Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom How to Keep Your Business Relevant in the Age of Automation

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom How to Keep Your Business Relevant in the Age of Automation Much has been made about human jobs that will potentially be replaced by automation and artificial intelligence in the coming years. But where does that leave businesses thatbase so much of their success on intimate, human connections? And how can owners who are already struggling to stay in business today contend with the prospect of having tofuture-proof their companies? I reached out to three owners,Ben Landers, CEO of internet marketing firm Blue Coronain Rockville, Maryland; Laura Mignott, co-founder of DigitalFlash, an integrated brandingagencyin New York City; and Brendon Schrader, CEO of marketing agency Antenna Consultingin Minneapolis for their opinions onhow they future-proof their companies. How did you decide where to focus your business and how did present and future marketability play into that decision? Ben Landers: Blue Corona wasnt launched in a startup lab with someone elses money. We bootstrapped the company based on a market need observed first hand. When youre in this process, you dont have the luxury of spending too much time worrying about the future marketability of it. Laura Mignott: DigitalFlash is a brand elevation agency. We know that technology would always be there, but we are in the connecting people business. Technology is just another tool to help foster communication and one-to-one social interactions. Brendon Schrader: My decision on where to focus both my business and our service offerings was based on an in-depth review of the marketplace and the identification of where we could bring innovation to a stagnant industry. This allowed us to identify the whitespace in market and ultimately influenced how we created a firm that could be unique now and into the future. How might the rise of AI and automation affect your business? How do you keep abreast of these trends? Schrader: There will always be new technologies and trends. What matters is that you pay attention to these trends early and clearly understand the impact they could have on your customers and business. My strategy is to set aside time every week to read, researchand stay current on the issues facing our industry. For the rest of the interview, take a look at the AMEX Open Forum.