‘Diversity within tech is essential — it’s not even a question.’
Michael grew up in Hoxton and is presently living in Walthamstow. In 2015 Michael co-founded a social enterprise called TiTo — Talent In Talent Out.
The mobile app was created to tackle student inexperience and unemployment by creating a platform that provides students with paid freelance opportunities to utilise their skill-sets in support of businesses.
He has known co-founder- Efosa Omorogbe ‘since knee-high — a childhood bromance’
Where did the business idea come from?
In 2014, when I graduated from University I struggled for months to find a job. Unemployment was frustrating but this experience ignited the idea to solve the problem of student unemployment.
“I knew I had to do something, being unemployed often had me questioning my own ability.”
Looking at my ambition, creativity and business acumen- and wondering why no one else was seeing it? This is where the story of TiTo came from. So many students and graduates are sitting at home feeling hopeless whilst searching for employment.
So my co-founder Efosa and I took on the task of developing an app to connect students and recent graduates with vital resources to gain experience with a platform that provides paid freelance opportunities. We officially launched on iOS Apple Store in 2016. We had 600 students on the platform at this stage, showcasing skill-sets within various career fields.
What challenges have you faced?
“Talking about my challenges is quite a deep and personal question. I’m willing to be open in the hope I can inspire someone else facing similar circumstances.”
Before I speak on my personal challenges I feel it important to mention the development of TiTo, one of the hardest journeys we have experienced.
Starting out we faced extremely high app development quotes which pushed us to develop overseas, which turned out to be a nightmare as the initial 6 months’ completion date ended up lasting a year and a half. This experience was definitely challenging as we put our time, effort and our own money into this project.
After ending this initial development, we worked with developers in the UK. This experience definitely taught us a lot about developing an idea and stripping it down to the basic function and the importance of finding the right technical person to work on your team. My business partner Efosa was forced to learn and take on coding responsibilities due to this experience which is definitely a positive to take from a very challenging situation.
One personal challenge that has been apparent to me looking back is growing up in a traditional African household. My mindset and approach to this business venture is not the expected or common career path.
Along this journey I realised how valuable having people to encourage and uplift your spirits can be, I often found this hard to come by.
I feel the root of this issue stems from the misunderstanding between your career direction and the career direction your parents feel is best for you. It’s something a lot of my peers go through. Especially when you’re in an employment decision phase, contemplating whether to choose a job related to your degree or pursue a career path your truly passionate about.
This whole experience can be really intense.
You decide to pick a career you’re passionate about but the lack of stability and is often a red flag for many parents. With your best interests at heart, they proceed to suggest careers unrelated to your desires.
I have also found it challenging to emulate success from my surroundings. Growing up, you often base all your knowledge and ambition from the people around you. I don’t feel enough people have created examples of success for me to follow.
Networking can also be difficult. You often find yourself looking for business networking opportunities, which is when the internet is very useful. After I found and attended these events, I often realised that they lacked cultural diversity which is an issue that leads you to feeling as if you don’t belong or fit in.
I have to say ‘Michael, yes you can go there. You can sit down with these people, your voice matters just as much as their does’. These are all the psychological processes which occur due to the landscape of networking events.
Another major challenge is not knowing where to start out, where to go to get help. I strongly believe, the easier it is to have access to various helpful resources for your business the more change that will occur in the evolving business scene.
What’s it like living in Hackney?
My co-founder Efosa and I grew up around Hoxton, Old Street and Shoreditch. We went to primary school here. Everything we’ve done has happened in this area, which is now Tech City.
Gentrification is happening around here. It’s good and it’s also bad depending on how you look at it. Growing up in this area I feel it’s a must to give people from the community access to the opportunities and to feel included in the changes. On the other hand, new developments are also giving us potential opportunities to access resources that we never envisioned before. I feel you can either watch the change or be part of it and we are definitely going to be part of it with access to the right people and support.
What’s been the hardest thing?
Not quitting.
The reason I choose this point, is because I have personally learnt a lot since starting TiTo. I have come to the realisation that there are blurred lines between being a founder of a company and your personal life. No matter how challenging each aspect gets you still have to show up and keep pushing, even when you feel the burden of responsibility and expectation from parents, friends and the business world.
You have to remember the reason why you started.
The ultimate source of inspiration to keep you motivated in testing times, whether its business or personal life.
The fact that we now have 100 students across 19 UK based universities on TiTo is a reminder of the reason why we shouldn’t quit. Another motivation is a student on TiTo, whose name is Ben. He has managed to earn about £2,000 since he started using our platform and many other students have also gained experience using TiTo.
This achievement really means a lot, as I remember when I was in their situation and help was hard to find.
Do you feel that anything in your background has been either an advantage or disadvantage in your start up journey?
What OneTech is doing is important — you would not be doing it if you didn’t know it was a problem. The main disadvantage is lack of resources. I constantly feel like I’ve got a whole world of ambition but need better access to opportunities.
I feel an advantage for me is being underestimated.
You can find yourself in settings where you stand out based on the way you look, speak and the general assumptions made after you disclose your background (education/upbringing).
I often find that, after people start listening to me and seeing the things I’ve achieved they realise that I have got all the right qualities to succeed just like them and the future potential is evident with the right guidance.
How have you overcome challenges?
I understand where I’ve come from in my personal life there’s no going back. There’s nothing to turn back to — it’s my source of motivation to continue to push and break down barriers toward my goals.
I network and make sure I keep positive people around me and like-minded individuals. Staying within the right social circles, always educating myself. You should never stop learning. Knowledge really is power.
One of my strengths is building relationships with people at events I attended. We ended up featuring in Ic3mag, Shine ALOUD UK Magazine (Rianna Raymond-Williams), Fixers UK. We collaborated with Acoustic Live UK at Boxpark Shoreditch. Held a joint event with Your Start up Your Story at WeWork. I spoke at the University of West London and SOAS, University of London, being sponsored by Art Meets Music, also the BCMMA courtesy of MMA fighter Raymond Asare. Online articles were written about TiTo’s impact by Emeka Egbuonu and Just Be Inspired, whilst being featured on Live TV by the Islam Channel.
All of these opportunities were achieved through networking. I speak to people at every event I attend. I make sure I use my time to speak about what TiTo is and the problem it solves for students.
Can you remember a day when you thought about packing everything in? What was it that kept you going?
Yes, I can. A lot has happened over the last three years. I was made homeless. I dealt with health concerns. There was a whole heap of stuff happening all at once, at the same time we had to keep the TiTo dream alive and figure out how to finance the development of the app. I had to adjust to moving. I failed to find a job during this period which meant experiencing unemployment again with extra pressure.
I remember my business partner sending me tasks, we needed to carry out e.g. –‘go read this article, complete this task by’. Honestly speaking, sometimes I just thought ‘leave me alone’. But I realised that what I am fighting for is bigger than this temporary situation I’m facing. We’re creating something that will change students’ lives and career experiences for years to come. I also realised that this wasn’t just my dream. I owed it to my business partner Efosa to keep pushing. He has worked too hard and we have achieved too much to quit.
Recently I saw the quote ‘don’t let your circumstances defeat your purpose’.
“If you know what you want to do in your life you have to push, no matter what. I know exactly what I’m fighting for.”
Was there a moment where you thought ‘this is going to work?
Yes, that was the transition of TiTo from 2015 to this present moment with 100 students on the platform and the inclusion of the new student journey features within TiTo which provides tailored resources for students to gaining experience related to their desired careers. This presented a clear direction of our platform’s goals and the feedback from the students proved what we’re doing is really working.
What’s the best advice you have received?
No one can ever recreate your genius. It relates to the “baby syndrome” in tech. You never want people to have a piece of your idea, e.g. sign a NDA [non-disclosure agreement]. At the end of the day, it’s your idea. If somebody takes your original idea they are tracing your steps. The genius that makes you unique and original is what will elevate you no matter who’s trying to copy it. You’ve got Ubereats and Deliveroo in the same market but they both have their own unique direction.
Finding people that you can work with.
My co-founder Efosa and I inspire each other this way. You need to be working with people that will tell you the blunt truth. Efosa didn’t like my protective nature and caution around the idea of TiTo. He sat me down and said, ‘Michael if we are ever going to grow you need to openly share and realise no one can replicate us’.
I have grown so much thanks to him.
What are your dreams/ plans for the future?
Honestly all I really want to do is inspire people coming from diverse, troubled and broken backgrounds. My dreams and aspirations are not only to make it [TiTo] successful but to give back to the people and communities that have given so much to me.
Is there anything you wished you had known before?
It doesn’t happen overnight. In this world of social media you believe everyone else’s life is amazing. I call it the ‘smokescreen’. It’s essential to realise everyone has battles they’re facing, we only see the highlight reels online.
The importance of being resilient.
My resilience comes from my upbringing. The places and experience I’ve been through have taught me you have to be resilient. If you don’t stand up and say your name no-one will ever hear your voice. You have to be strong and stand on your feet. Wherever you go. The resilience comes from all the greatness that I see in this world and my social circle and myself.
What could existing founders/companies do to make their workplaces more inclusive for someone like you?
Understand who I am and where I come from, what my life is like. I had to prepare myself mentally for this opportunity, saying whatever it is today just be myself. The pressure to be accepted for who you are is something that is overlooked and can be tackled with in-depth understanding.
I’m 27 — imagine someone that is 18. If someone is in my shoes at a younger age and given this opportunity they might crumble because they don’t have the character or depth of life experiences to give them the strength and confidence to believe in their abilities.
And to be totally honest, tech spaces don’t feel inclusive enough especially with cultural diversity which often doesn’t feel welcoming to me. I grew up in Hoxton which is the central hub of tech spaces, I have never seen a room full of black people. Next time you walk past a tech space see for yourself.
At the basic level there needs to be some sort of understanding. Let’s have joint events where people from various backgrounds speak openly about diversity in business and the various feelings or misconceptions that there wasn’t a space to express until now.
Once you start sharing your opinions and people start to understand your perspective and relate to issues they once didn’t realise.
The main point I’m addressing is bridging the gap of awkwardness and diversity using dialogue. The only way you can is by talking about it — real dialogue, not something that comes and goes — have the topics being discussed documented.
Then it transcends into other organisations. They say — ‘We need to do this’. So it doesn’t just stop here; it goes into other places. They adopt the culture and understanding that more diversity needs to happen.
“It’s not an addition, its mandatory!”
Why do you think it’s important for tech companies to be diverse and inclusive?
Diversity within tech is essential — it’s not even a question.
When you have people from different cultures and backgrounds you embrace those cultures and backgrounds and that’s where the ideas come from. This enables people to contribute new and diverse perspectives. So if you really want technology to evolve to solve the problems of the world you need people who have experienced different problems. Technology is all about problem solving.
“How can you solve problems without worldwide mindsets and solutions?”
What is your message to inspire other under-represented founders?
Blind faith.
I remember there was a point at university during the final year, I was about to finish nine exams. I needed inspiration to figure out my next step after graduation. I would sit and watch the autobiographies of P Diddy, Missy Elliot and Jay-Z paying close attention to their stories. Looking back the one thing they all had in common was blind faith. Knowing their vision was bigger than any discouragement or situation they faced.
Anyone who feels they’re coming from an underrepresented background with limited opportunities, it’s vital to network and find a mentor. You also have to believe in yourself. This is when the right opportunities will come to you. Once you have that belief it will rub off on people to start believing in you.
Even though you might feel like you have no resources, you are your best resource. Go and speak with the right people. Be bold. Tell people in your field of interest exactly what you do and don’t ever be ashamed.
