By Steve “The Doctor” Meek | Talk To Th3 Doc Podcast | The Fulcrum Group
Podcast Doc-umentary: Episode 122 — Borja Cuan on Balancing Automation and Authenticity
In Episode 122 of Talk To Th3 Doc, I sat down with Borja Cuan, Co-Founder of Four15 Digital, to unpack how AI is transforming marketing—and how leadership, culture, and clarity remain the human edge.
Since we have began incorporating ChatGPT more into our marketing efforts, Copilot/Copilot Studio for Chat and Agentic functions and line of business AI toolsets for automation, I was excited to hear his take on next level with the human ambition element.
🧭 1. Why This Matters Now
Across DFW, small and midsized organizations are chasing efficiency—AI analytics, marketing automation, even IT “co-pilots.” Yet many forget a key concept Borja reinforced: efficiency without empathy leads to noise, not growth.
At The Fulcrum Group, our purpose has always been to help leaders use technology to elevate the human experience—not replace it. In fact, if you saw my first Fulcrum AI presentation 2 years ago, I paralleled “AI is Like A Drinking Buddy”, sometimes spot on perceptive and sometimes way off point. That’s why our Customer Zero initiatives focus on turning data into decisions that support people, processes, and performance.
⚠️ 2. The Problem — When Technology Runs the Show
Too many SMBs treat AI or IT projects like one-off hacks. Marketing teams chase algorithms, while IT departments drown in alerts. The result is random acts of improvement—lots of activity, little alignment. Borja and I both see this daily: executives pushing innovation down the line instead of leading it. I often remind clients in DFW—delegating accountability is not the same as delegating execution.
Executives are best suited to lead AI initiatives because we have the strategic visibility to align AI investments with business goals, risk tolerance, and long-term value creation. We also shape the culture, governance, and cross-department collaboration required to ensure AI is embraced. We can see a see a home run when others downplay an opportunity to a bunt, due to time, investment costs or missed understanding of true impact over time. With modern staffing challenges, a digital worker that is automated could be just what the doctor ordered (see what I did there).
💡 3. The Fulcrum Way — STARPower as Your Leadership Compass
At Fulcrum, we use our STARPower Innovation Framework to guide every initiative—whether it’s cybersecurity or marketing automation. We are even working on our AI best practices into current capabilities audits for our clients.
But, the technology is different but the process is the same principle behind ITIL v4’s continuous-improvement cycle: know your baseline, target state, and iterate fast.
In short—don’t chase just shiny tools; pursue purpose-driven transformation, starting with use cases for your organization.
📊 4. Real-World Metric — When 10 Percent Doubles Your Profit
One of the stats Borja shared is something repeated before from ScalingUp but a great reminder: a 10 percent price increase tied to clear value can double net profit. We see this mirrored in IT services. When a client moves from break-fix chaos to our SPOT Managed Security bundle, they reduce downtime, strengthen compliance, and free their teams to innovate.
That’s not markup—it’s margin for mission as in end user productivity or leadership amplification. Microsoft’s most recent Work Trend Index report estimated that 80% of the global workforce (employees and leaders) say they lack enough time or energy to do their work. Having access to AI means that this raw intelligence on tap helps fill the capacity gap for tired workers.
Additionally, the report further estimated that employees are interrupted by a meeting, email, or chat 275 times every day, or once every two minutes, during core working hours. The demands of business are outpacing human capacity and keeping employees from completing the high-value tasks that actually drive growth.
🧠 5. Key Takeaways / FAQ
Q1 – Can AI really replace marketing or leadership?
No — AI amplifies capacity, not conscience. Keep humans “in the loop” to set the tone, culture and impact of the provider. Bad content really fast or in buckets, is still bad content.
Q2 – How do I start AI in my own organization?
Start small. Consider AI investments in personal productivity areas where you realize the quickest return. As you develop AI skills, you're better equipped to identify long-tailed solutions that require time to get to but are much higher impact on the organization. We highly recommend that every organization should target deploying Copilot Chat, the free license available to every Microsoft licensed user, so that your end users could get started learning AI, but in a safe way.
Q3 – What does Fulcrum mean by ‘No IT Jerks’?
It’s our cultural commitment: empathy first, ego never. Tech should serve people, not intimidate them. We treat our team as people, so they treat all of our client end users as people.
Q4 – How does this cybersecurity apply to AI risk?
Attackers know the value to any organization lies in their applications and data. If a threat actor is trying to breach the network or connect via a phishing email, it's to get to the stuff that's valuable to you. When properly configured, AI has access to all or most of your data workloads in the cloud (to wield the most power). However, that access could open you up. Our privacy and data governance skills services can provide reports on permissions and settings or O365 policies, to assist you in protecting what is most important to you..
Q5 – What’s one leadership lesson from Borja’s story?
Enjoy the journey. Sustainable growth beats viral spikes every time — a lesson both marketers and IT leaders can take to heart.
(Or as Mark Twain might’ve said: “Continuous improvement is like painting a bridge—by the time you finish, you’re back where you started, brush in hand.”)
🤝 6. Call to Action
If this topic hit home, give Episode 122 a listen on your favorite platform or watch it on YouTube.
Then ask yourself: Is your AI strategy truly aligned with your business vision?
At The Fulcrum Group, we help DFW organizations turn that question into a roadmap.
Schedule a consultation through our Talk To Th3 Doc Podcast Hub or connect with our team at sales@fulcrumgroup.net .
Let’s make your technology as authentic as your mission.
🧍♂️ About the Author
Steve Meek is CEO and Founder of The Fulcrum Group, CISSP-certified IT strategist, podcast host, and longtime DFW business mentor. He blends visionary leadership with hands-on experience to help SMBs and public entities align technology with purpose.
LinkedIn Profile | The Fulcrum Group Website
🎧 Watch / Listen
📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/KlXn3-2aCR4
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