We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Titilayo Ogundele. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Titilayo below.

Titilayo, appreciate you joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

I have learned so many lessons through my years working in D.C. I could write a dissertation! All jokes aside, there have been three significant lessons I’ve come away with: Advocate for yourself, know when to leave, and not everyone is your friend. One of the things I noticed early on in my career was how important it was for you to market yourself. It wasn’t about how well you did your work; you needed to showcase it. We are often taught that merit alone will get you in the door, but it won’t be rewarded if all the great work is done in a figurative vacuum. Always make your accomplishments known. The other two lessons go hand in hand. While being authentic is essential, not everyone you work with is a friend you can “spill the tea” with. Everyone in the workplace has their own motives, which may conflict with your openness and can hurt you later. This is especially true with toxic workplaces. In those cases, it’s best to leave the situation than to try to change things from within. Always remember we work to live the lives we want, not vice versa.

Titilayo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Titilayo Ogundele, a Nigerian-American hailing from Upstate, NY and a lover of all things foreign policy and international affairs. I’m a foreign affairs analyst and Chinese linguist currently living in Washington, DC. I graduated from Syracuse University and received my master’s degree in international relations. I have over a decade of experience working within the federal government and nonprofit organizations.

In 2022, I founded my consulting company, LAYO Consulting, where I provide clients with geopolitical analysis through written reports. In layman’s terms, I help people make sense of global issues by providing explanations rooted in facts and sound research so they can make decisions. In addition to this, I offer Chinese to English translation services. I’m also the communications director for the nonprofit organization Black China Caucus.

What I love most about my work is the vast array of topics I’ve worked on. Whether it’s forecasting the future of US-China relations or the state of international trade, my research allows me to learn more about issues I otherwise would not cover in my full-time work. The ability to choose your projects, name your price, and produce good work is fantastic. I take great pride in the written reports I make for clients. From onboarding to delivery, it’s all about the details and client satisfaction. If my name is on it, you know it’s quality!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

So, this is where I’m fortunate. While I have my company, I still work full-time. My flexible work schedule has allowed me to work on my business with time and money. In fact, I was actually waiting to take the giant leap from my full-time to my business before I realized that I could do both (for now, at least). I’m truly blessed to be able to ease my way into this with my full-time work, funding my business endeavors when needed. A lot of that comes with having time management skills and making sure the projects I take on don’t pose any conflict of interest with my full-time work.

I recommend to anyone looking to start their own business to keep full-time job if possible. I understand burnout is real, so sometimes you have to make a clean break, but if you can dedicate the time while building that financial foundation, do it!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Word of mouth is HUGE. Especially here in D.C. Not to toot my own horn, but I believe I am pretty personable, so making connections with people comes naturally, and that’s key in D.C. However, it’s way more than networking to me. While the saying “it’s all about who you know” is true, I never cared to network with people SOLELY for what they could do for me. I’m all about character. Networking for character builds genuine relationships, and those people will be the ones to speak your name in rooms of opportunity. Working in different government agencies and nonprofits has given me a large pool of folks who can vouch for my work, and it’s helped me land clients. My website and LinkedIn profile are my bloodlines for showcasing my work, so I recommend having an online presence that makes sense for your business. Simply put, you need to advocate for yourself and put yourself out there. It may seem oddly self-centered at first, but you are your biggest cheerleader, so be fanatical about it and let the people know how great you are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.layoconsulting.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/titilayo-o-46727467/