Tobi Oluwole

Magnate

My personal holding company building and investing in profitable businesses including: 
- Magnet 8 
- TalentGap 
- Founder's Blueprint and more

Chief Executive Officer

Founder & Coach providing actionable advice on how to earn more and live happier.

Founder

Shopify

Sales Manager

The3Skills

Our mission is to create the world's most employable candidates by teaching people how to communicate their value. Over 17,000 people trained and $20M+ in total income for students.

CEO & Co-Founder

Shopify Plus

Merchant Success Manager

Kivuto Solutions

Account Executive - South Central USA

Simutech Multimedia Inc.

Account Executive

Purple Forge

Entrepreneur, Sales Leader & Coach with experience building high-capacity teams and profitable online businesses.

I showed up at my ex-manager's house with donuts one random evening.  

He left what he was doing, came outside and we talked for 2 hours. 

A few months later, my wife and I were visiting Rome, Italy and I thought of this same manager again. 

I remembered that he was Italian and I jokingly said to my wife: 

"Wouldn't it be funny if we ran into my ex-boss in Italy?" 

10 minutes later we ran into him and his family on a side street in ROME!

It was one of the most miraculous things I've ever experienced. 

People talk about "networking" like a to-do list but it's not. 

If you want to have a great network of people all you need to do is this: 

1. Reach out to people just because they crossed your mind. 

Send an email, Facetime them, send a text or drop off some donuts. They might not respond but they will always remember. 

2. Give back once a month

Find someone who's one or two steps behind where you are and just have a conversation with them. Help them move a little faster by sharing your wisdom. 

3. Connect 2 people in your network to each other once a quarter

If you think of two people who might get along or help each other, just make the introduction. Both parties will appreciate you making the connection. 

Relationships are what make life so worth living.

9 red flags you must never ignore during interviews. 

(And how to respond when you see them)

❌ “We’re a family here”
↳ Work is not family. Your family won’t lay you off for profit. 
↳ It's more like a team and it should function that way.

❌ The interview process has more than 6 stages
↳ It's a sign of a broken recruiting system
↳ If they can't decide within 4 stages, it's likely not a fit.

❌They promise higher salary "later" but don't put it in writing.
↳ If it's not in writing, it probably will never happen.
↳ Make sure every promise is documented and signed.

❌ Defensive responses to legitimate questions
↳ If you interviewer gets easily offended, that shoul concern you. 
↳ Your career affects your entire life. Ask questions. 

❌ Weird power dynamics on display
↳ Nobody should intentionally try to throw you off or intimidate you.
↳ If they do, you will also likely deal with a lot of office politics.

❌ The bait and switch offer or salary
↳ If they change the salary or title after the interviews, be skeptical.
↳ These are early signs of manipulation. 

❌ Your interviewer is disengaged or distracted
↳ If the hiring manager keeps checking their phone, you are not their priority. 
↳ You deserve the full attention of your interviewer.

❌ Exploding Offers
↳ Companies that pressure you into signing an offer quickly are often hiding something. 
↳ Trust your insticts and go through your offer with extra precaution.

❌ They ask for free work
↳ Exploitation often starts in the interview process.
↳ You should be compensated for projects that take more than an hour to complete. 

Nothing impacts your life as much as the career you choose.

Don’t ignore these red flags. 

Repost to help someone avoid them too. 
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CEO, Magnate | I help founders & solopreneurs drive inbound leads using content | 200+ Million Impressions on LinkedIn | Follow for posts about entrepreneurship, business & career growth.

9 red flags you must never ignore

Nicole Roberson

Why your best employees want to leave the company

(and how to get them to stay)

❌ Lack of Career Growth  
↳ They feel stuck and see no upward movement.  
↳ They aren’t being challenged or learning new things.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Implement a personalized development plan for each employee that includes skills they want to acquire, milestones, and clear timelines.  
↳ Meet quarterly to reassess their goals and provide opportunities like stretch assignments or lateral moves to expand their experience.

❌ Poor Leadership  
↳ Their boss micromanages and doesn’t trust them.  
↳ They don’t feel supported or valued by leadership.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Train leaders to give ownership and autonomy in projects.  
↳ Create a culture of trust by offering regular 360-degree feedback, where leaders and employees can exchange constructive criticism and praise.

❌ Burnout  
↳ They’re overworked and never have time to recharge.  
↳ There’s no balance between their work and personal life.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Introduce regular check-ins on workload and mental health.  
↳ Offer flexible schedules, remote work options, and dedicated recharge days—paid time off specifically for mental wellness.

❌ Toxic Work Environment  
↳ Negativity and office politics create constant stress.  
↳ They don’t feel like they can be themselves at work.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Conduct anonymous culture surveys to identify toxicity hot spots.  
↳ Act swiftly on the findings with team-building workshops and clear policies that discourage negative behavior.

❌ Lack of Recognition  
↳ Their hard work goes unnoticed or unappreciated.  
↳ They don’t feel valued for their contributions.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Create a peer recognition program that allows employees to celebrate each other’s contributions regularly.  
↳ Leaders should publicly acknowledge achievements in team meetings and offer meaningful praise that connects their work to the company’s mission.

❌ Uncompetitive Pay  
↳ They know they could make more elsewhere.  
↳ Their salary doesn’t reflect their skills and contributions.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Perform bi-annual market compensation reviews and communicate the findings transparently with employees.  
↳ Offer value-driven benefits like profit sharing, stock options, or performance-based bonuses, which allow employees to feel like stakeholders in the company’s success.

❌ Misaligned Values  
↳ The company’s mission doesn’t inspire them.  
↳ They don’t believe in the company’s direction or ethics.

✅ How to get them to stay  
↳ Actively involve employees in shaping the company’s mission and values through workshops or town hall meetings.  
↳ Offer opportunities for employees to engage in corporate social responsibility initiatives that matter to them.

It always costs more to replace a great employee than it does to keep them. 

Repost this to help your network.

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Why great employees leave

My friend got in trouble with her manager for giving feedback. 

I'll never forget because I was on the call. 

After the meeting, her lead told her to immediately jump on a private call. 

The manager reprimanded my friend for giving her that feedback in front of the whole group. 

And also made it clear that all feedback should only come from him - since he leads the team.

After that, nobody felt safe bringing anything up to this manager ever again. 

A few months later, my friend left the company for a better role.

And 18 months later, that manager was let go from the company. 

A leader's first priority is to create a culture of psychological safety. 

If your employees are too scared to give you feedback then your culture is broken.

If a candidate: 

1. Has great work ethic
2. Is curious and takes initiative 
3. Is coachable and learns quickly
4. Has intrinsic motivation to be successful
5. Comes extremely prepared with great questions

You should be finding a way to hire them. 

The investment you make in training them will pay off big time. 

Stop passing up on great talent because due to a "lack of experience"

Character is often more important than skill early on.
__

Follow Tobi Oluwole for more.

2 years ago, someone anonymously nominated me for Forbes 30under30. 

Because of my LinkedIn content and the social impact our company had at the time. 

After verifying that it wasn’t a phishing email, I went to do some research. 

It seemed like all the previous 30u30 winners were ultra successful. 

Some had raised tens of millions of dollars or built massive companies. 

While others had millions of followers!

So deep down I began to disqualify myself - even though my content had been seen over 100 million times on LinkedIn. 

I responded to the application out of courtesy and didn’t put much effort into it. 

Most of us miss opportunities because we don’t feel worth of them. 

But here’s how you should respond instead:

1. Revisit your wins 

You’re getting the opportunity because someone sees your potential - which means it’s there. Remind yourself of what people see in you. 

2. Address the worst case scenario 

Most of our fear is grounded in things that will never happen. The worst that could have happened is that I wasn’t selected. Deal with the worst case in your mind and you will find the courage you need. 

3. Say “Yes” and give it your all 

Accept opportunities that seem beyond you. And don’t just “try” - give it everything you have.  It better to say you gave it your all than to know you could have done more. 

I never made the same mistake again. 

You are worthy of the opportunities you get. 

Don’t carry your imposter syndrome into 2025.

For years, I felt like a failure. 

I watched my friends advancing in their careers while I was stagnant in mine. 

When I was working on new ideas, I would suddenly be reminded of all the other ones that had failed. 

Deep down, I knew entrepreneurship was for me and that I could become a successful business owner. 

But every day it seemed it felt like my fast mistakes were more important than my future plans. 

It took years but I finally became who I always knew I had the potential to be. 

Whenever your past creeps into your thoughts, do this: 

1. Create a (new) vision board 

In life, you get unlimited chances. So you can wake up tomorrow with a new vision for your life and start working towards it. 

The best way to drown out the past is by filling up your vision for the future. 

2. Write down what you learned

The best way to reshape your failures is by treating them as lessons - instead of beating yourself up because it didn't work out.

Jot down the lessons you learned so your future self can apply them.  

3. Talk to someone who believes in you

This could be your mom or a mentor - doesn't matter. Most of us have someone who has always believed in us and this is the best time to call them. 

Sometimes we just need to be reminded of what someone else saw in us so we can see it for ourselves. 

Who you are becoming is much more important than who you've been. 

Keep going.

In my first leadership role, I changed all the processes on day 1. 

I wanted to show my new team that there was a new sheriff in town. 

Within a week, I had lost the trust of the entire department and people wanted me gone. 

It took months to turn around and win my team's trust back. 

And if I hadn't turned it around, I'm sure my actions would have started to affect them in other ways. 

The worst bosses I've had in my career have also disrupted my sleep schedule, made me cry in public and caused me a lot of anxiety. 

My favourite managers have made me feel like I'm capable of anything and have boosted my overall confidence.

They backed me for promotions, defended me when I wasn't in the room, fought to get me the compensation I deserved and cared about my life outside of work.

This post has gone viral on multiple platforms for a reason. 

More than 300,000 people have liked it and over 15 million people have seen it.

Because it's true! 

Your manager has more impact on your mental health than your therapist or your doctor. 

Having a good boss can literally change your life.

Raja Tahir Sultan

Another friend just left their job last week. 

He had been fighting for a 10% raise for more than 6 months. 

Everyone looks to him for support on his team. 

His manager leans on him to lead the team when she's away on vacation. 

Every impact review has been positive for the last 3 years.

But in March, he found out that he was one of the lowest-paid members of his team. 

When he brought this up to his manager and asked for a raise, nothing happened. 

No matter how hard he pushed for it. 

Last week he accepted a new role with a 34% pay increase. 

Great employees don't just quit jobs. 

They quit environments that don't appreciate them.

Ivette Nunez

So many companies are still clueless. 

It's not about the money. 

It's about working in an environment that allows your people to: 

- Do meaningful work
- Have a healthy work-life balance 
- Be recognized for their contributions
- Feel a sense of purpose and fulfilment 
- And the flexibility to take care of people they love

Stop trying to bribe your employees to stay with a 5% annual raise.

Instead, build the kind of culture that people never want to leave.

After I lost $15,000 on my clothing line in 2018, i was terrified to start another business.

It wasn’t just my money but my partners’ as well. 

This time it didn’t just feel like failure, I felt like a failure. 

But that experience became the foundation for my future ventures. 

Because I vowed that I would learn how to build successful businesses with zero money. 

And that’s exactly what I’ve done for the past 4 years. 

Instead of spending your life trying to avoid failure, do this instead: 

1. Process your emotions 

It’s easy to internalize failure but if you do that, it will become part of your identity. Go to therapy, talk about what happened. It’s okay. 

2. Write down everything that worked. 

You likely didn’t get everything wrong. So write down the things that went right so you can use them again later. 

3. Share your lessons

We learn more by teaching than we do just studying. By sharing your failures you give them no power over you. 

But the one thing you can’t do is avoid it. 

Most of the successful people you see are the ones that have failed the most. 

Because if you avoid failure, you avoid success.

Lisa Hurley

Amazon: We need you back in the office 5-days a week

Employees: But there isn't an Amazon office in my city

Amazon: Too bad. I guess you have to find a new job
___ 

So many companies use this as a tactic to force resignations without having to pay severance.

So they can save money and protect the value of their real estate. 

This is the real agenda here. 

Which is why I always say: 

Companies take care of themselves. 

You take care of you.

8 ways leaders destroy team morale 

(and how to turn it around)

1. They micromanage great performers.
↳ Trust them to do their job, focus on outcomes instead of every little step.
↳ Set clear expectations upfront, then give them the space to excel.

2. They criticize in public.
↳ Give feedback privately to maintain trust and respect.
↳ Praise in public to create a positive and encouraging culture.

3. They play favorites.
↳ Be fair with recognition and opportunities for everyone.
↳ Make decisions transparent so no one feels overlooked.

4. They avoid tough conversations.
↳ Address conflicts early before they become bigger issues.
↳ Focus on solutions, not blame, to keep the conversation constructive.

5. They don’t share the ‘why’ behind decisions.
↳ Explain the bigger picture to help the team understand the purpose.
↳ Connect their work to the company’s goals so they see their impact.

6. They expect constant availability.
↳ Respect off-hours unless it’s an emergency.
↳ Encourage boundaries and lead by example with your own work-life balance.

7. They don’t celebrate wins.
↳ Recognize both big and small wins regularly to keep spirits high.
↳ Make celebrations a team effort—let everyone share their successes.

8. They overpromise and underdeliver.
↳ Set realistic expectations and communicate changes clearly.
↳ If something can’t be delivered, acknowledge it and focus on the next steps.

Repost this to help your network.

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8 ways leaders destroy moral and how to turn it around

Some of my colleagues had been at Shopify for 9+ years. 

I've also met someone who stayed at a company for 20 years and loved it!

Employees never leave if they are:

1. Given Opportunities

People love sticking around when they know there's room to grow and move up. If they see a clear path forward, they'll be more invested in their role.

2. Compensated Well

Pay them what they're worth, and they’ll stay loyal. Fair pay shows you respect their contributions and keeps them motivated.

3. Supported

When they feel supported, they know they can take chances and learn from mistakes. A solid support system builds confidence and keeps stress low.

4. Appreciated

A simple "thank you" goes a long way in making people feel good about their work. Feeling valued makes them want to keep contributing at a high level.

5. Recognized

Shouting them out for their hard work makes them feel like a key part of the team. Public recognition boosts morale and encourages others to step up.

6. Invested In

When a company invests in their growth, they see a future with the company. Offering training and development opportunities shows you care about their success.

7. Given Autonomy

Letting them do their thing shows you trust them to get the job done. Independence at work fosters creativity and ownership of tasks.

8. Challenged to Grow

Keeping things exciting with new challenges keeps them from getting bored. When employees feel stretched, they stay engaged and eager to learn more.

9. Doing Meaningful Work

If their work feels important, they’ll feel more connected and stay longer. Knowing their contributions matter helps them stay passionate about what they do.

Train your employees well enough to succeed anywhere. 

But treat them well enough so they never want to leave. 

Repost this if you find this valuable.

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