Damir Zholeuov explains how an AI-powered platform inspired by real-world marketing challenges helps small businesses win
In 2024, a Forbes report revealed that 51% of small business owners struggle with creating marketing content, and 44% often procrastinate posting to social media. Additionally, 54% expressed a need for assistance with social media marketing. For entrepreneurs wearing multiple hats, consistent and compelling communication isn’t just difficult — it’s often impossible.
These challenges aren’t new to Damir Zholeuov. With over 13 years in the marketing industry in Central Asia, including leadership roles at major financial institutions, he’s spent his career solving the same problems at scale: lack of time, creative gaps, disconnected execution, and others.
As an experienced marketer, Damir is a member of the Academy of Marketing Science, the American Marketing Association, and the MarCom Club of Central Asia, reflecting his commitment to advancing marketing practices globally.
Over the years, Damir has encountered these same obstacles across companies of all sizes — but especially among startups and solo founders. Below are three of the most common challenges he’s helped solve.
Challenge 1: Marketing Without a Team
Most small businesses can’t afford to hire a whole creative department. No copywriters, no designers, no ad strategists — just a founder juggling everything, from product to payroll to social media. The result? Inconsistent marketing, delayed campaigns, and missed opportunities to grow.
Damir saw a version of this challenge on a much larger scale. When he stepped in as Acting Director of Marketing at Halyk Bank, the largest and most digitally advanced financial institution in Central Asia and part of the biggest CIS financial group, even this giant organization was struggling with speed and control.
Much of the digital work was outsourced to agencies, and while the resources were there, the execution was slow, disconnected, and hard to steer in real-time.
So he built an in-house team from scratch — and restructured how marketing was done. He led the transition to internal control of ad budgets, forged direct deals with Meta and Google (a rare achievement in Kazakhstan), and brought production closer to strategy.
The results were striking. The number of monthly active users of the bank’s app Homebank grew to 7.9 million, a 46% year-over-year increase. Business app Onlinebank saw an 83% spike in monthly users. The shift saved time, reduced reliance on agencies, and brought agility back to the team.
“If even a major bank struggled to run lean, responsive marketing with resources on hand, how are small businesses expected to do it solo? That question stayed with me long after,” Damir recalls.
Challenge 2: Inconsistent Brand Identity Across Channels
Even great products go unnoticed without a strong and consistent brand. And for small businesses, that’s one of the hardest things to build. Many founders jump between platforms — Instagram today, a flyer tomorrow, maybe a website next month — each with a different tone, look, or message. Over time, it confuses customers and weakens trust.
Damir has seen what happens when branding is scattered — and how powerful it becomes when it’s unified. At Halyk Bank, he led one of the most ambitious rebranding efforts in the region. The challenge was to unite five departments, each with different messaging, into one coherent identity.
He repositioned the bank not only as a financial leader but also as a cultural partner, launching nationwide campaigns, charity projects, and heritage initiatives like the revival of the iconic Asia Dauysy music festival.
“Whether you’re a national bank or a local bakery, inconsistent messaging holds you back. When you align your voice, visuals, and values — people not only notice, they connect,” Damir explains.
The rebranding effort led to a dramatic rise in visibility and engagement: the bank’s official page attracted 3.1 million users, a 477% increase, while social engagement surged by 509% — clear evidence that the refreshed brand voice not only captured attention but emotionally connected with a younger audience, all while preserving the institution’s legacy.
Challenge 3: No Time for Content — but Pressure to Perform
For most small businesses, content creation is a constant struggle. You know you need to stay visible — posting online, launching campaigns, keeping your brand active — but you’re also managing operations, customers, and cash flow. With no team and no time, content often falls to the bottom of the list.
At Halyk Insurance, digital marketing quickly became a growth engine: sales of the flagship insurance product surged 20-fold in a single year, online sales more than doubled (from 4.2 to 9.4 billion KZT), and active website users grew by 177%, with social engagement rising sharply.
These results didn’t come from a bigger budget — they came from smarter systems. Damir overhauled content production, introduced automation where possible, and focused the team on clear, measurable digital KPIs.
It was a response to a common challenge: founders are expected to be content creators, even when they’re handling everything else — and without the right structure, content becomes a bottleneck instead of a driver.
As Damir explains, “It wasn’t about adding more people, but about working smarter. And that’s a lesson every small business can apply: with the right tools and structure, even a lean team (or a team of one) can outperform expectations.”
A New Solution for Widespread Problems
After years of launching big campaigns and building brands inside large organizations, Damir began to notice a pattern — one that didn’t just exist in banks or insurance companies but in nearly every small business he encountered.
He had a whole team, a budget, and a major bank behind him. Small business owners were expected to do the same, but entirely on their own.
They were writing posts, answering customers, fixing bugs, sending invoices, and — somewhere in between — trying to look like they had a full marketing department behind them.
“They didn’t need another tool to learn. They needed something that worked for them.
Something smart. Fast. Simple. Something that could think, write, design, and schedule — without the overwhelm,” Damir says.
That question led Damir to develop a tool. At its core, the platform is an AI-powered marketing assistant that helps small business owners create content without needing a full team. With just a few lines about your company, the system can generate on-brand content: social media posts, product descriptions, emails, and product copy that matches your tone and audience.
For those starting from scratch or seeking a brand refresh, the platform includes an AI-driven visual identity toolkit: users can generate logos, slogans, color palettes, and even a basic style guide.
To save even more time, the system offers built-in scheduling and auto-publishing across major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Users can plan content and keep a steady presence online, without extra tools or complicated workflows.
“I didn’t want to create another generic content tool,” Damir says. “I wanted to give small businesses the kind of system I built inside big organizations — only faster, smarter, and completely AI-powered. Something that saves time and actually drives results.”
Notably, the platform not only creates content but also helps you decide what to say, when to say it, and how to say it right. Once your posts are live, you can see what works and adjust with confidence.
Behind it is real-world experience. The system is based on the same marketing principles Damir used to grow big brands — just made simpler and faster for everyday use.
For small business owners doing everything on their own, it’s like having a marketer in your pocket. One that helps you stay consistent, sound professional, and keep your business visible, without the stress, guesswork, or big budget.
In the end, the tool reflects a bigger shift: small businesses no longer need to choose between quality and speed. With the right systems, they can have both, even if they’re building alone.
