Solanasis Voice Interview — Round 2
Purpose: Refine Dmitri / Solanasis voice into something AI can actually use without drifting into generic agency copy.
How to answer:
- Put your choice after each question, like
Pick: B - Add notes directly under each one
- Mark phrases as
love / maybe / never - Re-upload this file when done
What seems locked in so far
Core direction
- More sharp and real than polished brand-safe copy
- Professional, but not over-sanded down
- More operator / diagnostician than “marketing person”
- Short paragraphs, usually 1–3 sentences max
- Avoid phrases that sound like generic AI positioning copy
This matches your standing preference to keep things succinct and avoid the sensationalized “this isn’t X, it’s Y” formula. fileciteturn6file0L4-L9 It also fits Solanasis being framed around “Operational Resilience, Proven” and “Security • Resilience • Operations” rather than airy transformation language. fileciteturn6file1L50-L54
What you already selected
- Core voice direction leaned toward sharp contrarian consultant
- Openings: observation-first, but the examples need to sound less generic
- Edge: stronger edge is acceptable
- Professional/raw mix: 60 / 40
- Sentence texture: short and direct
- Phrase lane: operational/plainspoken + memorable but grounded
- Framing: “here’s what people get wrong”
- Quirk: playful founder voice is okay
- CTA: calm and direct
Phrases already tagged
Love
- Slow motion failure
- Operational drag
- Cut through the noise
Never
- Held together by tribal knowledge
Ban list so far
- seamless
- cutting-edge
- game-changing
- transformative
- unlock
- revolutionary
- thought leader
- leverage
- robust solutions
- world-class
Section 1 — Pick the opening style that actually sounds like you
Prompt: Imagine this is the first line of a Solanasis homepage section or LinkedIn post.
1A
Most operational problems do not start as emergencies. They start as things people work around for months.
1B
A lot of risk looks harmless right up until it compounds.
1C
The dangerous stuff is usually not dramatic. It is the neglected, half-owned, “we should really fix that” kind.
1D
Most teams are not failing because they are reckless. They are failing because the messy stuff kept getting deferred.
1E
You usually do not lose control all at once. It slips a little at a time.
1F
The mess rarely announces itself. It just starts eating time, trust, and margin.
Pick:
What makes the winner better than the others?
What words here feel too AI-ish, too polished, or just not you?
Section 2 — Same idea, different edge levels
Scenario: Solanasis is describing backup verification.
2A — restrained
Having backups is useful. Knowing they can actually be restored is what matters.
2B — grounded edge
A backup you have never restored is still an assumption.
2C — stronger edge
“We have backups” is one of the most expensive false comforts in operations.
2D — hardest edge
A backup strategy that has never been tested is not a strategy. It is paperwork.
Pick your top 2:
Which one goes too far?
Rewrite your favorite in your own words if needed:
Section 3 — What kind of “contrarian” actually fits?
3A — analytical contrarian
The issue is not complexity by itself. It is unmanaged complexity.
3B — practical contrarian
Most teams do not have a tooling problem. They have an ownership problem.
3C — sharper contrarian
A surprising amount of “strategy” is just delayed cleanup with better slide design.
3D — founderly contrarian
People talk about innovation like it is magic. Most of the time, the real win is just making the basics stop breaking.
Pick:
What kind of contrarian do you want to avoid?
- too smug
- too cynical
- too clever
- too abstract
- too internet-brained
- other:
Notes:
Section 4 — Which sentence rhythm feels most native?
4A
Mess creates drag. Drag compounds. Eventually it shows up as missed handoffs, preventable risk, and expensive cleanup.
4B
Mess creates drag, and drag compounds over time, until it shows up in missed handoffs, preventable risk, and expensive cleanup.
4C
Operational mess has a way of compounding quietly until it reveals itself through missed handoffs, preventable risk, and expensive cleanup.
4D
Operational drag compounds in quiet ways before it becomes visible through missed handoffs, preventable risk, and expensive cleanup.
Pick:
What specifically makes it sound more human?
Which one sounds most like AI slop? Why?
Section 5 — Pick the value proposition style
5A
We fix the operational weak spots that quietly turn into bigger problems.
5B
We help teams reduce fragility across security, systems, and operations.
5C
We deal with the stuff everybody knows is risky but keeps putting off.
5D
We find the hidden operational risk, verify what matters, and clean up what is dragging the business down.
5E
We help organizations tighten the gaps that create avoidable risk, drag, and recovery failures.
Top 2:
Hard reject(s):
Rewrite the best one closer to your voice:
Section 6 — Word and phrase stress test
Mark each as love / maybe / never
| Phrase | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| brittle systems | ||
| quiet failure | ||
| slow motion failure | ||
| operational drag | ||
| hidden risk | ||
| neglected basics | ||
| messy handoffs | ||
| failure mode | ||
| fragile process | ||
| false comfort | ||
| risk debt | ||
| entropy | ||
| drift | ||
| rot | ||
| blind spot | ||
| noise | ||
| cleanup work | ||
| duct-taped | ||
| overcomplicated | ||
| prove it works |
Add your own
Section 7 — AI slop detector
Mark each as ban / maybe / acceptable in rare cases
| Phrase | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| empower teams | ||
| drive outcomes | ||
| move the needle | ||
| in today’s fast-paced world | ||
| navigate complexity | ||
| end-to-end | ||
| scalable solutions | ||
| tailored approach | ||
| trusted partner | ||
| actionable insights | ||
| holistic approach | ||
| future-proof | ||
| mission-critical | ||
| optimize workflows | ||
| streamline operations | ||
| maximize efficiency | ||
| unlock growth | ||
| next-level | ||
| frictionless | ||
| best-in-class |
Add more phrases you want on the permanent slop list
Section 8 — Pick the best paragraph, not just the best sentence
Topic: Why Solanasis exists
8A
A lot of important operational work gets deferred because nobody is quite sure who owns it, and because the failure does not feel immediate yet. That is how risk hangs around, migrations get messy, backups go untested, and internal systems slowly become harder to trust.
8B
Most teams are living with a layer of operational drag they have gotten used to. The problem is not just the drag itself. It is that the same neglected weak spots often turn into security gaps, restore failures, bad data moves, and broken handoffs later.
8C
The dangerous stuff in operations is usually not dramatic. It is the backup nobody has restored, the process everybody works around, the CRM nobody fully trusts, the migration that starts slipping before anyone says it out loud.
8D
Organizations rarely get taken out by one obvious mistake. More often, they accumulate small unresolved problems until those problems become expensive, public, or both.
Rank them 1–4:
Which one is closest to the Solanasis site voice?
Which phrase in the winner still needs to be rewritten?
Section 9 — How much quirk is actually okay?
9A
An integration nobody can maintain is just delayed pain.
9B
A CRM that only one person understands is not a system. It is a hostage situation.
9C
Some operational mess is fixable in an afternoon. Some of it has been fermenting.
9D
The goal is not more tools. The goal is fewer surprises.
Love / maybe / never for each:
- 9A:
- 9B:
- 9C:
- 9D:
Where is the line where quirk becomes cringe?
Section 10 — Call to action style test
10A
Let’s look at what is actually fragile, what is verified, and what needs attention first.
10B
Bring us in when you want the risk mapped, the assumptions tested, and the mess made more manageable.
10C
If you have a sense that things are shakier than they should be, we should talk.
10D
If the basics are carrying more risk than they should, let’s sort out what is real and what to do next.
Top 2:
Any words you dislike here?
Section 11 — Founder voice vs company voice
For each pair, choose which side should be more Dmitri and which should be more Solanasis.
11.1 LinkedIn post
- more Dmitri
- more Solanasis
- hybrid
11.2 Website homepage
- more Dmitri
- more Solanasis
- hybrid
11.3 Proposal intro
- more Dmitri
- more Solanasis
- hybrid
11.4 Newsletter essay
- more Dmitri
- more Solanasis
- hybrid
11.5 Sales email
- more Dmitri
- more Solanasis
- hybrid
Notes:
Section 12 — Rewrite test
Rewrite these three generic lines into something you would actually say.
12.1
We provide tailored solutions that help organizations navigate complexity and drive operational excellence.
Your rewrite:
12.2
Our mission-critical services streamline operations and unlock resilience.
Your rewrite:
12.3
We partner with clients to future-proof their systems and maximize efficiency.
Your rewrite:
Section 13 — Real-world references
List 3–5 people, brands, newsletters, or founders whose tone feels closer to the lane you want.
What exactly do you like about them?
Section 14 — Final gut-check
Finish these sentences in your own words.
14.1 Solanasis should sound like…
14.2 Solanasis should never sound like…
14.3 When AI gets the voice wrong, it usually…
14.4 The edge should come from…
14.5 The professionalism should come from…
What I will do after you re-upload this
I will turn your answers into:
- A tighter voice profile
- A permanent ban-list / slop-list
- A positive phrase bank
- A prompt block for AI
- A before/after rewrite guide
- A channel-specific guide for website, LinkedIn, proposals, and newsletters