WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:14.400 Black in technology, in technology, in technology? Why black in technology? 2 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:27.559 In technology? Technology? Welcome everyone to the Blacks and Technology Tech Talk Podcast, 3 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:31.559 a show where we talk to black people who are engineers, innovators, 4 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:37.719 educators, inventors, changemakers and entrepreneurs doing amazing things in the world of technology. 5 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:41.479 The Big Tech Talk podcast is where they show how they are stopping the 6 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:46.840 divide by sharing their stories, experiences, ideas, knowledge and perspective on tech 7 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:51.799 with the black in technology community. On this week's episode, I am proud 8 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:58.000 to introduce you to our guest, Boladulshu Tybo. Welcome. All right, 9 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:00.359 how are you doing to that? I am well, I'm so glad to 10 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:04.640 have you on our entrepreneurship podcast. I've heard great things about analog teams and 11 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.920 I just can't wait to dig in. So, without further Ado, can 12 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:12.359 you tell us more about yourself and where you are from. Yeah, so, 13 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:21.400 I am born and raised in the US, but I am Nigerian and 14 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:26.519 I also lived in Nigeria as a as a young man. Born in I 15 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:32.480 live in Maryland and have lived in Maryland d C. Have also traveled quite 16 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:36.079 a bit, lived in Kenya, lived in Nigeria as mentioned, and lived 17 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:40.840 in Ghana as well. Very cool, and we share that of my dad's 18 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:46.480 Nigerian I'm curious whereabouts in Nigeria when, Yeah, I grew up actually more 19 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.640 out, very far out of Legas and Obama Shaw, which is all your 20 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:57.519 state. But now my brother, who has a similar background to myself, 21 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:01.280 lives in Legas and is a cashew farmer. So most of the time I'm 22 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:06.000 in Legos, I am on the farm. Very cool, very cool. 23 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:09.120 Yes, so my dad's originally from been In but he eventually moved to River 24 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:13.080 State, portoct Court. People make fun of me when I pronounce it that 25 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:16.599 way, but but yeah, that's where I go home too when I visit. 26 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:20.960 But it's been several years. I'm due back and I'm really excited to 27 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:24.000 go hopefully next year with my family for the first time. So wonderful to 28 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:28.319 hear about that. Yes, yes, we have that in common. And 29 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:32.840 I'm really curious about your transition. Right, So you're working, and then 30 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:38.879 tell me about your desire and interest in starting your own company. How did 31 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:43.280 that come to me? Yeah, so I worked for General Dynamics IT right 32 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:50.560 out of college and I essentially was looking at my growth and my career growth 33 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:55.280 and noticed that the more I grew and the further I go as an engineer, 34 00:02:55.680 --> 00:03:01.319 the less and less less likely people look like me. And that bothered 35 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:07.759 me a lot. And so I thought about leaving the job and going to 36 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:12.919 another job of course, and having that same experience, and or deciding to 37 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:16.800 do something on my own in order to give back to our community. And 38 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:23.080 I took the ladder and the process was. I actually sold computers first. 39 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:28.360 That was my first entrance into doing business internationally. I sold customized computers that 40 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:32.719 I would build myself and sell them in Nigeria and made quite a bit of 41 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:38.039 money in a short amount of time and use that to then invest in other 42 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:44.719 ventures. One was a natural hair care company that still exists, freer Tree 43 00:03:45.159 --> 00:03:49.840 that's fro Tree dot us, which it focuses on women with four sea hair 44 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:54.280 and building delivering hair products for them. And then also I invested in two 45 00:03:54.319 --> 00:04:00.360 other companies. One was an automotive company, as every a lot of people 46 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:02.479 would tell you when they're from our communities, when they first started business, 47 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:10.639 they try to sell cars. And then lastly was analog teams, which then 48 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:15.920 became the full focus and the understanding that we had an opportunity to do something 49 00:04:15.959 --> 00:04:21.519 that really impacted the entire community and the entire daspora as well as the continent 50 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:28.199 itself. So I met up with my partners, Maisha Maisha Arroga, who 51 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:31.199 I worked with at gd I, and then also my other co founder, 52 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:36.560 Yahwa Dantur, who I actually went to university with and worked at KPMG at 53 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:40.879 the time, and we came together and said, we can build a culture. 54 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:46.399 We can build a company that actually is inclusive and is focused on black 55 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:48.800 people so much so that you know, I always say like, hey, 56 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:54.199 look, if if for the ladies, if you're having a bad hair day, 57 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:57.160 right, it's understandable. You know, you may not have to get 58 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:00.160 on camera early in the morning because we understand. Yeah, we love our 59 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:04.759 black women and so those type of things and things that make you feel like 60 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:10.560 you are actually at home where you're at a company that is built for you. 61 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.160 Um, that's what we set out to do from the beginning. That 62 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.920 is amazing. I love to hear that story and we have that in common 63 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:23.079 as well. I worked for General Dynamics Mission Systems, but I exclusively did 64 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:30.040 legal work in support of gd t S infrastructure engineering opportunities with the government for 65 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.959 a couple of years, and so it's where you're talking like wow, and 66 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:40.839 then just just your your guts right and your ability to to leave what would 67 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:45.279 someone say is like a secure job or secure career path and forgeab on your 68 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:49.199 own and work in partnership with friends who go into school with and on things 69 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:54.319 that, like you said, are high impact and create opportunities for our people 70 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.040 in particular. I just really admire that, and it's a lot of what 71 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:00.959 Blacks and Technology is about to right, is creating a space for us to 72 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:05.560 succeed and elevate in tech. And I like the premise of making sure that 73 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:11.759 our people are helping each other, lifting each other up. I think that's 74 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:18.519 really important. So I just love to hear how folks get started. That 75 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:25.120 is always focused on forming new partnerships and opportunities to assist the community and our 76 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:30.399 members with their continued professional growth and development. If you'd like to partner with 77 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:42.319 us, send an email inquiries at blacks and Technology dot net. I am 78 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:46.600 working. I'm also curious about the naming. How did you come up with 79 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:51.199 the name for analog teams? So funny enough are the initial name when the 80 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:57.120 idea just you know came about and we were thinking just of what it would 81 00:06:57.160 --> 00:07:02.360 be. We were still in ideation phase. I called Afrotech and later that 82 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:08.360 year or a year after, Afrotech came out and launched, you know, 83 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:13.600 their first conference, and I was like, I was heartbroken because all everyone, 84 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:15.720 if anyone who knows me from back then, a lot of my friends 85 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.639 would tell you like, yeah, he was running with that name. But 86 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:23.480 then what happened. Um, you know, we were brainstorming and we we 87 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.959 do this thing where we don't care about names anymore. It's the fun thing 88 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.680 to do, but it doesn't so matter. I always mentioned that people still 89 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:35.199 say names like Google, right Uber, and if you think about it, 90 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:40.480 those are just not real words that you would ever utilize. So it's the 91 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.839 quality of the service behind it. But Yao actually came, yaw with Dantor 92 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:48.199 came and just I remember he sent me a message analog and I ran with 93 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:51.600 it. I was elated. I was like, this is it And the 94 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:58.279 concept is that people are analog and even though we are going to a digital 95 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.759 future, it's important to remember that the people matter the most, right, 96 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:07.000 and the people are human and their analog and they're not digital and so how 97 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.519 do you bridge that gap? And it's it's done well because it's also a 98 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:15.160 play on just the fact that it's contrary to where we're headed in a sense, 99 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.560 right. And we actually started off as analog Africa because a lot of 100 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:24.680 our work has been in Africa, in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South 101 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:30.199 Africa, Zimbabwe, DRC, So we've done a lot of work in Africa 102 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:35.000 and that was our initial focus. But we don't control the narrative on what 103 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:39.240 people think about Africa. And we acknowledge that when I say Africa to you, 104 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:43.000 you think of home, you think of happiness, you think of you 105 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:48.519 know, a continent that's growing and it's beautiful black people. But some other 106 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:54.159 people, including our black people, see Africa's um you know, poor lions. 107 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:58.879 People who literally have asked me with no malintent, you know, I 108 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:05.919 heard that they have lions in the street and the towns, Like why do 109 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:11.320 you think that's real? But just that concept. So over time we actually 110 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:16.559 changed to analog teams because we're about team building and that's that's kind of where 111 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:20.080 we've we've found our niche. We also went to a federal phase where we're 112 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:24.360 analog Federals, so We've gone through a lot of rebranding over the years. 113 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:30.200 Both this is where we've settled and really found what means to us excellent now 114 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:33.480 that that's really really interesting on like you said, the evolution and just the 115 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:43.159 meaning and intentionality behind behind it. Do you have a product or service that 116 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.879 you would like to share with a bit audience or maybe you'd like to support 117 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:50.360 the bit community and do your part in helping us with stomping the divide. 118 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:58.240 Start by sponsoring one of our podcasts. Please email us at contact us at 119 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:09.360 blacks and Technology dot net. I am curious going maybe a step backwards, 120 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.240 like when did you first become interested in tech? I know you said you 121 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:15.600 studied, you know, it sounds like a stem area when you're in school, 122 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:18.879 but what did it start even earlier than that before school or when did 123 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:22.720 you realize this is what an area you wanted to work in. Yeah, 124 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:28.919 so that's a good question. I've always loved computers since I was young, 125 00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:33.200 loved playing video games on computers, etc. You know, working on them, 126 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:37.519 figuring out how to get around like systems, etc. And I guess 127 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:41.519 I assumed it should be like a natural course when I was going to university 128 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:46.240 I figured, why wouldn't I do something that taught me more about computers. 129 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:50.960 So initially I was a computer engineer student, but it just didn't mash with 130 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:56.399 the time because I also ran a d one track at UNBC, so I 131 00:10:56.480 --> 00:11:01.000 switched to information systems, which was vastly different, but my focus was mainly 132 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:07.159 on sports until I kind of got a notion of how important technology is in 133 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:11.600 the way of the future. I started to put a lot of intentionality on 134 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:15.919 that, and that's kind of what spurred me taking it to the next level 135 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.399 instead of it just being a job, but being something that I embodied as 136 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:20.559 a whole. Wow. Yeah, I was the same way. I was 137 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:24.240 a gamer and I'd love to play Solitaire, anything on the computer, and 138 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:28.480 I wasn't sure how it would manifest itself. And at first I thought I 139 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:33.320 was pre med, and I quickly realized that was not for me. I 140 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:35.960 like to talk and argue, but I still love tech, and then eventually 141 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:41.279 I found my way after law school in the tech. But I love what 142 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:46.080 she said about just kind of like leaving yourself open to discovery too. I 143 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:50.720 think that's really important for some folks who are in tech or trying to get 144 00:11:50.759 --> 00:12:01.759 into teche. What's up everyone? We hope that you're enjoying this episode of 145 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.320 the Blacks and Technology BIT tech Talk podcasts. Do you or someone you know 146 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:09.360 have a dope story that they want to share with our bit audience. Blocks 147 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:13.879 and Technology is seeking guests to be on our podcast. We're looking to highlight 148 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:18.080 the journeys and experiences of black women and men in the tech industry. So 149 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:22.159 if you know of someone, send them our way, shoot us an email 150 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:28.080 to contact us a Blacks and Technology dot net, or click on the link 151 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.799 in the show notes and fill out our form. We're looking to hear from 152 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:41.399 you. In my capacity leading the Charlotte chapter of Blacks and Tech, I 153 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:46.120 meet people all the time when we're looking to change careers or break into tech, 154 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.720 and they're always like, Oh, do I need to do a STEM 155 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:52.480 degree or what training do I need to have? And sometimes I tell them 156 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:58.279 it's just about curiosity and willingness to learn new terms and different things, So 157 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:03.000 it's not always like a cookie cutter to get into tech or to sustain yourself 158 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:05.039 in tech. I feel like some of my best moves in my career have 159 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:09.840 come from just like opportunities that kind of came out of some work that I 160 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:15.360 was doing, or my interests have changed and just created new interesting opportunities for 161 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.720 myself. And So to talk more about your work at Analog Teams, I'm 162 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:26.720 curious about the heavy lifting that goes into actually getting the job placement to occur, 163 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:30.600 right, because you may have a talent pool, you may have employers 164 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:33.559 who are interested in hiring, But how do you successfully bridge the two in 165 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:37.480 a way that is successful for everyone involved. That seems like a lot of 166 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:41.639 hard work, and I'm just curious what your strategy has been in that area. 167 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:46.840 Yeah, that's a great, great question. So for us, our 168 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:52.879 whole focus is about being the best at what we do. That's why we 169 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:56.679 lead with the fact that we're recruiters. It has nothing to do with us 170 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:58.960 being black or whatever the case may be. We're just the best at will 171 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:03.840 we do. And so when we're even looking to hire, we rarely get 172 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:09.440 out or look for opportunities where they're only looking for diverse candidates. So they 173 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:13.399 hire us to find diverse people. We care about you hiring Analog Teams to 174 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:18.600 build your your company. You want the best recruiters, you hire us and 175 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:22.559 we come and deliver the fact of the matter is that you are working with 176 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:28.720 black individuals. So your company may not have that perspective to even know how 177 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:31.960 to look for diverse candidates, how to get them into your pipeline. We 178 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:35.879 already do because our networks are like that, We are like that, etc. 179 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:41.120 So naturally, when we have a job a job rep we care most 180 00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:46.639 about who the best candidate for the position. We don't care what you look 181 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:50.720 like. You know, black man, white man, white woman, Asian, 182 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:54.000 black woman, it doesn't matter. We care about the right person. 183 00:14:54.559 --> 00:15:01.559 Naturally, we are able to identify and speak to adding candidates of color, 184 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:05.000 black candidates in particular, because we know where to look. We already have 185 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:11.720 a pipeline, We already have connections, and that is the value add of 186 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.960 working with analog teams. But our intentionality is being the best recruiters that we 187 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:22.960 can be and ensuring that in all that we do, what you get from 188 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:28.480 this black company is a high output, better than anything else you can get 189 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:33.559 anywhere else, that solves all of the issues. First right, that opens 190 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:37.879 your mind. And then when we've built a level of trust, we work 191 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:46.840 with organizations, specifically hiring managers to actually understand the mathematics behind hiring a diverse 192 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:52.600 candidate in specific roles, because you're looking for someone from Stanford or Berkeley where 193 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:56.000 I recently was talking. There's like five hundred or six hundred black students at 194 00:15:56.039 --> 00:16:00.519 Berkeley or something of the sort. So you want someone from there who's also 195 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:04.720 worked at Amazon. So up this five hundred five of them went to Amazon, 196 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:10.120 right, And now you're basically saying I need to find a diverse candidate. 197 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:15.039 That's a needle in a haystack, versus opening up your metrics and looking 198 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:19.320 at Howard University and understanding that they have great students that are coming out of 199 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:23.840 their morehouse Spellman, etc. And being able to kind of change the way 200 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:29.320 they even look at the way they are hiring, because sometimes you just want 201 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:33.080 someone who's gonna come in here young and hungry or old and mature, right 202 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:37.759 ten yared experienced, and either way we can bring that to you. Sometimes 203 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:41.720 we just have to change your mind on what you're looking for. And that's 204 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:47.799 that's really where we excel high level of delivery. And then once we've built 205 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:51.559 a level of trust, we're able to get you to see and think outside 206 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:55.840 of the box. Awesome. Yeah, that's so critical to Yeah, just 207 00:16:55.960 --> 00:17:03.399 having those conversations around the why for why us and being comfortable in your leadership 208 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:07.680 capacity to broke or those conversations, because sometimes I'll meet with recruiters and they 209 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:12.359 just don't have the language, frankly, and sometimes that's part of my role 210 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:18.000 is giving them some of the language to help them as they navigate conversations in 211 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:23.200 their relationships to make to create these opportunities. And I'm curious too about your 212 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:30.000 success rate with candidates from Africa in particular, because just putting my employment lawyer 213 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:33.039 had on when I used to do that type of work. Obviously, you 214 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:38.119 know, companies do have visa programs to sponsor and outsourced candidates abroad. But 215 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:45.160 did you find there any obstacles to any of that or how has recruiting specifically 216 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:48.240 candidates from Africa, where we know there's a wealth of talent, how has 217 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:52.759 that worked for you getting them here or getting them new roles. Actually, 218 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:59.799 most of our candidates that we hire are in the US, so we use 219 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:04.279 you know, we work with American based startups, so we are hiring people 220 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:11.160 in America for those startups where we utilize African talent. That African talent is 221 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:15.799 hired by Analog as recruiters or recruiters support. Yeah, so they are actually 222 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:21.000 hiring. There are people, we have people in our team in Africa that 223 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:26.440 are hiring Americans for jobs in America. So that is a lot of our 224 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:32.680 focus. We have done some staff augmentation. As I mentioned, we're a 225 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:37.720 software development company first, and so there are quite a few startups that we 226 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:41.720 work with where we actually host their team in Africa so they work directly with 227 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:47.599 ANALOG teams and we handle all the employment issues, the contractor issues, etc. 228 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:52.720 So that is created a you know, that alleviates some of that burden. 229 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:57.559 But ninety nine percent of our focus is actually in recruiting and recruiting Americans 230 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.880 for American companies. Understood. Yeah, no, that's good. I mean 231 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:06.039 there's still opportunity and they're woven into what she said, right, And that's 232 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:10.079 amazing that you found a framework that fits to still allow for that type of 233 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:14.559 engagement. So that's great. And I like to ask entrepreneurs like yourself who 234 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:18.640 are very successful, who inspires you or was their pivotal moment or time that 235 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:22.960 you met someone or you know, some people say it's their family or mentors 236 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:26.359 who came into their life. What have you that really inspired you or continue 237 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:30.839 to inspire you, inspire you with the work that you're doing. That's a 238 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:33.440 great question. The first thing that comes to mind is actually my family, 239 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:40.079 my brother, my mother, my sister, and my father. All all 240 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:45.200 of my family are built with entrepreneurs. My brother, as I mentioned, 241 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:52.599 is a cashew farmer, and working with him to see that that dream come 242 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:59.880 true called UPGS initiative Urban Planning for Growth and Sustainability and the ability to use 243 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:04.559 small scale farmers and train them on how to operate on large plots of land, 244 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:11.319 to change unused land into like profitable land, and to see the evolution 245 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:18.839 of planting acres and acres of cash shows hand by hand initially is something that 246 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:22.720 you know, you just don't see often in the world. My sister is 247 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:30.359 also a huge PR director of pr in Fashion for a Gara Group, which 248 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:37.440 does luxury brands with vehicles. Just the way I've seen her navigate rooms in 249 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:44.319 which she's the only black woman and completely change companies in the way people see 250 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:49.680 companies and handle big fires, things that you know, pr issues that you 251 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:53.519 know these companies go through when they're dealing especially with black folks, and being 252 00:20:53.559 --> 00:20:59.640 able to handle that and navigate those waters and come to proper conclusions that benefit 253 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:03.359 both sides, right, which is important when brokering the deal. Seeing that 254 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:07.279 has been magnificent and masterful in her skill set and how she's grown that. 255 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:12.359 And then of course my mother just a hard working woman that anyone who meets 256 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:18.400 her can understands what she's a teacher and the amount of lives that she's changed 257 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:22.279 she's worked in Inner City, DC and in some other places, and the 258 00:21:22.359 --> 00:21:29.599 amount of lives that she's altered and changed. The entire trajectory is, you 259 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:33.799 know, just teachers are under underappreciated in general. And my father, Um, 260 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:38.359 was an entrepreneur, and I've always seen entrepreneurs, you know, from 261 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:44.680 his perspective of being able to create from nothing, right Um being able to 262 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:49.200 create here in the States and also in Nigeria building businesses. Being around my 263 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:53.200 family alone just inspires me. And I'm the youngest, so you know, 264 00:21:53.319 --> 00:21:56.759 I've got this this chip on my shoulder, right, I've got it. 265 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:02.279 I want to make everyone proud. So it drives me and it inspires me 266 00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:06.519 to do more because I see, I see greatness on a daily basis. 267 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:11.079 And so no matter when you mentioned, you know, very successful entrepreneurs. 268 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:14.480 In my mind, I'm like I laughed, because there's so much more to 269 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:18.079 go that I often don't take the moment to even you know, count this 270 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:21.519 success because there's you know, we're driving, and I want my team to 271 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:26.200 constantly drive for this goal of greatness. We are trying to obtain the level 272 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:30.920 of greatness never seen before UM and specifically never seen from an all black company. 273 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:36.640 We're about. We're just under forty people globally, and so just to 274 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:41.559 get into the company and you meet the different cultures that Kenyan Knkuu, the 275 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:45.720 Nigerian, Ebo and Yuba working together, and the Zulu and then den Bile 276 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:52.759 and then we've got Black Americans, etc. All working together UM and delivering 277 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.200 at a high output what we're trying to create. UM. We want the 278 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:00.319 world to see it and then appreciate it in a way that it opens doors 279 00:23:00.359 --> 00:23:06.160 for everyone else. And so that inspiration comes from being around my family and 280 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:11.599 seeing them grind and work and get it out the gutter right and build a 281 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:15.640 burgeoning empire. Yes, definitely can relate to that too, as far as 282 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:22.160 just absorbing some of those those lessons and hard winds and my family and the 283 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:26.000 entrepreneurs and my family too, definitely was influential for me and how I go 284 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:32.160 about doing some of my endeavors. So that's amazing to hear. And the 285 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:36.319 other thing to just two more questions for you. So one question I'd like 286 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:40.319 to ask is what's one thing you wish you had known before you launched your 287 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:44.000 business that if you could help an up and coming entrepreneur, you would let 288 00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:48.240 them know two things. One one is one thing that I think I was 289 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:53.319 trying to understand early, which is make sure you have a team, do 290 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:57.960 not go it alone, and understanding how to work with the team. That's 291 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:04.000 number one. You cannot you should not let me say you should not, 292 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:07.160 because you can, but you should not want to take You should not take 293 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:11.640 this endeavor on a loan because there will be days that you're weak and it 294 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:17.079 feels so much greater when someone else is strong for you and carries the business 295 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:21.640 on your off days and vice versa. So learning how to share the ball, 296 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:27.400 how to make sure everyone wins, is something that our community needs to 297 00:24:27.519 --> 00:24:32.319 learn. My first company was Tabo Tech under my last name, and I 298 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:37.160 realized, you know, I don't think it's hard to motivate and inspire people 299 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:40.880 to want to work for your last name right, And it's something I realize. 300 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:44.400 We do it because we want to own something right. We want to 301 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:48.799 have something in our name that stands the test of time so we can build 302 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:55.000 our legacy. But an analog, I've realized that the dream that we had 303 00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:59.759 working with so many different individuals, it's so much bigger than myself. At 304 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:03.680 this point, I'm just a cog in the wheel, the representation of all 305 00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:08.200 the wonderful things that my team is doing. So building a team and if 306 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:14.079 you can go to another startup that does something in the realm of what you 307 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:19.880 want to do and pick up some things, be a no matter how much 308 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:26.160 you make, be a big contributor, a large contributor in the company, 309 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:30.880 so you can sit at the high table and see what those see the moves 310 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:34.640 that they're making. Because there's a lot to learn and a lot of painful 311 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:41.960 lessons and if you can just have a framework, it can drastically change the 312 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:47.480 trajectory of your company. Where would you like to travel anywhere in the world. 313 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:52.400 The country that's all my tongue is Namibia. I don't know anything about 314 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:56.039 it. I had not done any studies about it. But I've been saying 315 00:25:56.079 --> 00:26:00.759 that country for a while and i just want to see what's there, who's 316 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:04.279 there, and how the people are there so cool. I heard there's an 317 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:08.200 elephant walk that's a must experience, and that the coffee is pretty good, 318 00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:11.599 but I've never been as well. I would love to go. Yeah, 319 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:15.680 I'm always looking for um. I always tell people I'm a big proponent of 320 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:21.480 just traveling to Africa. Um of you know, there are fifty four countries 321 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:25.759 in Africa and so if I if I have time to go visit, I'm 322 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:29.440 going to go visit the continent and try and see and learn something more about 323 00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:33.559 myself there. Wonderful and I guess I lied. I did have one more 324 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:36.759 question for you. How can folks get in touch with you after this podcast? 325 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:41.920 Yeah, you can shoot me an email excuse me at tabo at gmail 326 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:47.440 dot com. It's te y I b o at a sorry at analog teams 327 00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:52.759 dot com. Or you can reach out to me on Instagram analog dot tabo, 328 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:59.799 or you can reach me on LinkedIn o la doshu tabou anyway you want 329 00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:03.640 to find me. I'm there, communicate reach out to me. I'm really 330 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.079 responsive, love to learn, even if it's just a shout out or you 331 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:11.279 want some advice or anything like that, reach out to me. I'm available. 332 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:15.440 Well, Aladosha, it's been a pleasure meeting you, my friends, 333 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:18.759 and hearing your story. And thank you so much for your time today on 334 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:22.920 the Blacks and Technology tech Talk podcast. Have a good one. Thank you 335 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:32.000 for having me. Blacks in Technology? Why whack? Watch in technology? 336 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:41.039 Watch in technology? Why watch in technology? Watch in technology? Why watch 337 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:41.119 in technology?