Influenced by a strong Nigerian culture of excellence, education and faith, Ty moved from Arizona to San Francisco in search of that ONE opportunity that would push him every single day. Currently, Ty works on the Growth and Business Development team at Omni, an on-demand storage and delivery service.
Often referred to by his friends as the 10X TY, Ty is a firm advocate of the Power of One where you should find that one thing & make damn sure you do it really, really well. Ty underlines the power of humility, being genuine, and leveraging relationships to help get you to where you want to be.
About:
| Years in Tech | 2 |
| Grew Up | PG County, Maryland |
| Current Job | Growth |
| Date Recorded | 1/16/2016 |
Key Points:
- Networking is about establishing strong relationships where connection is based on friendship versus wanting something in return. Twitter is the new LinkedIn.
- Show genuine interest in the company you’re interested in. Leverage something to distinguish and differentiate yourself.
- Everything is attainable. No one is too far. Don’t be afraid to reach out and learn from other people whose path you want to follow. Reach out to people who can become your mentors in life.
- Having a skill set at something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for you to do. Find your ethos. You don’t have to do several things. Pick one and do it very, very well.
- Knowledge is power. Always be studying. Turn your downtime into a time you’re subconsciously learning.
- Never take anything for granted. Always be appreciative. Stop acting like you’re NOT going to meet a billionaire or the love of your life. When you find your dream, never let it walk past you.
- Don’t take it out on yourself for not getting a job offer because there may be other elements to it. It’s not a reflection of who you are. Just keep going and do your best.
- Be humble when you get rejected and always ask for feedback to know how you can get better.
Show Notes (focus on the Stepping Stones):
[2:28] How Ty reached out to Naithan Jones of Andreesen Horowitz and how Ty wanted to meet Ruben after reading the Breaking Into Startups article [8:08] A persistent mindset: Ty’s first time in Silicon Valley coming from Arizona, he was not getting any email responses and meetings from people but was determined to go back in a month [10:36] Getting a link from Nait about Code2040’s fundraising party. Code2040 is an organization founded by Tristan Walker and Laura Powers to help minorities break into tech by leveraging technology. Meeting Nait for the first time, he got an advice from multiple people within 24 hours to move to San Francisco.[15:33] Leveraging relationships: Having that mindset to find the single best opportunity for him, Ty moved to San Francisco. He asked Nait to get introduced to Ruben and he scheduled to meet with targeted people in his quest to learn passion, intensity, and focus from young companies.
[18:53] The Power of One: Ty’s thought process about the roles he was considering – the power of finding you ethos and doing one thing but doing it very well
[24:17] Study, study, study: Turn your downtime into a time you’re subconsciously learning.
[26:12] Meeting Xavier Fuller and Tom McLeod (Omni CEO) at a private social club, The Battery, during his second visit to San Francisco and visiting Tom’s office garage[30:56] Never underestimate anyone. Have a running calculator for companies you want to work for. Never take anything for granted.
[33:30] When you find your dream, never let it walk past you: How Ty met the love of her life while he was working at OfficeMax[37:24] Job search tips: Show genuine interest in the company you’re interested in. Leverage something to distinguish and differentiate yourself. (Ty visited Tom’s office and he was impressed with what he saw.)
[39:50] The interview process: How you do during the interview has nothing to do with your capacity as a person. It’s not a reflection of who you are. (During the interview, Ty was still in school taking online classes to try to better himself but the hiring manager wanted him to drop out of business school. He didn’t get the job the first time.)
[44:30] Handling Rejections – No Pride – Be humble. Ask for feedback so you know how to get better.
[47:50] Interview tip: Speak to your role (The company who interviewed him sent him an email rejecting him for the position but more importantly, giving him feedback.)
[52:03] Leveraging relationships: Ty connecting with Omni’s Ryan Torenberg (Product Hunt) and Ryan Delk (Growth) at an event and getting another opportunity to 10x his life [57:56] What is Omni?[59:10] No Pride: Ty got a contractor role at OMNI so he had to prove himself. Ty describes his role in Growth at Omni.
[1:02:00] Why Ty is called the “10X Ty” – GROW every single day! [1:05:05] Ty talks about the Nigerian culture of EXCELLENCE, EDUCATION as the real currency, and FAITH: Ty describes his childhood years in Nigeria and the things he learned. (His mom had 5 degrees in 2 countries.)[1:08:05] The Lightning Round:
Imagine you’re brand new in a city and only had $100, what would you do to get started?
- Go to every basketball court and meet friends.
What song did you listen to at your lowest point when you got rejected to help you get over it?
- Grammys by Drake ft. Future
What is that one piece of advice you would have given yourself back then as you were thinking about starting on your journey?
- Think long term. Ignore the short term. Optimize for that one thing you do really, really well. Focus on your “next.”
Articles Mentioned & Resources:
Learning Resources
Omni
Inc.com
TechCrunch
Code2040
Bloomberg Technology
The Pitch Deck Podcast
How I Built This : NPR Podcast
Recode Decode by Kara Swisher
The Battery
Breaking Into Startups by Ruben Harris
Contact Information
Ty Olatoye
Email address: tyolatoye@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ty.olatoye?fref=ufi&rc=p
Instagram: @TyOlatoye
Twitter: @TyOlatoye
Snapchat: @tyolatoye
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyolatoye
Go to the App Store and download Omni. Type in Be Omni and use his referral code: “TY”.
