Then a bigger account asks "Can my team have different access levels?"

If the answer is no, that deal quietly dies.

👉 By month 6, if you don't have this, you'll start losing deals you never knew you lost.


2. Bulk actions for power users

Clicking one by one feels fine with 10 records.

At 1,000, people hate your product.

They will export to Excel and never come back.

👉 By month 6, if you don't have bulk edit or export, your power users are already halfway out the door.


3. Password reset that does not melt support

In the early days, you just "help people manually."

At 150 accounts, your inbox turns into "I cannot log in" hell.

👉 By month 3, if you don't have a clean self-service reset flow, your support load will bury your roadmap.


4. An internal admin tool

If every tiny change needs a developer, your roadmap will stall.

You cannot build new features and play support at the same time.

👉 By month 9, if you don't have a simple internal panel, your engineers are stuck doing data cleanup instead of shipping.


Audit your stack against this list. What's missing?

I Spent 6 Months Building a Product Nobody Wanted. Then Buffer Launched for $5.

Around 2010, we worked at a media agency.

We saw the chaos every day: social media posts bouncing between marketing, legal, and clients. Approvals lost in email threads. Deadlines missed.

So we decided to build the solution ourselves.

We went all in:

• Multi-tenant account management
• Multi-platform posting (Facebook, Twitter)
• Custom approval workflows
• Notifications, previews, media library
• Analytics dashboard
• Unified posting interface

Six months of nights and weekends. Thousands of lines of code.

We never talked to a single customer.

We thought we knew exactly what agencies needed. We worked in one. We lived the problem.

That was the trap.

While we were perfecting our approval flow logic, Buffer launched with a single post scheduler and a $5 beta signup.

They validated demand before building anything else.

We validated nothing. We just built.

Here's what I learned the hard way:

👉 Working in an industry doesn't mean you understand the market

Your experience is one data point. Not a business case.

👉 Features don't prove demand

Nobody cares about your feature list if they never asked for it.

👉 Skipping customer development is not a shortcut

It's the longest, most expensive path to failure.

The product died quietly. No dramatic crash. Just silence.

If you're building something right now, ask yourself:

Have I talked to 10 people who would pay for this?

If the answer is no, close your IDE and pick up the phone.

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Tim Cakir

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The Battle

Tim Cakir

Ferenc Fekete

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Tim Cakir's LinkedIn Performance

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