Co-Founder @ Stan | building a $BN company 🚀

Hi, I’m Vitalii 👋🏻

Over the past 3 years, I’ve built a $30M ARR business with 30 people.

A $1M/employee company.

Now, we’re building a category-defining brand—with $100M ARR in sight.

To do that, I focus on Culture, People, and Product.

Everything that got me here is self-taught.

Born and raised in Russia, I started working at 13—packing parachutes and skydiving. 🪂
By 18, I had 800+ jumps and enough saved to pay for my first year of college.

Jumping out of planes redefined my relationship with fear.
Once you commit, you act. Without hesitation.

I learned English in one year to study abroad—still the hardest thing I’ve done.
That brought me to Canada, where I earned a degree in Chemical Engineering.

I never used it.

My side projects opened doors for me—first to Deloitte, then to eBay.
But the real work happened outside the job.

I made time to build:
9–5 for the paycheck,
5–9 (both morning and night) for what I actually cared about.

That’s where I proved to myself—nothing is impossible.

In 2021, I met my cofounder. We went all-in and started building Stan.

On my LinkedIn, I write about:

→ Founder war stories (unfiltered)
→ Building a $1M/employee startup
→ Creating top 1% culture

🎧 Follow me here if you're building—or want to build—something great.

People I work with would describe me as:

→ I make things happen
→ Zero tolerance for mediocrity
→ I build and run top 1% talent-density teams

🫂 DM me on LinkedIn if you'd like to work at Stan.

But know—it’s likely to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
And worth it. For the right person.

—

On LinkedIn, I share stories for founders building what’s next—
The ones who care about People, Culture, and Redefining what's possible.

If that’s you,
Follow me. Drop a comment. Or just say hi 👋🏻

Vitalii Dodonov

My dad is a 10-time world champion in skydiving.

It's a dangerous sport. 
Most teams don’t train in bad weather.

He made his team train in near-storm conditions —

because you never know what the weather will be on competition day.

His results speak for themselves.

He taught me to show up — and act — no matter how scared you are.

That mindset has been the backbone of everything I’ve achieved.

What did you learn from your parents?

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #startup, #founders, #leadership, #engineering, and #enterprenuership

Today, Nadine leads 50 people at Stan — after rejecting my job offer 3 times.

Two years ago, she was a contract support agent.

I’d get daily performance reports from Alexa — 
We pushed everyone to hit 60+ emails per day.

While most people struggled,
Nadine never missed a day. Always above target.

When I asked her to join full-time, she said no.
“San Diego. My husband’s job. We love the mountains.”

Six months later, another walk down Venice Beach.

"I'd love you to join Stan full-time."
"San Diego... my husband... Let me think about it."

"Is this a hard no from your family?"
"Well... I can be quite convincing."
"Good to know!"

At our Cabo offsite, Alexa said:
"V, I need a people manager. Nadine would be perfect — but she won't move."

"She told me she can be convincing. Let’s give her a reason to be."

So I went to Nadine one more time.

"I know San Diego keeps you there.
But I need your help here.

In the end, it’s either you supporting the family 
or the family supporting you.

Let me make supporting you the best decision for your family."

Alexa came with the offer.

Turns out Nadine can indeed be very convincing 
(thank you Garrett for supporting her! 🙏).

Within a year, she took over as Head of Support 
(when I asked Alexa to build a new org with me)

Thank god we didn't give up.
The best talent is always worth the wait.

Head of Creator Support @ Stan I MA Organizational Leadership

Stan

People Ops @ Stan

When you work - work. When you rest - rest.

Don't mix the two.

Last week I caught myself texting during our product meeting.

Then I zoned out on Slack for 10 minutes at dinner 
(mrs wasn't happy 😅).

It's human to want everything at once.

But here's what building Stan taught me:

The best ideas come from meetings where phones are face down.
The best conversations at home happen when Slack is off.

When you try to be everywhere, you're nowhere.

I spent years thinking "always on" showed dedication.
All it showed was lack of focus.

Your ability to drive change comes from being 100% present.
Not 70% in three places (that wastes time in 3 places).

I still slip up - often.

But when I do get it right, it’s like life slows down just enough to notice what matters.

How’s your relationship with presence lately?

My first YouTube video just went live!!! 🎬🚀

Taking y’all behind the scenes of our 14-day SF Hacker House. 

Where me and 8 of my best builders at Stan launched 2 AI products live.

Tune in if you’re into startups + building in public, or just wanna see how we build here at Stan. 

Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gNqVTEBR

I rewired my personality in 2 years. 

ISTJ → INTJ.

Yes, you can train intuition.

In 2022, I took the Myers-Briggs test on 16Personalities.
It said ISTJ — the Logistician.

I looked up the types of my heroes:

Elon Musk: INTJ
Steve Jobs: INTJ (or ENTP)
Jensen Huang: ENTJ
Mark Zuckerberg: INTJ
Jeff Bezos: ENTJ

Every world-shaping entrepreneur had one letter I didn't: N.

So I studied them.
Turns out, almost all are habitual readers — especially of science fiction.

This is where vision comes from:

1️⃣ Imagining a world that doesn’t exist
2️⃣ Envisioning a path toward it
3️⃣ Having the courage to start walking

The following year, I read 20+ sci-fi books — whatever they read, I wanted to read.

Some of my favourites:

1/ Foundation (5 books)
2/ I, Robot (7 books)
3/ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
4/ Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
5/ Ender’s Game

📚 Reading rewired how I think.

Today, my MBTI is INTJ — 76% Intuition.
(Q for my team @Stan: did you notice?)

I’m sharing this story because: 
You can change how your mind works — if you choose to.

YOU CAN CHANGE.

When the destination is clear, 
The path unveils itself. 

What’s your Myers-Briggs type?👇

How I spot top 1% talent in one question.

After 100+ interviews building a $30M ARR team, I’ve boiled it down to one question:

“What have you built?”

Very few can answer it with the kind of depth that makes it undeniably clear they know what they did, why it worked, and the impact it drove.

When I find myself leaning forward, asking “Wait, how did you figure that out?” 

I know I’m talking to someone different.

Because most people work on things.
The top 1% build things.

If you’re a founder hiring - how do you spot the top 1%?

One thing I've been subconsciously lucky about —

Living where it's sunny. ☀️

I never realized how much it shaped my energy, focus, and optimism.

Until I spent a few weeks somewhere gray.
Suddenly, everything felt heavier.

It's strange how the weather can change your will to act.

With sunlight, small things feel doable.
Without it, even easy things feel like effort.

Most people underestimate how much their environment drives them.

We think it's our discipline or motivation —
But sometimes, it's just that strike of yellow on your table
Breaking through the window of a coffee shop.

If you ever feel stuck, it might not be you.
It might be the weather.

P.S. Have you noticed this too? 
Where do you live — and how's the sun treating you?

This is me building our ’26 strategy right now.

Our #1 problem:

We outgrew founder-led execution faster than we scaled our team to execute on our behalf.

As we scaled the business to $30M ARR in 3 years,

We fell behind on scaling ourselves.

2026 is going to be the evolution on how we run the company. 

My job as a Founder:
Build a machine that builds the machine.

A measure of success I’ll hold myself accountable to:
✅ Was this done without me?

—
Founders Q: What broke when you finally stepped back?

Your first 100 customers will bring your next 100.

For free.

If they don’t, your product’s not good enough yet.

We went all-in on those first 100.
1:1 coaching.
On-the-call bug fixes.
Feature requests shipped overnight.

We obsessed over each one until they felt their version of:
“I can’t believe you did that.”

When you exceed expectations like that, word spreads faster than anything you can pay for.

Most founders overlook this part - and that’s a mistake.

If you’re not texting your first 100 customers,
you’re not doing enough.

P.S. Four years and $30M ARR later - we’re still texting.

Working out of a NYC WeWork this week — and remembering the good old days. 🗽

We built the first $10M of Stan out of WeWorks between LA and Toronto.

I still remember hacking away at that 8-person WeWork table.

Back then, we’d just walk out to a nearby café for lunch.

Now, coordinating lunch across our 25-person offices is a full-blown operation.

Feeling nostalgic ☺️

P.S. WeWork kombucha is still unmatched.

In October, I flew my team to SF to build 2 AI projects in public.

Our documentary is LIVE 🟢

We built:
1/ A pivotal feature for Stanley (Your Content Coach) 
2/ The foundation for our company pivot 

(yep, at $30M ARR!)

We filmed the entire trip.

226 hours of footage → 30 minutes of building in public documentary.
(Day 2 pivot? Yep!)

Why watch:

🍎 Experienced founders: innovation beyond our core.
🚀 First-time founders: copy our 14-day launch playbook!
🫂 Anyone who wants to work at Stan - this is how we build.

Watch here (or save for later): https://lnkd.in/gNqVTEBR

P.S. If you want to see why building is an iterative process, watch me at 13:42 trying to build a whiteboard 😅

Stanley (Your Content Coach)

We fail in business for the same reason we fail at habits:

Doing too much 🤹‍♀️

It takes about 70 repetitions to form a new neural pathway —
to make an action automatic.

But somewhere along the way, we get excited.
We add a new habit.
Now the first one gets only half our attention.

The new neural pathways are still fragile —
and without reinforcement, they fade.
The habit never sticks.

The same happens in business.
We rarely stay with something long enough for it to reach its full potential.

Imagine how different your results would look
if you finished just one thing all the way through.

What is that thing for you?

Stanley is behind 2.1x engagement for 1,267 Entrepreneurs on LinkedIn.

Instagram, you're next 📲

6 months ago, we launched Stanley for LinkedIn. 
Now serving 1,267 entrepreneurs.

In just 30 days, they see: 
• 2.1x avg. engagement increase 
• 11% more posts 
• 131% growth in comments

What did we do?

We taught Stanley to speak Instagram! 
(yep, he can now watch videos)

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿: 
• Aspiring Entrepreneurs on IG (1-10K) 
• Still finding your voice 
• Need help growing your followers

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼? 
• Watch all your content 
• Find patterns (so growth isn't random) 
• Send personalized content ideas 
• Script in your voice 
• Help stay consistent

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲:
Your stories deserve to be heard. 
Stanley makes sure they are. 
While helping you grow 3x faster.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘄?
$19/mo Early Adopter + 14 days free trial.

Tomorrow, we're back to $47/mo once Cyber Monday is over 

Get your spot here: https://lnkd.in/gKqxnFUK

nayamind

Founder

Evolvet

Generative AI & Automation

bike-components

Project Management Generative AI

Cheil Germany GmbH

Project Management Assistant

Erlkoenig

Project Manager

Animod GmbH

Marketing Assistant

I used to think tech was too complex, too dry, too abstract...and definitely not for me. 

But while working closely with developers on a headless content management system (HCMS), I realized:

💡 Tech isn’t just abstract logic. It’s about CREATING something that works.
→ Systems with a purpose  
→ Automations that save time  
→ Tools that make life easier

I wanted to learn how to create those systems myself.  
So I began learning programming HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and later Python.

Later, while writing my master thesis at bike components about implementing Generative AI and LLMs in a corporate setting, I noticed:

A lot of tasks didn’t need AI.  
They just needed better systems.  
They needed automation.

Since then, I’ve been exploring how to automate internal processes — with and without AI.  

And:
I'm on a mission to show how easy building your own automations and AI systems can be!

That’s also why I shifted into no-code automation.  
Because tools like Make.com and Zapier give anyone the power to build visually, intuitively and especially confidently

I believe tech should feel 
→ simple
→ visual
→ and empowering.
Especially for those who’ve been told it’s not for them.

Today, I help solopreneurs and small teams simplify their backend, eliminate repetitive tasks, and build workflows that scale — using automation + AI.

So they can stop drowning in tools, tasks & tabs and finally work on their business, not just in it.

Hanna Siebdrat

Moving to New Zealand to start an AI consultancy...

with no network, during a recession.

People said I was crazy.

But here's what they didn't understand:

I was already stuck.

Stuck applying for jobs in AI that demanded degrees I didn't have.

Stuck explaining why my practical experience in the AI industry "was enough" 

Stuck watching businesses struggle with AI and automation.

The turning point?

One conversation. 

Which made me realize: 

No one has it figured out. Especially not when you start.

So when the NZ move became reality, I had two choices:

→ Play it safe, hunt for another job
→ Take the leap I'd always wanted to make

I don't have a mortgage, no kids, no major responsibilities...

Hence, nothing to lose.

So I chose chaos… over comfort.

8 months later? Still climbing the mountain.

And I’m very far from the top.

It's slower than I expected.

But I'm not trapped by other people's rules anymore.

And I'm building something that's aligned with my mission:

Empowering non-technical business owners in AI and automation.

Not just by building and implementing AI automations, 

but by simplifying AI and automation, so they can make informed decisions.

The truth about entrepreneurship:

It's not about having everything figured out. 

It's about having enough courage to try when you have nothing to lose.

Sometimes the "worst" timing is actually perfect timing.

Drowning in tools, tasks & tabs? Let’s simplify that! | Automation & GenAI for small-/ medium-sized businesses

What a great way to start the day:

Moving from survival to growth in 2026

That was the topic of today's morning

Everyone's talking 2026 growth strategies. 
Everyone's mentioning AI as their solution (surprise)
Everyone's using ChatGPT.

Then James Boult from Gravity dropped this question:

"How many of you use Zapier?"

Maybe 5 hands up.

What does that show us:

We're obsessing over the shiny AI while ignoring the boring automation that actually works.

It's like everyone wants to drive a Ferrari but hasn't learned to operate a bicycle.

Here's what I've learned working in AI and automation:

The businesses winning with "AI" aren't the ones with the latest AI tools.

They're the ones who: 

→ Automated their manual processes first 
→ Connected their scattered systems
 → Built workflows that run while they sleep 
→ THEN added AI where it actually makes sense

Tools like Zapier and n8n might sound boring, but they're the ones that actually get your work done.

So start with the foundations.

Thanks Gau Kurman for inviting me!

8 months ago, I knew nothing about building a business in New Zealand

Today, I'm running AI workshops and building genuine business relationships 
across New Zealand.

And when Gau asked me yesterday "What excites you about 2026?",
I realized:

the biggest thing I'm excited about:

Seeing the seeds I planted this year to finally grow.

And yes, I've already seen some grow, but there is still a long way for me to go.

When I moved to New Zealand in March,

and decided to go all in on building my AI/automation business from scratch,

the uncertainty was crushing:

• Had zero network
• Started from 0 on LinkedIn
• Didn't know the business landscape here across the world from home
• Felt overwhelmed and honestly... lost

Every networking event felt overwhelming.

Every LinkedIn post felt cringe.

Every day felt like I was guessing (still have these days 😅 ).

But reflecting on 2026, I realized:

You don't need to see the whole path to take the next step.

Those months of feeling lost? 

They were actually months of planting seeds: 

→ One conversation led to another
→ One genuine connection opened unexpected doors

So the most exciting part of 2026? 

Watching what grows from seeds I'm still planting today.

And for anyone starting something new or feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty:

Your "lost" phase isn't wasted time. 
It's planting season. 🌱

What is it that you get excited about for next year, 2026?

I'm living my dream life in New Zealand...

But nobody warned me about the December feels.

Christmas decorations in summer?!

But no cozy evenings with mulled wine and Advent traditions.

No Christmas markets and ice skating with friends, 
where the air is filled with the smell of freshly roasted almonds

Here: everyone getting ready for their summer break.

Yeah, I would lie if I said homesickness didn’t start to creep in.

But over the past months I learned:

You can be THRILLED about your choice... 

AND still grieve what you left behind.

Both can be true.

This is EXACTLY what happens with my SMB clients and AI.

They WANT AI and automation. 
They're EXCITED about efficiency. 
They're READY for change (or at least think so)

But when their familiar daily business rhythms shift...

Resistance kicks in.

Not because the change is wrong. 

Because change is emotional - even when it's right.

The solution?

→ Expect the adjustment period 
→ Honor the grief for "how things were" 
→ Remember why you made the choice

Growth isn't linear. 

Dreams come with unexpected feelings. 

And that's completely normal.

Missing home doesn't mean I made the wrong choice. 

Missing old processes even when the new ones are more efficient doesn't mean you're resistant to progress.

It means we're human. ❤️

What familiar thing did you have to leave behind for your dreams?

Something that really bores me?

When people miss this one thing:

Curiosity.

But when someone is really curious, you end up having the best conversations!

Just like with Jennifer Bowers

Our coffee chat ended up being a deep dive on how to build your 1st agent

(The café literally closed on us.)

I’m not talking about Custom GPTs.

I’m talking about how to chat with you Google Calendar, updating events and sending automatic follow-up emails, etc.

She leaned in, kept asking questions, wanting to learn more.

The best thing:

Suddenly, she was exploring ideas herself of what else she could build.

That's the moment we all crave.

When the curtain lifts and a new landscape of possibilities kind of unfolds.

Here's the truth:

Most people are overwhelmed by where to even start with AI.

Yes, start with ChatGPT or Claude, but then what?!

That’s where most people get stuck.

I’ve heard it from people at my workshops, while having coffee chats, here on LinkedIn.

Building your first agent isn't complicated.

You just need someone to show you how.

And that’s my mission for 2026.

Something exciting is coming and I can’t wait to share this with you! ☺️

AI is loud right now. Thousands of tools. Endless use cases.

But very few actually drive results in your business. The only way to know?

Test fast. Build what works. Scrap what doesn’t.

Beginning of 2024 I was working myself into Python

Because I thought that’s what I needed to build cool AI workflows, right?

 Like… agents, automations, all the smart stuff.

So I went all in.

Felt like I needed to become some kind of prompt engineer + backend dev

...just to get things working.

Spoiler: it was exhausting and I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere 😅

And at some point I was like... wait

I don’t want to spend weeks figuring out infrastructure.

I want to test if the use case even works in real business first.

Like… is this solving a real problem? Is it worth building?

So I started looking for something more straight forward.

Something that could get me results a lot faster but provide real value

Looked into n8n, thought it was just a Zapier/Make.com kind of tool.

Just a connector. Just moving data. But I totally underestimated n8n.

Once I actually looked into it properly…

I realized it can do legit Agent AI stuff.

RAG. LLMs. Dynamic memory. Tool-using agents.

But all in a visual interface. Like… drag and drop.

Powerful AI automation doesn’t have to live behind scary scripts and code.

You can build some wild stuff with tools like n8n: 

They're the perfect way to test which AI use cases actually drive the needle

And I see it all the time. 

Businesses build AI driven workflows that just don't bring any results

So yepp, n8n isn’t just a connector.

It’s like… an AI automation playground.

And if you want to start leveraging AI in your business

Tools like n8n are a great way to start and see what's working

Have you integrated n8n or make.com into your business processes yet?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who knows this feeling!

Spending weeks being busy... 

But feeling like you have nothing to show for it.

Stressed. Overwhelmed. Running in circles.

That was me for such a long time.

So I started time-blocking.

Every Sunday evening, I block time for my tasks. 

Every distraction, meeting, and incoming task: 1 calendar.

Then at the end of the week, I review what I planned vs. what I actually accomplished.

The result?

Clarity. Control. Actual progress.

Because there's nothing worse than feeling like you're going nowhere despite constant busyness.

So ask yourself: 

Are you putting the right systems in place to make the most of your time?

Because the clearer your system... The clearer your mind.

What helps you stay on track with your work?

You will NEVER achieve your goals...

Not if you keep doing this!

Constantly looking at the big picture.

And feeling completely LOST 

Just because you can't see the steps to get there 

So just focus on one thing:

Your ONE NEXT step.

That all that matters!

Don't provide solutions! 

At least NOT until you do this first:

Asking questions.

If you want to provide value, you need to ask questions. Listen. Understand.

Leading with curiosity. Not just providing solutions.

But what even ARE the RIGHT questions?!

Only asking "What's your company's goal?" (obvs profit, right?) is not gonna get my anywhere... 

The goal is to check the KNOWN and reveal the UNKNOWN.

Bare with me, I will explain more.

It’s about getting past the obvious. Beyond the surface-level stuff.

The Known = what happened/is happening (facts, data, current situation...)
- Goal is to see/confirm what someone already knows

The Unknown = why it happened and what could be (beliefs, assumptions,...)
- Goal is to challenge what they THINK they know

And I found these two frameworks, which gave me a lot more clarity on it...

For general conversations (non-salesy chats):

TED Question Framework (Tell • Explain • Describe)
→"Tell me more about..."
→"Explain what you mean by..."
→"Describe how that felt or showed up/Describe what that would mean to you."

For more sales context situations:

SPIN Framework (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff)

→S: “How do you currently handle client onboarding?” (Context)
→P: “Do you ever run into delays or things falling through the cracks?” (Friction)
→I: “What happens when something is missed, do clients notice?” (Consequences)
→N: “If that process ran completely automatically, what would that free you up to do instead?” (Visualize outcomes)

This just makes so much sense to me.

It’s literally the roadmap to uncovering the truth.

And actually asking the right questions.

(Finally, clarity! 😂)

Have you used these before?
Would love to hear your thoughts below and what's worked for you?

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Vitalii Dodonov

Hanna Siebdrat

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taplio

The Battle

Vitalii Dodonov

Hanna Siebdrat

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