We help b2b SaaS marketers turn their video footage into leads | Founder at A2 Media | Ex-Shopify & Affirm.

Hi, I'm Ademola 🙋🏿‍♂️ a professional magician turned video marketer. 

I know, weird combo. But here's the thing: after 20+ years of performing magic, I realized something... 

The same principles that make an audience lean in during a trick are the the same ones that make a buyer trust a brand.

That's why I built A2 Media. I wanted to help as many brands as possible use video the way it should be used: to build trust, tell great stories, and connect with audiences. 

The added benefit of content done right is that it fills pipeline, and closes deals faster 😉

Here's what I've noticed over the years:

Most B2B brands don't lose to better products. They lose to better storytelling. Not because their product is weak, but because they haven't figured out how to earn trust through content.

How it works:

You probably don't need a fancier camera or an influencer to bring in views. But what you definitely need is clearer messaging and a deeper understanding of your buyer. So we start there. What do your buyers believe? What's holding them back? What needs to click before they'll ever talk to sales? Then we turn that into multiple videos that your prospects actually want to watch. Content that positions you as the obvious choice.

The results?
→ Your sales team stops explaining the same thing 100x because the content already did it
→ Your brand shows up in the feeds of people you actually want to close
→ Your pipeline fills with pre-educated prospects who already understand your value
→ Your content drives demos and closes deals - not just brand awareness

We don’t make content for likes. We build video systems that educate buyers, create demand, and do the heavy lifting before the sales call ever happens.

We partner best with B2B SaaS companies that have:
✅ $10M+ in annual recurring revenue
✅ A marketing and social team
✅ Camera-ready talent

A few things we’ve helped make happen:
→ Okta: Multiple video series → 20K subs + thousands of DevDay signups
→ Reveal: 4M+ organic impressions in new markets → acquisition shortly after
→ Nearbound: Cut sales time-to-close by 50% with targeted video series
→ Nice Commerce: 482% subscriber growth + multiple 5-figure deals from video
→ A2 Media: Tripled inbound leads with audience-first video edutainment

(Also trusted by teams at Chili Piper, Close, Runway, Warmly, OpenPhone, Treasury4, and Sendoso)

👉🏿 Let your content do the heavy lifting. Work with us: www.a2media.ca

📸 Ademola Adelakun, MBET

POV: You’re being onboarded by Grok AI.

Featuring: Dom Odoguardi and Maggie Arai.

—

Did you laugh as hard as we did making this? 😂

Hey! I’m Ademola 🙋🏿‍♂️ and I run A2 Media. We’re a 10-person video agency that makes SaaS videos that don’t feel like SaaS videos.

Check out more of our content 👉🏿 www.a2media.ca

Ademola Adelakun, MBET

We help you close 35% faster with video. Built for $10M+ SaaS team with long sales cycles. 550+ videos for teams like Shopify, Okta, and Chili Piper.

POV: You get laid off by your AI manager.

Christina Le: "Do you wanna make some content with u-"

Me: "Yes."

Christina: "You didn't let me fini-"

Me: "When do we start?"

This month, I became a creator in residence for Slate.

For two reasons:
1. I will follow Christina Le to the ends of the earth, even if it kills me.
2. She gave me full creative freedom on how I want to show up.

How could I say no?

Anyways, this is our first piece of content together. 

And I had a ton of fun making it! 

Shoutout to our editors who continue to BRING HEAT WITH THESE EDITS 😌. 

Wanna try Slate out? 👉🏿  www.slateteams.com

📌 P.S. This made me miss my creator roots and working with creators. Thinking about opening a few coaching spots. If I do, who's in?

I tried the ChatGPT "make a caricature of me" trend.

WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS?? 😭 

A year together and you never knew me at all.

We're done. I've moved on. Claude gets me.

Yesterday, I was a loser and a fraud.

Today I hit 15,000 followers. 

When I was 5 years old, my dad asked me what I want to be when I grow up.

I paused for dramatic effect. 

The moment I entered this world, I knew what I wanted.

And in my heart, I knew I could have taken the easy road.

(Becoming a world leader, or the world’s first ethical billionaire.)

But I chose something more ambitious.

“Father, I say this knowing full well that it will be an arduous journey, but one day I hope to cross the threshold of 15,000 followers on the world’s sh*ttiest social media platform.”

(This is how I spoke back then. I was born in the UK)

My Dad looked at me, smiled and said:

“Son, you can be whatever you want to be.” 

(Less than a year later, my parents had Rotimi Adelakun. Apparently the traditional Nigerian meaning of his name is “backup retirement plan???”)

Today, I’ve achieved what I set out to do when I was 5 years old.

And it’s because all of you choose to continue to tune into my daily mental breakdowns and occasional video advice.

Thank you all for being here on this journey and helping me fulfill my lifelong dream.

Our Videos Kick Ass for SaaS. We make the videos. You close more deals. 550+ videos for teams like Shopify, Okta, and Chili Piper.

Is anyone else a huge fan of Asana?

Well, we might be bigger fans than you. How big?

Big enough to make them a video they didn’t even ASK for.

(More like a content remix)

Most people just use their product. 

We stalked them. 

Then proceeded to fall into a rabbit hole of their content across platforms…

Then we blinked, blacked out, and woke up having made them a video?

Yeah, inspiration hit us pretty hard 😂

You see, Asana’s video content is already fantastic.

On top of that, their branding is incredible.

We just added a little bit of A2 Media magic on the visual storytelling side of things.	

As a former professional magician, one of my biggest obsessions is directing attention. 

AKA knowing exactly what we want our audience to pay attention to, and when. 

That’s the lens we brought to this piece, and I hope you enjoy it.

Oh and if you’re on the Asana team and you want to use this, DM me and I’ll send you the full file.

No strings attached. 

P.S. LoMo Phillips, you crushed it in this! The way you and the team show up on YouTube is awesome. Keep it up :). 

—-

📌 P.S. Want your team to have content like this? We help teams like Shopify, Okta, and Close, make content that drives viewers to action and closes deals. Let us do the heavy lifting for you 👉🏿 www.a2media.ca

P.P.S. We're not joking about stalking you. Please don't call the police 🚨

k, so I have to admit that this is WAY worse than I thought it would be 😭😭

This week, many of you told me that "bald looks good on me."

Okay, try lying to me now.

I've started 14 businesses over the last 13 years.

And I've made every dumb mistake in the book.

So, I know a lot about what not to do when you're running a business.

Which is one of the big reasons we've been able to continue to grow A2 Media over the last 3 years.

But I feel like I've lost the plot a little bit.

I started this business to help more people find their voice on video.

But my background in tech kept pulling me towards bigger companies and bigger deals.

While that's been fun, I'm a little sad that I abandoned my original mission: helping more people find their voice as creators.

I've realized I need that kind of fulfillment in my life too.

Not everyone knows this about me, but my undergrad degree was in psychology. 

I wanted to become a therapist.

I quickly realized that’s not the right fit for me.

But there’s still something really fulfilling to me about working 1 on 1 with somebody who’s bright, talented, and motivated. 

Helping them make breakthroughs that make their life infinitely better.

So I've opened up 3 advisory spots for people who want to become better content creators.

Apply here: https://shorturl.at/fKayI

Our B2B SaaS clients typically pay us $10K+/month. I know that's not realistic for most individuals, so I'm offering this at a fraction of that.

I'm only taking on 3 people. And I’m only taking on people who are serious, coachable, and that I know I want to work with.

The form closes tomorrow at midnight. 

Once it’s closed, it’s closed!

(I’m reviewing every application myself, and I need to keep the number of applications to a reasonable limit). 

If you're selected, you get 4 one-hour calls with me over 30 days.

Content strategy, video ideas, script feedback, video best practices, whatever you need.

Your content Yoda, I will be. 

This is NOT for you if:

→ You'd rather have AI create your content than develop your own voice
→ You're not willing to be bad before you're good
→ You want overnight results

This IS for you if:
→ You're serious about building your personal brand
→ You're willing to push through being bad to become great
→ You just need someone in your corner to help you get unstuck

If this sounds like you sign up here 👉🏿  https://shorturl.at/fKayI

P.S. Who knows if I'll do this again? Let's see how this one goes.

Me: “Film whatever content you want, just post more on LinkedIn”

My team: “Really? Anything? 😏” 

Me: “Try me”

My team: “Bet”

People of LinkedIn, I ask you:

Did Joshua and Jude crush this? Or did they crush this? 😂😂

This is either a terrible business decision or a genius one.

We're giving away $15K worth of video and content strategy for free.

3 sales videos. 1 month of video advisory. One lucky B2B SaaS brand.

The last time we did this, the campaign blew up.

Now we're doing it again. One spot. One lucky brand.

This is for you if:
→ You've got one person willing to be on camera
→ You want to create videos that educate prospects
→ Your sales team needs warmed-up prospects before calls

What you get:
→ 3 videos that make your deals move faster
 → 1 month of hands-on content strategy from the A2 team

👉🏿 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gJvB-EaP

⏰ Deadline: Friday, February 20th at midnight.
📌 P.S. Know a brand that needs this? Tag them or repost.

Me: "I don't think we're the right agency for you"

2 years later, we're still working with Okta/Auth0.

You never know where a conversation with no agenda is going to take you.

Now, I'm sure any salesperson reading this is thinking: "Why would you disqualify yourself?" 😂

But hear me out. I didn't even realize it was a sales call.

A couple nights before, one of my best friends reached out. 

She called because I was telling her about how I was stretching myself too thin recently.

"It might help to chat with someone who has gone through the same thing. Want me to connect you?"

I took the call. 

Little did I know my new friend Greg was about to turn my world upside down.

5 minutes in, we're laughing like old friends. 

Talking about all the hard stuff that goes into being THE video person.

Then he says: "Hey, I know this isn't why we're chatting, but we're actually looking for someone to help us out. What do you think about working with us?"

I was shocked.

Someone at this crazy huge company wants to work with US!?

Before I could think, the Canadian in me replied: "I don't know if we're the right people. I mean, we're going through a lot of the same problems, right?"

He laughed.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling you're the right person to do this with."

He was wrong. This is the worst partnership that has ever exis-

I'm kidding. It's been absolutely wonderful.

We've learned a ton from Greg, and we've brought our best work to him and the team.

All because he took a chance on me.

All because of a single call with great energy.

I have to be honest, I wouldn't have a functioning business without my network.

So take those calls. Meet those people. In whatever way suits you.

Sure, you’ll find that some people aren't for you. 

But you meet a lot of incredible people along the way.

Greg, I appreciate you more than you know. Thanks for being a friend, an incredible champion, and a teacher.

And to our day 1 editor Patricio Londaits (who is also in the photo) we wouldn't still have Greg and the team as clients without your vision, and your incredible work.

Let's make 2026 just as great as the last two years.

We love a great underdog story.

So we just HAD to share this one from Howie Liu at Airtable.

Last week, I was going down the rabbit hole of Airtable's YouTube content.

And I stumbled across this interesting podcast about building a challenger brand.

For those of you that aren’t familiar, it’s basically a brand that’s not afraid to be bold.

My kinda podcast. 

About 30 minutes in, Howard talked about how being the underdog fuels him.

And I felt that. 

Because when you're building something without the budget, the brand recognition, or the safety net, you just have to find a way. 

So I clipped it and told my team to do what we do best. 

Add some flair so we can help spread this message.

Thanks for the inspo, Howie. 

Hope this lights a fire under someone who needs it today.

Airtable found their way. Hopefully you're finding yours.

---
📌 P.S. Want your team to have content like this? We help teams like Shopify, Okta, and Close, make content that drives viewers to action and closes deals. Let us do the heavy lifting for you 👉🏿 www.a2media.ca

Guys... Where even is Fort Lauderdale?

Please be nice. I'm Canadian. Btw, you coming to this or what? 

It's called Above the Fold: 
→ 2 days in Ft. Lauderdale (wherever that is)
→ No talks. No slides.
→ 100% hands-on workshops.

We've got a ton of people that I love and respect coming to talk.

People like:
Tas Bober to teach us about landing pages.
Jess Cook to teach us about content strategy.
Eric Holland 💀 to teach us about interactive demos.

Oh, and none of it will be recorded. 

Meaning, if you miss it, you miss it. 

This is the last week to get tickets my friends. 

Come hang 😁: https://lnkd.in/gZKyHuzp

P.S. Sahil Patel thanks for inviting me to this awesome event! Means a lot :)

Our Videos Kick Ass for SaaS. Need content that converts? We make the videos. You close more deals. | Built for $10M+ Growth & Marketing teams. 550+ videos created for clients.

Last month, Maggie Arai kicked me out of the house.

This month, she's finally letting me hang out with her new friends. 

You see, Maggie is a brilliant entrepreneur.

And with that, comes a ton of incredible entrepreneurs that want to be part of her circle.

I wanted to hang out with them too.

But apparently, I needed to be VETTED!?

On a serious note, Maggie is leaning back into her gift of hosting events.

Historically, she’s connected thousands of people in Toronto through friend making events. 

Her events were so good that they were covered on Global News and the Toronto Star.

And now she’s doing something similar, but new. 

Have you heard of Founders Who Give A F*ck?

Probably. But if not, it’s a community of founders who well… give a f*ck ;). 

Founders who give a f*ck about other humans, about building values-led businesses, and who are just genuinely cool people.

So I guess what I’m saying is…

If you’re a founder in Toronto, do you wanna hang out with me or not?

More importantly, do you want to be in the room with other cool, likeminded people who are just like you, and hate traditional networking because it’s too transactional? 

Good. I’ll see you there.

February 5th: 7 - 10PM
Location: 10 Dean (Waverley), Toronto
Sign up here: https://shorturl.at/wdb4F

‼️ Tickets are already 50% sold out!

P.S. I’m actually gonna cry if this announcement actually ends up tanking ticket sales LOL.

Is this AI, or is Dom Odoguardi really in Toronto right now?

Canadians waking up today realizing that Hell might actually have frozen over.

Do you suck at video? Me too. 

Here are 5 things I wish I knew when I started. 

1️⃣ Your first batch of videos will suck. A lot. Like, a lot, a lot.

You'll hate the sound of your voice, the way you look, and the idea of putting yourself out there. However, if you commit to it for a couple of months something magical will happen... One day you won’t suck 🤷🏿‍♂️

2️⃣ Batching your content is the only way to stay sane. 

Yes, there are creators out there that create net new content every day. Is it insanely hard? Yes. Do they have mental breakdowns every other day? Also yes. The easiest thing to do is stick to one focused day of filming every couple of weeks, and shoot a ton of content at once. Then go back later and chop it up into something useful.

📌 Ex. Record for an hour, cover 10 topics, turn it into 20 pieces of VALUABLE and ACTIONABLE content.

3️⃣ Nobody reeeally cares about your fancy equipment.

Yeah you look better, but your storytelling, delivery, and takeaways are probably still unclear. Stop buying equipment that you don't need to tell stories that people don't want to hear in 4k. A fancy camera won't make your content more interesting, just like an expensive pan won't make you a better cook.

4️⃣ BE YOURSELF, DAMN IT.

The reason the cliche “don’t meet your heroes” is a thing is because people tend to not be themselves online. It's much easier to show up as the person you are and create content authentically (I don’t care if it’s a buzzword, it’s important) than try to be someone you're not. There's nothing more disappointing than meeting people you look up to in real life and realizing that they're not who they said they were.

5️⃣ Listen to your audience.

The questions they ask, the comments they leave, the content they engage with most - it's all valuable data telling you exactly what to create next. Listen to them, and you’ll reduce the likelihood of creative blocks or lack of a clear direction. All you need to commit to is keeping your goals and your viewers’ interests aligned.

If I'd known these 5 things from day one, I would have:

→ Saved thousands of dollars on equipment.
→ Not wasted hundreds of hours trying to figure out what to create.
→ Not stressed over trying to be someone I wasn’t. 

The good news is, now I can teach others to not make the same mistakes.

Be patient, batch smartly, listen to your audience, and stay authentic. 

And for goodness sake, just use your phone. 

Good luck 🙋🏿‍♂️

Who's a creator you look up to? Tag them below.

--
📌 P.S. Want video content that actually builds pipeline without the learning curve? That's what we do. 👉🏿 www.a2media.ca

3 months ago, we gave away FREE sales video content to a lucky brand.

(We usually charge $10-15K/M retainers for this) So, why? 

Let’s get the selfish reasons out of the way first 😂

1️⃣ It’s a great inbound play.
2️⃣ We get to try ideas that stretch our creative brains.
3️⃣ We meet awesome people. (Hi Christina Campbell! 👋🏿 Big fan.)

Now the unselfish reasons:
1️⃣ Our winner gets conversion-ready video content in days.
2️⃣ We get to show how fast idea → execution can actually be.
3️⃣ We prove that messaging can be simple to your ideal audience, and still land. 

The challenge we tackled for Treasury4 (T4):

How do we get their ideal customer to “get it” in under 30 seconds?

So we started storyboarding.

This is what we knew:
→ Their ideal customers are overwhelmed juggling a messy tech stack
→ The current way teams handle the problem T4 solves is time consuming and confusing
→ Treasury4 brings all the tools their customers need into one place and makes life easy

All great videos show some element of transformation, so we knew that’s what we had to do.

Here’s how we communicated that in under 30 seconds. 

From Christina: “We currently are utilizing in our TOF ads, in-person meeting placeholder video before the meetings start, conference booths, in our home office HQ front desk, it's great. Well received from internal staff too.”

I love it when a plan comes together :).

We’ll be running another contest this quarter, so stay tuned. 

Maybe you’ll be our next lucky winner! 😉

--

📌 P.S. Don’t have the time (or strategy) to build a video system that drives pipeline? That’s exactly what we do at A2 Media. Check out “How We Make Our Clients Money” in my featured section 👉🏿 https://lnkd.in/gCVxEcBu

Antonio Reyes is a superstar. 

A few months ago, I made a post about finding clients that just “get it”

And how working with the PowerChord, Inc. team reminded me why I love the video game.

(Lindsay Rios, just taking this opportunity to thank you AGAIN for the intro proud emoji)

Well, Antonio is still absolutely crushing it with his content.

So what better way to honour him than to show off our joint work?

IMO, this video barely needs animations - but boy are they pretty (and our specialty).

So I present to you, a preview of our latest work.

I mean, look at this masterpiece.

(I can say that because it was our team that edited it, not me 😂)

25 hours of hard work. PURE CLASS 🤌🏿

This is one of 6 videos in the choose your own adventure (CYOA) video journey we built out for them.

The goal of this journey is to get viewers to watch videos in the order that THEY choose.

And the results are typically:
→ 8-10x more clickthrough to booked demo rates
→ 90% longer watch times
→ Shortening sales cycles by up to 35%

When it comes to video formats, they’re a no-brainer if you ask me. 

And if you want an example of a CYOA just ask me. Happy to send it!

I’ll include our quick CYOA start up guide in the comments too. 

—
📌 P.S. Want your team to have content like this? We help teams like Shopify, Okta, and Close, make content that drives viewers to action and closes deals. Let us do the heavy lifting for you 👉🏿 www.a2media.ca

Hey, I'm Maggie! ☺️

I'm obsessed with helping humans connect, make friends, and build community. Basically, all the things that add up to what I call Social Fitness! I use the term Social Fitness to emphasize that our social health is just as important as our physical and mental health, and we need to learn to prioritize it.

These days, I'm:
🔹Helping purpose-driven founders and community builders maximize their impact (and the profit that fuels that impact) through my community, Founders Who Give A F*ck.

🔹Helping adults make new friends through the Social Fitness Club newsletter, where I share information, resources, and updates on new and exciting initiatives to help people find community and make friends.

----

From 2022-2024, I ran Happier, a Toronto-based business that helped adults make new friends. Through Happier, I was featured on Global News and the Toronto Star, helped thousands of adults connect, built a community of 10,000, and cured my own loneliness by finally building the social life of my dreams. 

Happier was born because I know exactly what it feels like to be lonely. Through it, I also learned exactly what it means to build a true community, how to make new friends as an adult, and so many incredible lessons I could never have predicted when I first got started. My passion for connecting people and championing social fitness truly began with Happier, and remains a core part of everything that I do.

------

I hold a JD from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, and worked for 3+ years in AI Policy. I remain deeply interested in AI policy, particularly as it relates to how our societies, mental health, and social health will be impacted by AI.

Maggie Arai

Anddd that's a wrap on F*ck Networking volume 1!!

Beyond grateful to the 20 amazing Toronto Founders Who Give A F*ck who came out last night and made this event what it was ☺️.

There's nothing I love more than creating opportunities for honest conversations and genuine human connection.

And that's what I got to do at last night's event!

That's due in no small part to the incredible founders who came out willing to have honest conversations about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, share openly, and really get to know one another beyond surface-level small talk.

I can honestly say I love what I do 🥰 

--------

Hi, I'm Maggie 🤗! I help Founders Who Give A F*ck find their people, build genuine connections, and host their own relationship-building events. 
💌 Be The First To Know When We Post New Events: https://www.fwgaf.com/
🗓️ Join An Upcoming Event: https://lnkd.in/gSpT_3ZZ

I Help Founders Who Give A F*ck Find Their People ✨ | Meet likeminded founders, host profitable events, & get more leads | 1000s connected ☺️

I’ve met SOO many amazing people here on LI.

So I’m thinking it’s time to bring you all together 👀 

Luckily, one of the amazing people I’ve met on here, Adib, owns a virtual platform that recreates the feeling of being in-person!

Sooo that’s where we’ll be meeting: on Gatherly.

Save your (free) spot to come hang with us next Friday, Feb 13th at 1pm EST! 

https://lnkd.in/dTHnMHKk 

I’m completely obsessed with Gatherly, because it’s way better for forming genuine connections than your typical Zoom call!

You can move around a whole interactive virtual space, start 1:1 conversations, join group chats, and even play games. 

No more waiting awkwardly for your turn to speak.

The ground rules for this social hour:

🤗 You’re welcome here whether you’re a 12x founder, or a 0x founder who’s curious about starting your own thing. This is an inclusive space, and nobody’s getting kicked out for not being ‘enough’ of a founder (whatever that means). 

🚫 That said, here’s what you WILL get kicked out for: racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, [insert bigotry here]. None of that is, or ever will be, tolerated in any space that I put together.

💵 No pitching, please! This is a space to connect with other cool people, not an opportunity to sell your blockchain SaaS IMO TBH YYZ (all definitely real acronyms). 

Come to talk about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, or come to talk about your pets! 

Either way, I would LOVE to see you there.

And, to introduce you to all the amazing people I’ve met on this corner of the internet ☺️.

Come hang next Friday: https://lnkd.in/dTHnMHKk

My main goal in life is to be happy.

(I mean, that’s kind of everyone’s main goal, right?)

But it’s easy to forget that. Easy to get distracted by secondary goals we *think* will make us happy (but often don’t).

I got obsessed with positive psychology 6 years ago because I felt like something was missing.

I learned a LOT, but it turns out the main thing missing was people.

I’ve always had amazing people in my corner, but for most of my life, my social circle was way too small.

Getting out of my comfort zone, hosting my own events, and meeting literally thousands of people is what finally changed that.

I went from feeling so lonely and disconnected to having the kind of connection I couldn’t have even dreamed of.

So this is just a reminder that if you’re lonely, your people are out there.

You don’t need to change who you are.

All you need is the courage to put yourself out there and go talk to some strangers ☺️.

—-------

Hi, I’m Maggie 🥰! I’ve hosted 60+ events, connected 1000s of adults, and now I help Founders Who Give A F*ck find their people, and host incredible events that skyrocket their personal brand and fill their calendar with leads. 

If that sounds up your alley, come join me! My DMs are always open to connect with cool new people 📨.

My whole life, I’ve been a people pleaser and conflict avoider.

Until I walked out 20 minutes into a ‘girls night’ someone spent hours planning. 

I used to have this community chat for people who'd been to Happier events where they could organize their own hangouts. 

One woman DM’d me asking if I’d be down to grab a drink with her and a few other girls, and of course, I said yes!

But as soon as I got there, I had this immediate gut feeling that something was off. 

You know when you just get that twinge in your chest?

Pretty quickly, it came out that she didn’t just want to meet for a drink and get to know each other.

She pulls out an itinerary and starts talking about how we’re going to be bar hopping.

6 different bars and clubs, dancing, shots... a big drunken girls night out.

Which would have been fine… but it was completely different from the night everyone thought they signed up for.

And when it became clear that me (and the other women there) weren’t so sure we wanted to commit to a whole evening of drinking and dancing, she started getting upset.

Passive aggressive comments about how we aren’t any fun.

Trying to peer pressure grown women into ordering shots. 

Complaining about how much time and work she’d put into planning the itinerary.

It eventually came out that she’d organized this whole ‘surprise’ itinerary because she wanted me to hire her to run bar crawls for Happier.

The whole thing was a sales pitch, and she was trying to guilt and pressure everyone into simply going along with it.

The wild thing is, the old me WOULD have just gone along with it. 

I would have gotten drunk, gone to every stop on the itinerary, and forced myself to stay awake and “be fun,” just to please this stranger. 

But I went through a lot of personal growth in my time running Happier as a solo founder. 

So 20 minutes in, I snapped.

I realized I'd rather have this girl not like me than spend my whole night (or worse, my whole LIFE) doing what other people wanted instead of choosing myself. 

So I stood up. 

I told her kindly but firmly that I wasn’t having a good time and was going to leave.

And then I walked out.

I still love looking back on this moment because it was such a turning point for me!

It may seem like a small thing, but for me with my history of people-pleasing, it felt huge.

And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, I wouldn’t have achieved it if not for the experience and growth that came from running a business by myself.

This entrepreneurship thing is hard, and scary, and confusing.

But the hard, scary, and confusing times have taught me SO much.

And that trade-off is 100% worth it. 

This story came to my brain because one of my favourite questions that I brought to my F*ck Networking event last Thursday was about this!

And I’d love to hear your answers to it, too.

Do you feel like you’ve changed since starting your business? If yes, what changes are you most proud of?

Hosting events changed my life.

The connections you make, doors that open, and recognition you build are incredible.

Now, I want to help you host your own profitable events so you can unlock in-person as a source of:

👩‍💻 Leads that actually know and trust you
🤝 Partnerships and collaborations that are truly a great match
💡 Brand recognition (even if you’re starting from 0)

I’m hosting a full day workshop on Saturday, March 7th to break down everything I’ve learned hosting 65+ events for thousands of people!

I’m only opening 6 spots, to make sure you get personalized, hands-on feedback.

So you can leave with a game-changing event plan in your back pocket.

Come join us: https://lnkd.in/gUZ6viuv 

This workshop is perfect for Founders Who Give A F*ck, because it’s a way to unlock profit by building trust and genuine connection.

Finally, a founder event where you don’t have to pretend everything’s perfect.

F*ck Networking is 50% sold out!

Come join other Toronto founders to *actually* connect next Thursday, Feb 5th.

Your ticket includes a free welcome drink, so tbh it’s basically free to come hang with us and meet other cool founders 😉 

(I mean, what else are you gonna do in this weather anyways?? 🙃❄️)

Sooo excited for this Friday's Founders Who Give A F*ck virtual social hour!

20 of you (obviously super cool ppl) have already signed up 🥰  

The details: 👇

We're meeting online this Friday, Feb 13th at 1pm EST.

Instead of the usual video calling platforms, we’re meeting on Gatherly!

It’s a way better space to connect, because you can actually walk around and have real conversations (instead of everyone awkwardly staring at each other in a grid).

The ground rules: be kind, be curious, be respectful!

(Also, and hopefully this goes without saying... no pitching 😂)

If you're a Founder Who Gives A F*ck who wants to meet likeminded founders around the world, come hang with us!

Register for free here:

https://lnkd.in/dTHnMHKk

Me: “sure, you can try cleaning my screen but it’s defs permanently stained.”

Ademola: “😒 bro just watch me.”

Narrator: it was not, in fact, permanently stained.

In case you were wondering how I’d be doing in life without Ademola.

(Not well 😂)

- sent from my 10 year old MacBook Pro

Mark Zuckerberg's safety team told him AI chatbots could s*xually exploit minors. 
He ignored them.

There’s a difference between founders who give a f*ck about the impact they have, and the ones who don’t. 

Meta’s head of child safety stated creating and marketing under 18 romantic AI’s was not advisable or defensible.

Zuckerberg allowed it to move ahead anyway, and only stopped once they got sued.

Those are the kinds of business practices I don’t want to touch with a 10 foot pole.

Not everyone’s gonna agree with this perspective.

That’s fine.

Because these posts help me find the kind of founders I WANT to be connected with.

The ones I want to see coming to my events, getting connected, and unlocking the next level of their business while staying true to the values they care about. 

If you’re with me on this, chances are you’re a good fit for Founders Who Give A F*ck. 

You don’t have to be changing the world to be a part of this community.

You just have to give a f*ck.

About treating people well.

About staying true to your values.

And about moving forward and making progress with incredible people by your side.

—--------
Hi, I'm Maggie 🤗! I help Founders Who Give A F*ck find their people, build genuine connections, and host their own relationship-building events.

💌 Be the first to know when we post new events: https://www.fwgaf.com/
🗓️ Join an upcoming event: https://lnkd.in/gSpT_3ZZ
👩‍💻 Get help hosting your next corporate event: https://lnkd.in/e5JYCNW5

Filling a room with people ≠ a real event.

This should be obvious, but I’ve been to a loooot of events that… SUCK 🙁.

And the worst part is that it only takes a few SMALL, thoughtful changes to set the tone, dial up the energy, and create an experience people will rave about! 

Yet I keep ending up at events where:

🥴 There's 0 structure, organization, or activities
😅 Everyone’s pitching, bragging, or trying to escape the pitching & bragging
🏃‍♀️ The organizer isn’t even in the building (??)

And it doesn’t have to be like this!!

Terrible networking events happen because the traditional ‘rules’ of networking are wired into our brains. 

Just like we instinctively know not to have loud conversations or pull our phones out in a movie theatre, we 'know' that if we’re going to network we need to pull out the dress shirts, hide our personality, and try to seem impressive.

You can't even really blame people for being braggy, on edge, or stiff when they’re networking, because those are the rules they’ve been told to follow!

UNLESS you create an event that plays by different rules.

Anytime I’ve attended or hosted those kinds of events, I leave absolutely BUZZING with the energy of being in an incredible room with incredible people.

That’s why I created F*ck Networking. 

https://lnkd.in/e3hEAv4t
 
This event is for founders who are sick of traditional networking events where there’s no real structure, connection, or authenticity. 

I’ve hosted 60+ events that connected 1000s of people, so I know what it takes to build an event that actually brings people together (and, keeps them coming back).

And I’m bringing all of that experience to F*ck Networking.

We’re selling fast (early bird tickets are already SOLD OUT) so make sure you grab your ticket if you wanna join us! 🤗 

https://lnkd.in/e3hEAv4t

I don’t know what I’m doing.

And this is my FOURTH business.

My very first post here on LinkedIn was about how scary it was to leap into entrepreneurship full time, and commit publicly to doing that.

It was terrifying to post, but it also really resonated with people.

But the longer I’m on here, the more I’m starting to notice that I actually feel pressure to NOT admit when things are scary, hard, or not going right.

Because how can I sell anything to founders if I admit I find entrepreneurship hard, too?

Here’s the thing: I know some stuff VERY WELL. 

Connection? Hosting kick*ss events? Finding your people? 

Yes. Call me. 

I am confident in my abilities in these areas.

But that doesn’t mean I know everything, or that I have all the answers. 

And I don’t want to feel like I shouldn’t say that, or become someone who only talks about my wins on here.

Entrepreneurship is hard. 

It can be messy, lonely, and make you question your sanity a bit 🙃 

That’s why I’m hosting events like F*ck Networking! 

It’s why I’m so focused on bringing together Founders Who Give A F*ck and helping you find your people.

Because those support networks are what make it EASIER. 

Even when everything feels like a mess.

Sign up here (Early Bird & Tier 2 are already sold out): 

wygo.world/f-networking

-----------

Hi, I’m Maggie. I help Founders Who Give A F*ck find their people, kick founder loneliness to the curb, and build warm leads by hosting kick*ass events ☺️.

HUGE shoutout to Amanda Ali Mansour🌶️ and the other lovely founders who joined me for today's first *virtual* Founders Who Give A F*ck social hour!

Still learning how to make virtual events as impactful as in-person ones, but I'm so grateful we have tools that let us connect virtually!

Because how else are you going to connect with folks from Canada, India, the United States, and Dubai all in one call? ☺️ 

Thanks to these founders for coming out and making this first social hour on Gatherly so lovely!

If you want to join us next time, make sure you're signed up to my newsletter at www.fwgaf.com 🤗

Creator-Operator | Brand & Community Strategist | Global Startups, B2B & SaaS, Cross-Border Growth & International Education

View Amanda Ali Mansour🌶️’s profile

Earlier today, Maggie Arai gathered founders from around the world with a twist.

Instead of the usual awkward Zoom grid, we met on Gatherly.

You can actually walk around, join conversations organically, and move between groups like you would at an in-person event.

No breakout rooms, performative panels, or pitching — just thoughtful builders in conversation.

Ground rules were simple:
 ✨ Be kind
 ✨ Be curious
 ✨ Be respectful
 ✨ And seriously… no pitching 😂

The room included:
 🧘🏿‍♀️ Kimmy Costa — Founder of Anti-Hustlers Club + Campfire Communities, designing burnout-free, human-centered spaces.
  Chikodili Odinakachukwu — Product & AI builder at the intersection of tech, business, and impact.
  Ali Amiri, MD — helping leaders reclaim energy and independence through lifestyle systems.
  Ashley Hannah Verlé — turning LinkedIn visibility into real opportunity through strategy + storytelling.
  Richita Roy — building podcast + video systems for busy humans.
  Madhura — rethinking how fitness spaces become more community-centered and intentional.
  Ahmed R — creating bridges between Executive Assistants and Project Management ecosystems.

Different time zones.
Different industries.
Same energy.

If you care about building things that actually matter, keep an eye on what Maggie is building with Founders Who Give A F*ck. 💜

If you’re a founder who’s sick of fake, transactional networking events, this is for you. 

LAST CHANCE to join us for F*ck Networking this Thursday!

(https://lnkd.in/e3hEAv4t)

F*ck Networking is a chance to sit and have small group conversations with other founders, builders, and creators who want to genuinely CONNECT.

Traditional founder networking has this weird culture I’ve never loved. 

People walk into those rooms and feel pressure to dress a certain way, brag about their revenue and accomplishments (because that’s what everyone else is doing), and it gets treated as a space to pitch, sell, and impress—NOT to form real relationships.

F*ck Networking is about flipping that on its head.

I’ve hosted 60+ events designed to help adults find community and build real relationships.

So I know how to create a culture of connection.

And that’s what you’ll get at this event!

No awkward small talk or feeling like everyone you meet is judging whether you’re ‘successful’ enough. 

Just a space to connect, have honest conversations about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and build your support network with other founders who give a f*ck.

This is about developing the genuine relationships that help you get through the hard times, celebrate your wins, and open doors to incredible opportunities you never realized were possible.

So, yeah… F*ck Networking.

It’s time to actually connect, instead.

Just a few spots left: https://lnkd.in/e3hEAv4t

The people who succeed don’t do it alone.

And that doesn’t just mean building a network (although of course that’s important, too). 

But what’s not emphasized as much is how important it is to have true *friends* who are in the same space as you.

People you can have the deep, dark, honest chats with.

The ones you can turn to when you feel like everything’s falling apart. 

This is true pretty much regardless of what you do or what space you’re in.

You don’t just need people you can call when you need a recommendation for a good accountant.

You also need people you can call when you’re wondering if you’ve lost your f*cking mind.

If it’s completely insane to keep chasing what you’re chasing.

That’s what Founders Who Give A F*ck is really about.

Helping you find your people. 

Creating the opportunities for you to build genuine, deep connections.

Not just a surface-level network. 

If that sounds like the kind of thing you’re looking for, make sure you’re signed up to receive our email updates at fwgaf.com! 

We’ve got something super exciting coming that I can’t wait to share with you 👀  
-----------

Hey, I'm Maggie 🤗! I help Founders Who Give A F*ck find their people, build genuine connections, and host their own incredible events.

💌 Be The First To Know When We Post New Events: https://www.fwgaf.com/
👩‍💻 Get help hosting your next corporate event: https://lnkd.in/e5JYCNW5

Last chance to join us today for ✨social hour!✨  

Finish your week by chatting with some super cool founders & folks from LinkedIn!

Register to join us here:

https://lnkd.in/dTHnMHKk

They say you have to be ruthless to win.

But they’re playing a game you don’t even care about. 

So I mean... f*ck that game.

Being a founder doesn’t mean you have to work 9-9-6. 

It doesn’t mean you have to subscribe to the ‘ruthless’ mindset or to ridiculously manipulative marketing strategies.

And it doesn’t mean the only goal worth striving for is to be the next Apple or Google.

Those companies reach billions of people.

But what if all you needed to build YOUR dream business was to reach a few thousand?

Better yet, what if that meant you could lean into your strengths as a founder who gives a f*ck about other people, and learn to market and sell in a way that actually feels genuine to who you are?

That would be pretty cool, right?

That’s what I’m teaching during my in-person workshop on March 7th ☺️.

https://lnkd.in/gUZ6viuv 

How to host events that turn strangers into qualified leads and superfans.

I’ve spent years learning what makes an incredible event, and hosted more than 60 sold-out events in Toronto. 

Those 60 events brought me more than 10,000 leads.

They took me from totally unknown to having a personal brand that people recognized and trusted.

And, of course, they were the foundation for my most successful business yet.

Now I want to help you do the same thing.

Because in a world that’s completely oversaturated with AI slop, doom-scrolling, and copy-pasted ads, you DON’T have to be ruthless to win.

In fact, you can win big by caring. 

By bringing people together to form genuine connections.

And by showing that you give a f*ck.

I’m keeping this workshop intentionally small to allow for a very hands-on, personalized experience.

The first 3 people to sign up will get (VERY discounted) early bird pricing! 

Save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/gUZ6viuv

taplio

The Battle

📸 Ademola Adelakun, MBET

Maggie Arai

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taplio

The Battle

📸 Ademola Adelakun, MBET

Maggie Arai

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}📸 Ademola Adelakun, MBET's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance Score📸 Ademola Adelakun, MBET's LinkedIn Performance