What does it really take to scale a company from zero to over 1,000 employees with leadership rooted in kindness -- without burning out your people or yourself?
In this episode of The Business Philosopher Within You, I sit down with Ilya Vinogradsky, Founder, CTO, and Board Member of Astound Digital, to explore what he calls The Kindness Principle—a people-first leadership philosophy that helped him grow a global organization through booms, busts, acquisitions, and massive complexity.
Ilya has spent over two decades building and scaling digital businesses. Starting in the early days of e-commerce, he grew Astound from a small founding team into a global digital consultancy with 1,000+ employees, 600+ certified engineers, 3,000+ solutions delivered, and over $10 billion in customer value created.
But this conversation isn’t about tactics alone.
It’s about how leadership must evolve as scale increases—and why kindness, culture, and human-centered decision-making become more important, not less.
In this conversation, we explore:
What changes—and what must not—when you scale from 10 to 1,000 people
Why culture is always driven top-down (and cannot be delegated)
How to build systems and processes without dehumanizing the organization
The real role of the CEO in shaping culture during growth and acquisitions
Why taking care of people first ultimately strengthens clients and the business
How personal inner growth and leadership maturity are inseparable
What it means to lead with heart while still making hard decisions
At its core, this episode is about applied business philosophy.
Not abstract values.
Not posters on the wall.
But philosophy translated into daily decisions, leadership behavior, and organizational design—especially under pressure.
If you’re a founder, CEO, or leader who wants to build a business that can scale beyond you and outlive you, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership, culture, and success.
If this conversation resonates with you:
👍 Like the video
📌 Subscribe for future conversations with founders and business philosophers
💬 Share your thoughts or questions in the comments—we learn from each other
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Episode Show Notes and Deep Dive:
📚 Deep Dive, Show Notes and Reference Reading: https://www.awayre.com/scaling-kind-l...
Connect with Ilya Vinodradsky and Astound Digital:
🔗 Linkedin: / vinograd
🌐 Website: https://astounddigital.com/
🎞 YouTube Channel: / @astounddigital
"The Business Philosopher Within You" Podcast:
🎬🎙️📖 Website: https://www.awayre.com/business-philo...
🦸♀️Be a Guest: https://www.awayre.com/business-philo...
🤔 Podcast: The Business Philosopher Within You Podcast
🗓️ Published: 2nd & 4th Wednesdays
📇 Episode: 35
📜 Format: Full Episode
📅 Date: February 11, 2026
👨💼 Guest: Ilya Vinogradsky, Founder, CTO, Astound Digital
🎙️ Host: Bhavesh Naik
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Highlights and Introduction
03:54 - Astound Digital: Naming the Company
13:31 - Identifying the Customer Base
18:41 - Journey to Success
24:24 - Company Culture Insights
28:20 - Cultural Blueprint Dynamics
32:15 - HR's Role in Company Culture
33:59 - Organizational Structure Explained
37:09 - Depth of the Organizational Structure
38:36 - Promises and Perils of Company Acquisitions
42:57 - Future Vision for Astound Digital
45:49 - Advice for Successor Leadership
47:50 - Impact of AI on the Marketplace
52:02 - Advice to Younger Self
54:36 - Evolution of the Company
58:23 - Personal Grounding Principles
1:00:59 - Getting In Touch and Parting Words
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Music by Yrii Semchyshyn (Thank You!): / yuriisemchyshyn
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