In this episode of CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), ClearVoice Director of Marketing Joanna Bowzer sits down with Lashay Lewis, founder of BOFU.ai and a sharp voice in the world of B2B content strategy. Their conversation explores everything from content frameworks to agency pitfalls, and what it really takes to build a business from the ground up.
Whether you’re a seasoned content lead or a founder navigating growth, Lashay’s journey offers a fresh perspective on strategy, AI, and the overlooked power of bottom-of-funnel content.
Rejection as a Catalyst
Before BOFU.ai was a consultancy, it was a lesson in resilience. Lashay’s pivot to bottom-of-funnel content came after being rejected from a role she deeply wanted, one focused entirely on BOFU strategy. The reason? She didn’t know how to write that kind of content well yet.
That rejection didn’t just sting — it sparked a fire. She reverse-engineered what she would have needed to succeed in that role and began building frameworks to help others (and herself) write stronger, more strategic content. Her first LinkedIn post about it got one like. The second? Hundreds of engagements, new subscribers, and the momentum she needed to move forward.
What Makes BOFU So Hard and So Valuable
Lashay carved out a niche by focusing on the funnel stage most teams ignore: bottom-of-funnel. In her view, BOFU is where content should be deeply collaborative, driven by cross-functional insights, and aligned with clear pain points and capabilities. But getting there isn’t easy.
Bottom-of-funnel content requires input from multiple teams — product, sales, marketing — and when those inputs are fragmented, the result is often misaligned messaging. AI tools on their own can’t solve this. Lashay found that many AI writing assistants struggled to generate strong BOFU content, not because the technology was flawed, but because the necessary inputs and context were often missing or inconsistent.
That realization is what pushed her to reimagine how AI could be used differently, not as the sole creator, but as a co-pilot working within a proven human framework.
Human-Led. AI-Supported. Strategy First.
After spending two years refining her own content frameworks, Lashay began teaching those processes to AI. This wasn’t an off-the-shelf solution. It required deep customization and a clear understanding of what good content looks like before AI could step in.
For her, AI only becomes valuable when layered on top of a strong, proven system. That philosophy now powers BOFU.ai: a human-led, productized consultancy that uses AI to streamline parts of the content creation process without sacrificing strategic depth or editorial quality.
It also allows her team to stay lean. By automating the first draft process and maintaining a human-in-the-loop system for editing and quality control, BOFU.ai publishes content faster without bloating headcount.
A Call for Specialization (and Smarter Resourcing)
Lashay’s experience spans multiple content channels — blogs, YouTube, social — and she’s quick to point out that each one needs its own approach. Repurposing is important, but copy-pasting a blog into a LinkedIn post or a YouTube script won’t cut it. Each format has its own rhythm, its own expectations, and its own audience behavior.
She also pushes back on the expectation that one content marketer should do it all. Channel expertise matters, and so does structuring your team (or partner network) around that reality. She’s seen far better outcomes when in-house marketing leaders build their own bench of consultants, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all agencies.
In fact, her entire consultancy model emerged from what she viewed as agency shortcomings — from handoffs to junior talent, to misalignment across services. BOFU.ai operates with a different philosophy: offer deep expertise in one area, stay focused, and connect with trusted peers when clients need more.
Building with Intention
The frameworks and philosophies behind BOFU.ai weren’t built overnight. They were refined over the years, through failed launches, quiet pivots, and honest reflection. Originally conceived as a software solution, BOFU.ai evolved into a consultancy only after Lashay realized that the best way to scale wasn’t by chasing tech hype, but by leaning into what already worked.
Her previous consultancy, Authority Plug, taught her how to productize a service. BOFU.ai takes that a step further by embedding AI into the productized delivery, not as a replacement for human thinking, but as an accelerator for it.
Beyond the Business
While content strategy is clearly a passion, it’s not Lashay’s whole story. She’s a mother of four, a gamer, and someone who’s intentionally stepped away from hustle culture to savor the present. After spending her 20s isolated and deeply focused on her business, she now prioritizes presence with her family, at work, and in her daily life.
That grounding perspective shapes her approach to business today. She doesn’t want a large team or flashy scale. She wants sustainable growth rooted in quality, clarity, and alignment, both personally and professionally.
Closing Advice: Build from the Gaps
If there’s one thing Lashay hopes marketers take away from her journey, it’s this: the places where you feel stuck might hold the key to your next breakthrough.
Rejection, confusion, and self-doubt can all become building blocks if you give yourself space to learn from them. And when you find a gap in your skills or strategy, don’t hide from it. Create a system that fills it.
As Lashay puts it, “The path can be fluid, but the destination doesn’t have to change.”
For more marketer-to-marketer conversations, explore past episodes of CV MIC, where we keep the mic open and the insights flowing. And if you’re ready to explore how ClearVoice can support your content production efforts, connect with a content specialist today.
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