It's easy to get stuck in the day-to-day of running a business: juggling clients, cashflow, and the never-ending to-do list. But if you never look up, you risk missing the future coming straight at you.

In this episode of Creating the Curve, I sit down with marketing legend Mark Schaefer - author of 13 books including Audacious, host of the Marketing Companion podcast, and founder of the Rise community. Mark has built his career on curiosity, foresight, and spotting what's next before anyone else.

We talk about:

• Why being a "fast follower" is a great place to start

• How to separate shiny distractions from real opportunities

• Why community is the secret weapon for staying relevant

• The human side of AI and why it might be your best co-founder at 2am

• How stories (not pie charts) make lessons stick, and why that matters more than ever in the age of AI content

Whether you're a founder trying to stay ahead, or just someone who feels stuck in the "now," this episode will help you look up, think bigger, and see what's around the corner.