From the family kitchen to voice AI
I grew up in Utah working in my family's catering business, Elizabeth Catering, and I was putting in long days by the time I was eight. It taught me how to work and how to talk with adults, and I've been turning hard work into systems ever since.
People have always underestimated me, and it's always fueled me. I was a small guy who lettered four years in high school football, became one of Utah's top kick returners (ranked #41 in the country for kick returns), and walked on at the University of Utah and later at Florida State.
Sales is where I found my craft. One weekend selling home security showed me what I could do. From there it was Vivint in Memphis, then solar in New Jersey and Las Vegas, where I was top rep in my first month. I did it by being direct and honest, with no tricks. With a mission-driven company, I also helped bring solar to the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army and churches in Washington, D.C.
Then I built the system before it existed. I sold solar remotely with video walkthroughs and an early AI setup on Google Dialogflow, and a small ad budget turned into almost 20 deals. Along the way I finished a marketing degree at WGU, 72 credits in six months. Other reps started asking how I did it, so in 2020 I began coaching them and building that system for them, and an agency grew out of it.
AI became the work. I went from building chat AI flows to finding Assistable, the first time I thought, wow, voice AI is actually getting there. I joined Assistable as a co-founder alongside Jorden Williams, and my push for dynamic values, AI that adapts to each contact, shaped the product I now lead as CPO.
Today I'm co-founder and CPO of Assistable, a bootstrapped company serving thousands of customers in 100+ countries. My job is to bring customer ideas to life and keep the product ahead.
What I believe
- Faith in the marketplace. “I'm a firm believer that we can have faith in the marketplace.”
- Servant leadership. Faith-led, and in service of the people I work with.
- Honest selling. Straight to the point.
- Simple beats complicated. Substance over shine.
- Stand out. “If you're doing the same thing, you'll never cut through the noise.”
- Humble and confident, at the same time.
Away from work
I've been married since 2017, we have three kids, and we live in Utah. Lord of the Rings is my favorite movie series, and lately our family has been on a Dutch-baby breakfast kick.
Press bio
Mike Copeland is Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Assistable AI, the conversational AI platform businesses and agencies use to put voice and chat agents to work. He went from his family's catering kitchen to the top of solar sales, built his own AI-powered sales system before it was cool, and now turns customer ideas into product. Faith, family and honest work drive all of it.
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