11 Years of Startup Lessons in 27 Minutes
Wed Feb 04 2026
What does 11 years of building a startup really teach you?
In just 27 minutes, Jonathan Gudai, CEO & Co-Founder of AdOmni, shares the hard lessons, mistakes, and breakthroughs from scaling an advertising tech company from early uncertainty to campaigns running across 1,000+ cities.
We talk about the doubts every founder faces, why "growth at all costs" almost backfired, how profitable growth beats hype, and how AI now automates their marketing and sales workflows.
If you're building a startup, running a business, or trying to scale smarter — this episode will save you years of trial and error.
What you'll learn:
• Why most startups scale too fast
• The growth mistakes that nearly killed the company
• How to focus on profitable growth
• Measuring offline ads like digital ads
• How AI automates planning, sales & workflows
• Real founder lessons from 11 years in business
🔔 Super Entrepreneurs Podcast
To watch more videos and get new video updates please subscribe to our channel and stay with us:
https://www.youtube.com/@SuperEntrepreneursPod
Old Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SuperEntrepreneursPodcast
✅ Stay Connected With Us:
👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialshahiddurrani/
👉 SEP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superentrepreneurs
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialshahiddurrani/
👉 SEP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superentrepreneurspod
👉 X: https://twitter.com/officialshahidd
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahid-durrani/
👉 Website: https://shahiddurrani.com/
Chapter Stamps:
00:00 Founder mindset & uncertainty
03:46 How they tested before scaling
04:40 The Kylie nationwide campaign breakthrough
06:05 Making billboards measurable
15:22 Why shipping early beats perfection
16:53 Profitability vs "growth at all costs"
20:55 How AI plans campaigns in 30 seconds
23:21 AI agents for sales & operations
startup lessons, founder mistakes, startup growth strategy, profitable startups, adtech, AI for business, entrepreneurship podcast, scaling a startup, programmatic advertising
#Startup #Entrepreneurship #AI #Marketing #Founders #BusinessPodcast #AdTech
Pullout Quotes:
"Until you hit a certain scale, you're always asking yourself — is this actually going to work?" "Those objections weren't objections. They were just future solutions we hadn't built yet." "Healthy growth backed by profitability beats growth at all costs — every time." "AI is best used to remove friction, not replace judgment." "We stopped building what we wanted and started building what the market needed."
Social:
Website: https://adomni.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangudai
Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the opinions and perspectives conveyed in this podcast are solely those of our guests and do not necessarily represent the views, ideologies, or principles of Super Entrepreneurs Podcast, its associated entities, or any organizations they represent or are affiliated with. We provide a platform for discussion and exploration, and the content of each episode is understood to be independent expressions from our guests, rather than a reflection of the beliefs held by the podcast or its hosts.
"The only limits in our life are those we impose on ourselves."
— Bob Proctor
Affiliate Disclaimer:
If you buy through one of the links provided, I may receive a commission (without any additional charge to you).
CURRENT OFFERS:
1, Psst: Want consistent leads + sales from Youtube while only recording videos?, and only pay after you get results? connect with Shahid
2, Get your news by text, no bias, click bait or ads, texts the word "super" to 1-844-406-INFO (4636) and receive a free week with https://informed.now/
3, No BS Contrarian Investment Ideas Built for 300%+ Returns, The same research they use for their $360M fund. No Wall Street BS. Just contrarian stock ideas with 10x potential and complete transparency. 300+ issues. 8+ years. Try it for $1(30 days). https://capitalistexploits.at/newsletter/?orid=90906
4, Want AI clarity?
We'll put together a free, no-obligation proposal—whether you're exploring a new AI idea, or you want to save time, cut costs, and earn more by using AI in your business.
▬▬▬ SHAHID'S LINKS ▬▬▬
https://zez.am/officialshahiddurrani
More
What does 11 years of building a startup really teach you? In just 27 minutes, Jonathan Gudai, CEO & Co-Founder of AdOmni, shares the hard lessons, mistakes, and breakthroughs from scaling an advertising tech company from early uncertainty to campaigns running across 1,000+ cities. We talk about the doubts every founder faces, why "growth at all costs" almost backfired, how profitable growth beats hype, and how AI now automates their marketing and sales workflows. If you're building a startup, running a business, or trying to scale smarter — this episode will save you years of trial and error. What you'll learn: • Why most startups scale too fast • The growth mistakes that nearly killed the company • How to focus on profitable growth • Measuring offline ads like digital ads • How AI automates planning, sales & workflows • Real founder lessons from 11 years in business 🔔 Super Entrepreneurs Podcast To watch more videos and get new video updates please subscribe to our channel and stay with us: https://www.youtube.com/@SuperEntrepreneursPod Old Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SuperEntrepreneursPodcast ✅ Stay Connected With Us: 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialshahiddurrani/ 👉 SEP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superentrepreneurs 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialshahiddurrani/ 👉 SEP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superentrepreneurspod 👉 X: https://twitter.com/officialshahidd 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahid-durrani/ 👉 Website: https://shahiddurrani.com/ Chapter Stamps: 00:00 Founder mindset & uncertainty 03:46 How they tested before scaling 04:40 The Kylie nationwide campaign breakthrough 06:05 Making billboards measurable 15:22 Why shipping early beats perfection 16:53 Profitability vs "growth at all costs" 20:55 How AI plans campaigns in 30 seconds 23:21 AI agents for sales & operations startup lessons, founder mistakes, startup growth strategy, profitable startups, adtech, AI for business, entrepreneurship podcast, scaling a startup, programmatic advertising #Startup #Entrepreneurship #AI #Marketing #Founders #BusinessPodcast #AdTech Pullout Quotes: "Until you hit a certain scale, you're always asking yourself — is this actually going to work?" "Those objections weren't objections. They were just future solutions we hadn't built yet." "Healthy growth backed by profitability beats growth at all costs — every time." "AI is best used to remove friction, not replace judgment." "We stopped building what we wanted and started building what the market needed." Social: Website: https://adomni.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangudai Disclaimer: Please be aware that the opinions and perspectives conveyed in this podcast are solely those of our guests and do not necessarily represent the views, ideologies, or principles of Super Entrepreneurs Podcast, its associated entities, or any organizations they represent or are affiliated with. We provide a platform for discussion and exploration, and the content of each episode is understood to be independent expressions from our guests, rather than a reflection of the beliefs held by the podcast or its hosts. "The only limits in our life are those we impose on ourselves." — Bob Proctor Affiliate Disclaimer: If you buy through one of the links provided, I may receive a commission (without any additional charge to you). CURRENT OFFERS: 1, Psst: Want consistent leads + sales from Youtube while only recording videos?, and only pay after you get results? connect with Shahid 2, Get your news by text, no bias, click bait or ads, texts the word "super" to 1-844-406-INFO (4636) and receive a free week with https://informed.now/ 3, No BS Contrarian Investment Ideas Built for 300%+ Returns, The same research they use for their $360M fund. No Wall Street BS. Just contrarian stock ideas with 10x potential and complete transparency. 300+ issues. 8+ years. Try it for $1(30 days). https://capitalistexploits.at/newsletter/?orid=90906 4, Want AI clarity? We'll put together a free, no-obligation proposal—whether you're exploring a new AI idea, or you want to save time, cut costs, and earn more by using AI in your business. ▬▬▬ SHAHID'S LINKS ▬▬▬ https://zez.am/officialshahiddurrani