EP. 33 Stop Hustling, Start Owning: Lara Kayode on Brand Protection and Fighting Counterfeiters

EP. 35 Betting on Yourself: Edith Francoeur on Launching Polish & Co and the Reality of Mom-Entrepreneurship

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/fan_mail/new] During her maternity leave, Edith Francoeur studied Tech Sales—learning about 'Cold Calls' and 'Sequencing'. But instead of joining a software company, she used those high-level corporate skills to launch 'Polish & Co', a residential and commercial cleaning business. Edith lists her time as a 'Stay at Home Mom' on her resume not as a gap, but as a role where she practiced 'negotiation' and 'grit' between toddler tantrums. In this episode, we get real about the logistics of running a fast-growing business in a highly competitive California market while raising a young child. We explore the unglamorous moments of mom-entrepreneurship that Instagram doesn't show, and how betting on herself transformed her career. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/support]

Ep. 34 Under the Table to the Head of the Table: Tinuade Oguntuyi on Scaling Infrastructure and Bridging the Digital Divide

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/fan_mail/new] Tinuade Oguntuyi was once mocked for crawling on the floor to fix cables as an "under the table engineer". Today, she is a General Manager who has scaled critical infrastructure across over 30 states in Nigeria. She joins us to discuss her accidental journey from wanting to be a doctor to managing networks that literally save lives and livelihoods. We talk about scaling through logistical nightmares , her deep passion for rural telephony, and the profound joy of bringing an unconnected village its first phone call. Ultimately, she shares how we must bridge the digital divide while ensuring she never loses touch with the people on the ground.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/support]

EP. 33 Stop Hustling, Start Owning: Lara Kayode on Brand Protection and Fighting Counterfeiters

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/fan_mail/new] Are you running a daily hustle, or do you actually own an asset? Top-tier IP attorney Lara Kayode has spent 30 years protecting the creations of African entrepreneurs and world-famous brands. We dive into the heartbreaking reality of founders losing their brands because they didn't protect them early enough. From hunting down counterfeiters to the psychological switch between being a fierce litigator and a CEDR-accredited mediator, we uncover the realities of intellectual property in a complex market. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/support]

EP. 32 Beyond the Hype: Oreoluwa Somolu-Lesi on Tech Truths, Deep Reading, and True Power

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/fan_mail/new] Oreoluwa Somolu-Lesi founded W.TEC in 2008, long before "Women in Tech" became a popular corporate slogan. Having reached over 47,000 girls, she discusses the hard truths of the industry and the one lie we need to stop telling young Nigerian girls about working in technology. We discuss her concerns about raising a generation of technically brilliant children who are losing the ability to read deeply and think critically in the age of TikTok. Finally, this Ashoka and Vital Voices Fellow shares the ultimate lesson she wants every 12-year-old girl in her W.TEC camps to know about her own power—a lesson no code can teach. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/support]

Ep. 31 Code, Culture, and Confidence: Ebunoluwa Arimoro on the Service Sector and the Fear of Being 'Too Loud'

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/fan_mail/new] How do you balance building a tech startup with dismantling cultural conditioning? Technical founder Ebunoluwa Arimoro is attempting both. She joins us to discuss her journey building Jobapay for the service market while navigating her own pre-seed fundraise. We also delve into her work leading The HERdacity Network, unpacking the cultural expectation for Nigerian women to remain humble and let their work speak for itself. She shares how she guides ambitious women to break through their self-imposed 'Glass Walls' and finally own their achievements. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2539545/support]