Growth Insights for CEOs

5 AI Trends Every CEO Must Act On
Earlier this year, I shared takeaways from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report, which showed how AI is reshaping business at a macro level. Building on that, Google Cloud’s 2025 AI Trends highlights five forces that will directly impact companies in the year ahead.
AI is no longer experimental. It is restructuring markets, reshaping customer expectations, and redrawing competitive boundaries. Here are five AI trends CEOs are preparing for now:
Recent Posts

When the Founder Is the Rainmaker: How to Scale Without Losing the Spark
Mon, Jul 7, 2025 — In many founder-led businesses, the founder isn’t just the leader—they’re also the best (and often only) rainmaker. They land the big deals. They have the trusted relationships. They know the pitch inside and out because they are the pitch. It works—until it doesn’t. As the business grows, this model creates a bottleneck. Every new opportunity depends on one and only person. And it’s the same person every time. But there’s a downside. When that person is also responsible for running the business, mentoring the team, and shaping the vision, something eventually gives.

Fast-Track Research: Creating Credible Thought Leadership Content Without Breaking the Bank
Mon, Jun 23, 2025 — My previous articles explored how research-based thought leadership transforms prospect relationships and the framework for implementing it in your ABM strategy. As a fractional CMO working with mid-market B2B companies, I frequently hear: "Research sounds great, but we don't have the resources for it."

Navigating Economic Waves: Charting a Course for Business Growth in 2025 and Beyond
Wed, Jun 18, 2025 — In today's rapidly changing business landscape, success isn't about surviving—it's about strategically thriving. As a seasoned executive and growth strategist, I've learned that understanding economic trends isn't just an academic exercise; it's the difference between being a market leader and a market follower.
Stay up-to-date with the latest from Chief Outsiders

8 Strategic Moves to Grow Your Business with AI
Wed, Jun 18, 2025 — Top takeaways and action items from Mary Meeker’s 2025 AI Trends Report Generative AI is accelerating at a pace we've never seen before. ChatGPT, for example, reached 800 million users in just 17 months—far faster than the 11 years it took Google Search to hit similar annual query volumes. Tech giants are pouring hundreds of billions into AI infrastructure, making these tools cheaper, faster, and more accessible than ever before.

From Market Competitor to Trusted Advisor: Leveraging Research to Dominate Your ABM Strategy
Thu, Jun 12, 2025 — My previous article explored how research-based thought leadership transforms prospect relationships in ABM programs. Now, let's tackle the practical framework: How do you build and implement research-driven ABM to elevate yourself from being seen as just another market competitor to becoming an indispensable trusted advisor?

The Secret Weapon in ABM: How Research-Based Thought Leadership Transforms Prospect Relationships
Tue, Jun 3, 2025 — ABM programs that consistently outperform are those anchored in credible, research-based thought leadership. I've seen it repeatedly throughout my career as a marketing leader. In my experience, this approach leads to improved conversion from the first meeting to the next sales stages and shorter sales cycles. The secret isn't just better targeting – it's the authority established through proprietary insights.

Why CEOs Must Be Active on Social Media: Building Trust and Authenticity with Customers
Wed, May 14, 2025 — I’ve seen firsthand how a CEO’s presence on social media changes how people view a company. Customers, employees, and potential hires want to know who’s steering the ship. When I show up online and share my perspective, the conversations become more genuine, and trust starts to build. It’s not about self-promotion – it’s about showing the real person behind the title.

Sales Velocity Model: A Tool for Growth Engine Mechanics
Wed, May 14, 2025 — Most companies deploy a sales “force”. Too often, their combined efforts are not meeting company growth expectations. Most CEOs would like a better growth engine, a larger sales pipeline, and more sales, but they struggle with exactly how to help their sales teams. Busy CEOs combined with people and process related complexities of Sales, often results in companies not being clear on the root cause of their growth engine problems.

The Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, Part 4: How a Shared Playbook Across Sales and Marketing Unlocks Value
Fri, May 2, 2025 — This is Part 4 of the Revenue-Ready Marketing Playbook, a 4-part series for mid-market CEOs who want marketing to move the needle. You’ve got a sharp Marketing team. An experienced Sales leader. Solid product-market fit. And yet, the customer experience feels disjointed. Campaigns generate leads that go quiet after handoff. Sales calls start from scratch, even when prospects have engaged with marketing content. Messaging shifts between touchpoints and the onboarding experience doesn’t match what was sold.