Solanasis Voice Interview, Final Round (Refined & De-Duped)
Purpose: Get the last answers needed to finalize your voice profile so AI can write content that actually sounds like you, not AI slop.
What changed from the previous versions:
- Re-read ALL of your actual writings (12 Substack articles, LinkedIn outreach messages, post drafts, LinkedIn bio, “About Dmitri for AI” notes, website notes)
- Incorporated Appendix A from voice profile (the outreach message refinement learnings)
- Incorporated your latest from-scratch outreach message as additional voice evidence
- Separated what YOU actually wrote from what AI generated as options for you
- Pre-answered everything possible from your actual writing patterns
- Removed em dashes throughout (now BANNED per voice profile)
- What’s left below are ONLY the questions I genuinely can’t answer from your existing writing
How to answer:
- Put your choice after each question, like
Pick: B- Add notes directly under each one
- Re-upload when done
What’s Already Locked In (No Questions Needed)
I extracted these directly from YOUR writing, not from AI-generated options. These are confirmed patterns:
Sentence & Paragraph Style, CONFIRMED
- 1-3 sentences per paragraph max (you said this explicitly and your writing confirms it)
- Flowing, comma-connected sentences your natural mode is chaining clauses with commas, “which is why,” “so,” “but,” not staccato fragments
- Semicolons as connectors for warm, flowing thoughts instead of periods (too choppy) or em dashes (feel AI-generated). Your outreach message confirms this: “I hope this year has been treating you well; definitely interesting times we’re living through!”
- Present tense for aspirational things you write the future as if it already exists
- Parenthetical asides natural part of your voice: “(Just try imagining carnivores and vegans sharing a kitchen.)”
- Contractions always (we’ve, it’s, don’t, can’t)
- Oxford comma you use it consistently
Punctuation, CONFIRMED
- Em dashes (—) are BANNED. Your main voice profile confirms they are “nearly ABSENT” from your authentic writing and feel AI-generated. Use commas, semicolons, parentheses, or start a new sentence instead.
- Semicolons are your connector of choice. Especially for chaining warm thoughts together in outreach and conversational writing.
Opening Moves, CONFIRMED from your writing
- “Imagine” / “Just imagine” your signature opener, used in at least 5 articles
- “What if…” secondary hook
- Problem-first empathy validate the reader’s pain before introducing the solution
- Bold declarative claim “At this very moment there are millions of entrepreneurs…” / “I’m usually pretty optimistic, but…”
- Rhetorical questions “How many more people would take the leap of faith…?”
- Warm opener + cultural comment (NEW, from your outreach): “I hope this year has been treating you well; definitely interesting times we’re living through!”
Closing Moves, CONFIRMED from your writing
- Invitation to connect “If you resonate with this…” / “please reach out”
- Gratitude “We really appreciate…” / “Thank you Life!”
- Direct CTA with link always ends with how to take the next step
- Reciprocal closing (NEW, from your outreach): end with something that invites the recipient to share THEIR expertise, not just do you a favor. Example: “By the way, let me know if there are any groups that you think I should join that might help with finding clients.”
Banned Phrases, CONFIRMED (from your explicit statements + voice profile Section 2)
- “Let that sink in,” “Keep reading,” “Hot take:,” “Unpopular opinion:”
- “Full stop.” / “Period.” / “I’ll say it louder for the people in the back”
- seamless, cutting-edge, game-changing, transformative, unlock, revolutionary, thought leader, leverage (as verb), robust solutions, world-class
- “genuinely” (not your vocabulary; feels performative; use “really” or drop it)
- “no joke” (generic filler)
- “Furthermore” / “Moreover” / “Additionally” (overly formal; your #1 transition word is “So”)
- “next level” (vague motivational filler)
- “synergy” / “circle back” / “touch base” (corporate sanitized)
- “arguably” / “it could be said” (academic hedging; you speak with conviction)
- Self-referencing a previous sentence (“That last one is…”) feels scripted
Approved Words/Phrases, CONFIRMED from your actual writing
- “dialed in” (confirmed from your outreach: “get their operations dialed in”)
- “by far” as an intensifier (confirmed: “Getting started is by far the hardest part”)
- “Here’s the thing…” (explicitly approved)
- “Which is why…” (appears constantly)
- “Let’s face it” / “Let’s be frank” (you use these naturally)
- “Heya” as default casual greeting
- “So” as your go-to transition word
- “running on hope and luck” (your phrase)
- “went back to my roots” (autobiographical anchoring, your phrase)
Outreach Voice Rules, CONFIRMED from Appendix A
- One ask per message. Don’t stack multiple requests.
- Autobiographical anchoring. Frame new ventures through personal narrative (“went back to my roots”).
- Soft hedges over direct asks. “If you happen to know of” not “Do you know of.”
- Reciprocal closing. Invite the recipient to share expertise, not just do you a favor.
- No sales mechanics in warm outreach. Referral fees, “zone of genius” positioning, and CTAs belong in follow-ups, not friend-to-friend messages.
- Semicolons as connectors for chaining warm thoughts together.
- “Heya” as default casual greeting. Reserve personalized greetings for contacts where that’s the established dynamic.
- Softer relational framing. “People I’ve enjoyed connecting with” not “people I trust.” Warmth first.
Voice Direction, CONFIRMED from taste interview
- Professional but not over-sanded down
- More operator/diagnostician than marketing person
- Short paragraphs, 1-3 sentences max
- Break through the noise, take strong stances
- Write from the heart; if it could have been written by anyone, rewrite it
- Toggle between empathetic urgency and provocative bluntness
- 60/40 professional/raw mix
- Calm and direct CTAs
What Solanasis Is NOT, CONFIRMED
- Not a faceless consultancy
- Not fear-mongering; present real risks but always with the solution
- Not jargon-heavy; explain acronyms, use plain language
- Not generic; every piece should feel like it was written by someone specific
- Not AI-slop; no median-approach, diluted, safe writing
QUESTIONS I STILL NEED ANSWERS TO
These are the gaps that I genuinely cannot answer from your existing writing. Each one will materially affect the quality of content I produce.
Q1, Your LinkedIn Post Voice: Which draft was closest?
Why this matters: You wrote a real LinkedIn launch post (in Posts.md). I also generated 3 options (A, B, C in Posts-Suggestions.md). I need to know which version you’d actually hit “Post” on, because that calibrates everything.
Your actual draft (from Posts.md, 100% your words):
I’m usually pretty optimistic, but I think 2026 is going to be the year of shitshows, which is why I just launched Solanasis, a “make the basics solid” firm… I’ve had an inside view into countless orgs, and what I found is that most are running on hope and luck. Kind of like ships with holes, where the team just gets used to constantly bailing water.
AI-generated Option B (tighter version):
I’ve worked with countless orgs throughout my life and what I found is that most are running on hope and luck. Backups that have never been tested. AI getting plugged in with no guardrails. Critical systems held together by one person who’s about to quit.
AI-generated Option C (most conversational):
Not doom-and-gloom shitshows. More like “oh, we should have fixed that last year” shitshows. The kind where your backup existed but nobody tested the restore.
- A) My own draft is closest to my voice; use it as the template and just tighten
- B) Option B captures the right energy; more specific examples are better
- C) Option C feels most natural; the conversational tone is right
- D) Mix; take [specify what from each]
Pick:
What specifically felt off about the ones you didn’t pick?
Q2, How much “shitshow” energy is actually okay?
Why this matters: Your post draft uses “shitshows.” Your Re:generosity Society has “Shit Shows” as an actual event name. Your notes include “its Titanic level scary.” But your Substack articles are mostly warm and earnest. I need to know the range for Solanasis specifically.
- A) Use it occasionally; “shitshows” on LinkedIn is fine, maybe once per quarter. Website stays clean.
- B) Use it when it earns it; if the point is genuinely about chaos/failure, the word works. Don’t force it.
- C) Keep it in posts but never in proposals, website, or formal content
- D) Actually, pull back on it; I was testing it but it’s too casual for Solanasis
- E) Other:
Pick:
Q3, Metaphors and imagery: which lane?
Why this matters: Your Substack uses rich, sensory metaphors (ships with holes, bailing water, duct tape). But you also sometimes go abstract/spiritual (magnetic vortex, serenade your soul). Your outreach message is plain and direct with no metaphors at all. For Solanasis, I need to know which imagery lane to stay in.
Here are metaphors pulled FROM YOUR actual writing:
Lane 1, Physical/tangible (from your Posts.md):
“Kind of like ships with holes, where the team just gets used to constantly bailing water.”
Lane 2, Diagnostic (from your “About Dmitri” doc):
“help them tweak and improve them so that they can operate more effectively” “being able to understand systems and see where they can be improved is one of my zones of genius”
Lane 3, Plain talk (from your outreach message):
“messy behind-the-scenes stuff” “get their tech and operations dialed in” “helping organizations get their operations dialed in”
- A) Lane 1: Physical/tangible metaphors (ships, holes, bailing water, duct tape). Grounded and visual.
- B) Lane 2: Diagnostic metaphors (checkup, symptoms, healthy vs fragile). Fits the consultant positioning.
- C) Lane 3: No metaphors needed. Just plain talk about messy systems and fixing them.
- D) Mix of 1 and 3: physical metaphors when they land naturally, plain talk the rest of the time
- E) Other:
Pick:
Q4, Founder voice vs company voice
Why this matters: Right now Solanasis is just you. Your Substack always used “we” even for solo projects. Your LinkedIn bio says “I run Solanasis.” Your outreach message says “I went back to my roots and just launched a consulting firm.” I need ONE rule.
New evidence from your outreach message: You naturally used “I” throughout: “I wanted to ask you a quick favor,” “I went back to my roots,” “I’m reaching out to people I’ve enjoyed connecting with.” Zero use of “we” in the entire message.
- A) LinkedIn posts + outreach = “I” / Website + proposals = “we” (most common founder-led brand approach, and matches your natural outreach voice)
- B) Always “we”; even though it’s just you, Solanasis should feel like an entity, and you’ll be hiring
- C) Always “I”; lean fully into founder-led, people buy people
- D) Hybrid within the same piece; “I launched Solanasis” at top, then “we help…” for the services
- E) Other:
Pick:
Q5, Exclamation marks for Solanasis
Why this matters: Your Substack articles use them A LOT (“It’s time to amplify your impact!”, “Thank you Life!”). Your LinkedIn post draft uses zero. Your outreach message uses one (“definitely interesting times we’re living through!”). These are very different energies.
- A) Rarely; max 1 per piece, only in CTAs. Solanasis should feel measured and grounded.
- B) Sparingly; 2-3 per piece when genuinely excited. Never in headers. (Recommended, fits the 60/40 professional/raw mix you chose)
- C) Keep them; energy is a feature. If it’s genuine passion, use them.
- D) Other:
Pick:
Q6, The phrase stress test
Mark each as love / maybe / never. I removed the ones that overlap with your existing ban list.
| Phrase | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| brittle systems | ||
| quiet failure | ||
| slow motion failure | (already tagged love) | |
| operational drag | (already tagged love) | |
| hidden risk | ||
| neglected basics | ||
| messy handoffs | ||
| false comfort | ||
| risk debt | ||
| drift | ||
| blind spot | ||
| duct-taped | ||
| prove it works | ||
| running on hope and luck | (you already use this) | |
| ships with holes | (you already use this) | |
| bailing water | (you already use this) | |
| dialed in | (confirmed, you use this) | |
| interesting times | (confirmed from outreach) | |
| went back to my roots | (confirmed from outreach) | |
| behind-the-scenes stuff | (confirmed from earlier outreach) |
Add your own phrases that feel like YOU:
Q7, AI slop detector
Mark each as ban / maybe / OK in rare cases
| Phrase | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| empower teams | ||
| drive outcomes | ||
| in today’s fast-paced world | ||
| navigate complexity | ||
| end-to-end | ||
| scalable solutions | ||
| tailored approach | ||
| trusted partner | ||
| actionable insights | (you used this in Wellnia; was that deliberate?) | |
| holistic approach | (you use “holistic” heavily in Substack; keep or drop for Solanasis?) | |
| future-proof | ||
| mission-critical | ||
| streamline operations | (you used “streamlining operations” in your outreach; keep or drop?) | |
| frictionless | ||
| best-in-class |
Add more phrases you want permanently banned:
Q8, Which of these REAL paragraphs feels most like Solanasis?
Why this matters: I need your gut reaction to calibrate paragraph-level voice, not just sentence-level. These are all from YOUR actual writing about Solanasis-relevant topics.
8A (from your LinkedIn post draft):
I’ve had an inside view into countless orgs, and what I found is that most are running on hope and luck. Kind of like ships with holes, where the team just gets used to constantly bailing water.
8B (from your latest outreach message, written from scratch):
I went back to my roots and just launched a consulting firm focused on cybersecurity, systems integration, AI implementation, and helping organizations get their operations dialed in. Getting started is by far the hardest part, so I’m reaching out to people I’ve enjoyed connecting with to see if you happen to know of any orgs, like SMBs, nonprofits or even funded startups, that I should reach out to?
8C (from your LinkedIn bio):
The inspiration for Solanasis came from working with countless orgs throughout my career where I’ve seen firsthand the amount of struggles, lack of proper systems and reliance on luck to get by.
8D (from your earlier outreach notes):
I started a fractional consulting firm that helps small businesses and nonprofits get their tech and operations dialed in. As you personally know, its extremely hard launching a new biz and I could use all of the help that I can get.
Rank them 1-4 (1 = most Solanasis):
What makes the #1 feel right?
Q9, Real-world voice references
Why this matters: If I know WHO you want to sound like, I can study their actual patterns and calibrate. You mentioned Jamie Wheal in your “My Style Voice for AI” doc. Who else?
List 3-5 people, brands, newsletters, or founders whose content tone feels close to where you want Solanasis:
- Jamie Wheal (already noted)
What specifically do you like about their style?
Q10, The final gut-check
Finish these sentences in your own words. Even a few words is fine; this is the most valuable part because it’s unfiltered YOU.
10.1 Solanasis should sound like…
10.2 Solanasis should never sound like…
10.3 When AI gets my voice wrong, it usually…
10.4 The edge in our content should come from…
10.5 The professionalism should come from…
Q11, Rewrite test
These are generic AI slop sentences. Rewrite them in YOUR voice, the way you’d actually say it in a LinkedIn post or conversation. Don’t overthink it, just write naturally.
11.1 Generic: “We provide tailored solutions that help organizations navigate complexity and drive operational excellence.”
Your rewrite:
11.2 Generic: “Our mission-critical services streamline operations and unlock resilience.”
Your rewrite:
11.3 Generic: “We partner with clients to future-proof their systems and maximize efficiency.”
Your rewrite:
What Happens After You Fill This Out
I will compile everything into:
- A production-ready voice profile, the single source of truth for all content
- A permanent ban list + approved phrase bank
- A prompt block that gets attached to every content generation request
- A test batch of 3-4 LinkedIn posts for you to grade harshly
No more questionnaires after this one. This is the last round.