Beyond Education (BE)

Decided to grow up and become a CEO because...why not? 

How hard could it be...

EDIT: It's hard (but fun *sometimes*)

Chief Executive Officer

Beyond Education is a talent and employer branding agency helping employers become the go-to choice for diverse talent. 

Results so far: 
 
→Generated over 10 million digital impressions for employer brands
→Saved our clients £50,000+ in recruitment costs  
→A whopping 92.8% rate on hires through us 
→ 96% ethnically diverse hires 

We have worked with; LinkedIn, 10,000 Black Interns, JumpStart, Octopus Energy, Federated Hermes, BNY Mellon, IQ-EQ to name a few...

Humble brag done! 

Hit me up if you like what you've read so far sadeoye@beyondeducation.uk

Founder

Columbia Threadneedle Investments EMEA APAC

Real Version: This was chill, great people too.  Most days weren't spent ideating startups whilst staying on top work. Felt like I was living a double life lol - what a rollercoaster. 

. 
CV Version: Investment Product Development across all asset classes:

→ Equities 
→ Fixed Income 
→ Alternatives

Associate

Astorg

Real Version: Ahh my quarter life crisis era lol. This was an eye-opening experience. Totally different worldview from what I knew/expected but grateful for the experience nonetheless.  

CV Version: Supported capital raising efforts for flagship fund, facilitated investor due diligence days and worked closely with Partner on co-investments for larger ticket deals.

Investor Relations & Co-investments 

ACA Group

Real Version: Wanted to see if the grass was greener...

CV Version: Managed a portfolio of 20+ high-value institutional investors, providing bespoke regulatory advice and operational support. Clients include private equity firms, hedge funds, and diversified asset managers, all within Europe and the US, with a focus on increasing the efficient running of investment activities.

Senior Analyst

Belong

Customer Advisory Board

IQ-EQ

Real Version: Ok this is when I felt like I was in the big leagues, I couldn't pretend to work anymore and sh*t gets real fast! when there are clients and ALOT of money involved. Anyways I owe most of  professional development and entrepreneurial skills to this company. 

CV Version: As an Advisory Analyst at Lawson Conner, I advised investment firms on setting up investment vehicles to expeditiously deploy their investment strategy in the private and public markets.

Advisory Analyst

Fiserv

Real Version: 1st Corporate job pretending to do important stuff but was really just keeping up appearances wearing overpriced suits from Next. Got flown out to America a couple times so that was cool I guess...


CV Version: As a Risk & Compliance Analyst, I was responsible for ensuring the EMEA region's regulated entities were compliant with applicable laws and regulations to the group as well as adhering to the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework.

Risk & Compliance Analyst

TL:DR: 

‣ Corporate dropout 
‣ DE&I Advocate
‣ Founder, Beyond Education 
‣ Content Creator, #CorporateSteve 

Hey I am Stephen, and I quit my job to help other people get jobs hence #corporatedropout 🫡

I am passionate about helping candidates access competitive corporate opportunities. 

I do this by connecting the best diverse talent with inclusive employers through my talent and employer branding agency, Beyond Education. 

We have worked with; LinkedIn, 10,000 Black Interns, JumpStart, Octopus Energy, Federated Hermes, IQ-EQ, BNY Mellon, St James Financial Adviser Academy to name a few, and you could be next. 

We have access to over 1 million engaged candidates (yup you read that right). 

Our objective is to help your company become the employer of choice for diverse talent for a more inclusive and profitable enterprise. 

Diversity is not the right thing to do... it's the smart thing to do.

Like what you’ve read so far? 

Book an appointment via my profile or drop me an email - sadeoye@beyondeducation.uk

So I was invited to Downing Street the other day.

I didn't post about my visit on Monday to avoid the April Fools allegations.

Plus, I had to go through extensive security clearance just to post this pic.

Barrack Obama was in London a few weeks ago on a courtesy visit.

Me and him actually go way back, long before he assumed office in 2009.

So I had to drop by Downing Street once I heard my boy was in town.

We chopped it up like old times and discussed projects we were working on.

I told him about Beyond Education (BE)'s first ever employer webinar happening next week. 
↳ How to attract diverse talent via Social Media 📲

He said more in-house professionals in DEI, TA, Early Careers & Employer Branding need to sign up for this ASAP. 

I said I know right!

He gifted me his latest book
He snapped a quick photo for me
Then we promised to check in more

He also said I should consider a career in politics, that I'd be a natural.

I told him I would think about it, but for now, I am on a mission to help employers become the go-to choice for diverse talent.

Fun Fact: I am the only person in Downing Street history who's bypassed the *must wear a suit* rule. Connections in high places!

True story 🤞🏾

Anyways, follow me Stephen, for more updates on how I am making Great Britain more inclusive, one employer at a time 🇬🇧

Oh, and secure your spot for the webinar via the link in the comments.

Stephen Adeoye

CEO | Corporate dropout connecting diverse talent with inclusive employers using socials📲| £50,000+ recruitment savings for clients💰 | Over 10 million digital impressions generated for employer brands 🚀

How can employers attract diverse talent?

What skills are needed for a career in politics?

I got banned by TFL for entertaining

9 to 5’ers on their commute to work.

*Quick backstory*

I had a musical upbringing as a kid:

→ Part of the choir at church
→ Studied A-level Music Technology
→ Auditioned for music school (didn’t get in 🥲)

I was convinced I would be a global award-winning artist…

Then the harsh realisation set in that I’m averagely talented.

Therefore, my chances of earning a living as a musician were slim.

So I decided to study Banking & Finance in uni to earn the big bucks.

Today, I am a corporate drop-out turned entrepreneur earning zilch.

So much for the big bucks…funny how life works 😅

Nonetheless, I still love music & have a strong passion for DEI.

So I dusted off the old keyboard to play some tunes for 9-5ers.

Whilst plugging Beyond Education (BE)’s employer webinar.
↳ How to attract diverse talent via social media 📲

Turns out Transport for London's head office did not like that idea.

Before we could start the concert, security headed our way.

It was a standoff, and I didn’t leave without a fight.

The authorities eventually had to get involved

All this commotion, so in-house professionals in:
↳DEI, Early Careers, TA & Employer Branding...

Can access FREE information that will help them attract diverse talent at scale and make corporate UK more inclusive 🚀

This was my last-ditch attempt to get the word out about the webinar.

So sign up via the link in the comments if you want (your loss if you don’t)

I have no more tricks under my sleeve (I think 👀).

See you tomorrow at 11am sharp.

It’s been a fun run 🫡

PS: Does anyone know where you plug in your equipment to busk in public???

Most of us are very entitled with big egos. 

That’s why we struggle to deal with rejection: 

→ When we don’t get that dream job 
→ Secure the big-time client 

Or anything else we are really hoping for. 

Take me for example: 

At the start of the year, my diary was filled with potential clients keen to work with my business. 

With promising conversations to sign on as clients in the new financial year. 

All of a sudden: Reschedules → Ghosting & A bunch of “no’s” 

Then I feel: Angry → Upset & Sorry for myself 

But I realised my mindset is all wrong. 

My expectation is that if I pitch to 100 potential clients...

I should have 100 new clients for my business, Beyond Education (BE). 

After all, we have impressive case studies & great testimonials… 

So why would any employer not want to work with us? 

But that is such an unrealistic expectation fuelled by entitlement & ego. 

You will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s fine. 

Rejection is feedback 
Rejection is redirection 
Rejection is a prerequisite to your ideal outcome. 

Whether that’s getting your dream job or securing a big-time client. 

Rejection is an inevitable part of the process. 

Take it in stride, eliminate your expectations and keep going. 

It’s preparation for the success that lies ahead. 

Your big break is coming ✨

PS: This is really a note to self 

♻️ Repost & share with someone that needs to see this. 

Follow Stephen so I can hit 15k and reintroduce myself x

How is rejection a prerequisite to success?

What is the message of hope at the end of the post?

After 27 years, I'm finally leaving the UK. 

Let me explain:

Where do y'all think I'm off to 👀

PS: Bringing the vlogs to LinkedIn like Simmy 🤝

What are the latest headlines from the UK?

My business is the best in the market for: 

Talent Attraction via Social Media Marketing. 

I can confidently say this about Beyond Education (BE). 

Because most of our feedback from clients is: 

→ “You guys were better than the last” 
→ “Your reach on social media is big!” 
→ “We’ve never received this much interest…” 

Even on sales calls, I’d get comments like: 
↳ “I’ve not seen an agency go into so much detail about social media” 

I come on LinkedIn every week to tell everyone we are the best. 

I am obviously biased as CEO, so you may not believe me. 

So don’t take my word for it; take Rebecca's word instead🤝
__ 

Next week Wednesday, via an online Zoom webinar...

I am teaching 100 in-house professionals in: 
↳DEI, Early Careers, TA & Employer Branding 
↳How to attract diverse talent via social media📲 

Giving away all our secrets for FREE to make the workplace more inclusive for underrepresented talent to thrive 🚀 

Sign up via the link in the comments.

Last week, I had to impress attendees from: 

BT Group → HSBC → Nomura → Gymshark → Kainos

Plus, other notable companies that joined Beyond Education (BE) first-ever employer webinar.
↳ How to attract diverse talent via social media 📲

I think it went well from the feedback received during & after the session.

A replay + the presentation can be accessed in the comments. 
↳ Summarised questions + answers too 🤝

A few highlights of me trying to get employers to sign up:

→Pestered shoppers in Westfield Stratford
→Attempted to break into LinkedIn’s HQ
→Camped outside Google HQ for 24hrs
→Took a journey down to the North Pole
→Got invited to Downing Street by Obama
→Banned by TFL for starting a mini-concert.

No one is more committed to making the workforce more inclusive than yours truly 🫡

Shoutout to my brilliant panellists JJ, Julia & Oluwatosin

Plus Stephanie J for her excellent moderating during the session.

Already planning our next employer event, which might be in person 👀

PS: What was your favourite moment from my highlights 👇🏾

What are some best practices for attracting talent via social media?

Why is attracting diverse talent important?

What are some recent developments at Beyond Education (BE)?

Week in the life of an Agency Founder

Enroute to a multi 6 figure year 💸

*digital nomad edition* 

Monday: 

Wrote 2 LinkedIn posts for my page
Employer webinar pannelist promo content 
Got started on employer webinar slides 
Emails + delegated bits & bobs to PA
Quick Back & Biceps gym session 
Catch up call with Internal Recruiter 
Eat 5 burgers for lunch &  dinner

Tuesday: 

Heavy leg session as soon as I got up 
Whipped up two Linkedin bangers
Client confirmed applications looking good
Consumed the largest cinnamon roll  
Explored Copenhagen for the day 
Consumed 3 burgers from different restaurants 

Wednesday: 

Spent all day working in my hotel room
2 personal LinkedIn post (spot the pattern?) 
Call with new employer partner discussing terms 
Edited coaching client LI post (side hustle 👀)
Marketing content for webinar referral partner 
Late night Arms session in the gym 

Thursday: 

Frantically packing my bags last minute 
Rushing to checkout to avoid late fee 
Post client testimonial on LI to seem more legit 
More work on employer webinar slides
Spent 3 hours in the airport (flight delays!) 
Wrote this post whilst I was waiting 
Got to LDN at midnight…£53 on cab! 

Friday: 

Writing a LinkedIn post to plug…
Beyond Education (BE)’s webinar 
Teaching 100 in-house professionals in: 
DEI, Early Careers, TA & Employer Branding 
How to attract diverse talent via social media 
Secure your spot in the comments 

Money spent: £631 (£131 over budget 🙂) 

Conclusion: Digital nomad life is a 5/10 for me.

 I like predictable routine & structure.

This week was way too chaotic for my liking. 

I think staycations might be my thing instead. 

Unplugged again 👀

What are some best practices for writing LinkedIn posts?

What are the benefits of a quick gym session?

No alternative text description for this image

POV: You quit your 9-5 to be a digital nomad

Following in Tobi Ogundipe’s footsteps 😅

Drop your travel bucket list in the comments✈️

What are the benefits of being a digital nomad?

Slow start to the year, but it's coming 💨

Q1 Highlights & Lowlights:

→Didn’t hit revenue targets
→Sick for 3 weeks, childish, I know!
→ Got booked for a few speaking gigs
→Hella rejections & ghosting…agency life i guess
→Won some new biz (announcements pending 👀)
→Beyond Education (BE)'s first employer webinar
↳For *in-house* DEI, TA & Employer Branding Professionals
(Details in the comments to find out more about that)

Harsh realisation: Everything in my life is my fault
↳ The good, bad & ugly 

Other realisation: Running a business is pretty cool when it works.

Everything is growing, including the locs 🦁

To solving more problems
Putting in more hours
Building cool sh*t

Bring on Q2 💸

PS: I am currently on a workation ✈️
↳ Want to create in an unfamiliar environment
↳ Guess what country in the comments
↳ Did someone say daily vlogs 👀

Enjoyed this post?

👍 Drop a like
♻️ Reshare with your network
💬 Let's get chatting in the comments

Follow me Stephen because…why not x

What are the joys and challenges of running a business?

What were the highlights and lowlights of the author's Q1?

How am I spending my Bank Holiday? 

I went to THE North Pole over the weekend❄️ 

To promote Beyond Education (BE)'s upcoming employer webinar. 
↳How to attract diverse talent via socials(deets in the comments). 

I figured somewhere with as much white (snow) could do with some diversity. 

When I arrived, it wasn’t as cold as I thought & there was no snow. 

Either National Geographic has sold us a dream...

Or 

I am at the wrong location...

The moral of the story is that I was willing to risk catching hypothermia. 

Just so in-house professionals in DEI, TA & Employer Branding can access information that will help them attract diverse talent at scale. 

Creating a more inclusive workplace for underrepresented talent to thrive 🚀 

If that’s not committing to the cause, then I don’t know what is! 

For my efforts, please: 

👍 Like this post 
♻️ Reshare with your network 
✍️ signup to the webinar (in the comments) 

Follow me Stephen to see where I visit next 🤪

PS: Shoutout to Martin for borrowing me his ski gear 🤝

Why is attracting diverse talent important for employers?

What are the benefits of attending an employer webinar?

We've hit 5000 members at Beyond Education (BE). 

Right on target to hit 20k by the end of year.

As we continue to commit to better delivery for our clients,

I have become more analytical on our outputs as an Agency.

Enabling me to accurately anticipate milestones like these.

We now have an immediate reach to 5000 candidates.

Just at our fingertips, with the click of a button.

Email is the most underrated form of marketing.

With traditional social media, you have to rely on:
Algorithms →Paid ads →a bit of luck

Just to reach your target audience.

With Email: A subscriber = direct inbox access 🤝

One of the most priciest items on our P&L is our email tech stack😅

We have invested a lot of money on user experience, interface & content.

Resulting in: 59.7% Open Rate → 6.7% Click Through Rate.

Well above industry averages of 36% → 1.8% as of 2024.

And we are continually working on getting those stats up.

With threats of TikTok being banned & ever-changing algorithms.

Our mailing list is our most valuable digital asset to date.

And is a fundamental part of our talent attraction strategy.

I will be breaking down this strategy next week Wednesday.

At Beyond Education’s upcoming employer webinar
↳How to attract diverse talent using social media 📲

This session will be useful for in-house professionals in: 
↳ DEI, Early Careers, TA & Employer Branding.

We are almost at capacity, so secure your spot ASAP via the link in the comments.

PS: Had to dust off the good old keys for a performance the other day. More on that in another post later this week 👀 🎹

Enjoyed this post?

👍 Drop a like
♻️ Reshare with your network
💬 Let's get chatting in the comments

Beyond Education (BE) has lost over £100k in new business.

Due to our competitors incompetencies.

Employers are pissed off, and they are not hiding it.

With complaints on well-known industry suppliers 👀

I am conscious that budgets are being renewed as we enter the new financial year.

So here are a few tips to assess if an agency is the right fit for your talent attraction efforts:

1️⃣ Extensive due diligence: We recently signed on a well-known bank who put us through 3 pitches, follow-up questions, a request to speak to our clients, and even signing up as a candidate on our platform. My key contact kept apologising for the lengthy process, and I reassured him that we want to make sure they are fully confident in knowing they have chosen the right agency.

2️⃣ Problem & Solution Framework: Outline pressing challenges your organisation is experiencing, e.g., lack of female talent, retention, limited black talent pipeline etc., and ask for their proposed solution. This will give you an understanding of their delivery framework.

3️⃣ Case Studies: Review their client roster and case studies. Ask thorough questions to uncover details on how results were delivered. You need undeniable evidence that they deliver results.

Bonus*

4️⃣ Define Success: If you are convinced by the above points and progress to appointing an Agency, it is essential to define what success looks like to ensure expectations are met.

—
I understand that talent attraction budgets are under scrutiny, especially with the propaganda to cancel DEI (a post for another day!)

So I really hope this helps.

In-house professional in DEI, Early Careers, TA, & Employer Branding.

Feel free to reach out to test this assessment on me.

Maybe Beyond Education (BE) can be the solution to your talent attraction challenges in 2024 & beyond 🤞🏾

Your Edgy Marketing Gworl 👸🏽| Learning about marketing so you don’t have to | Beauty Creator | Campaigns & Social Media 🗞️

People keep flirting with me on LinkedIn.

They start by:

Sliding in my DM’s → I entertain 
Asking for my number → I give it 
Getting to know me → We bond
Arrange a date → I show up 
(I clean up good, of course)

The first date goes well, and I start catching feelings…

What can I say I’m a lover girl 🫣

I continue conversations not showing all my cards, just feeling the vibe.

A second date booked → I’m excited obviously

All of a sudden: Empty promises → no words → GHOSTED 

There I am heartbroken, expected to pick myself back up and repeat the process over & over till I find the right match. 

Recruiters, hiring managers and the like… 

Please be considerate when dealing with job seekers. 

- Assess if headcount is needed 
- Triple-check again to make sure 
- Be straightforward with comms 

Whatever you do…

DON’T GHOST.

Do better  

Yours Sincerely, 
Every Jobseeker x

Who are the relevant influencers for Topicals in the UK?

Why is an engaged audience important for Topicals?

Topicals are leaving money on the table.

Let me explain:

The US based skincare brand recently launched in the UK.

To get everyone’s attention, they flew 20 UK influencers to Switzerland.

Whilst this is an obvious way to attract UK consumers…

A more effective use of their marketing budget would have been to collaborate with high-end UK makeup artists.

Who are actually the relevant influencers in this context.

My personal picks would have been:

1️⃣ PaintedbyEsther → artist to Naomi Campbell
2️⃣ Breelliantmua → artist to Leonie Anderson
3️⃣ Lletitia → artist to Maya Jama

These makeup artists service the consumers that Topicals actually want to sell to.

Plus, their celebrity clientele gives them access to engaged audiences across social channels who trust them.

In short:

↳Relevant influencers
↳Engaged audience
↳Loyal customers

= Réal Return on Investment 💰

Make sense?

PS: Topicals hire me for your next campaign launch… I don’t mind a cheeky flight too x

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