Why Brands That Still Run Ads Are Losing to Brands That Tell Stories

Key Takeaways

  • People don’t remember ads. They remember stories that reflect who they are and what they value.
  • Attention isn’t bought anymore; it’s earned through meaning, emotion and sustained narrative.

We are living through the age of brand-built entertainment.

This is not a marketing trend, and it is not a creative fad. It is a structural shift in how attention is earned, how trust is built, and how value is created. Brands are no longer competing only with each other. They are competing with entertainment, culture and story itself.

For decades, brands relied on repetition and interruption. You bought media, you pushed messages and you hoped frequency would do the work. That model is breaking down because attention has fundamentally changed. Audiences are more selective, more distracted and far less tolerant of anything that feels like an advert. The moment something feels transactional, people scroll past it.

As a result, brands are struggling to sell to their customers in the normal way. Not because their products are worse, but because the mechanics of persuasion have shifted. People do not want to be marketed to. They want to feel something. They want to be engaged. They want to be drawn into a narrative in which they recognise themselves.

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Content is changing

That is why we are seeing such a sharp rise in vertical dramas, short-form series, mini dramas and episodic storytelling designed specifically for mobile and social platforms. These formats are not a downgrade from television. They are a response to how people actually consume content today. Short episodes, strong hooks, emotional continuity and characters that return again and again.

What brands are beginning to understand is that audiences do not build relationships with products. They build relationships with stories. When a brand becomes part of a story world, rather than an interruption around it, the dynamic changes completely. Trust forms, then memory and then attachment.

This is where brands stop behaving like advertisers and start behaving like media companies.

At that point, the focus shifts away from surface-level messaging and towards meaning. It is no longer about how a product looks, but what it represents. This is not a new idea. It is an old one, articulated long before marketing departments existed.

As Aristotle remarked, “Art aims to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” That is exactly what is happening now. Brands that move into storytelling are no longer selling features. They are expressing values, identity and emotional truth.

I have been working at the intersection of brands and media for over twenty years, and the last five in particular have made this shift impossible to ignore. Media companies are learning how to think like brands, and brands are learning how to build studios, intellectual property and story engines. The line between the two has collapsed because audiences no longer separate them. They only decide what is worth their time.

AI has accelerated this change, but it has not altered the fundamentals. Production is faster, distribution is cheaper and experimentation is easier than ever. But as the volume of content increases, meaning becomes scarcer. Technology does not replace storytelling. It amplifies the importance of those who know how to do it well.

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Experienced storytellers are valuable

This is why experienced storytellers are becoming more valuable, not less. In a world flooded with content, the ability to build character, tension and emotional payoff is the real competitive advantage. Brands that understand this are no longer running campaigns. They are building worlds. They are thinking in seasons, not slogans.

In the age of brand-built entertainment, the brands that win will not be the loudest or the most visible. They will be the ones who create stories people choose to spend time with. They will stop renting attention and start earning it. They will move from selling products to creating meaning.

And this is where it ultimately leads, just as it always has.

As Plato said, “Those who tell the stories rule society.”

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/why-the-smartest-brands-are-becoming-media-companies/502504

CEOs of Major Companies Are Being Replaced at a Record Pace — Here’s the Reason Why

Warning to executives: Don’t get too comfortable in your corner office. Nearly one in nine CEOs was replaced last year, the highest rate since the financial crisis, and CFO turnover hit a seven-year high, according to new data from Russell Reynolds Associates.

The replacements are younger and greener. More than 80% of the 168 incoming CEOs were first-timers with no prior experience running public companies. Two-thirds have never served on a corporate board. Some companies that brought in new CEOs this year include Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Disney, PayPal, and HP.

What’s driving the shift? AI disruption, unraveling trade practices, and an unsettled economy are forcing boards to rethink leadership. But there’s also burnout. Retirements accounted for 60% of CFO departures, with many veterans opting for board work or advisory roles over grueling schedules.

Read more

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from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/record-ceo-and-cfo-turnover-is-reshaping-corporate-america/502898

Entrepreneurs Can Save Hours Every Week With This $13 Upgrade

Entrepreneurs need to be efficient. If you’re using an older PC, it’s time to bring it up to speed with an operating system (OS) that’s built for the modern professional — Microsoft Windows 11 Pro. Right now, you can give your device this impressive upgrade for an amazingly low price — just $12.97 — now through March 22.

This Windows upgrade could make your workday a lot smoother

As an entrepreneur, you’re used to long hours spent on the computer. But what if there were a way to make your device more efficient and improve your daily workflow? That’s what Windows 11 Pro brings to the table: a new OS that’s ready to give you a new interface and a fresh set of tools to work with.

Windows 11 Pro took today’s workforce into consideration when designing this update. You can save time with a more powerful search experience and improved voice typing. The seamless new interface also offers easy redocking, snap layouts, and more features that boost your productivity, like Azure AD, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and BitLocker.

This OS includes Microsoft Teams, a tool that keeps you connected with coworkers, and Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistance. Access Copilot right on your desktop and ask it questions — it can help with your workflow, change settings, summarize web pages, and even open apps for you.

If you’ve been neglecting your cybersecurity, Windows 11 Pro has features to help you step it up. It includes biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and enhanced antivirus protection.

Get this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license for just $12.97 now through March 22.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/entrepreneurs-can-save-hours-every-week-with-this-13/502845

How to Stop Publishing Content Nobody Cares About and Create Content Your Audience Loves

Key Takeaways

  • Understanding your audience and being genuine are crucial for creating content that resonates and establishes trust.
  • High-quality content with consistent delivery paves the way for brand loyalty, especially among millennial and Gen Z consumers.
  • Content is a strategic asset in a world flooded with noise; it’s vital for differentiation and engaging consumers with your brand story.

There’s a reason you’re reading this post right now. Maybe you follow me on social media because you’re familiar with my business. Maybe you were scrolling through your newsfeed and the headline caught your eye. Or maybe you’re a founder researching ways to write content that sticks, and this was one of the top results in the queue.

I may be a tech guy at heart, but writing articles like these is a part of my job that I take very seriously. My journey as a bootstrapped founder has been pretty unique, and I love to share my insights and lessons learned with others who may be traveling along a similar path.

But there’s another dimension, too. I want to be embedded in the communities that I think Jotform should reach. If you know me, and my product feels familiar, you’re more likely to think of us the next time you need an online form builder.

To pose a slightly modified version of the classic question: If you build a world-class product that no one knows about, does it even exist? The answer is simple — no.

Producing high-quality content is a great way for users to get to know you and what makes your business unique. Millennial and Gen Z consumers in particular want to understand a company’s values, motivations and intentions before they’re willing to spend their money. Brands that consistently publish thoughtful, well-crafted content are more likely to earn trust and long-term loyalty than those that simply push products or promotions.

But while there’s certainly no shortage of corporate content, many businesses fall short of hitting the “high-quality” mark. There’s a lot of bad writing and AI slop out there these days — some researchers place that figure as high as 50%. If you really want your voice to stand out, you have to offer something people can’t get anywhere else. Here’s how to do it.

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Know your audience

Before you begin building a product, you want to understand who’s likely to use it. The same goes for your writing. Who is your target audience? What insights do you specifically have to offer, and why should they care?

I’ll use myself as an example. I’m a voracious reader, and I spend a lot of time consuming both traditional publications and posts in online forums. I love to get a sense of the conversations happening in the tech world. Spending time in these communities gives me a window into current trends, shared frustrations and the kinds of problems people are trying to solve.

I’ve long posted on forums like Reddit and Indie Hackers, a habit that became even more ingrained as I prepared to release my first book. Not only was I able to figure out what subjects resonated with my target audience, but being an involved part of these online communities meant that once the book was done, I could share it there, knowing I’d have at least a small instant readership. Going back even further, actively participating in various startup forums allowed me to build relationships with people who would later become Jotform users.

Be genuine

If you follow my work, you probably know quite a bit about my life. You know I’m a husband, a father and that I love spending time on my family’s olive farm in my native Turkey. You probably also know that one of my life’s missions is to eliminate all forms of busywork and create more time and space for the sorts of ambitious projects that give us purpose.

But you also know that the process of building my company has not been a straight line. I’ve written extensively about my missteps, struggles and the things I wish I had done differently. I share these insights both because I want others to learn from my mistakes, and also because I don’t want to create the impression that building my business has been easy — it hasn’t. I’ve always loved Shoe Dog, the memoir by Nike founder Phil Knight, because it charts the tough road from Nike’s unglamorous early days to its current status as a global sportswear superpower. It’s hard to imagine anyone as successful as Knight having undergone prolonged periods of struggle. And yet that’s exactly what makes his story so compelling.

Being willing to share the less-than glamorous aspects of your journey isn’t showing weakness; it’s showing vulnerability. If you want your readers — and customers — to understand where you’re coming from, you have to be willing to reveal the ugly along with the good.

Be consistent

As much as everyone loves a viral moment, that isn’t where real impact comes from. Instead, think of content as a long-term investment. Winning the SEO game requires consistently producing genuinely useful, well-written posts that spark interest and earn backlinks from other sites. It won’t happen overnight — patience and persistence are key.

It’s also prudent to start generating content before you actually release your product to build excitement. In the past, founders had to rely on paid advertising and media placements to get eyeballs on their businesses. Today, social platforms, forums and self-publishing tools make it possible for anyone to grow a substantial audience if they’re willing to put in the effort. If you already have an audience — even a small one — you have an engaged group of readers you can point toward your product the moment it launches.

For the tech-minded, it’s easy to dismiss content as frivolous. But take it from me: Your product, no matter how useful or innovative, will not speak for itself. You don’t have to be a professional writer or producer. But being able to communicate your story and your “why” will set you apart in a world crowded with noise.

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from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/read-this-before-you-publish-another-useless-startup-blog/501001

This AI Assistant Runs Entirely on Your Computer With No Monthly Fees

It’s no secret that businesses are increasingly concerned about artificial intelligence (AI) privacy and escalating subscription costs. Many entrepreneurs find themselves locked into expensive monthly AI services while worrying about where their sensitive business data ends up.

Pansophy is an AI desktop assistant that offers a different approach entirely, and a lifetime subscription is available now for only $59.97 (reg. $199).

Keep your assistance local and private

This fully local AI desktop assistant runs completely on your computer with no cloud connection, no tokens, and no recurring fees, thecompany says. For business owners who are juggling multiple responsibilities, this means unlimited access to AI-powered writing, coding, document analysis, and web search without the typical constraints or privacy concerns that come with cloud-based alternatives.

The business case is straightforward. Instead of paying monthly subscription fees that add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars annually, you get lifetime access for a one-time payment. More importantly for entrepreneurs who are handling sensitive client information, financial data, or proprietary business strategies, everything stays on your device. Your conversations, documents, and searches never leave your computer, eliminating data breach risks and compliance headaches, the company says.

Pansophy handles the tasks entrepreneurs need daily: drafting emails, generating business proposals, analyzing PDF reports, writing code for business automation, and brainstorming marketing strategies. The AI works across multiple languages, which is valuable for businesses operating internationally or serving diverse markets.

Easy to integrate

The system runs on standard hardware without requiring expensive GPUs, making it accessible whether you’re working from a laptop at a coffee shop or a desktop in your home office. It works offline after initial activation, so you’re not dependent on internet connectivity for productivity. Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS are all supported.

The value proposition is straightforward: pay once, use forever, with complete data privacy. For small-business owners and solopreneurs who are looking to integrate AI into their workflow without ongoing costs or privacy trade-offs, this represents a practical alternative to subscription-based services.

Get this Pansophy Private Personal AI Desktop Assistant for $59.97 (reg. $199) in the Entrepreneur Store today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/this-ai-assistant-runs-entirely-on-your-computer-with-no/502778

This AI Workspace Helps Entrepreneurs Streamline Collaboration for $39

Entrepreneurs don’t usually struggle with ideas, but they can struggle with organization. Between pitch decks, product roadmaps, and marketing plans, information can get scattered across documents. Luckily, there’s a tool called Hive AI that is designed to solve this problem—all for just $39 (reg. $204).

By consolidating structured documentation, task management, and visual collaboration on a single platform, Hive AI combines the best of Notion and Miro into a single AI-powered workspace. Instead of toggling between tools, teams can write, brainstorm, visualize workflows, and build presentations from a single unified canvas.

Hive AI provides an infinite canvas for sketching business concepts and mapping operational processes, alongside document creation and organized databases for tracking projects. The AI tool allows you to edit business plans for tone and clarity, generate executive summaries, create mind maps to break down complex initiatives, and produce presentation-ready slides in moments. Built-in AI chat delivers rapid insights and supports ideation, which is key for entrepreneurs who need answers fast.

For business owners, the value lies in speed and cohesion

  • Agencies can brainstorm campaigns, draft client proposals, and manage deliverables in one environment.
  • Product teams can map feature roadmaps visually while keeping technical specs and timelines connected.
  • Consultants and solo founders can turn rough concepts into structured plans and investor-ready decks without juggling multiple subscriptions.
  • Operations teams can visualize workflows and refine processes without exporting files between tools.

Consolidating collaboration into one system reduces friction and lowers the risk of information slipping through the cracks. It can also help control recurring software costs, a meaningful advantage for teams and founders who aim to maximize every dollar.

For entrepreneurs who are looking to streamline collaboration, accelerate planning, and simplify their tech stack, Hive AI is a one-time investment that could make day-to-day execution more efficient. A lifetime subscription to the basic plan is currently on sale for $39 (reg. $204).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/this-ai-workspace-helps-entrepreneurs-streamline/502844

Store 1TB of Company Files for Just $60

Businesses lose an average of 20% to 30% of revenue annually due to inefficient data management, a report from tech intelligence firm IDC says. If you’re juggling client files, project documents, or marketing assets, multiple team members, and locations, you may want to consolidate your company files into one secure global cloud platform. OnlineDrive gives you 1TB of storage with enterprise-grade security and team features. Best of all, a lifetime subscription is currently just $59.99.

Six server regions mean faster access everywhere

OnlineDrive runs from six server regions across North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. Whether your team is in Phoenix, London, or Singapore, you get faster uploads and downloads. Companies with remote workers or international clients will no longer suffer through frustrating wait times that kill momentum, OnlineDrive says.

The Professional Plan includes three workspaces, each with up to five users. Legal firms can set up separate client workspaces with permission controls that keep confidential documents accessible only to the right people. Accounting practices can give clients viewer-only access while staff maintain upload rights. Sales teams can share decks with prospects using password-protected links that expire after you set the time frame.

You’ll love having a platform that makes sure your large file uploads work even on shaky connections. If your internet drops while uploading a 500MB client video, the resumable upload feature picks up right where it left off. You can protect business files with SSL encryption and enterprise S3 infrastructure that delivers 99.9% uptime, the company says.

The platform previews Word docs, Excel sheets, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs directly in your browser. Stream HD video and audio files instantly. Team workspaces keep files centralized, so when someone leaves, your important documents stay put instead of vanishing with their personal account. Shareable links let you generate secure URLs for any file or folder – perfect for client deliverables, vendor specs, or board materials.

Get this lifetime subscription to an OnlineDrive Cloud Storage Professional Plan today, while it’s on sale for just $59.99 (MSRP $387).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/store-1tb-of-company-files-for-just-60/502817

This Is How Solo Creators Stop Posting to Silence and Hit Over 50,000 Views Without The Guesswork

Most solo creators are still posting into silence — tweaking hooks, chasing trends and hoping the algorithm finally notices them.

But ChatGPT’s new agent doesn’t rely on hope or hustle. It removes guesswork entirely by spotting momentum before it shows up in your feed — so you’re no longer late to what’s already working.

This isn’t another AI writing tool or content idea generator. It functions like a fully autonomous strategist — scanning platforms like Reddit, Substack and YouTube in real time, identifying early breakout signals, and translating them into content angles that are already primed to take off.

In this video, I’ll show you how one shift took me from posting to silence to real traction — including how a single piece of content broke out in under 48 hours after the Agent flagged the opportunity.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Breakout signals, not guesses: How the Agent detects early momentum patterns before topics hit the mainstream — so you publish ahead of the curve, not after it’s saturated.
  • Why this beats keyword tools: How focusing on emotional triggers and audience response outperforms traditional SEO thinking — and why this creates faster traction with less effort.
  • What winning content actually has in common: How the Agent breaks down titles, hooks, pacing and framing from top-performing videos — so you’re not copying blindly, but borrowing what consistently works.
  • A repeatable content system: How I use one simple prompt to map out a full week of high-confidence content ideas — without brainstorming, overthinking, or burning out.

Because the reality is this: in 2026, creators don’t win by posting more. They win by removing uncertainty. You’re either guessing what might work — or operating with an edge while everyone else catches up.

The AI Success Kit is available to download for free, along with a chapter from my new book, “The Wolf is at The Door.”

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/this-is-how-solo-creators-stop-posting-to-silence-and-hit/502848

The Market Already Told You to Pivot — Here’s How to Listen

Key Takeaways

  • Learn how to pivot strategically by observing what users actually do, not what they say.
  • Turn early feedback into actionable insights that guide your startup to real traction.

Every founder begins with conviction. You believe your product solves a real problem. Your team is capable. The market is ready.

Then the launch happens — and the response is quieter than expected.

Customers don’t adopt. Engagement stalls. The excitement you felt in pitch meetings doesn’t translate into traction.

This isn’t the end of the road — It’s the moment to pivot.

Pivoting isn’t an admission of failure. It’s a strategic response to new information. The strongest founders don’t pivot because they failed — they pivot because they paid attention. Nearly every breakout startup has a pivot story in its early chapters: Instagram began as a cluttered check-in app before stripping itself down to photo sharing. Slack started as an internal tool inside a struggling gaming company.

The common thread? They followed user behavior, not their original plan.

Here’s how to know when it’s time to pivot — and how to do it without losing your leadership credibility or long-term vision.

1. Recognize when the market is telling you “no”

Founders rarely struggle with building. They struggle with letting go.

It’s tempting to believe that if you just market harder, raise more money or add one more feature, things will click. But the market doesn’t reward effort. It rewards value.

  • If users try your product but don’t return, that’s not a marketing issue — it’s a signal.
  • If prospects “love the idea” but won’t pay, that’s not encouragement — it’s hesitation.
  • If customer acquisition costs keep rising while lifetime value lags, that’s not a scaling problem — it’s a fit problem.

The most dangerous moment in a startup isn’t failure. It’s slow, polite indifference.

Instead of defending your assumptions, get curious. Talk to users who churned. Ask what problem they were actually trying to solve. Study retention data. Look for friction points. Most importantly, re-examine your core question: are you solving a must-have problem or a nice-to-have one?

A pivot begins with honesty.

2. Understand what a pivot really means

A pivot is not starting from zero. It’s redirecting your existing assets — technology, insight, audience or infrastructure — toward a stronger opportunity.

There are different ways this can happen.

Sometimes you keep the product but change the customer. Slack realized the communication tool it built for its own team was more valuable than the game it was developing. Sometimes you keep the audience but change the product. Twitter emerged after its founders noticed internal traction around short status updates. Sometimes the problem shifts. Instagram stripped away layers of features from its original app until only photo sharing remained — and that clarity unlocked growth. And sometimes the technology finds a new purpose. PayPal pivoted after recognizing that users were using its encryption tool to send money.

Notice what these examples have in common: the insight came from observing behavior, not brainstorming hypotheticals.

Before you rebuild, map what’s already working. Is there a feature users gravitate toward? A segment that shows unusual enthusiasm? An unexpected use case emerging organically?

The best pivots amplify existing signals.

3. Execute the pivot with discipline

Once you decide to change direction, speed matters — but discipline matters more.

Start by revisiting customer conversations. Not casual feedback but deep problem discovery. What outcome are people truly trying to achieve? Next, identify the strongest engagement pattern in your data. There is almost always one workflow, feature or use case that stands out. That’s your clue. Then test, don’t rebuild. Launch a lightweight experiment. Create a landing page. Prototype a stripped-down version. Validate demand before committing engineering resources.

A pivot should leverage your strengths — your technology, your brand credibility or your domain expertise. If it ignores your foundation entirely, it’s not a pivot. It’s a restart.

And throughout the process, communicate clearly. Investors and teams don’t lose confidence because of change. They lose confidence because of silence. Share what you’ve learned, why you’re adjusting and what success now looks like.

4. Lead through the uncertainty

Strategy is only half the battle. Leadership determines whether a pivot feels like panic or progress.

Your team will take emotional cues from you. If you frame the pivot as learning, it becomes evolution. If you frame it as survival, it becomes fear.

Strong leaders balance humility and conviction. Humility to admit what didn’t work. Conviction to chart a better path forward.

This period may require difficult decisions — sunsetting features, shifting roles, refining your positioning or even rebranding. But your deeper mission should remain intact. The “how” may change. The “why” shouldn’t.

Reaffirm that why. Remind your team what problem you exist to solve. Celebrate the insights gained from the first iteration. Make it clear that iteration is a strength, not a weakness.

The real beginning

A pivot is both an ending and a beginning.

It’s the moment your startup stops being the idea you’re attached to and starts becoming the solution the market actually wants.

The founders who survive aren’t the ones who guess correctly the first time. They’re the ones who adapt fastest when the data changes.

If your first version didn’t land, don’t call it a failure. Call it feedback.

Then move.

Because in entrepreneurship, survival isn’t luck. It’s adaptation.

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/the-market-already-told-you-to-pivot-heres-how-to/499476

Most Founders Don’t Realize They’re Giving Away Their Influence — Here’s How to Take It Back

Key Takeaways

  • Most founders think data is just a byproduct — but it’s quietly influencing decisions across your business.
  • Small, unexamined choices in how you collect and manage data can have outsized effects on growth and strategy.

Every piece of data your company collects isn’t just information — it’s influence. And if you’re not intentional about how it’s used, you’re already giving your power away — to AI, competitors and even the market itself.

Every search, purchase, loyalty swipe, location ping and scroll feeds systems that now shape pricing, product decisions, hiring and marketing strategies. Most founders understand this in theory, but few grasp the practical consequence: whether they intend to or not, they and their customers are already casting votes with their data. And those votes? They’re usually cast passively, on someone else’s terms.

Data is not just a privacy issue — it’s a power issue

Data is often framed through compliance banners or privacy discussions, but in reality, it functions like capital. It shapes incentives, determines leverage and increasingly guides AI behavior. When AI shows bias or produces flawed results, it’s rarely a mystery — those outcomes reflect the data it was trained on. That data didn’t appear by accident; it’s the result of countless small decisions companies made to prioritize growth, speed, or convenience over intentionality.

AI mirrors what it’s fed — and what it’s fed reflects who has control.

Turn passive data collection into strategic influence

Consider loyalty programs. They started as simple tools for discounts and inventory management. Over time, they evolved into behavioral engines. Purchase histories became linked to emails, devices and locations, forming detailed consumer profiles.

Today, those profiles drive far more than coupons — they feed AI models that influence pricing, recommendations and demand forecasting across industries. Consumers rarely see how their data is used, let alone control it. The problem isn’t malice — it’s passivity. Without conscious design, influence is quietly taken from you and your customers.

Why founders lose control without noticing

This dynamic affects companies as much as consumers. Many fast-growing brands treat data as a byproduct rather than an asset, sharing it freely with partners and assuming compliance alone is enough. Growth may look strong — until it isn’t.

Imagine a consumer brand discovering that data shared with an advertising partner was used to train AI models favoring competitors offering marginal discounts. The company inadvertently contributed to its own erosion.

Similarly, a B2B platform could find its aggregated customer data shaping AI tools that later become competitors. Legally, nothing was wrong. But influence had already shifted, quietly away from the company that generated it.

This is what an unintentional data vote looks like.

Reclaim control: treat data like capital

Regaining influence doesn’t require radical reinvention. It requires intentional design. The companies that do this well:

  • Track what data comes in, where it goes, and who interacts with it.
  • Distinguish between data needed to operate and data collected out of habit.
  • Make tradeoffs intentionally, not performatively.

Eliminating non-essential data points can improve insight rather than reduce it. With less noise, forecasting models become more accurate and customer trust increases. Clear communication about data use can even raise opt-in rates, improving data quality overall.

AI follows incentives, not intentions

Many leaders miscalculate by assuming AI will follow their values. AI systems respond to signals. If your data practices prioritize volume over clarity or extraction over alignment, AI will reflect that path — regardless of your stated intentions.

Conversely, companies that define boundaries early build systems that are easier to audit, adapt, and trust. They also reduce long-term regulatory and operational risk because their foundation is intentionally designed, not accidentally accumulated.

The strategic value of an informed data vote

Founders often fear that limiting data collection will slow growth. In practice, the opposite is often true.

  • Customers who feel agency share higher-quality data.
  • Teams that understand the purpose of data use it more effectively.
  • Companies retaining control over how data enters AI ecosystems preserve leverage over their future role.

A conscious, intentional approach to data collection and AI influence is the real “data vote.” It ensures your company remains in control of its own trajectory.

The future rewards intentionality

AI will continue to advance. Data will continue to shape it. The advantage will go to companies that understand what they are contributing and what they are giving away.

Founders who lead in the next phase won’t be the ones who collected the most data — they will be the ones who used it with intention, governed it with clarity, and recognized early that data is not just information. It is influence.

And influence, once surrendered, is extremely difficult to reclaim.

from Entrepreneur – Latest https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/most-founders-dont-realize-theyre-giving-away-their/500880

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