What happens when everything seems to work against your MBA dream? Kofoworola Toriola says you keep going — and keep believing.

Kofoworola faced setbacks at every stage of her MBA journey: GRE struggles, rejections from top schools, and doubts along the way. But today, she’s a lawyer-turned-business strategist and incoming Associate at McKinsey’s Lagos office, proving that persistence pays off.

A proud IESE Business School (Barcelona) alumna, she served as Co-President of the Africa Business Club, leading initiatives that showcased Africa’s potential on the global stage.

Before business school, Kofoworola spent over seven years as an Associate at a top-tier Nigerian law firm, advising local and international clients on complex legal matters.

She’s also an Amazon-published author of Love Notes, a passionate advocate for mentorship, and a champion of African professional growth.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- How to stay motivated after MBA rejections

- Real strategies to bounce back from low test scores or setbacks

- What it’s really like to transition from law to strategy

- How IESE Business School shapes global, values-driven leaders

- Tips for landing consulting roles at firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain

If you’ve ever felt like your MBA dream was slipping away, this story will reignite your belief that it’s still possible.

🎙️ Business 101 Podcast: Inside IESE Business School with Kofoworola Toriola

Getting off the MBA waitlist at a Top Business School is tough — getting funding after that? Almost unheard of, but Tolulope Ogunsola (Ross MBA ’25) did both.

Tolu was waitlisted at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, then turned that into a full admission with major funding. In this episode, she breaks down exactly how she did it.

Before Ross, Tolu spent four years as a Data Analyst at PwC, building a foundation in analytics and business strategy. During her MBA, she recruited for consulting and led as VP of Communications for the Africa Business Club, Nonprofit Board Fellow, and Student Ambassador. Today, she’s a Consulting Manager at Visa Consulting & Analytics.

💡 In this conversation, Tolu shares:

- How to get off the MBA waitlist and still secure funding

- The exact strategies that helped her craft standout essays & recommendation letters

- How to network effectively as an international student

- Step-by-step tips to land internships & full-time roles at top firms like Amazon, McKinsey, Visa, and Goldman Sachs

- What life at Ross is really like for international MBAs...

If you’ve ever worried that being waitlisted kills your funding chances — this episode proves it’s possible to turn it around!

#Business101Podcast #RossMBA #MBAwaitlist #MBAjourney #BusinessSchool #M7MBA

Inside Kellogg School of Management with Jibikeoluwa FaborodeEver met one of those people that your parents ask if they have 2 heads? Well, let me introduce you to one!Jibikeoluwa is a proud Nigerian, a business strategist and an international policy expert. After completing her MBA at Kellogg, she's now an incoming Consultant at EY-Parthenon’s Houston office. At Kellogg, she served as Vice President of Global Affairs for the Kellogg Student Association and worked to deepen student’s access to global experiences, geostrategy learning and community building in a world with growing divides and intense competition.Before Kellogg, Jibike spent close to a decade in global strategy, foreign affairs, and climate finance roles across Africa with the UK foreign, commonwealth and development office, African Development Bank, and Huawei Technologies. Asides her MBA from Kellogg, Jibike holds an M.Sc., in International Development Policy from Duke University, another M.Sc., in Energy Economics from University of Port Harcourt and a B.Sc., in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University.She’s passionate about development in emerging economies, in particular across Africa and Asian markets.In this brutally honest conversation, she talk through:- The Kellogg MBA application process- How to land and/or increase scholarship awards- Tips for getting highly effective recommendation letters- How to navigate coffee chats, networking and everything else that scare international students- Simple strategies to land your dream internship & full time offer at firms like Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs & Open AI- …and other specific things to do to get into your dream business school and enjoy your 2 yearsIf you want step-by-step guidance on how to get into Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, or you just wonder what it's like to be an Kellogg student, this episode will give you an exclusive look INSIDE!🎬 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎𝐒:▶Inside Harvard Business School: https://youtu.be/qvIqmu3sRFA▶Inside Booth School of Business: https://youtu.be/1Yopl7VSyNg🔔 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/@business101pod/videos?sub_confirmation=1 @business101pod

How do you go from "your story is decent but not memorable" to "welcome to HBS"? 'Demilade Oresanya will tell you it takes a village!

'Demilade is first of all a proud Nigerian. He's also a business strategist, and an Associate at McKinsey’s Toronto office. He is a class of 2025 MBA grad from Harvard Business School, where he served as co-President of the Africa Business Club and worked to connect African companies with world-class talent.

Before HBS, 'Demilade spent close to a decade in sales, marketing, and strategy roles across Africa with ENGIE, Unilever, TOTAL, and Diageo. He holds a BSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos and a professional marketing diploma from the UK’s Chartered Institute of Marketing.

He’s passionate about unlocking Africa’s full potential through bold, business-led solutions.

In this brutally honest conversation, 'Demilade walks us through :

- The HBS MBA application process

- How to ace the famous HBS application essays

- Tips for getting highly effective recommendation letters

- How to navigate coffee chats, networking and everything else that scare international students

- Simple strategies to land your dream internship & full time offer at firms like Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs & Open AI

- …and other specific things to do to get into your dream business school and enjoy your 2 years

If you want step-by-step guidance on how to get into Harvard Business School at Harvard College, or you just wonder what it's like to be an HBS student, this episode will give you an exclusive look INSIDE!

No one has a better perspective of Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago than Sharon Nwani, an operations leader, who in her current role, serves as a Pathways Operations Manager at Amazon. She is a Class of 2025 Booth MBA graduate, where she served as Co-Chair of both the Booth Africa Club and the Emerging Markets Club at Booth, driving initiatives that unlocked the power of community, collaboration, and opportunity across borders. Before Booth, Sharon worked across development finance, consulting, and strategy roles in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America, driving over $500m worth of financing and supply chain transformation projects at the Bank of Industry, Market Access Africa, and Africa Foresight Group. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Benin, is a Certified Management Consultant and, most recently, a Stevie Awards judge.Sharon’s passion lies in building inclusive, tech-enabled supply chain systems that help businesses grow—and she’s on a mission to strengthen operational infrastructure globally, one meaningful solution at a time.In this brutally honest conversation, Sharon breaks down:- The Booth MBA application process- How to get application fee waivers- Strategies to get GRE scores as high as 338- How to write application essays that the M7s love- Tips for getting highly effective recommendation letters- How to navigate coffee chats, networking and everything else that scare international students- Simple strategies to land your dream internship & full time offer at firms like Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs & Open AI- …and other specific things to do to get into your dream business school and enjoy your 2 yearsIf you want step-by-step guidance on how to get into The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, or you just wonder what it's like to be a Boothie, this episode will give you an exclusive look INSIDE!

Hey, Business101Podcast fam!I've been working on a special series for more than 2 months. This "INSIDE THE WORLD’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS BUSINESS SCHOOLS” series is the ONLY podcast that condenses EVERYTHING you need to know about the MBA and how to get into your dream business school.I sat with recent graduates from 13 of the world's top business schools in Europe and North America, including:- Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago- Columbia Business School at Columbia University- Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia - Fuqua School of Business at Duke University - Harvard Business School at Harvard College- IESE Business School at the University of Navarra- Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University - London Business School at The University of London- Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan- Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College- The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania- Yale School of Management at Yale University Who landed internship & full time roles at firms like:- Amazon- Bain- Bank of America- BCG- JP Morgan- McKinsey- Microsoft- Morgan Stanley- Tesla- SpaceX…and more! And as usual, we had brutally honest conversations about:- The MBA application process- How to get application fee waivers- Strategies to get GRE scores as high as 338- How to write application essays that the M7s love- Tips for getting highly effective recommendation letters- How to navigate coffee chats, networking and everything else that scare international students- Simple strategies to land your dream internship & full time offer at firms like Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs & Open AI- …and other specific things to do to get into your dream business school and enjoy your 2 yearsIf you want step-by-step guidance on how to get into your dream business school, or you just wonder what it's like at these schools, this series will give you an exclusive look INSIDE!PREMIERS TOMORROW!

Is real estate the ultimate path to business mastery, money freedom, and financial strategy? Fuquan Bilal reveals how he turned distressed property into $50M in real estate capital using data, finance, and AI-powered strategies.

Episode Summary:

Real estate isn’t just about property — it’s about mastery, strategy, and finance discipline. In this Business 101 Podcast episode, host Ayo Oye sits down with Fuquan Bilal, CEO of NNG Capital Fund, who has raised over $50M while building a portfolio of luxury homes and multifamily assets.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

Learn how Fuquan turned failures into profit strategy, survived the 2008 financial crisis, leveraged AI in business operations, and built lasting business growth through investor trust and operational mastery.

• How Fuquan raised $50M in capital without Wall Street backing

• Lessons from 2008 crash & COVID-19 resilience

• Why money management & cash flow trump timing the market

• The power of due diligence, ratios & bottom-line focus

• Using AI in business to strengthen finance & operations

• Why accredited investors & communication build investor trust

• Flipping vs Buy-and-Hold: choosing the right business strategy

• Insights on C-Suite executives, consultants & entrepreneurship

🚀 Affiliate Power Partners (Support the Podcast):

Fuel your business growth with tools I personally use:📧 Build smarter email workflows with Kit: ⁠https://partners.kit.com/x3j2zt8uz3i3⁠✅ Design stunning client decks with Gamma: ⁠https://try.gamma.app/business101⁠🛍️ Explore exclusive growth resources via our Stan Store: ⁠https://stan.store/k-demsconsulting⁠

Smarter tools. Better growth. Bigger wins.

🌍 Milestone:

The Business 101 Podcast is officially ranked in the Global Top 10% on ListenNotes. Support us as we aim for Top 3% by 2025!

🔗 Guest Resource:

Connect with Fuquan Bilal → https://nngcapitalfund.com

Are you stuck in business or money management? Discover how mastery, finance strategy, and data-driven habits can double your money, fuel profit growth, and protect your bottom line in the AI era.

In this episode of the Business 101 Podcast (ranked Global Top 10% on ListenNotes), host Ayo Oye sits with Scott Yamamura — author of Financial Epiphany and financial coach — to unpack how communication mastery meets money strategy.

🔑 Key Insights:

• Why guilt can become growth and debt can turn into strategy

• The 3 Financial Epiphanies: doubling power, multiplying ratios, and time as your biggest capital

• The 5Cs of financial debt: Card, Car, College, Cake, Condo — and how to escape them

• How CFOs, consultants, and business leaders can apply clear frameworks to bottom line results

• Why mid-career earners struggle with money and how AI in business shifts finance consulting

• 30-60-90 day financial action plan that transforms loss into profit

• Teaching kids financial literacy without anxiety

🌍 We’ve officially broken into the GLOBAL TOP 10% on ListenNotes. Help us push to Global Top 3% by 2025 by subscribing, rating, and sharing!

🔗 Scott’s Links:

📘 Book: Financial Epiphany → https://financialepiphany.com🌐 Coaching & resources → https://financialepiphany.com

🚀 Affiliate Power Partners (Support the Business 101 Podcast & fuel your growth):

✅ Create stunning presentations with Gamma → https://try.gamma.app/business101
🛒 Explore more growth tools via K-Dems Consulting (my podcast management firm) Stan Store → https://stan.store/k-demsconsulting

Let’s build smarter businesses with better strategies and bigger wins.

#Business101Podcast #Finance #BusinessStrategy #Money #Profit #Revenue #Consulting #CFO #AIinBusiness #Entrepreneurship #FinancialEpiphany #GrowthStrategy #WealthBuilding