Meet Caitlin Ferguson | Founder & CEO, COOPilots.io

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caitlin Ferguson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caitlin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
A dear friend once nudged me to step back and really look at the ripple effects of my work — not just the projects, but the outcomes. So one afternoon, I traced it all out: years spent consulting, leading entrepreneurial support programs, growing and eventually selling a social enterprise, and even volunteering with founders. When I added it up, I realized I’d helped create over $20M in value for the 100+ founders and businesses I’d supported.

At my core, I think of those as their wins, not mine. But that number stopped me in my tracks. It made me start asking bigger questions: What if I could make this impact more intentional? What if I could help founders build sustainable businesses instead of living in constant firefighting mode?

That’s what ultimately led me to launch COOPilots.io — a practice dedicated to helping founder-led professional services firms (think consulting, marketing, accounting, etc.) that have found service-market fit but are hitting the ceiling of their own capacity. My clients know they’ve got something real from the market signals, but they don’t yet know how to grow it beyond their own two hands — or frankly, without burning out in the process.

A lot of our work comes down to building operational scaffolding — the systems, processes, and team structures that make growth less chaotic and more sustainable. We also lean on AI-powered tools where it makes sense, not because tech is the point, but because founders don’t need more dashboards — they need clarity and time back.

Fast forward to today: we’re celebrating two years in business as of August 2025, and while our clients’ wins are always theirs first, I’m proud of the role we’ve played in outcomes like:

1. 10x’ing a client’s net profit in six months by redesigning operations and repackaging services.

2. Building an account management function that saved a $2M contract — which ended up being pivotal when the company later exited.

3. Helping a founder step back from 60-hour+ weeks by restructuring their team and systems — giving them both breathing room and growth.

At the heart of it, starting COOPilots was about answering a simple question: How do we make it easier for brilliant founders to actually enjoy building the thing they set out to create?

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
1. Tell us more about the business.

At COOPilots.io, we’re an embedded operations partner. We come alongside founders, dig into their vision and goals, analyze how the business actually runs, and review the financials to see what’s really driving outcomes. From there, we create a 30/60/90-day plan — complete with deployment steps and KPIs — so founders know exactly how to move toward their goals without burning out.

Every client gets access to an experienced COO (typically me), but I’ve learned the work sticks best when there’s someone “on the ground” day to day. That’s why I love working with founders who already have a junior Chief of Staff or Head of Ops we can train up — or I’ll help place a fractional operator who can grow into that executive role.

Most clients work with us for 12–18 months before they hit their next growth stage. The goal isn’t to stay forever — it’s to build systems, teams, and habits that make scaling smoother, faster, and way less chaotic.

2. What Sets COOPilots.io Apart?

I think it comes down to three things:

a. Depth + breadth of experience. I’ve built and sold a business, supported over 100 founders, and helped create more than $20M in value across industries.

b. Human-centered design + AI-powered clarity. We lean on AI where it accelerates decision-making, but never at the expense of the human connection at the heart of the work.

c. Warmth + adaptability. I bring both strategic rigor and humor to the table. Some systems force you to contort your business into their framework; others are too shallow to scale. We design solutions inside your norms and with your team, so the work actually lasts.

3. What are you most excited about?

I honestly believe we’re entering a golden age for founders. AI is lowering barriers to experimentation, so ideas can move from sketch to scale faster than ever. That means creative, driven leaders can make an outsized impact without burning themselves — or their teams — into the ground.

Helping founders harness that potential without burning out or losing sight of what matters most? That’s the work I get excited about every day.

4. How did you get here? Was it easy – or were there challenges to overcome (and how)?

Whoever says building a business is “easy” is either lying to your face or doesn’t have to build something sustainable.

Even having built and sold a business before, the learning curve is real. Every time you level up, you spot a whole new set of challenges — “new level, new devil.”

I actually wrote a two-year reflection on LinkedIn recently about the things I’d do differently. But that’s the thing: every lesson propels me forward. Along the way, I’ve built incredible partnerships, done two podcasts (Unpolished MBA’s Hustle & Humor, and Grounds for Growth — coming soon!), and had the privilege of watching clients transform how they work and live.

It’s not easy, but it’s deeply worth it.

5. What should readers know about your brand or story?

At COOPilots, the work is personal.

It’s a privilege. Being invited into your business — to help grow it, protect your legacy, and take pressure off your shoulders — is not something I take lightly.

You can’t shock me. I’ve seen a wide range of business issues. Candor and transparency make the work better, and nothing’s off-limits here.

I’m here to make this feel human. My goal is for clients to feel like they’re sitting across from someone over coffee — accomplished enough to be trusted, but accessible enough to connect authentically.

Success is yours. My job is to help you define what it looks like for you and build the systems to get there.

We blend strategic clarity with human warmth — grounded, conversational, and slightly playful where it feels natural. Scaling is hard enough. The work to make it easier shouldn’t feel intimidating.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a gluten-free foodie who loves finding gems, I never feel like I run out of options in the city.

Places I wouldn’t miss in Atlanta —

1. Hell Yeah Gluten Free – tons of baked goods, all delicious flavors. If you get there early enough, grab an Egg & Sausage Biscuit (yum)

2. Hearth Pizza in Sandy Springs – the owner’s daughter is Celiac, and he PERFECTED a gluten free pizza crust for her. No cardboard here.

3. Arepa Mia in Avondale Estates – Venezuelan, 100% GF, delicious.

4. Bantam & Biddy in Midtown – great when you’re GF but craving the southern classics – fried chicken, okra, etc.

5. Superica – Tex-Mex, delicious, can accommodate GF pretty easily. The avocado-tomatillo sauce is one of my favorites.

6. Canoe – beautiful spot, great for finishing a fun week on a high note. Loved their smoked salmon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to dedicate this one to my parents, who are both gone now. They were tenacious (but accidental) founders who built a small tax practice together after leaving corporate life, centering their work on serving families and small business owners.

Growing up, that meant a lot of late nights in our house between January and April — and watching my parents treat their clients like extended family. That care for people and relationships ran deep; it’s a big part of what made their business thrive.

Dad was meticulous, sometimes to a fault — when I was 11, he built a 60-year, month-by-month savings forecast to make sure I became a millionaire by 50. (I was mostly mortified at the time, but I still think of him every time I get lost in an Excel model.) Mom, on the other hand, could walk into any room and instantly make friends — the gravitational-pull kind of person who somehow knew everyone’s life story within five minutes.

Their mix of analytical rigor and deep community connection planted the seed for everything I do now. Watching them navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship — the exhaustion, the hard trade-offs, the profound pride, the deep care for those they served — gave me both a soft spot for founders and a deep respect for what it takes to build something lasting.

Their lessons still echo through my work today.

Website: https://coopilots.io

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceoferguson/

Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coopilots/