An innate curiosity and a determination to solve problems have sent Frank Vitetta on a path to understanding the machinations of AI.
What’s your story?
I started in digital marketing more than 20 years ago, doing SEO and lead generation for tech companies. Eventually I founded Orchid Box, a small agency focused on growth for B2B brands. Then AI started changing how people search and discover things online. So I built LLM Scout to help companies see how they appear inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. Code Scout came next, born from my own frustration with how expensive and clunky AI coding tools were getting. Everything I do today sits at the intersection of AI, search and product building.
What excites you most about your industry?
The fact that everything is changing every six months. Search itself is being rewritten. People used to type keywords into Google. Now they ask full questions to AI. This shifts how brands get discovered, how products get recommended, how trust gets built. For someone who likes building things and testing them in the real world, this is a great moment. There is no playbook. You learn by experimenting. That is the part I love the most.
What drives you in your career to push beyond what other people consider normal?
I get bored easily when things become routine. I always want to understand how a system works under the hood, not just use it. When I see a problem I cannot stop thinking about it until I find a way to fix it or build something around it. Part of it is curiosity, part of it is probably stubbornness. I also like to prove to myself that I can do hard things. Building products end to end, from the code to the go-to-market, is what keeps me sharp.
What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?
Learning to code, even at a basic level, changed everything for me. It let me build prototypes instead of just talking about ideas. SEO taught me to think in systems and to be patient, because results take months. Sales and copywriting taught me how to listen properly and explain complex things simply. And probably the most underrated skill is just shipping. Putting something out there, getting feedback, fixing it. Most people overthink and never launch.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Someone told me years ago, do not wait until you feel ready, because you will never feel ready. Just start. I think about it often. Especially when launching new products or pushing into areas I do not fully understand yet. Confidence comes after action, not before.
Who inspires you?
Founders who actually build, not just talk. People like Pieter Levels, who ships products on his own and shares everything openly. Also Naval Ravikant for the way he thinks about leverage and independence. And in a different way my dad, who ran his own business for decades in Italy and taught me discipline and long-term thinking without ever using those words.
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
How differently AI models recommend brands compared to Google. With LLM Scout I see real examples every week. A company can rank perfectly on Google and be almost invisible inside ChatGPT or Perplexity. The factors that influence AI recommendations are not the same as SEO. Citations, authority, structured content, brand mentions in the right places. It is a whole new game and most companies have no idea yet.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would start building my own products earlier. For years I worked mostly for clients, which is great for learning, but it delayed me getting into product land. I would also worry less about looking professional and ship more ugly first versions. And I would invest more time in writing and sharing publicly, because compounding online attention is one of the most valuable assets you can build today.
How do you unwind?
Working out is a big one for me, it keeps me fit and focused. I also love living in London. There is always something to do here and the international flair of the city is something I really enjoy. Friends keep coming over from all over the world, which keeps life interesting. I read a lot, fiction and non-fiction, and try to spend the occasional weekend with no laptop. Disconnecting completely is hard for me but when I manage to do it I come back with better ideas.
What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘ah ha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your career?
For a long time I thought success meant doing one big thing for a long time. Then I realised the people I admire most run several projects in parallel and let the best ones grow. You do not have to commit to one path forever. You can build, test, kill, and start again. That mindset gave me much more freedom and also better outcomes.
Everyone in business should read this book:
I will cheat and pick two. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, because it changes the way you look at everything, from work to society to why we behave the way we do. And Deep Work by Cal Newport for the practical side. It helped me protect my time and focus, which is harder than ever with AI and notifications everywhere. Both are great for people in business who want to zoom out first, then zoom back in and actually get things done.
Shameless plug for your business or career:
If you want to know how your brand appears inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity, check out LLM Scout. We help companies measure and improve their visibility inside AI answers, which is becoming the new SEO. And if you are a developer tired of paying high API costs for AI coding tools, take a look at Code Scout. A more local-first, cost-aware approach to AI-assisted development. Both products come from real problems I had to solve myself.
How can people connect with you?
Best way is LinkedIn, just search Frank Vitetta. I also reply to emails sent through frankvitetta.com. Happy to chat with founders, marketers, developers and anyone interested in AI search, LLM visibility or local AI workflows. I prefer real conversations over generic networking.
Social Media Links?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankvitetta
This interview is part of the CallumConnects series.