エピソード

  • From 20 Years In Corporate To Her Own Consulting Firm

    From 20 Years In Corporate To Her Own Consulting Firm
    2026/09/22
    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 時間 9 分
  • Why Brilliant People Talk Themselves Out Of Their Life's Work

    Why Brilliant People Talk Themselves Out Of Their Life's Work
    2026/09/16
    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 時間 21 分
  • Are we digital tenants? Tech aspect nobody talks about!

    Are we digital tenants? Tech aspect nobody talks about!
    2026/09/08
    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 分
  • How do people feel about your brand? - Business of Design

    How do people feel about your brand? - Business of Design
    2026/09/01
    Here's the truth about your brand: it was never really up to you. It's the gut feeling someone gets the moment they meet your business, not the words you use to describe it. Rakesh Makwana is a brand designer and art director with more than two decades in the industry, helping founders and business owners build visual identities that actually connect with the people they're trying to reach. In this episode of The Upgrade Zone, Daniel Chrzastek talks to him about what a brand really is, how his discovery process works, where AI fits into a design studio, and why he never tries to convince a client to hire him. Subscribe for more conversations with UK business owners about the tools and decisions behind their businesses. If you're building a brand, running a service business, or trying to work out why some companies just feel more trustworthy than others, this one is for you. WHAT WE COVER Growing up in a family of makers, and discovering design at sevenBeing diagnosed with dyslexia, and reframing it as a creative advantageWhy a brand is not your logo: Marty Neumeier's "gut feeling" definitionThe kickoff call, and why it's an assessment for both sidesTurning down clients when the budget or the fit isn't rightWhat actually happens in a brand discovery sessionPresenting two "stylescapes" before any design work beginsWhy two design concepts beat fiveWhy Rakesh stopped designing logos on their ownUsing AI for copywriting and pressure-testing ideas, without letting it flatter himThe tech stack and freelance network behind a one-person design studioHandling rejection, knowing your value, and never justifying your priceLINES WORTH STICKING AROUND FOR"It's not what you say about your brand to be true. It's the gut feeling of the person who perceives you.""I was very ashamed and embarrassed about being dyslexic because I saw it as a weakness. But for many years now, I see it as a superpower.""It's not AI taking over your jobs. It's people that are not using it."CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:25 Welcoming Rakesh back to the show00:01:04 Meet Rakesh Makwana, brand designer and art director00:02:12 Growing up in a family of makers00:02:57 Dyslexia, and finding his language in design00:04:06 Studying graphic design at college and university00:07:34 From hand-drawn design to the first iMac00:08:08 Chasing trends before finding design thinking00:09:31 Why business owners underestimate their own visual identity00:11:12 Marty Neumeier and the real definition of a brand00:12:08 Consistency, recall and emotional connection00:13:10 Colour psychology and what it signals00:13:41 The discovery process before any design begins00:15:07 Benchmarking competitors to understand the landscape00:15:29 How much clients actually know about what they want00:18:07 Handling friction and misaligned expectations00:19:17 Building user personas and a brand's DNA00:19:43 Stylescapes: presenting two directions before designing00:21:15 Rakesh's end-to-end business process00:23:27 Qualifying budget before writing a proposal00:25:16 Taking 50% upfront before discovery begins00:26:15 Inside the discovery workshop00:29:06 Why two design concepts beat five00:30:05 How long a rebrand typically takes00:31:13 Why Rakesh stopped designing "just logos"00:33:41 Being a dyslexic, colourblind graphic designer00:34:52 Using AI for copywriting and articulating ideas00:38:07 Full AI versus human-first design00:40:26 Prompting AI to challenge you, not praise you00:42:45 Why real client feedback beats AI validation00:45:21 The core tech stack: Adobe Creative Cloud00:47:03 Google Drive as the central hub for files00:49:10 Running solo and bringing in freelance support00:52:27 Community question: dealing with rejection00:54:55 The value of expertise, and never justifying your price00:56:05 Community question: measuring rebrand success01:00:03 Visual identity vs verbal identity01:01:12 Where to find Rakesh01:01:43 Final thought: perception is the real brandConnect with RakeshInstagram: @rak.i.amConnect with The Upgrade ZonePodcast site: theupgradezone.co.uk/Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlOApple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750Instagram: www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcastSupport the show:buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake#BrandDesign #BrandIdentity #SmallBusinessUK #GraphicDesign #TheUpgradeZone
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    1 時間 3 分
  • The Truth About Building A Successful Joinery Business

    The Truth About Building A Successful Joinery Business
    2026/08/24
    The truth about building a successful joinery business is that most of it isn't joinery. Alex Meadows runs AM Joinery, a bespoke joinery business in Warwickshire, and he is blunt about what it really takes.Alex started his joinery apprenticeship in 2008. Seventeen years on he prices, designs and delivers bespoke joinery on his own terms. In this episode of The Upgrade Zone, Daniel Chrzastek asks him how a joinery business actually makes money: pricing, deposits, 3D modelling, outsourcing, and the new website that brought in an enquiry inside the first week.Subscribe for more conversations with UK business owners about the tools and decisions behind their businesses.If you run a trade business, a service business, or anything where you sell your own skill and time, this one is for you.WHAT WE COVER- Starting a joinery apprenticeship in 2008, straight out of school- The December 2010 health scare that changed everything- The questions Alex asks to spot a difficult client before he quotes- Taking 50% upfront or the full material cost, whichever is higher- Scope creep, and the work clients never see- SketchUp and CAD: modelling a job before you cut a single board- FreeAgent, NatWest and the Excel sheet that turns an enquiry into a quote- When outsourcing admin to a virtual assistant starts to make sense- A £36,000 quote against rivals at £11,000 and £12,000, and what the drawings revealed- Quoting for hours, then hearing nothing back- Organic SEO, Google reviews and a lead in week one with zero ad spendLINES WORTH STICKING AROUND FOR"People want Prada but only want to pay Primark.""It's £20 for the hammer and £9,980 for the experience.""You do all this work, send the price off, and you don't hear back. Not even a sorry."CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:33 Meet Alex Meadows and AM Joinery00:01:00 Where the idea of running a business began00:03:49 Starting the joinery apprenticeship in 200800:05:10 December 2010: the health scare that changed everything00:08:36 Cycling, purpose and the Geneva to Milan ride00:11:49 Spotting a difficult client before you quote00:15:57 Budget, materials and what a job actually costs00:20:03 Prada money, Primark budget00:22:55 Deposits: 50% or materials cost, whichever is higher00:27:15 Scope creep and absorbing the small extras00:28:15 Reviews, quality and reputation00:31:49 Testing the work before the client ever sees it00:33:54 AI, rendering and helping clients picture the finished job00:39:30 SketchUp, CAD and modelling before you cut00:45:07 Learning the craft on someone else's payroll00:47:26 Registering AM Joinery on 23 September00:49:52 "Why are you so expensive?" and the £20 hammer00:51:24 The tech stack: FreeAgent, NatWest and Excel costing00:55:38 When outsourcing to a VA starts to make sense01:01:08 Where the time actually goes01:02:01 A £36,000 quote against £11,000 and £12,00001:05:01 Quoting, then silence01:07:05 Getting paid, and building trust through terms01:08:57 Dealing with rejection and a 50/50 win rate01:12:12 Where clients actually come from01:13:22 Why the previous website wasn't paying back01:14:37 No paid ads, everything organic01:16:17 Page one of Google, and showing up in AI searchABOUT ALEX MEADOWSAlex Meadows is the founder of AM Joinery, a bespoke joinery business based in Warwickshire. He began his joinery apprenticeship in 2008 after a careers adviser suggested he would be better off running his own business than working for someone else, then built experience across several employers before registering AM Joinery on 23 September. His approach centres on craftsmanship, clear communication and work built to last rather than work priced to win.Website: https://amjoinery.uk/Instagram: @amjoinery.ltdConnect 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#JoineryBusiness #TradeBusiness #SmallBusinessUK #BespokeJoinery #TheUpgradeZone
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    1 時間 20 分
  • From Farm Accident to Media Founder: Resilience, Technology and Building a Personal Brand

    From Farm Accident to Media Founder: Resilience, Technology and Building a Personal Brand
    2026/08/17
    From Farm Accident to Media Founder: Resilience, Technology and Building a Personal BrandFrom Farm Accident to Media Founder: Resilience, Technology and Building a Personal Brand | Henry CarpenterAt 14, Henry Carpenter survived a serious tractor accident on his family farm. What followed was years of recovery, fundraising, charity work, travel and eventually a move into podcasting, presenting and building his own media company.In this episode of **The Upgrade Zone**, Daniel Chrzastek speaks with Henry about resilience, failure, personal branding, starting a business with simple systems and knowing when technology needs to evolve with you.In this episode• The farm accident that changed Henry's life at 14• Recovery, mental health and rebuilding confidence• Raising money through endurance challenges• Volunteering with Reach to Africa in Kenya• Building the Down the Farm podcast and Down the Farm Media• Starting lean with Excel before investing in more complex systems• Canva, WavePad, CRM and podcast distribution tools• Lessons from the family agricultural parts business• Personal branding, content creation and authenticity• Sales, pricing, customer trust and learning through failureKey Takeaways:**Start with what you have.** A spreadsheet can be enough in the early stages if the process behind it is clear.**Failure creates useful information.** Henry's setbacks in health, media and career direction have repeatedly pushed him towards new opportunities.**Your personal brand is part of the business.** People often buy into the person before they buy the service.**Know your numbers.** Pricing, margins, overheads and cash flow matter even when the business is still small.**Technology should remove friction.** The right tool is the one that saves time or improves control, not simply the newest or most complicated option.Episode chapters00:00:17 Meet Henry Carpenter00:00:52 Growing up on a Herefordshire farm00:03:37 The tractor accident that changed everything00:07:25 The air ambulance and emergency response00:14:05 Mental health, recovery and rebuilding00:15:38 Fundraising challenges and the start of Henry's media journey00:19:16 Kenya and Reach to Africa00:21:40 Technology and administration inside the charity00:25:22 Building Down the Farm podcast and Down the Farm Media00:30:12 Why failure can be a powerful teacher00:31:21 Henry's media tech stack00:33:01 CRM and systems in the family agricultural business00:40:15 Starting a new business with Excel00:44:49 Podcast distribution, costs and monetisation00:48:21 Personal branding and authentic content00:52:43 Choosing the right tech stack as you grow00:56:34 Travel, perspective and personal growth01:04:04 Sales advice for new business owners01:10:00 Adaptability, confidence and saying yes to opportunitiesAbout The Upgrade ZoneThe Upgrade Zone is a business and technology podcast hosted by Daniel Chrzastek, exploring the people behind businesses, how those businesses actually work and the technology supporting them.We speak with founders, business owners, operators and technology leaders about business growth, AI, automation, software, systems, operational efficiency and the real-world return on investment from technology.Connect with Henry:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrycarpenter2/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
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    1 時間 12 分
  • Property Sourcing

    Property Sourcing
    2026/08/10
    Property Sourcing

    From PureGym to Property Deal Sourcing: Building a Business with CRM, AI and Networking | Sam Meese

    How do you go from a stable career into property, build a new business from scratch and figure out which systems you actually need along the way?

    In this episode of **The Upgrade Zone**, Daniel Chrzastek sits down with **Sam Meese**, a property deal sourcer from Kidderminster, to talk about his journey from martial arts and personal training to management at PureGym and eventually into full-time property entrepreneurship.

    They explore mindset, networking, deal sourcing, business systems, CRM, AI and the practical reality of building a business when you are still doing almost everything yourself.

    ## In this episode

    - How martial arts shaped Sam's approach to discipline and self-development

    - Moving from personal training into management at PureGym

    - Realising he was climbing the wrong career ladder

    - How Sam first became interested in property investing

    - Moving from a rent-to-rent model into property deal sourcing

    - Using networking to build relationships with investors and find opportunities

    - Why cash flow determines what gets prioritised in the business

    - The four principles Sam uses to guide his decisions

    - Why a CRM became essential as the business started growing

    - Using AI and property data tools to reduce research time

    - How Sam uses ChatGPT for content, analysis and recalling previous work

    - Why technology should support relationships rather than replace them

    ## Episode chapters

    00:00:16 Meet Sam Meese

    00:02:42 Identity, self-development and always looking for the next level

    00:05:05 How martial arts shaped Sam's mindset

    00:07:08 Becoming a personal trainer

    00:10:57 Turning martial arts into a career

    00:13:45 Moving into management at PureGym

    00:16:00 Coaching, leadership and climbing the career ladder

    00:17:18 Discovering investing and property

    00:20:03 Finding Samuel Leeds and entering the property world

    00:23:00 The importance of environment and surrounding yourself with the right people

    00:24:30 Using networking to create opportunities

    00:25:55 Sam's original goal when entering property

    00:26:30 Why the business changed from rent-to-rent to deal sourcing

    00:27:30 Betting on himself and planning the move into full-time business

    00:29:30 Building investor relationships before leaving employment

    00:32:00 Why busyness is not business

    00:32:40 Sam's four business principles

    00:33:30 Prioritising cash flow and revenue-generating work

    00:35:00 Work ethic, failure and taking action

    00:38:00 Risk, resilience and learning from mistakes

    00:41:20 The technology behind the business

    00:43:09 Why Sam needed a CRM

    00:45:40 Choosing Less Annoying CRM

    00:47:25 Building property and investor pipelines

    00:50:50 Connecting CRM, Google Calendar and contacts

    00:53:00 Knowing when you have outgrown your software

    00:55:00 Using data and ChatGPT to solve practical problems

    00:56:00 Why CRM is the central hub of the business

    01:01:00 How to choose the right software

    01:01:00 Revisiting old deals using data and AI

    01:02:00 Improving the tech stack as the business grows

    01:03:12 Final thoughts

    01:04:20 Why businesses need to keep adapting their technology

    01:04:58 Using Property Market Intel

    01:05:45 AI-powered property deal sourcing

    01:07:05 How Sam uses ChatGPT

    ## Connect with Sam Meese

    Instagram: [SAMs INSTAGRAM]

    ## Connect with The Upgrade Zone

    Podcast site: theupgradezone.co.uk/

    Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlO

    Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750

    Instagram: www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/

    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/

    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcast

    ## Support the show:

    buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake
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    1 時間 14 分
  • From Pastor to a Live Virtual Events expert

    From Pastor to a Live Virtual Events expert
    2026/08/03
    Building a Scalable Media Business Through Strategy, Livestreaming and Resilience | Darlington, GMT Media

    How do you build a media company when technology keeps changing, clients keep saying no and the opportunity arrives before your business is ready to scale?

    In this episode of The Upgrade Zone, Daniel Chrzastek speaks with Darlington, Founder of GMT Media, about his journey from Zimbabwe to South Africa, discovering audiovisual production and building a corporate media and livestreaming business in Cape Town.

    They discuss entrepreneurship, hybrid events, business strategy, team building, rejection, mentorship and the technology behind professional live production.

    In this episode

    • How Darlington discovered videography and founded GMT Media

    • Building a one-stop audiovisual service through specialist partners

    • How livestreaming created new opportunities during the pandemic

    • Turning corporate, church and family communication into recurring services

    • Training more than 200 young people and building a flexible production team

    • Why strategy and problem-solving can matter more than technical skill alone

    • Using selected free projects to build trust, testimonials and a stronger portfolio

    • The technology behind professional hybrid events and multistreaming

    • Why media businesses must keep learning as technology changes

    • Whether visibility matters more than highly polished content

    The conversation covers:

    • Multistreaming to several platforms at the same time

    • Combining physical and virtual audiences

    • Managing internet reliability and network latency

    • Synchronising audio and video from different sources

    • Working with SDI, HDMI and professional audio connections

    • Adding graphics, presentations, adverts and other media to a live production

    • Using OBS as an accessible starting point

    • Moving to tools such as vMix for more advanced productions

    • Using presentation software such as ProPresenter

    • Following developments in AI-powered camera tracking and production automation

    Connect with The Upgrade Zone

    Podcast site: https://theupgradezone.co.uk/

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033YcP3LG4sy5NPHimYLlO

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upgrade-zone-podcast-by-daniel-chrzastek/id6796156750

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielchrzastek/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielchrzastek/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-upgrade-zone-podcast

    Support the show:

    https://buymeacoffee.com/danielcheesecake
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    1 時間 17 分