by Kahn Media
This is the guiding principal behind most new businesses, the entrepreneurial "eat or be eaten" ethos that drives the builders, the doers and the risk-takers responsible for history's greatest brands and companies. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.otsspodcast.com?utm_medium=podcast">www.otsspodcast.com</a>
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June 18, 2026
<p>As the senior vice president of automotive at CI&T, Nick Haywood helps clients navigate the digital landscape and build high-impact solutions for it. From major OEMs to dealership groups and niche players, Nick specializes in driving businesses forward through technology, focusing on data management, e-commerce platforms and apps to elevate the customer experience.</p><p>Lately, AI has taken center stage in his work. Beyond helping clients integrate AI into their daily workflows, Nick is currently spearheading a major initiative to establish AI use standards for the automotive retail industry, further streamlining the car-buying journey.</p><p>On this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Nick joins host Dan Kahn to share his deep expertise on how AI is reshaping the business landscape. It’s an incredibly insightful, must-listen episode for any entrepreneur or brand leader. </p><p></p><p>Click the icon above to listen to the full episode, and here are our top five takeaways:</p><p>* AI is now acting as a filter for consumers.</p><p>* The eventual rise of agentic AI will change everything.</p><p>* AI first movers will see major benefits.</p><p>* You need to understand your business before throwing AI at it.</p><p>* AI is actually in its “easy phase” right now.</p><p></p><p><strong>Things Are Messy Right Now</strong></p><p>One of the big shifts right now is from an attention-based economy to a filter-based one. LLMs are now acting as shopping companions, filtering information for their users. The challenge many brands now face is to alter outdated marketing tactics to be included in those AI-powered recommendations.</p><p>“AI as a companion to me as a customer is changing fundamentally how dealer groups and OEMS are used to interacting with their customers,” said Nick. “My AI companion now decides what comes into my world. It starts to know me and knows I might value convenience over price. It will then suggest particular options based on that.”</p><p></p><p><strong>And It Will Get Even Messier</strong></p><p>AI is evolving rapidly, and businesses are struggling to adapt. However, Nick notes that even more changes are just over the horizon. The eventual rise of AI agents capable of making shopping decisions for consumers, rather than acting solely as consultants, will greatly complicate the retail and marketing landscape.</p><p>“Everything is set up at the moment to market to humans and to service humans. That is all about to change,” said Nick. “So, now, how do I market to a synthetic customer who isn’t affected by emotion and has guardrails built in? We are going to need a lot of new stuff and more experiences built.”</p><p></p><p><strong>The Time to Move on AI is Now</strong></p><p>Some brands have been hesitant to adopt AI, thinking that it is a fad that might eventually go away. Others are merely stuck in their ways and afraid of change. However, Nick notes that there is a serious advantage to being a first mover, but that window is closing.</p><p>“If you remember back to when Google Search started becoming a thing, the people who got into it first had all the traffic. Eventually, everyone got there, and it became competitive,” said Nick. “We are exactly in that same window now with AI. The first movers who embrace this tech and see customer behavior changing and jump in with two feet are going to get all the traffic, attention and eyeballs.”</p><p></p><p><strong>Before You Leap</strong></p><p>In the rush to be first movers, many brands have run headfirst into AI. There are now plenty of companies using AI but not effectively. To make the most of AI, you need a deep understanding of your business, its strengths and weaknesses, and where AI can have the greatest impact.</p><p>“More importantly, especially on the automotive retail side, you need to understand your business first before you throw AI at it. If you don’t, all you are going to do is do the wrong things faster,” said Nick. “You used to call some customers, but now you can call 1,000 customers in a minute. But is that the right channel to now be contacting your customers on?”</p><p></p><p><strong>We’re at the Easy Phase of AI</strong></p><p>Believe it or not, even with all the changes, things are relatively simple with AI right now. That is because most of us are currently using AI to enhance productivity and become more efficient. As consumer behavior radically changes in the near future, increased efficiency will become essential to ensure we have the capacity to handle all those shifts.</p><p>“We are at the easy phase of AI right now because we are using it as an efficiency play to do more of the same stuff,” said Nick. “However, if you go back to those customer behavior changes, every business is going to be radically different in five years. As we get more efficient at doing stuff, we are going to need that efficiency to capitalize on these new opportunities that are emerging in an AI-first world.”</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.otsspodcast.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">www.otsspodcast.com</a>
June 4, 2026
<p>When Dan Kahn isn’t hosting “The Only The Strong Survive” podcast, he serves as CEO of Kahn Media and the outdoor-focused TREAD Agency. Both agencies offer a wide range of innovative marketing services to everything from small startups to mid-size companies to massive OEMs. His “day job” of leading both agencies and over two decades of experience give Dan deep insight into the marketing landscape and the many challenges brands currently face.</p><p>In this unique solo episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” Dan takes a break from the podcast’s usual format. Instead of interviewing a guest, he takes time to reflect on how modern marketing is rapidly changing and what brands can do to stay ahead. </p><p>Click on the icon above to listen to the entire insightful episode, and here are our top takeaways:</p><p>* There is a huge shift in consumer behavior happening right now.</p><p>* The current marketing landscape is stuck between two different economies.</p><p>* Building brand authenticity is still one of the best ways to connect with consumers.</p><p>* Breaking through to consumers without damaging your brand is vital.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Big Shift</strong></p><p>One massive change Dan explains is happening right now is the shift from an attention economy to a filtering economy. Most of us are familiar with the attention economy, where brands that make the most “noise” tend to win. However, that is now being replaced by an environment in which marketing messages are “filtered” before ever reaching consumers.</p><p>“We have become completely overwhelmed with content. What that means now is people are relying on third parties to sort and prioritize that content for them,” explained Dan. “That could be an algorithm on a social platform, it could be AI in your Gmail helping you organize spam from emails you are getting directly from your coworkers or it could be even something like an LLM. Those filters are helping people assess what information they want from the stuff they don’t want.”</p><p></p><p><strong>The New Grey Area</strong></p><p>AI acts as a large-scale filter, providing an ever-increasing number of consumers with product information and recommendations. Its mass adoption has helped to usher in a new filtered economy. However, according to Dan, that shift isn’t fully complete, leaving brands having to operate in a grey area between an older attention economy and a newer filtered one.</p><p>“It is one of the biggest shifts in consumer behavior that has happened in the last century. We don’t even know when that transition will be completed because we are still certainly living in this transitional phase right now,” said Dan. “The attention economy does still function, and the filtering economy is still coming online. The number of people adopting AI for decision-making is doubling about every six months, and at this point, the most recent study I read said over 1 billion people on Earth have now used AI in the last month.”</p><p></p><p><strong>Future Proofing Your Brand</strong></p><p>Many companies are struggling with this huge shift in consumer behavior. How does one stand out when there are now multiple filters between a brand and consumers? For Dan, the answer is to lean hard into building an authentic brand as it will always be the best way to connect with your customers.</p><p>“How do you future proof your business? How do you figure out how to stand out in a world where algorithms and LLMs are making a lot of decisions for you? Well, one of the ways you do it is through authenticity,” said Dan. “To me, branding is not just a logo. Your brand is who you are, what you stand for and your values. It is what it says about a person or a customer when they buy your product. What are they aligning themselves with?”</p><p></p><p><strong>The Challenge</strong></p><p>Some brands are looking for gimmicky ways to break through the new filters and gain attention. However, the recent Ferrari Luce launch and highly questionable Jaguar rebrand are good examples of how that tactic can fail. The biggest challenge is connecting with consumers in a way that doesn’t damage your brand, which requires longer-term thinking and a deeper understanding.</p><p>“How do you stay loyal and true to the values that brought you to the customer in the first place while also being visible enough that you can break through that filtered economy and get the algorithms and the LLMs to recommend you? That is the challenge, and it is an interesting one,” said Dan. “You can turn the hard stuff into good stuff if you are willing to understand how this transitory ecosystem we are living in actually works.”</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.otsspodcast.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">www.otsspodcast.com</a>
May 21, 2026
<p>In the world of motorsports, some races test your outright speed, and then some test the absolute limits of mechanical and human endurance. Falling squarely into the latter category is King of the Hammers (KOH), widely recognized as the toughest one-day off-road race on the planet. What started as a casual challenge among 12 friends in 2007 has evolved into a massive, week-long global phenomenon that draws over 80,000 spectators and hundreds of elite race teams to the rugged terrain of Johnson Valley, California.</p><p>At the helm leading that dramatic transformation after founding the race in 2007 is Dave Cole. In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn speaks with Dave about what it took to transform KOH and the many lessons he learned along the way. It is an amazing look at entrepreneurship on a grand scale. </p><p></p><p>Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:</p><p>* Keeping to the middle can minimize ups and downs.</p><p>* Build your vision and stick to it.</p><p>* Overcoming challenges is all about getting people to work with you.</p><p>* You have to pay attention to the next generations.</p><p>* Listening is a critical part of leadership.</p><p></p><p><strong>Play the Middle</strong></p><p>There have obviously been many highs and lows in turning KOH into what it is today. All of them could have easily created an emotional rollercoaster that would have challenged the sanity of any entrepreneur. However, Dave created a unique way to handle the ups and downs and keep pushing forward.</p><p>“I don’t ever remotely think about the mistakes of yesterday. I just go forward, go forward and go forward,” said Dave. “I also don’t celebrate the wins either because if you go up with the wins, you have to crash hard with the losses. If you find some way not to go too high with the wins, then you won’t crash as hard with the losses, and you will still be in the middle. If you keep to that middle part, you can keep going the next day.”</p><p></p><p><strong>Stop Chasing Everything</strong></p><p>One of the pivotal moves Dave made early on was to avoid morphing KOH into what a big sponsor wanted. With the natural ebb and flow of sponsors, KOH could become something it shouldn’t be. Instead of chasing big sponsors, Dave focused on building KOH as he envisioned, and then sponsors approached him.</p><p>“I stopped trying to chase the big single-title sponsors, which seemed to be what everyone would go after. If you do that, you are building your event around what they need, and that could change every three years when their marketing budget changes,” said Dave. “If you build the event to what you need and they find value in what you are doing, you can just keep plugging away.”</p><p></p><p><strong>The Secret to Overcoming Challenges</strong></p><p>If there is one thing Dave has become a certifiable expert in, it is overcoming challenges. Turning a dry lakebed into a city, running a massive race on BLM land and livestreaming the entire event from the middle of nowhere have all posed major challenges. However, Dave has overcome them all by sticking to one philosophy.</p><p>“No matter what the challenge is, your challenge is enrolling people to be your supporters rather than your detractors. That is the constant battle. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re making a race or trying to be elected president or whatever,” said Dave. “All you are doing is working with people to get them in one way or another to work with you. As soon as you can achieve that, then everything is easy, no matter what the technical hurdle is.”</p><p></p><p><strong>Building the Next Generation</strong></p><p>Ultimately, if you want any form of motorsports to be a long-term success, you have to ensure there is another generation coming. To accomplish that is the Ultra4Next Training & Workforce Development Center in Kentucky. It provides youth with technical and skill development in the motorsports industry, along with career pathways.</p><p>“If we are going to be the most awesome form of motorsports or the best sport period, we have to have the best people. If we want to make new technology, then we have to have the best people,” said Dave. “I want the smartest people to come do what we do. Turns out it is pretty exciting work, and people want to do it, but they just need a path. “</p><p></p><p><strong>Listening is a Superpower</strong></p><p>Some people mistakenly think of leadership as nothing more than telling others what to do. While that is a component of it, listening to people is just as important. It is a critical skill that Dave wishes he had learned earlier in his career.</p><p>“I didn’t listen enough. I am finding out now that the more I listen, the better off I am. I know I hardly did any of it (listening) back then. I think it was a bit of a give-and-take then. You needed a certain mix of not giving a s**t. It is hard to do that and have listening skills,” said Dave. “Now, you can listen to people, and you can hear them tell you exactly what you need to hear. You just have to listen.”</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.otsspodcast.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">www.otsspodcast.com</a>
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This is the guiding principal behind most new businesses, the entrepreneurial "eat or be eaten" ethos that drives the builders, the doers and the risk-takers responsible for history's greatest brands and companies.
<br/><br/><a href="https://www.otsspodcast.com?utm_medium=podcast">www.otsspodcast.com</a>
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