(Picture: George Sandman, CEO Growth Drive, and Carl J. Cox, CEO, 40 Strategy)

Strategy 4 Saturday Blog (<4 minute read)

AI versus humans – Are you scared?

The dominant feeling Americans have about artificial intelligence is caution. 54% describe their feelings towards AI using the word “cautious.” 49% say they are concerned, 40% are skeptical, 29% are curious, and 22% are scared (YouGov). According to Pew Research, Americans are 2x more likely to be concerned rather than excited about AI.

Growth Drive Conference

Last week, I was at the Growth Drive conference in Charleston, South Carolina. I was excited to finally meet Growth Drive founder, George Sandmann in person as we’ve had multiple zoom conversations over the past year. 40 Strategy has partnered with Growth Drive to help our clients understand how they can increase the value of their business by increasing the multiple. It’s an absolute game changer to quickly access company risks and to prioritize strategies with the highest ROI.

The Impact of AI 

We were excited to see the continued evolution of the software tool, and how it applies to our 40 Strategies Risk Assessment. George collected an expert panel of speakers and guests from different disciplines as well as industry focus. Part of the agenda focused on the impact of AI on our personal businesses, as well as, our clients. The recommended strategies, tactics, and tips, to apply were outstanding. I learned many new apps and concepts, which I’m eager to start using as soon as possible, such as, Perplexity.

What’s Most Important? 

Ironically, the conference reminded me what is most important, people. Yes, AI is daily replacing processes and people in the workplace. However, people are still making the decisions whether to buy or to implement AI strategies. That is why connecting with people has never been more important. I felt very fortunate to be able to take this time to be in Charleston with these experts and to make new friends.

(Picture: Growth Drive Conference in Charleston, South Carolina)
The Power of Trust 

I would say that humans have been very reluctant to trust AI for high-ticket products and services. Buyers are ignoring the hundreds of emails that sneak through the spam filter and they are having a hard time discerning because there are TOO many options. As a result, the vast majority of the content is getting ignored. As a result, people are trusting our human connections more than they are trusting an advertisement, an email, or a stranger.

I have been on several old-fashioned email requests recently. Do you know of an IT person you can trust? How about an attorney that I can trust? Do you know of an accountant to do my taxes?

40 Strategy’s Trusted Partner Network 

What was exciting about these recent developments is we have been working on developing our Trusted Partner network for the past year to solve this very problem. Our goal is to have at least one expert in each of our 40 different strategies categories that we can refer people to. We are about halfway done, we want to make sure that we are getting the right partners that we feel comfortable trusting others with. Check out the 40 Strategy website to learn more. 

Can I Borrow Your Car?

At the conference, I had the opportunity to listen to Mike Garrison, author of Can I Borrow Your Car? His insights on referrals were fantastic and he was an entertaining speaker. His catchy metaphor, Can I Borrow Your Car?, explains the problem why many people will not refer you. Their reputation is on the line and they don’t want you to fail you and “crash their car’. Thus, learning how to develop trusted relationships, to give, and receive referrals, is an important process to learn and grow your business.


If you are interested in becoming a 40 Strategy Trusted Partner, check out our website and see if you are an expert in one of available categories. If so, feel free to reach out to us and connect. We’d love to have a discussion to see if you are a great fit.

(Picture: Charleston, South Carolina)
How 40 Strategy Can Help  

As we continue to expand our reach and make new connections, it is important to us that you know how we can help. We work with small to medium sized businesses and customize our plans to meet their specific needs. There is more information on our website about each of our offerings, listed below. Don’t forget to click on our Testimonials tab to read how we’ve positively impacted our clients, straight from their mouths.

40 Strategy services: 

  • Risk/Value Assessments 
  • Strategic Planning & Facilitations 
  • Performance/Accountability Coaching 

40 Accounting services:

  • Bookkeeping 
  • Tax Services 
  • CFO Services 

Want to learn more?
Tonya, 40 Strategy, Director of Operations 

Erin, 40 Strategy, Partnership Coordinator

Nick, 40 Accounting, Director of Operations 

Podcast Schedule: 

The $4M Strategies™ theme for the week is Productive Workforce.

Measure Success Podcast 

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