The Upgrade Zone Podcast by Daniel Chrzastek copertina

The Upgrade Zone Podcast by Daniel Chrzastek

The Upgrade Zone Podcast by Daniel Chrzastek

Di: Dan Cheesecake Media
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Most businesses run on systems held together with good intentions, faith and a bunch of spreadsheets someone built in 2019. The Upgrade Zone sits down with UK founders and gets into the technology decisions behind their businesses. Not the polished version. The real one. Every conversation rests on three pillars: the person behind the business, how the business actually works and the tech that supports it. If you're a founder, owner or operator of a business, you might have had this conversation many times off the record. Well, now it's on the record. Hosted by Daniel Chrzastek.Copyright 2026 Dan Cheesecake Media Economia Gestione e leadership Leadership Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • From 20 Years In Corporate To Her Own Consulting Firm

    From 20 Years In Corporate To Her Own Consulting Firm
    Sep 22 2026
    Leaving corporate to build your own business is not the easy option, and Adeolu Adewumi-Zer has done exactly that. She spent two decades in corporate, ending as CEO of Allianz Nigeria, then turned down private equity to start her own consulting firm.In this episode of The Upgrade Zone, Daniel Chrzastek talks to Adeolu Adewumi-Zer, founder and CEO of ZER Consulting Africa, about the weekend she decided to back herself, how her first clients came from a year of meeting people with no agenda at all, the tools that let one person mimic a whole support team, and why she now treats saying no as a strategic skill.If you are in corporate and wondering whether to jump, or already out and wondering whether it gets easier, this one is for you.WHAT WE COVER- The single question she asked of every career decision for twenty years- The email she nearly deleted that changed her trajectory- What founders who skip corporate never learn: boards, politics, process, P and L- Turning down a seven to ten year private equity commitment to start her own firm- The first clients, and the one thing they had in common- The best time to build a network is when you do not need it- Why "I'm just checking in" is the worst message you can send- Why making yourself irreplaceable is the fastest way to get stuck- No is a complete sentence, and why strategy is what you say no to- Visibility does not pay the billsLINES WORTH STICKING AROUND FOR"Strategy is all about what you say no to. So if I consider myself a strategy expert, then I should be an expert in saying no.""The best time to build your network is when you don't need it.""The worst thing to do is to make yourself irreplaceable. Your manager will fight tooth and nail not to let you go.""You get to a point in your career where you say, sorry, visibility doesn't pay the bills.""Building a business is tough. Being in corporate is tough. Choose your hard."CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:20 Meet Adeolu Adewumi-Zer00:00:42 Who ZER Consulting Africa works with00:03:33 Third culture kids, and being a global Nigerian00:05:22 The question that drove every career decision00:07:10 The sabbatical, and the call that brought her back00:08:47 The email she nearly ignored00:10:26 What founders miss when they skip corporate00:12:34 Germans plan, Americans jump00:16:33 East Africa Deal of the Year00:17:31 Starting ZER Consulting Africa00:18:21 The weekend she turned down private equity00:19:39 I have actually walked in your shoes00:20:43 Building African excellence for the global stage00:21:40 Garbage in, garbage out00:22:36 Afro Optimism Unleashed00:24:00 Does a book actually pay back?00:29:05 The first clients, and what connected them00:30:09 We are not for everybody00:31:18 How quickly the clients came00:34:54 Build your network when you don't need it00:36:36 I'm just checking in, and why it fails00:39:53 Why entrepreneurs collaborate and corporates compete00:44:25 No one is irreplaceable00:45:56 Social media, and realising we are all the same00:48:13 The tech: what a solo consultant actually needs00:49:32 Calendly, AI drafting, and mimicking a team00:50:51 Hire people better than you00:53:55 The email habit that loses trust00:56:57 No is a complete sentence00:59:19 The Cinderella questions01:00:12 Visibility doesn't pay the bills01:02:17 Why women negotiate better for others01:04:22 Making it safe to challenge you01:05:13 Unshakable Leadership, and the next book01:07:36 Choose your hardABOUT ADEOLU ADEWUMI-ZERAdeolu Adewumi-Zer is the founder and CEO of ZER Consulting Africa, a purpose-driven strategy and management consultancy working with companies across Africa from around one million dollars in annual revenue upwards. Born in Nigeria and raised in the United States from the age of three, she began her career as an actuary in Chicago before moving to Munich, then Turkey, then Nairobi, where she drove mergers and acquisitions across East Africa. She returned to Nigeria in 2020 as CEO of Allianz Nigeria and founded ZER Consulting Africa at the end of 2023. She is the author of Afro Optimism Unleashed and a contributing author to Unshakable Leadership.Website: http://www.zerconsulting.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeoluadewumi/Connect with The Upgrade ZonePodcast site: https://theupgradezone.co.uk/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlOApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcastSupport the show:https://buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake#LeavingCorporate #FounderMindset #BusinessPodcast #ConsultingBusiness #TheUpgradeZone
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    1 ora e 9 min
  • Why Brilliant People Talk Themselves Out Of Their Life's Work

    Why Brilliant People Talk Themselves Out Of Their Life's Work
    Sep 16 2026
    Impostor syndrome is an illusion of your own making, and it is the reason brilliant people talk themselves out of their life's work. Emma O'Brien is a rapid transformational therapist and coach, and she takes imposter syndrome apart with two questions in about ninety seconds.In this episode of The Upgrade Zone, Daniel Chrzastek talks to Emma O'Brien about why founders and leaders systematically undersell themselves, the Clifton Strengths assessment that pulled her out of a career corner, the patterns set in childhood that still decide what you will and will not do, and the tech behind a coaching business that runs on one live webinar, one platform and a lot of automation.If you have ever known exactly what you should be doing and not done it, this one is for you.WHAT WE COVER- Why leaving corporate strips away a permission structure you never knew you relied on- The reframe that stops your work feeling like a verdict on you- A career corner, a new manager, and the strengths assessment that changed direction- The curse of the strong, and why the people who cope are the ones who break- The utter terror of not getting paid, and what it does to your thinking- Imposter syndrome in two questions, worked through live on the episode- Where procrastination actually starts, and the two teachers who set it- How long real change takes, and what happens in the first two sessions- Rejection as data: delay, not reject- Cherry picking, comparison, and getting into your own lane- The webinar stack: Zoom, landing page, email capture, automated sequence, calendar add- Organic before paid, and why one platform beats four- Video sales letters, OpusClip, and where AI sits in the workflowLINES WORTH STICKING AROUND FOR"The secret behind imposter syndrome is that it's an illusion of our own making.""You've only ever got your own life. And if you spend it looking out the window at others, your own is going to pass you by.""He called it the curse of the strong. It wasn't about weakness. It was about trying to be too strong.""There's the utter terror that if you don't work, you don't get paid."CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:27 Meet Emma O'Brien00:01:05 Why founders undersell themselves after corporate00:04:19 It is not you, it is a gift you have to share00:05:36 From a career corner to Clifton Strengths00:12:26 Which environment do you actually thrive in00:15:26 How leadership trickles down00:17:28 Depression, anxiety, and nobody knowing00:19:15 Crying on the commute, and the curse of the strong00:22:15 The utter terror of not getting paid00:24:52 How you tell whether somebody is coachable00:28:09 Seven months to press record00:33:02 Why brilliant people talk themselves out of their life's work00:34:08 Imposter syndrome is an illusion of your own making00:37:01 The client who stopped procrastinating00:38:18 Mr Cross, Mrs Hill, and where the patterns start00:40:27 Who you know or what you know00:40:55 How long the change actually takes00:44:41 Manifestation, and why affirmations cancel out00:49:40 Rejection is data, not a verdict00:52:13 Cherry picking, comparison and the highlight reel00:55:34 Getting into your own lane00:58:01 How to work with Emma00:58:56 The tech behind the business00:59:56 How the webinar actually runs01:02:47 Organic first, paid second01:04:03 Why one platform beats four01:06:40 A VA, an SOP or an AI assistant01:08:57 Video, sales letters and OpusClip01:13:10 Where AI sits in the workflow01:17:28 Feedback, testimonials and social proof01:20:14 CloseABOUT EMMA O'BRIENEmma O'Brien is a rapid transformational therapist and coach who works with founders, leaders and solopreneurs who know they systematically undersell themselves. After a career in HR and reward management left her stuck in what she calls a career corner, a new manager suggested a Clifton Strengths assessment, and that reframe took her into organisational design and HR leadership on major change programmes, then out of corporate altogether. She now combines strengths work with rapid transformational therapy and hypnotherapy, and starts every client relationship with a clarity call.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/em-obrien/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theemmaobrienConnect with The Upgrade ZonePodcast site: https://theupgradezone.co.uk/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlOApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcastSupport the show:https://buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake#ImposterSyndrome #ImpostorSyndrome #FounderMindset #BusinessPodcast #CliftonStrengths #TheUpgradeZone
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    1 ora e 21 min
  • Are we digital tenants? Tech aspect nobody talks about!

    Are we digital tenants? Tech aspect nobody talks about!
    Sep 8 2026
    Are we digital tenants? Tech aspect nobody talks about!Software ownership and digital sovereignty are the tech nobody talks about. Are we digital tenants? After forty years in software development, Fatima is blunt: if you do not own your code, you rent your business, and free software is the way out. She started at seventeen. She is sixty now. Multinationals, software houses, her own company. In this episode of The Upgrade Zone, Daniel Chrzastek asks her how AI actually got here, why language models make things up, and what it costs a business to stay a digital tenant instead of a digital owner. Subscribe for more conversations with business owners about the tools and decisions behind their businesses. If you run your business on tech somebody else controls, and almost all of us do, this one is for you. Software ownership and digital sovereignty are about to matter far more than they did.WHAT WE COVER- How computing got here: switches, punched cards, assembly, and AI as the newest layer- Why AI failed for decades, and the researcher who worked out the algorithms were starving- How large language models came out of email autocomplete- Why models hallucinate, explained through a scholar who never left the library- The cloud is just someone else's computer- Digital sovereignty: whose data, whose machines, whose AI?- Free as in freedom, not free as in beer- Permission to use software is not the same as the right to use it- The CAD file test: if a third party owns your drawings, you cannot build next year's car- Why almost no business runs Linux, and what that tells you- Built it on no-code? What to do before it breaks- Why the first version is supposed to be bad- Calculating the return on a software change- Computing power is becoming cheaper than labourLINES WORTH STICKING AROUND FOR"They give you a permission to use it, not the right. You only have rights when you have the code.""They have read the whole internet. Have they lived? No. So they tend to hallucinate.""I started when I was 17. I'm 60 now. I'm an insider."CHAPTERS00:00:00 Cold open00:00:21 Meet Fatima: forty years in software00:01:33 Where the technology is actually going00:02:06 Computing as layers, from switches to languages00:03:42 Why early AI failed00:05:03 The web, and a change of scale00:06:39 Fei-Fei Li: the algorithms weren't broken, they were starving00:08:29 From email autocomplete to large language models00:11:53 Hallucinations, and the scholar who never left the library00:14:04 Spatial models, self-driving and the next frontier00:15:20 Drones, jamming and fibre-optic control00:16:41 The efficiency race, and running AI on your own machine00:19:34 The cloud is just someone else's computer00:20:58 Digital sovereignty and AI sovereignty00:22:31 The £63bn digital skills gap00:23:46 Free as in freedom, not free as in beer00:26:04 The executable trap00:27:49 Permission to use is not a right00:29:11 Owning the code when you outsource the build00:30:36 The CAD file test: who owns your drawings?00:31:48 Why almost nobody runs Linux00:33:28 "I started at 17, I'm 60 now, I'm an insider"00:34:42 Owner or tenant across three parallel worlds00:36:31 How Microsoft got rich printing licences00:36:58 The tools Fatima's team actually uses00:37:42 Three levels of privacy, and who has the key00:39:51 Diagnosis before prescription00:40:36 When you don't need custom software at all00:42:57 Code older than the developers maintaining it00:44:55 Community question: built it on no-code, now what?00:48:04 Why the first version is supposed to be bad00:52:06 Rebuilding it properly, and owning it this time00:54:34 Fifteen seconds, times a hundred thousand people00:55:58 Computing power is becoming cheaper than labour00:57:12 Where to find FatimaABOUT FATIMAFatima is a software developer and entrepreneur with more than forty years in the industry. She started at seventeen and has worked across multinationals, software companies and small businesses, as well as running her own. Her career spans PCs, IBM i systems, the web, mobile, a decade in blockchain and the last five years in AI. She works with startups and medium-sized companies across the UK and Europe, and she is a long-standing advocate of free software, not because it is cheap, but because it comes with the code.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatima-maldonado-me/Connect with The Upgrade ZonePodcast site: https://theupgradezone.co.uk/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlOApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcastSupport the show:https://buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake#SoftwareOwnership #DigitalSovereignty #OpenSource #AIExplained #TheUpgradeZone
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    58 min
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