Helping Businesses Grow in the AI Age - Ashley Coffey
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Ashley Coffey is the CEO of Coffey and Consult and host of the Coffey and Code podcast. She specializes in bridging the gap between technology and people, helping small and medium-sized businesses—especially in Oklahoma and the Midwest—leverage emerging technologies like AI for efficiency, profitability, and empowerment.
Key Takeaways:
- Making Tech Accessible: Ashley founded Coffey and Consult to bring innovation and technology consulting to businesses in Oklahoma, eliminating the need for local founders to seek coastal agencies for modern expertise.
- AI and Tech Adoption: She demystifies AI for business owners, focusing on practical adoption, minimizing “tech overwhelm,” and maximizing efficiency with the right tools.
- Industry-Agnostic Approach: Ashley works across sectors, emphasizing that technology and AI are universal enablers. She often finds companies overspending on fragmented, redundant software stacks and helps them consolidate and optimize instead.
- Education First—Teaching to Fish: Ashley’s consulting goes beyond tool recommendations. She teaches organizations how to critically assess their business problems and technology needs (not just “what’s the best tool?” but “what’s the best tool for our outcome?”), fostering sustainable, independent tech decision-making.
- Championing Human Connection: Despite AI’s rise, Ashley believes the “human touch” is at a premium—helping clients see technology as an enabler for more meaningful work, not a replacement for human insight.
- Impact-Driven and Iterative: She measures her success by how empowered her clients become—tracking increased efficiency, reduced software bloat, and improved confidence and independence in tech decision-making.
- Empowering with AI Literacy: Ashley highlights a knowledge gap: many business owners (and even younger generations) struggle to use AI effectively. She provides hands-on workshops to move clients from AI “search engine” users to strategic AI partners, emphasizing clear articulation and thoughtful prompting.
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