You get the most actionable audience building tips on LinkedIn | Currently helping 4 founders reduce CAC by turning their LinkedIn brand into a 24/7 salesperson.

In 2020, I left a miserable HR job. No savings, no backup plan. Just fear.

My dad was furious. 

Understandably, I had just walked away from what so many considered a golden opportunity.

I felt like a failure. 

But deep down, I knew I had to make a change. Because staying meant being stuck in a life and career I had no passion for. I was also trapped in:

🛑 A relationship I thought would last forever
🛑 The house I had lived in for 25 years
🛑 And Sundays spent with my mom’s delicious rice and chicken stew

It seemed too comfortable for my growth.

So, I took the risk. Learned social media management and quit my job.

With no formal training, I hustled day and night, looking for internship opportunities. After months of rejection, a marketing and brand manager for an Edtech company took a chance on me.

It wasn’t easy. But that first step opened doors I never imagined.

Since then, I’ve worked with some of the biggest tech brands across Africa and beyond. Today, I manage social media for a New York-based startup, earning 100x more than I did back then.

In my current role, I’ve:

1. Helped monetize our YouTube channel
2. Created the company’s top three viral posts
3. Increased brand presence on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Even though my dad still thinks I made a mistake, I'm having the time of my life observing startups (especially in Africa) from my Marketing POV.

Darius Ogenyi

CEO & Founder at Cribworks | Sales & Business Development | Go-To-Market Strategy | Passionate consultant & advisor helping businesses thrive

Over the last 15 years, I've helped commercial corporations, startups, and non-profits grow, foster new relationships, and crush their overall sales goals. 

From bringing whiteboard ideas to life to building a >$100M of new business, I've taken a very structured business development approach to growth. 

From my hands-on sales experience, working with both small and large companies, I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. So in 2019, I started my own company. 

I believe building your business relies on a multitude of assets, both internally and externally focused. From your company differentiators to building account management plans, to strategic partnerships, to social selling, building you into a trusted advisor is where you should be. 

I've worked in marketing, business development, corporate strategy, and government affairs for several firms, including Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Major League Rugby (MLR) franchise Old Glory DC, Royal Philips, Elbit Systems of America, Chenega Corporation and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs within the United States Senate.

I also sit on the Board of Directors for the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) in Washington DC, a non-profit organization that collaborates with both government and private sector on national security infrastructure challenges. 

I'm an active member throughout the local rugby community, recently serving as President of the Washington Irish Rugby Football Clubs, and work with local youth rugby clubs throughout the area. Lastly, I'm also active in various organizations such as Association for United States Army (AUSA), USA Rugby, Smart Cities Group, and others. 

I hold a Bachelor of Arts from Bates College in Maine and certifications from Shipley University in business development and capture management.

Driven individual focused on:
- Sales & Business Development
- Sales Process Improvement
- Pursuit & Capture Strategy
- Go-To-Market Strategy
- Competitive Analysis
- Win Strategies & Gap Analysis
- Management Consulting

Whitney Stowell

A special thank you to Kelly Lozano and the DBIA Mid-Atlantic Region (EST 2025) team for allowing Bree Beal and I to speak today!

We discussed Building Trust: AI and Human Insight for Relationship-Driven Growth.

A great event and really appreciated the opportunity to discuss AI in BD. Thank you!

Southeast Region Marketing Manager / DBIA Mid-Atlantic President

First session is underway at the DBIA Mid Atlantic Summit conference! DBIA Mid-Atlantic Region (EST 2025) #DBIA

Latest newsletter is up! Soft skills still matter just as much today, whether you are early in your career or deep into leadership, even as AI starts to dominate more and more of our daily tasks.

One of my first jobs in my early twenties was at a recruiting firm in Boston, where every win and every screw-up happened in front of the whole floor.

No AI.

No mute button.

Just a phone, a list of strangers, and a few seconds to earn the right to keep talking. Helping them advance their career...if they wanted it.

Looking back now, that experience shaped more of my career than any tool ever has. It forced me to get comfortable with:
- Calling people I did not know.
- Listening harder than I talked.
- Adapting in real time when the conversation did not go the way I planned.
Those are the same skills we are quietly at risk of losing as AI gets better at everything around the conversation.

Soft skills like communication, empathy, and relationship building are not going away; they are becoming more important as AI takes over repetitive tasks. AI can support, but it cannot replace the human part of the interaction.

Want to read more? Check out the link below:

Open article: Muscle Memory by cribworks.beehiiv.com

Why the ability to pick up the phone, listen, and adapt in real time is becoming your sharpest edge in an AI heavy world.

SAME DC Post First Friday is today! Be sure to join us on a hot and important topic around AI today at 12pmEST!

Dr. Gavriel Legynd, Ph.D from VisioneerIT joins to discuss the growing blind spots created by AI agents and unmanaged AI use, with a specific focus on data security, confidentiality, and risk exposure in architecture, engineering, and construction environments. 

Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how AI agents differ from traditional tools, why they expand the data attack surface, and how common workflows, such as design analysis, document summarization, BIM review, scheduling, and claims preparation, can unintentionally expose proprietary or client-sensitive information. 

The presentation will also explore how shadow AI usage, unclear data retention practices, and lack of defined guardrails create risks that fall between IT, engineering, legal, and leadership responsibilities. 

Rather than advocating against AI adoption, this session provides practical insights into recognizing AI-driven risk early and implementing foundational controls that support innovation while protecting data.

Details are below to join! Be sure to sign up and I'll see you shortly!

https://lnkd.in/epxqeBYW

Open article: SAME DC Webinar - Mar. 6 - AI Blindspots: Agents, Data & Security Risks by eventbrite.com

SAME DC Webinar - Mar. 6 - AI Blindspots: Agents, Data & Security Risks

taplio

The Battle

Darius Ogenyi

Whitney Stowell

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreWhitney Stowell's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Darius Ogenyi

Whitney Stowell

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);}Whitney Stowell's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreWhitney Stowell's LinkedIn Performance