Show Notes
In this episode of Making BIG Shifts, we are joined by Vlad Pivnev, CEO of Stivi and co-founder of Acoda, a leader helping businesses integrate AI into their marketing and sales strategies to drive real growth. Vlad brings over sixteen years of experience building and running a traditional digital marketing agency. But when he saw the landscape shifting beneath him, he decided to pivot. Rather than wait for AI to make his business irrelevant, he leaned into it and built Stivi, a company focused on helping brands increase their sales and leads through AI-powered marketing. In this conversation, he shares how that shift happened, what he learned along the way, and why he believes the window of opportunity is wide open for anyone willing to start now. Josh and Vlad go deep on AI visibility and generative engine optimization (GEO). Vlad breaks down the key signals that large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude use when deciding which brands to recommend. From technical crawlability and media mentions to forum discussions and reputation management, the conversation covers what businesses need to do to appear in LLM-generated answers. Vlad also shares a compelling case study in which a client achieved a 46 percent conversion rate from LLM-driven traffic, a number that blew away anything he had seen in sixteen years of marketing. One of the most powerful takeaways from this episode is the shift in how consumers search for information. Vlad shares a personal story about his six-year-old son, who now asks him to "ask ChatGPT" instead of "Google it." That generational shift signals a massive change in how brands will need to position themselves online in the years ahead. The conversation also touches on the future of the workforce, with Vlad predicting that senior-level professionals who know how to leverage AI will thrive, while many junior and mid-level roles in design, development, and writing may disappear within the next 1 to 2 years. Whether you run a small business, lead a marketing team, or are just trying to figure out where AI fits into your career, this episode gives you a practical and honest look at what is happening right now and how to stay ahead of it. Vlad's advice is grounded and simple: understand your background, find where AI fits into what you already do well, and start integrating it one step at a time. #AI #GEO #entrepreneurship #makingbigshifts #leadership
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