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

I've just hired Emily Talas to make Stan the #1 place to work in Toronto 🇨🇦

A day later: "You're so lucky to have her."

I got 7 texts like this following the announcement ^^. Must be doing something right 😅

Here's a stat I feel vulnerable to share:

50% of our candidates from traditional channels don't work out by month 3.

At the same time, 
90% of employee referrals stay indefinitely and create disproportionate value.

There's signal in that.

And we're acting on it ✅

Starting now, we’re going 90% community-based hiring.

When I met Emily, I knew almost instantly she'd be the one:

Born to a family of entrepreneurs. Working since 14. Found her ikigai in Community x Tech (how rare is that!?). People I respect texted me about her.

I bet on Emily because the talent I'm after doesn't talk to recruiters: 
"The best people are never unemployed."

But on occasion, they hang out with other cool people. 
Emily's mission is to create the occasion.

In 2026, Emily's likely to drive 90% of our hiring in Toronto.

Think hackathons, hacker houses, private dinners, collaborations, and special events giving unknown talent a chance to meet us.

🇨🇦 Toronto — what's one event you wish existed here? We're painting a blank canvas, share some ideas!

My first bet of 2026: $20,000 on builders in Canada 🇨🇦

Build with AI? On Jan 23 👇

I’m inviting 60 builders to embark on a weekend-long sprint to create something new at the edge of AI.

Details:
🛠 Participants: 60 builders
⏰ Duration: 2 days 
🎯 Theme: AI × Voice × Video
👥 Team: Solo, with friends, or AI teammates

Each participant/team gets a $200 tech credit and competes for:

$20,000 cash
30-min 1:1 with me (ask anything you want)

To help spread the word, please repost this and tag anyone who should see it!

This is an invite-only event.

📩 To apply, leave a comment describing the most impressive thing you’ve built in one line.

Traditional recruiting is dead. That's why I'm paying $20,000 to a stranger in January.

I've hired 40+ people.

Together, we've built a $30M ARR startup. Profitably.

One thing in common among my best hires:

I wouldn't call them if all I saw was their resume. Take a look:

Esther, now my EA, has a fashion management degree. She got the job by walking into a machine shop and producing a mechanical drawing — before we even met 💅🛠️

Jason (JSON) won a hackathon last year he couldn't legally join because he was 17. I hired him on the spot (with his parents' approval) and he's built a $1.4M product with me in 9 months 🧑🏻‍💻

Ricky, now Head of Engineering, came from a company I'd never heard of. Did fine in the interview (on his birthday! 🎂). Then called me at 10 PM with a better solution he couldn't stop thinking about. 

Resumes can only tell you so much — unreliable signal.

So instead of reading resumes, I host hackathons. Give builders a reason to come. 

Then watch.

So here we are 👇

January 23. Toronto. 2-day hackathon on the edge of AI.

Win $20,000 — and (or!) a job building a $1B company. Invite-only. 

📩 To apply: tell me a story of what you've built that you're most proud of in the comments.

CRA paid me $750K for building in Canada 🇨🇦

And now I'm giving it back - starting with $20K on Jan 23. 

In 2021, we established our office in Canada.

3 years later: $30M ARR. 30 people. One of the fastest-growing startups in the country.

My vision was to build a $1B company with 10 engineers - I'm evolving that now.

Since then, our Toronto office expanded far beyond engineering and has become HQ for 20+ brilliant people building at the edge of technology and entrepreneurship.

There are 2 major tech hubs in the world — SF and Toronto.

And while SF has access to capital and a developed VC ecosystem, California seems to be working against its own interest.

I mean… who wants to become a billionaire in California now? 👎

Anyway — Canada paid me $750K last year for building here.

And I'm paying it back to Canadian builders.

January 23. Hackathon in Toronto. 60 builders. $20,000 grand prize.

Come join us — and let the prize be the seed funding for your company (or use the opportunity to interview at Stan — whatever your ambition is).

Invite-only (curating a high calibre room!)

📩 To apply, drop your proudest project in one sentence in the comments. I'll reach out with an invite if it resonates.

I'm paying $20,000 for 2 days of someone's work on Jan 23.

Early in my career, 

I was making $8,000/mo writing code for a big company, while hacking away on side projects. I always wanted to work for myself.

One day, I was in a room with an entrepreneur who was upset about fees he was paying for software. So I asked:

V: How much are you paying?
M: 10%.

V: And how much money is that?
M: $50K/year.

My mind goes: no wonder he's upset. I bet I could do a simple Stripe integration with 3.4% fees. I already did something similar for my side project.

V: If I could get your fees down to 5%, how much would that be worth to you?
M: I'd pay $10K without even thinking.

V: I'm gonna do it for you for $10K.

It took me a weekend — 3 days (nights included), mostly repackaging code I already had across other projects.

I gave him a demo on Monday, and by Friday, $10,000 landed in my PayPal.

That weekend I learned: the right room + the right skills = life-changing opportunity. 

And now, I want to put you in that room 👇

January 23. Hackathon in Toronto. 60 builders. $20,000 grand prize. 
Invite-only. 

📩 To apply, drop your most impactful build story in the comments — I'll personally reach out to the builders I want in the room.

I hired my Executive Assistant because of her napkin drawing 📜

Her name is Esther.

A year ago, I was looking for an Executive Assistant. 

Looking for the top 1%, I needed a way to test problem-solving and initiative.

So I gave candidates a creative test:

I was building a frame for a flying car as a passion project at the time.

How many ppl know anything about flying cars anyway? 🤷‍♂️

I wrote down an abstract description of a few parts I needed.

The assignment was to research machine shops and find a way to manufacture them 

When I reviewed Esther's submission, she had a picture of this drawing inside (see the image).

I invited her to my office:

V: "Do you know anything about manufacturing?"
E: "No… I study business and fashion"
V: "How did you get this image?"
E: "They drew it for me at the machine shop"
V: "You went to the machine shop?"

(I reviewed a few dozen submissions by then. All candidates just called).

E: "I called first but what they were saying didn't quite fit what you were looking for"

E: "I figured it'd be easier if I just go there to figure it out. "
E: "So I just walked over." 

V: "That must've taken hours. Why invest that time?"

E: "Umm... I didn't really think about it. I wasn't getting what I needed. So I did what I had to do."

Having heard this I knew the interview was over.

Anyone who thinks like that will succeed in anything they do.

She got the job.

And since then, Esther was behind a number of very unique experiences we created at Stan:

Like making the big $750K CRA cheques, organizing Hacker Houses in SF and hosting AI Hackathons on Toronto. 

Congratulations on your 1 year at Stan, Esther!

undefined undefined

Executive Assistant @ Stan

Stan

HackAI 2.0 starting tonight. It’s time to build 😤

New Show: Emily in 𝙿̶𝚊̶𝚛̶𝚒̶𝚜̶ Stan (or "How to get a Founder to hire you")

A story in screenshots 👇

Hiring - Emily in Stan

I'm paying $20,000 in January to the winner of my hackathon. But the real prize isn't the $20K.

The room matters more than the prize.

When I was 13, my dad gave me a gift — working alongside him.

He's a professional skydiver. Extreme sport, expensive hobby. His clients are top-tier business people (natural selection — the sport isn't cheap) 🪂

So in between sessions when we went out for saunas and dinners, I got to sit in and listen to them. War stories, betrayals, deals, schemes, mental models, what made them successful.

I absorbed it all, without even realizing it.

Looking back, I realize — those were the building blocks that led me to a $30M ARR startup, running at $1M/employee before AI.

And that's the opportunity I'm giving you.

Join Stan on January 23 to build for 2 days alongside my team and 59 other builders competing for a grand prize of $20,000.

→ Meet me, my team, and Toronto's best builders.
→ Maybe your future co-founder — or I offer you a job. (It happened last year.)

The $20K is nice. The room might change your life.

January 23. Toronto. Invite-only.

Grab your spot with the link in comments!

I asked a seasoned exec about his worst business decision.

He didn't miss a beat: "Cancelling the 9am."

For 10 years, he ran it daily.
The 2 years he stopped were his worst.

Without that anchor, people drifted in at 9:30.
Add coffee and "how was your weekend" — real work started at 11.

Half the day, gone.

The meetings weren't about updates.
They set the rhythm.

Remove that, and people rebuild discipline from scratch.
Exhausting.

At Stan, when we skip our morning sync, everything drags.

We don't miss the information.
We miss the rhythm.

Humans need structure.
It gives them permission to just start.

What’s your version of the 9am?

Someone asked me what I hope never changes about Stan in 5 years.

Me in 5 seconds: 

"Our commitment to talent density."

I'm building a company where having worked here is the ultimate badge of honor on a resume.

Where any other employer would be fighting to get our alumni on board. 
(If they ever want to work for another company, that is.)

I fundamentally believe the reason we win is this: We attract top 1% talent.

And we put them in an environment where their ability can be utilized to its absolute maximum potential.

With ownership, autonomy, and a set of large, cutting-edge problems they can tackle.

Everything else can change. 
The market, the product, our size.

But for me, it will always be about the talent.

Founders Q: What's the one thing you hope never changes about your company?

One of my favourite Years in Review on LinkedIn. Keep going Alexia - it's okay not to know what's coming. The path unfolds as you start walking.

Putting Humans Back at the Heart of Business | Certified L&D Professional | Soft Skills Expert | Heedership® & Bring Your Asha! Founder | ICF Coach

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." 💜
George Eliot wrote these words centuries ago. I understood them at 43.

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.
Merci pour les rencontres qui sont devenues des amitiés.
Merci pour les doutes qui sont devenus des certitudes.
Merci pour chaque "oui" qui m'a rapprochée de qui je suis vraiment.

This year, I finally found where I belong. Coaching. Delivering Trainings. Learning & Development. Toastmasters: Human Connection.

And as I look at this visual, thank you for the idea Stanley (Your Content Coach) and Vitalii Dodonov, I see my entire "purple" year captured in one image. Learn. Grow. Repeat. The infinity loop between Heedership and Leadership. The three pillars. The magic.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.
I don't know exactly what's coming. And that's the most exciting part.

What I do know: I'm ready. Curious. Open.

It is never too late to become who you might have been.
And it's never too early to dream about who you're still becoming.

Pure magic. 💜

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐢𝐧: What are you curious about for 2026?

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

8 months ago, I started with 0 LinkedIn connections in New Zealand.

Today, every opportunity I'm working on in 2026 came from LinkedIn.

Here's the uncomfortable truth about building a network from scratch.

Attending networking events and collecting business cards just felt like it wasn’t cutting it anymore.

So I started an experiment:

What if I showed up consistently on LinkedIn?

Not with perfect content. Not with a crazy "growth strategy."

Just with honest posts about my journey

And within 10 weeks:

I made over 1000 connection and had 40k views.

People reaching out: "I've been following your journey..."

By month 5?

→ Workshop invitations 
→ Referrals from people who never hired me 
→ Introductions to business owners who "felt like they already knew me" 
→ Opportunities I never could have accessed through a 30-second pitch

Here's what LinkedIn taught me:

People don't buy from perfect pitches.

They connect and buy from humans they relate to.

And you can't build that in a networking event.

You build it by showing up consistently.

By being real.

By sharing the messy middle, not just your highlights.

Traditional networking = transactional 
Cold outreach = scalable but soulless 
LinkedIn = relational at scale

The compound effect is real. 

But it takes patience.

You won't see results in week 1. 

Maybe not even month 1.

But 6 months from now?

You'll have opportunities you can't even imagine today.

Because people will feel like they already know you.

That's the real ROI.

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

My plan: DOUBLE DOWN

But life doesn’t always go as planned.

While others slowed down, I wanted to go hard.

My goal was to capitalize on the quiet months before Christmas,

laying the foundations for 2026 and starting ahead.

But instead, I ended up completely exhausted in December.

2025 drained me more than I wanted to admit...

Moving across the world and starting from zero,

pushing myself to prove I made the right choices.

It made me work more hours than I wanted with less breaks than I needed

But the truth? I was BUSY. But I wasn't PRODUCTIVE.

So I knew, I had to step away from everything.

And what better way to do that by exploring your new home country?

2 weeks in a van, traveling around New Zealand?

It was epic! And so needed!

Spending time away from screens, hiking through New Zealand's landscapes

…that's when clarity hit me.

The best ideas didn't come from another 12-hour workday.

They came from:

- Morning walks without my phone
- Good conversations connecting with others
- Taking time to reflect

I realized I'd been confusing motion… with progress.

My 2026 goal isn't to work MORE.

It's to work BETTER.

Which means: 

→ Strategic thinking time (not just execution) 
→ Regular breaks (not just when I'm already burned out) 
→ Creativity through disconnection (not another productivity hack)

If you're like me who feels guilty about taking breaks...

Rest isn't time AWAY from progress. 

Rest is PART of your progress. ✨

What's one thing you learned by stepping away?

Wish you all a happy 2026!

Everyone's telling you to learn AI skills for 2026.

Prompt engineering. AI coding. Agent building.

But nobody's talking about the elephant in the room:

AI makes mistakes. A LOT of them.

And someone needs to catch those mistakes before they cost companies $$$

Here's what's happening:
→ Tools are getting easier to use 
→ More people are building with AI 
→ But nobody's teaching VALIDATION

The result?

AI outputs that LOOK right.

But break when you actually use them.

This is the gap I'm seeing everywhere:

Companies want to leverage AI.

But they're terrified of AI mistakes.

They don't need more "AI builders." 

They need someone who can spot the problems BEFORE they happen.

That's the skill that's not getting commoditized.

Because you can't just prompt your way to catching AI mistakes.

You need to actually UNDERSTAND what you're validating.

So here's my advice:

Experiment with AI? Absolutely. Build prototypes? Go for it.

But the moment you're deploying AI in a real business?

Get someone who knows what can go wrong to stress test it first.

Someone with actual technical background.

Because the "anyone can build with AI" narrative is only half true.

Yes, anyone can BUILD. 

But not everyone can SHIP it, catch where it BREAKS and make it bullet proof for production.

And that difference costs real money.

Imperfect action beats perfect planning.

Every time.

Spontaneous day-hike in Abel Tasman? Amazing.

Forgetting to book a shuttle back? Less amazing. 😅 

No buses. No taxis.

Just a 2.5-hour walk along windy sketchy roads.

Our only option to get back: hitchhiking.

1st time ever.

So we stuck our thumbs out….but car after car drove past.

God it felt awkward!

I could literally feel people’s judgement.

But one of my 2026 resolutions: less overthinking.

So I reminded myself:

This not about you.

Don’t make it mean something about YOU.

So I changed my mind and said: Challenge accepted.

Stuck my thumb back out, not caring about people’s looks.

Eventually, a local turned his car AROUND because he felt bad he'd driven past.

Dropped us halfway. We met another traveler.

And the whole thing turned into an adventure! Such a great memory!

Here's the truth most people miss:

The fear of rejection isn't what stops us.

It's making rejection MEAN something about our worth.

Every cold outreach you don't send.
Every LinkedIn post you don't publish.
Every automation tool you don't try because "what if I look stupid?"

That's not strategy. That's making rejection personal before it even happens.

What if you treated business like hitchhiking?

Put your thumb out. Get rejected. Stay there anyway.

Adjust your approach. Keep going.

The breakthrough doesn't come when you stop getting rejected.

It comes when rejection stops defining you.

I had big goals for 2025.

But I couldn't make a single real plan.

I didn't realize how big the gap was between goals vs. actual planning

In 2025, I moved to New Zealand and started from zero.

My goals were clear: 

→ Help SMBs with AI & automation 
→ Make an impact in this space

But when it came time to create PLANS?

Blank page.

I had no idea: 

→ What to expect from NZ 
→ What strategies actually work here 
→ What's realistic vs. what's wishful thinking

Goals without context are just... wishes.

You can't build a roadmap for a world you don't understand yet.

So 2025 became my foundation year.

Learning market dynamics. 

Understanding what's possible. 

Testing what resonates. 

Building the context I needed.

Plot twist?

Through building that foundation, I discovered my real passion isn't just building automations.

It's enabling MORE people to access AI & automation.

Now in 2026?

I finally have the context to make PLANS.

Not just goals. Structured, actionable plans.

2026 is my building and growing year

Because I spent 2025 laying the groundwork.

If you're feeling stuck between having goals and making real plans:

Maybe you don't need better goals.

Maybe you need to give yourself a foundation year first.

Context transforms wishes into strategies.

What goal do you have that needs more context before you can actually plan for it?

PS: Some exciting things coming up this year! 😍

"AI agents will run your entire business in 2026."

Sorry, but that’s a lie.

Here's what's actually happening in 2026:

We're living in a strange moment:

According to the Gartner hype cycle 

• Peak inflated expectations for AI agents (everyone's promising magic) 
• Trough of disillusionment with generative AI (reality setting in)

It's a weird place to be. 

And it's making everyone either hype it, panic-buy or freeze completely.

But there's real opportunity here if you approach it right.

Two big shifts making AI more accessible to SMBs in 2026:

→ Agentic tools becoming available 

Instead of one chatbot, you'll use multiple small AI helpers that work together.

Plattforms like Langdock are basically ChatGPT + an automation platform combined

We will go from "I'll ask AI" to "AI will do this for me" 
 
→ AI-native development platforms getting better 

”Vibe-coding” was the rising star in 2025.

And those plattforms, where you can now describe in natural language what you want and it builds workflows and apps for you, are getting better and better.

No large dev team needed.

2026 will be the year where also non-technical people and businesses will be able to leverage agents.

Thanks to platforms like n8n, Langdock, Lovable and Base44.

But, here's the part nobody wants to hear:

The BORING part…

You still need clear processes and ownership FIRST.

The accessible tools won't fix messy foundations. 

They'll just automate your chaos faster.

So here's what smart business owners are doing in 2026:

✓ Starting with 1-2 workflows where speed actually matters 
✓ Fixing one source of truth (e.g. CRM + clean data) 
✓ Adding guardrails (approvals, limits, audit logs) 
✓ Choosing modular systems they can control

Not buying "one AI that does everything."

Honestly, the opportunity is real:

Accessibility for non-technical teams is improving massively! 

But accessible ≠ ready to use without strategy.

What are you looking forward to in 2026 and AI? ☺️

Something's been bugging me about AI adoption.

We've all moved past just wanting to chat with ChatGPT.

We want AI to actually DO things. 

Take action. Handle tasks.

But here's where it falls apart:

To make LLMs actually useful, you have to connect it to everything.

Your CRM. Your calendar. Your email. Your databases.

And that process? Not fun...

→ Creating custom APIs for each tool. 
→ Spending hours per connection. 
→ And then, watching it all break when something updates.

Meanwhile, there's a solution sitting right there that soo many businesses still don't know about...

Model Context Protocol (MCP).

While businesses are burning weeks on custom integrations, MCP handles it in minutes.

The secret? Dynamic discovery.

Traditional APIs: 
❌ Break when tools update 
❌ Require custom code for each connection
 ❌ Take weeks to implement

MCP: 
✅ Adapts automatically 
✅ Universal connection standard 
✅ Set up in minutes

It's like going from dial-up to fiber internet.

But here's the problem...

SMBs are stuck in the "API hell" cycle while their competitors move 10x faster.

So one thing to look out for on 2026: MCP!

Have you heard of MCP before?

Anyone else struggling to keep their Desktop and Downloads folder organized? 

Well if you do, you're gonna wanna know this little hack! 😅 

Because honestly, what's better than a clean file system on your laptop... 😍 

I know, it's not some crazy business use case... 

It's not gonna bring in more leads or make more sales.

But what's better than opening you laptop and everything is clean and organized?!

No random files flying around, no files with random numbers where you have no idea what content they actually contain...

And over time, they just pile up. 

So if you want to see AI organizing, renaming and sorting all your files

Then I HIGHLY recommend you to test Claude's newest "Cowork" capability!

Within seconds it sorts out all your files on your computer.

You can see exactly where it's at in the process, step by step. 

Not gonna lie, this is probably one of my favorite AI features lately! 😃 

So how can you do it too:

1. Open Claude (you'll need a Claude Pro subscription)
2. Go to the "Cowork" feature next to "Chat" and "Code" in the top left corner
3. Click "Organizing files" (you don't even need a prompt as Claude already suggests this option)

It's super easy!

PS: You might be wondering about data security:
Claude only accesses files locally on your computer, nothing gets uploaded to their servers. You stay in control and can specify which folders you to get organised. But ideally, avoid using folders that contain financial and highly confidential information!

I hate it when I don’t know something.

It makes me feel like I can't help properly.

Here in NZ, business owners kept asking me:

"What's it like in Germany with AI? They must be way ahead with it?"

But honestly? I didn't know anymore.

I left Germany 9 months ago, and nothing moves faster than the AI space!

So I did what I always do when I don't know something:

I asked someone who does.

This time: Sascha Scheffler

What I learned didn’t surprise me... and validated my image from when I left:

Germany isn't far ahead. They're behind too.

Data regulations. 
People’s being afraid of AI.
Businesses tied to inflexible technical infrastructure.

Same concerns and issues ... different location.

Here's what I realized:

Everyone thinks someone else has AI figured out.

"Germany must be ahead." 
"That company must have it sorted."

They don't.

No one does.

The only difference between businesses moving forward with AI and those standing still?

Curiosity over comparison.

"I don't know, let me find out" beats "I'm too far behind to start" every single time.

You're not behind.

You're exactly where everyone else is: 

At the starting line, figuring it out in real-time.

The question isn't "Am I too late?"

It's "Am I curious enough to start and keep going, when things don’t work out immediately?"

---

2 really interesting take-aways from our chat though:

→ Larger companies like congstar started adopting automation platforms like n8n 
→ Enterprise solutions like Langdock are emerging to handle EU data privacy regulations

That’s where Germany is ahead of New Zealand, and where I see New Zealand heading, too.

Thanks Sascha Scheffler for the great chat!

My partner called me out.

Big time.

"Why do you keep comparing yourself to other people?"

And honestly? I was confused! 

Because I didn't think I was....I thought I was motivating myself.

Every time I saw someone else crushing it, I'd tell myself:

"If they can do it, I can do it too."

Positive mindset, right? 🤔

Wrong.

My partner heard me say similar things for months.

And he finally said: "Stop looking at them. Just believe YOU can do it."

And something clicked in that moment.

Because even my "positive" comparison was still tying my belief to someone else's success.

I was giving my power away.

So here's what changed:

Instead of "If they can, I can" → "I believe I can do this."

Sounds subtle. But it shifted everything.

(Honestly, try it, you’ll feel an instant change in your state of mind! ☺️ )

And I've proven this to myself so many times before. 

The first time I remember was when I was 14. My grades had dropped to C's and D's (we all know how school is the least interesting thing at that age... 😅 )

But I wanted to go abroad for 6 months in year 10... and for that, I needed good grades. 

So within 1 term, I improved all my grades to A's and B's. 

No tutor. No help from others. Working as hard as possible.

And just me deciding I could.

Focusing on the end goal, not anyone else.

That's the difference.

Comparison keeps you focused on the gap between you and them.

Belief keeps you focused on what YOU need to do.

You don't need someone else to prove it's possible for "people like you."

You just need to decide you're capable of doing it. All by yourself.

Because you are. 💪🏼

I keep making the same mistake over and over!

And I bet you’re doing the same…

Unfortunately, it’s harder to avoid than we think (at least for me)

Here's the thing nobody talks about:

When you're deep in a topic, you forget what others actually need to know.

Like yesterday for example, I posted a post about MCP.

If you want to leverage AI in 2026, go look it up! (Or just read the post 😉)

And I thought my post was straightforward.

I explained MCP, talked about the benefits, shared why it matters for 2026.

But I completely missed the most obvious questions!

Because someone commented (thank god!):

→ What is MCP?
→ How is it better than API? (bride to send data between tools/platforms)
→ How can one use it?

I've been so worried about being "too technical" that I overcomplicated the WRONG parts.

I was explaining advanced concepts when people just wanted the basics answered first.

And when I read the comment, I wasn't like "ugh, they didn't get it."

It was "OH. These are the questions I should've been answering from the start."

So here's what I learned:

Your audience's "obvious" questions aren't signs they're behind.

They're YOUR content roadmap showing you exactly what gaps exist.

The best content strategy isn't explaining what YOU think needs explaining.

It's answering the questions your audience is actually asking.

So if you've ever felt like your content is too technical or not landing right?

Look at your comments. Your DMs. Your questions.

They're literally telling you what they need. (And PSA: If you have "basic" questions about AI/automation - PLEASE ask them. They're gold. 🎯) 

What "obvious" questions have helped you see your content differently?

PS: If you curious about MCP, read the comments! 😊

I spent soo long battling my 'limiting beliefs.'

Until someone told me I was making them worse.

Let me explain:

2025 - my first year self-employed

Every doubt, every insecurity, every "I'm not good [enough]" basically screamed at me.

All these "limiting beliefs" I had to overcome…

That’s what I kept telling myself.

But one call changed everything.

When Josh Clark said to me:

"Calling it a 'limiting belief' is limiting in itself."

...something clicked!

Because when you label a thought as a "limiting belief," you: 

→ Make it feel fixed 
→ Turn it into your identity 
→ Create an obstacle that feels soo hard to overcome

But he said: ”Once you just laben them as a ‘thought’, you take away the power.”

Thoughts are temporary. 
Thoughts are changeable. 
Thoughts come and go.

And honestly, that completely changed my perception!

The language you use to describe your mental blocks determines your ability to overcome them.

"Limiting belief" sounds permanent and heavy. 

"Thought" is transient and manageable.

So next time you catch yourself saying "I have a limiting belief"...

Stop yourself.

It's just a thought.

And thoughts? Those you can change.

Thanks Josh, for sharing this with me! Lots to learn from you.

taplio

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taplio

The Battle

Vitalii Dodonov

Hanna Siebdrat

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Posts

Engagements

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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);}Vitalii Dodonov's LinkedIn Performance

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