Solanasis Voice Profile — Interview Document
Status: IN PROGRESS — Section-by-section approval Source material:
dmitri-sunshine-sample-writings/substack-writings-complete.md(12 articles, Jun 2022 – Nov 2025) Instructions: For each section, mark your choice inline. Add notes/tweaks in[brackets]next to any option.
Section 1: Tone Spectrum
Analysis
Your natural voice sits in a specific zone — earnest authority with warmth. You’re never detached or clinical, but you’re also never sloppy or performative. The later articles (SES, Re:generosity Society) are noticeably more direct and punchy than earlier ones — that’s the direction Solanasis should lean.
Question 1A: Overall Tone Calibration
Pick the option that feels right for a typical Solanasis LinkedIn post about operational resilience, or note adjustments.
Option A — Too Corporate / Too Cold:
“Organizations that fail to implement comprehensive operational resilience frameworks expose themselves to significant risk vectors across their technology, security, and leadership functions. Solanasis provides fractional C-suite services designed to mitigate these vulnerabilities through structured assessment and remediation.”
Option B — The Sweet Spot (recommended):
“Most SMBs don’t have a CISO, a CTO, and a COO — and nobody expects them to. But the gaps between those roles? That’s where the expensive surprises live. We help you find and fix those gaps before they find you.”
Option C — Too Casual / Too Bro:
“Look, your business is basically held together with duct tape and good vibes right now. No shade — most small companies are. But one bad day and it all comes apart. Let’s fix that before it gets ugly.”
YOUR PICK: [ ] A / [ ] B / [ ] C / [ ] Other — notes:
Question 1B: Urgency vs. Empathy Default
In your articles, you toggle between two modes:
- Empathetic urgency: “At this very moment there are millions of entrepreneurs…who feel like giving up because the strain is becoming too much!”
- Provocative bluntness: “Let’s face it, socialism sucks!” / “Grounded in reality, instead of idealism, and geared towards the doers instead of the talkers.”
For Solanasis, what should the default split be?
[ ]A) 70% empathetic urgency / 30% provocative bluntness — warmer default, occasional edge[ ]B) 50/50 split — depends on the piece[ ]C) 30% empathetic urgency / 70% provocative bluntness — lead with directness, soften when needed
Notes:
Question 1C: Audience-Specific Tone Shift
Should Solanasis shift tone based on who we’re talking to? Here’s a proposal:
| Audience | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn (thought leadership) | Provocative + confident | ”Your IT guy isn’t your security strategy. And your security vendor isn’t your resilience plan. These are three different problems.” |
| Blog posts | Explanatory + warm | ”Most businesses don’t think about operational resilience until something breaks. By then, the cost of fixing it is 10x what prevention would have been.” |
| Proposals / sales decks | Authoritative + empathetic | ”You’ve built something worth protecting. We help you identify the gaps that could put it at risk — and close them methodically.” |
| Email outreach | Direct + human | ”Quick question — if your lead IT person quit tomorrow, does anyone else know where all the keys are? That’s the kind of thing we help with.” |
| Website copy | Confident + accessible | ”Resilience isn’t a product you buy. It’s a capability you build — with the right people asking the right questions.” |
[ ]A) Yes, this audience-tone mapping works[ ]B) Adjust — notes below[ ]C) No, keep the same tone everywhere
Notes:
Question 1D: Exclamation Marks
Your Substack articles use exclamation marks frequently (especially in CTAs and vision statements). For Solanasis professional content:
[ ]A) Rarely — max 1 per piece, and only in CTAs. Professional services should feel measured.[ ]B) Sparingly — 2-3 per piece is fine when genuinely excited or making a strong point. Never in headers.[ ]C) Keep them — they’re part of the voice. Energy is a feature, not a bug.
Notes:
Question 1E: Use of “We” vs. “I”
Your articles default to “we” (collective framing). Solanasis is currently a solo founder building a team. Which framing?
[ ]A) Always “we” — Solanasis is the entity, even if it’s just you right now. Feels bigger.[ ]B) “I” for personal LinkedIn posts and thought leadership, “we” for proposals/website/company content[ ]C) “I” everywhere — lean into the founder-led brand, people buy people
Notes:
Section 2: Banned Words & Phrases
Status: IN PROGRESS — building from real-time feedback during content sessions
Punctuation Bans
| Banned | Why | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Em dashes (—) | Feels AI-generated; not part of Dmitri’s natural writing style. His main voice profile confirms em dashes are “nearly ABSENT” from his authentic writing. | Commas, semicolons, parentheses, or just start a new sentence |
Word/Phrase Bans
| Banned | Why | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| ”genuinely” | Not part of Dmitri’s vocabulary; feels performative | ”really,” “for real,” or just drop it entirely |
| ”no joke” | Generic filler; doesn’t match his voice | State the point directly |
| REMOVED — Dmitri used this naturally in his final outreach draft. It IS part of his voice. | N/A | |
| ”Furthermore” / “Moreover” / “Additionally” | Overly formal transitions; Dmitri’s #1 transition word is “So" | "So,” or just jump-cut to next point |
| ”game-changer” | Overused buzzword | Describe the actual impact |
| ”next level” | Vague motivational filler | Be specific about what’s better |
| ”leverage” (as verb) | Corporate jargon | ”use,” “tap into" |
| "synergy” / “circle back” / “touch base” | Corporate sanitized language | Say it plainly |
| ”arguably” / “it could be said” | Academic hedging; Dmitri speaks with conviction | State the position directly |
Structural Bans
| Banned Pattern | Why | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Self-referencing a previous sentence (“That last one is…“) | Feels like a scripted callback; Dmitri doesn’t narrate his own messages this way | Weave the point naturally into the sentence itself, or let it stand on its own |
Notes
- This list is a living document; add items as they surface during content creation sessions
- Cross-reference with Section 13 (Anti-Patterns) in the main Dmitri Voice Profile for additional context
Appendix A: Voice Learnings from Outreach Message Refinement (March 2026)
Context: Dmitri refined an outreach message to existing contacts over multiple drafts. The differences between AI-generated drafts and his final version reveal critical voice patterns.
Greeting Style
| AI Draft | Dmitri’s Final | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”Hey Brother" | "Heya" | "Heya” is a natural Dmitri greeting variant; casual, warm, gender-neutral. “Hey Brother” may be reserved for specific close contacts, not a default for all outreach. |
Opener Style
| AI Draft | Dmitri’s Final | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”I hope this year has been treating you well!" | "I hope this year has been treating you well; definitely interesting times we’re living through!” | Dmitri extends warm openers with a relatable cultural/situational comment connected by semicolon. He doesn’t just say a pleasantry and move on; he makes it conversational. |
Relationship Language
| AI Draft | Dmitri’s Final | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”people I actually trust" | "people I’ve enjoyed connecting with” | Dmitri defaults to softer, more relational framing. “Trust” implies a judgment call; “enjoyed connecting with” is warmer and puts the relationship first. This is consistent with wanting to be “lovable” over authoritative. |
Narrative Self-Framing
| AI Draft | Dmitri’s Final | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”I just launched a cybersecurity and AI consulting firm." | "I went back to my roots and just launched a consulting firm focused on…” | Dmitri naturally adds autobiographical context. “Went back to my roots” grounds the ask in personal story, not just an announcement. This matches his voice profile’s pattern of using “autobiographical temporal markers” as transitions. |
Hedging & Softeners
| AI Draft | Dmitri’s Final | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”Do any organizations come to mind that might need help…" | "…if you happen to know of any orgs, like SMBs, nonprofits or even funded startups, that I should reach out to?” | Dmitri uses casual hedges (“happen to know of”), softening qualifiers (“like”), and expansion words (“even”). The ask feels like a gentle curiosity, not a request for a favor. The question mark at the end keeps it conversational. |
Intensifier Usage
| AI Draft | Dmitri’s Final | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”Getting started is the hardest part" | "Getting started is by far the hardest part” | Dmitri uses “by far” as an intensifier. Small but authentic; makes the statement feel lived-in rather than generic. |
What Dmitri Cut Entirely
| AI Included | Why Dmitri Cut It | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee mention | Too transactional for a warm outreach to existing contacts. Turns a relationship message into a sales funnel. | Save referral fee language for follow-up conversations or contacts who have already shown interest, not the initial outreach. |
| ”Zone of genius” | Self-promotional in an outreach context. Works in thought leadership content but feels like “selling yourself” in a personal message. | ”Zone of genius” is a thought leadership phrase, not an outreach phrase. Context matters. |
| ”Would love to hop on a call to catch up regardless” | Replaced with a different ask (groups/communities). He chose to make the message have one clear purpose rather than two asks. | One ask per message. Don’t dilute the referral ask with a catch-up ask. The catch-up can be a separate message or a response to their reply. |
What Dmitri Added That AI Missed
| Dmitri Added | Why It Works | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| ”By the way, let me know if there are any groups that you think I should join that might help with finding clients.” | Turns a one-way ask into a two-way conversation. Also shows vulnerability (asking for help on how to find clients, not just for client referrals). Makes the recipient feel like an advisor, not just a lead source. | Dmitri naturally creates reciprocity in his asks. He doesn’t just ask for the thing; he opens a door for the other person to contribute their knowledge. |
| ”definitely interesting times we’re living through!” | Adds a shared-experience moment that creates rapport before the ask. | Dmitri’s openers reference the cultural moment to create a “we’re in this together” feeling. |
Summary Rules for Outreach in Dmitri’s Voice
- 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. End with something that invites the recipient to share their 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 or professional content, not friend-to-friend messages.
- Semicolons as connectors. Use semicolons to chain warm thoughts together instead of periods (which feel choppy) or em dashes (which feel AI-generated).
- “Heya” as default casual greeting. Reserve personalized greetings (“Hey Brother”) for contacts where that’s the established dynamic.
Section 3: Signature Moves
Email Signature (Professional / Solanasis)
Sign-off line: “Thank you for your time and presence.”
- This is intentional and distinctive; most people say “Best” or “Thanks.” Dmitri’s version acknowledges the person’s attention as something valuable. Don’t change this.
Signature block structure:
Thank you for your time and presence.
Dmitri Sunshine
CEO, Solanasis
303-900-8969
Let's Connect!
Design choices and rationale:
- “Let’s Connect!” as the CTA label for the scheduling link (https://go.solanasis.com/meet). Not “Book a time” or “Schedule a meeting.” “Let’s Connect” is warmer, more relational, and matches the lovable positioning. Exclamation point is intentional; sincere enthusiasm.
- Phone number included. Signals accessibility and “we’re real people.” Aligns with the lovable/personable brand priority.
- No website link. Kept out for now (KIS principle).
- No email address. Redundant since you’re already emailing them.
- No LinkedIn. Kept minimal per KIS preference.
- Title is just “CEO, Solanasis.” No “Founder &” prefix. Clean and sufficient.
Rules for AI-generated emails:
- Always include this exact signature block at the bottom
- Never modify the sign-off wording
- “Let’s Connect!” links to https://go.solanasis.com/meet
Section 4: Sentence & Paragraph Style
[PENDING]
Section 5: Content Structure
[PENDING]
Section 6: Opening Moves
[PENDING]
Section 7: Closing Moves
[PENDING]
Section 8: What Solanasis Is NOT
[PENDING]
Section 9: Hard Rules
[PENDING]