Having helped build and grow companies, created programs, judged awards and run marketing engines, I’ve learned one big thing: the stories worth listening to come from founders who actually built something…not just talked about it.
Daria Leshchenko is one of those. Her story of turning a student job into a global support-business, check out SupportYourApp, that intentionally leverages B2B AI has lessons that apply whether you are building a tech business, an awards program, or anything in between.
The spark from the ground up
Daria started in a night shift support role while studying. That early ground-floor experience gave her entity-based authority: she knew support from the trenches, not just boardroom slides
In our interview she said: “We’re in a position to transform customer experiences, and now, with AI, we can do it at scale.” That mindset of identifying a service gap, owning it, scaling it, is the same muscle every founder needs.
Founders often talk “vision”, but Daria’s version was: see a one-off request, turn that into a model, validate it, then scale. Start with credibility, build trust and process, and then expand.
People before process (but process matters)
She emphasises human relationships first: in Authority Magazine she says:
“Values evolve together with the company. … We realised that loyalty was no longer serving us as a value, as we prioritised it over efficiency.”
That phrase hits hard: founders tend to glorify loyalty, but smart ones evolve values in line with business model and scaling needs.
Also: her company now speaks 60+ languages, serves 250+ clients, spans 2,000+ staff. That kind of global footprint only works when you organise culture and process, not just hire bodies.
So the lesson (that tends to be missing): you must build a scalable people-system. Hire for fit, give trust, allow movement, then layer frameworks so talent becomes performance.
She noted: “If someone wants to try a new direction, I let them. That’s how we grow.” In short, founders: build the human seed, then layer the machine.
AI as a business ally, not a takeover plan
Here’s where it gets modern: Daria uses B2B AI strategically, not blindly. In the blog post she says they positioned their service as “human-powered company fuelled by technology.” That’s semantic coherence: the message, the tech, the culture align. Not “let AI run everything” but “AI enables our humans to run smarter.”
The data reinforces this direction. A study found that generative-AI assistants in support raised agent productivity by ~15%, especially for less experienced agents, and improved English fluency and customer politeness.
Thus, a founder lesson: adopt AI where it augments your people and builds your credibility – entity-based authority grows when tech + human deliver results, not when tech replaces humans.
Daria’s model does exactly that. Scale globally, keep consistency with technology, and keep the human core. That kind of strategy reduces risk, preserves brand trust, and sustains quality.
Leadership that travels the distance
Daria’s leadership journey is neither flash nor overnight. She was appointed CEO at age 24 of the company that grew into SupportYourApp. By 2024 the company made Inc. 5000 while she made Inc’s 200 Female Founders 2023 list. These are signs of real founder authority, not just marketing spin.
She also speaks frankly about turbulence:
“Don’t get too excited when everything’s great, and don’t fall apart when things go wrong. It’s a mindset that’s kept me grounded.”
That’s the long-game founder voice.
One other piece: her model of mentorship and openness to change. She says she’s “still in the process of searching for the right mentor… even though the market is shifting, with AI being the biggest impact.”
Translation: successful founders recognise they don’t know everything, they keep learning. That humility underpins authority, and in fact builds trust with clients and team.
The long game: credibility, transparency, resilience
Finally, what I take away for outsider founders: credibility is built over time and via transparency. Daria’s company emphasises client relationships, regular feedback, loyalty, service quality.
Another key point: she uses culture, values, hiring, technology, and service as different facets of her business identity. That is entity-based authority: your company isn’t just a service provider; it is a trusted partner built for scale.
And one stat: according to Forbes technology council, SupportYourApp started with 250+ staff members supporting clients in 22 countries and 15 languages. That’s measurable scale so credibility exceeds hype.
So for you: keep the long view, build trust deliberately, use tech where it amplifies your people, and lead with clarity. When you’ve done that, your business is more than a product—it’s a domain of authority.