Zack Deris

Strategic Advisor | A* Community Builder | Digital Transformation Specialist | Chief Growth Officer | Web3 Investor

At ZDTS, we've revolutionized how businesses approach sales by harnessing the power of AI. Our innovative strategies have attracted over 3,000 clients and generated seven figures in revenue, demonstrating a robust competency in high-ticket deal closures and inbound marketing. As Founder and CEO, my mission is to continue pushing the envelope in sales systems and marketing automation

Our passion is focused on helping Agencies, Marketing Departments & Independent consultants maximize their sales potential by utilizing social media platforms, building relationships and adding value to their clients. 

What you get: 

-Sales Workshops & Masterclasses
-Strategic Advisory and Consulting
-Lead Generation and Closing Deals
-Business Strategy
-Raising Capital

If you would like to apply to work with us, please send a detailed email to info@zackderis.com with the subject: “Service request” 
Thank you.

Founder & CEO

Welcome to ZDTS. 

We focus on simplifying the internet to help our clients grow, acquire new customers, and increase their brand visibility. 

Ways of working with us: 

- Web2/Web3 Marketing
- Advisory & Consulting services 
- Full sales takeover
- LinkedIn Live events
- Masterclasses & Workshops 
- Raising Cap

If you're looking to build a community, scale your agency, or improve your content production, please book a call with us via www.zackderis.com

Apollo crossed $150M ARR by doing something most B2B SaaS companies still don't understand:

2016: Launched as a sales intelligence tool in a crowded market
2025: $150M ARR, powering millions of GTM professionals globally

That's not the result of running louder Ads or buying 'attention'

It's the result of building a 'people-led distribution engine', not just a product

Here's how they did it:

[1] Turn 'operators' into the 'channel'

Founder + CEO, Tim Zheng didn't position Apollo through campaigns or slogans

At critical moments, he shared the 'thinking' behind Apollos:

-GTM Shifts
-Product rebuilds
-Lessons learn from scaling

Giving the market insight into how the company actually operates

Instead of positioning Apollo through campaigns, the team documents real: 

-Lessons
-Decisions
-Turning Points

Jennifer Rhima [Partnerships] is turning Apollo's partner ecosystem into a learning channel, not just a referral engine

Brianna Chapman [Community] shares practical takes on unconventional demand channels like Reddit

Katie Parkes [Brand] is in the process of building a strong network of 'Apollo power users', exploring how community  & creator participation can organically extend Apollo's reach

[2] Distribute content across roles, not departments. 

Apollo doesn't rely on one founder or one marketing team. Their:

→GTM engineers publish real systems
→Sales leaders share outbound workflows
→Community leads amplify customer wins
→Product + Marketing explain why things are built the way they are

Instead of a single brand voice, Apollo creates a consistent signal across the org

[3] Let education replace advertising

While many B2B companies gate PDFs and push demos, Apollo publishes: 

→AI workflows
→Prospecting systems
→Outbound frameworks
→Real examples from real accounts

When teams want to learn modern outbound or GTM, they don't find Ads. 

They find Apollo people. 

[4] Compound product-led growth with AI

→50K+ weekly active AI users
→500% YoY growth in AI usage
→47M prospecting actions in 2025
→35% increase in bookings for teams using AI workflows
→46% more meetings booked using Apollo's AI Research

Instead of marketing AI as a buzzword, Apollo operationalized it in public. 

Result: 

Apollo now serves 2 Million+ GTM professionals and over 550,000 companies from start-ups to global enterprises

Apollo didn't advertise their way to $150M ARR
↳They're building their way there in public

I've personally been using Apollo everyday for the past 5 years+ and trained over 3,000 students on  how to leverage the platform

Because of this, I've built step-by-step guides and tutorials on how to use: 

→Apollo
→AI Assistant
→Buying Intent
→Parallel Dialler
→Website Visitors
→And so much more.

If you want access to these, just comment 'APOLLO' below. 

I'll also give you access to a free workshop I'm hosting with them next week. 

Turn your operators into the 'channel' Built like Apollo, Build with Apollo!

Scaling $5M+ ARR Businesses through AI & GTM Systems | Founder + CEO - ZDTS

Last year, we earned over 7 figures using Apollo.
↳So they've asked me to teach y'all how to use it.
→’RSVP’ below to get access to the free training

2025 was one of our biggest years to date:

→3824 emails sent
→500 leads prospected
→320 days using Apollo
→0 dollars spent on ads
→157 sequences created
→$750,000 in new business
→750 qualified leads found 
→7,140 minutes spent prospecting
→3,382 minutes spent writing content
→30+ meetings booked every single month
→1,220 new students + clients joined my programs

And none of this was possible without Apollo.

→You can join the platform for free
→You don't need a long-term commitment
→Over 500,000+ monthly active users on the platform

On January 20th @ 12 PM ET, I'm going to show you exactly how to use Apollo to:

→Find your ICP automatically
→Write all your outbound content with AI
→Build + launch full sequences in minutes
→Create weekly workflows that run whilst you sleep
→Build your AI Content Centre [The secret engine behind everything]

Click here to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/esF73wux

There are already 500+ registered participants.

For anyone who joins from this post, comment 'RSVP', and I'll send you:

→The registration link
→Early access to the AI Assistant Tool
→Bonus training materials [Workflows, PDFs, Videos]

P.S. I’ll be joined by the wonderful: 

Dani Hao ✨ - Sr Manager - Community & Customer Marketing
Andy McCotter-Bicknell - Lead Product Marketing Manager, AI & Platform

So give them a follow to check out their awesome Apollo-focused content!

How to find and prospect B2B leads via Apollo in 2026
The exact 12-step process used to bill $20K in 7 days
A full step-by-step guide in 60 seconds ⮧

[Save this post so you don't lose it] 

1. Go to Apollo
↳If you don't have an account, you can sign up for free. 

Apollo allows you to do everything in one suite

→Find People
→Find Companies
→Save Leads Lists
→Make phone calls
→Use platform as CRM
→Set Tasks for reminders
→Build outreach sequences
→Build automated workflows 
→Build team reports & analytics
→Use AI to enhance searches + productivity

2. Once logged in, take 5 min to set up your profile: 

→Connect your Mailboxes
→Build your ICP personas 
→Build your AI Content Center

3. Next, let's search for LEADS.  

→Click the 'People Tab.' 
→Enable your Persona
 
Without Persona, manually filter in:

→Job Titles
    ↳Founder | CEO | VP | Director

→Company Size
    ↳Pick the range you actually sell to

→Location
    ↳Country or region you can work with

→Industry or Keywords
    ↳Only include what matters 

[At this point, you already have better leads than most teams]

4. Verified Emails Only

→Click 'Email Status' 
    ↳'Safe to send' > 'Verified' 

[No bounced emails → No wasted effort]

5. Activate 'Buying Intent' 

Buying intent uses AI to show you WHO is actively searching for your products and services online. Use it. 

→Click 'Buying Intent' 
→Select intent topics related to your offer: 

Examples ⮧

-AI Tools
-Sales Software
-Lead Generation
-Hiring/Recruiting
-Creative/Branding
-Marketing Automation

→Set 'Intent Score' to 'High'

[Now you're not guessing. You're targeting companies actively searching.]

6. AI Data Enrichment 

→Run AI Research
→Pull company context, roles, signals etc. 

[Used to take hours → now takes seconds]

7. Save your leads properly

→Save to a 'People List' 
   ↳Name it after your 'ICP + Intent' 

[Bonus: Build a workflow to push new leads to this list automatically.]

9. Launch Outreach campaign

→Add the list to a short sequence
   ↳4-day sequences work the best

→Day 1: Engage + connect via LinkedIn
→Day 1: Email notifying LinkedIn activity 
→Day 2: Email using 'Two-Line DM script' 
→Day 3: Phone call + Email + LinkedIn DM
→Day 4: Final Email → No Reply? = Move on. 

[Apollo tracks everything so you don't have to] 

10. Workflows 

Want to scale your outreach = Build a workflow.

→Auto-find new leads weekly
→Auto-add to people/company lists
→Auto-enroll into outreach sequences

[Your Pipeline fills while you sleep] 

That's how B2B prospecting works in 2026. 

1 Platform instead of 6. 

-No guessing
-No scraping data
-No spreadsheets

Just Apollo.

In the past 5 years, I've trained over 3,000 students on Apollo. 
So, I've partnered with Apollo to deliver an AI masterclass\ next Tuesday!

Comment 'SALES' below and I'll send you:

1. RSVP link for the free Apollo AI Masterclass
2. Buying Intent Guide
3. Cold Calling Guide
4. AI Assistant Guide
5. Sequences Guide

Hope this helps and you crush it in 2026!

Pick a seat: LinkedIn Creator Edition
Which seat would you choose, and why? 
Creators include....⮧

Charlie Hills | The AI Creators Club
↳194,750 Followers
→Talks about: Content, LLMs & AI Tools

Brianna Chapman | Apollo
↳20,637 Followers
→Talks about: Community, Reddit & AI

Jennifer Rhima | Apollo
↳25,720 Followers
→Talks about: Events, AI Tools  & Partnerships

Elana Gold | Red Beard Ventures
↳81,460 Followers
→Talks about: Success Stories, Business Growth & VC

Lara Acosta | Kleo
↳309,230 Followers
→Talks about: Content, LinkedIn & Copywriting

Ross Pomerantz | Corporate Bro
↳169,600 Followers
→Talks about: Workplace Comedy

Natalie (Corporate Natalie)
↳254,400 Followers
→Talks about: Workplace Comedy

Ruben Hassid | How to AI
↳757,100 Followers
→Talks about: Everything related to AI

Anisha Jain | How to AI
↳143,600 Followers
→Talks about: Copywriting with AI

Georgia St John-Smith | Sancti Business Mentorship & Retreats
↳76,500 Followers
→Talks about: Women-led Business growth, LinkedIn & Sales

AJ Eckstein | Creator Match 🧩
↳54,000 Followers
→Talks about: Creator Economy, Influencer Marketing & UGC

Vin Matano | Creatorbuzz
↳52,380 Followers
→Talks about: Creator economy, Influencer Marketing & building in public

David Walsh | Limelight
↳40,720 Followers
→Talks about: Building a business, Creator economy & Influencer marketing

Manthan Patel | Lead Gen Man
↳157,300 Followers
→Talks about: AI Agents, AI Tools & Lead Gen

You can only have one seat, choose wisely. 
______

P.S. For those who wanted sales content this Friday.. I got you! 
👉 https://lnkd.in/eRXKskeY

I just hosted a 2 hour masterclass for 800+ people on how to use Apollo's new AI Assistant to save hours of manual work building lead lists, email campaigns, workflows and analytics. 

Enjoy & happy Friday!

So this is how OpenAI makes money now.  
↳ Not subscriptions.  
→ Ads inside ChatGPT.

Let’s be honest, this was always coming.

ChatGPT is one of the fastest-growing consumer products ever.  
Hundreds of millions of people use it every week.  
Most of them never pay.

That math doesn’t work.

Here’s the reality most people miss:

→ AI gets more expensive the more it’s used  
→ Inference costs compound, not flatten  
→ “Scale” actually makes losses worse  

Everyone assumes subscriptions save the day.

They don’t.

Even premium users don’t cover their own compute once usage spikes.  
Heavy users cost more than they pay.  
Light users barely move the needle.

Now zoom out.

You have a product with:

→ Massive daily attention  
→ Logged-in users  
→ Clear intent signals  
→ Long session times  

That’s not just an AI tool.

That’s an ad platform.

And ads are the only model that actually scales with usage.

This isn’t about greed.  
It’s about physics.

When every prompt costs money to run, revenue has to grow faster than usage.  
Subscriptions grow linearly.  
Compute grows exponentially.

Advertising grows with attention.

This is the same arc every platform follows:

→ Social did it.  
→ Search did it.  
→ Marketplaces did it.  

AI was never exempt.

The interesting part isn’t that ads are coming.

It’s where they’ll live.

At the bottom of responses.  
Clearly labeled.  
Dismissible.  
Context-aware.

That’s not banner ads.  
That’s intent monetization.

When someone asks how to build a website.  
Or which CRM to choose.  
Or how to hire a lawyer.

That intent is worth a lot.

So no, this isn’t “the end of ChatGPT.”

It’s the moment it graduates from experiment to business.

The real question isn’t whether ads belong in AI.

It’s this:

Was there ever a realistic path where they didn’t?

Hot Take: Businesses not using AI assistants in 2026 will not scale
↳We're closing $30K+ per week just by using Apollo 
→This is why their competitors can't keep up: 

I've tried every AI GTM sales platform, and will only use Apollo going forward.

Each platform was GREAT at one thing, but had many tools missing: 

Instantly
↳Great for cold email and sending volume
→Still needs another platform to run GTM

Salesloft
↳Good sequencing and engagement
→Clunky and depends on external data

Outreach
↳Decent for enterprise execution
→Super heavy stack, not all in one

ZoomInfo
↳Good data coverage
→Extortionate pricing, no execution layer 

Lusha
↳Fast contact enrichment
→Not always accurate data 

Clay
↳Great at workflows
→Still need sequencing and execution tools like Apollo

Gong
↳Good meeting insights
→For account managers, not Sales teams

HubSpot
↳Good CRM foundation
↳Requires a lot of bolt-ons to compete

Agencies with retainers need one platform that does everything. 

This is why we rely on Apollo, because it offers everything: 

-Data
-Research
-Analytics
-Workflows
-Sequencing
-AI Execution
-Buying Intent

And now that they've launched the AI Assistant, it got stupidly unfair. 

The AI Assistant takes over your platform, and executes tasks for you. 
This has saved hundreds of hours on manual lead gen and BD work. 

Now, we just chose an option from the prompt library and: 

→Find and rank ICP accounts and contracts
→Find people looking for us with Buying intent
→Enrich every record with AI research in seconds
→Save qualified leads into people lists automatically
→Build 4 day+ sequences for email, phone calls and LinkedIn
→Build automatic weekly workflows to keep filling the pipeline

In 3 hours this morning, I used the AI assistant to:

→Find and save 740 ICP fit, AI qualified leads
→Generate a pipeline of over $30K+ per client
→Launch 7 client sequences in under 8 minutes each
→Book 6 meetings within the first hour of launching sequences

This is why competitors can't keep up. 
↳They're still building GTM manually.  
→I'm just prompting outcomes with Apollo [lol]. 

Because I've had so much success with Apollo's AI assistant, I want to show you how to use it too. 

Today at 12 noon EST, I'm hosting a free Apollo AI Assistant masterclass. 
↳If you can't make it, RSVP anyway and I'll send you the recording:
→650+ registered attendees already!

I'll be covering how to: 

→Build your Persona
→Build your AI content center
→Use the AI assistant for Leads, Sequences & Workflows

Comment below or DM me 'RSVP' and you'll get: 

1. The webinar link
2. The Recording
3. My Apollo partner signup link
4. Beta waitlist access for AI Assistant
5. All my Step-by-step guides for everything Apollo. 

Stop wasting time on 7+ AI Sales tools. 

Join me tomorrow to learn how to use Apollo.

Apollo's AI Assistant Prompt Library [52+ prompts]

Hang in there, Mary.


Use Apollo to streamline your sales so it doesn’t feel stressful: https://lnkd.in/eRXKskeY

No alternative text description for this image

How to generate a professional headshot using ChatGPT 5.2
↳In under 60 seconds.
→No expensive photoshoots.
→No studio lighting.
→No editing tools.

Just you and ChatGPT.

Here’s the step-by-step:

Step 1: Take 3 clear photos of yourself
→Use natural lighting (near a window works great)
→Capture different angles: front, left, and right side profile

Step 2: Upload the photos to ChatGPT 5.2
→click ‘+’ and select ‘Create image’

Step 3: Paste this prompt:
→"Generate the corporate headshot of this person."

→Step 4: Let ChatGPT do the magic.

→In seconds, you’ll have a studio-quality headshot that looks ready for LinkedIn, company websites, or pitch decks.

This isn’t a gimmick.

 AI is changing the way we handle personal branding → fast.

If you know someone still using a cropped vacation selfie for their profile picture…

→Tag them below.

[Image Credit: @codyschneiderxx]

People Centric Organizations (the PCO Group)

▪︎ Collaborating with product development, operations, events, learning and development teams to ensure alignment on marketing strategies and product roadmaps

▪︎ Showcasing client success stories through social media case studies to highlight the impact of the PCO's services and products

▪︎ Tracking key performance indicators using marketing analytics platforms to optimize strategies and increase marketing return on investments 

▪︎ Conducting market research and competitive analysis, analyzing competitor websites and marketing materials to refine product positioning and increase market penetration

▪︎ Implementing marketing campaigns leveraging SEO, social media marketing, and direct message outreach to generate leads

▪︎ Developing and executing content marketing initiatives (blog posts, articles, webinars) focused on employee engagement,  organisational culture and talent optimization

Product Marketing Manager

▪︎ Implemented social listening strategy to identify brand advocates and engage with them proactively, leading to 10 mentions of PCO content, expanding brand reach and credibility 

▪︎ Developed and maintained a comprehensive social media content calendar ensuring consistent brand messaging, resulting in a 60% increase in content output

▪︎ Utilized social media analytics tools (Hootsuite, platform-specific analytics) to monitor key performance indicators like reach, engagement, website traffic and lead generation, resulting in 100% optimised social media strategy

▪︎ Drove a 50% increase in website traffic from social media channels by incorporating links in posts, and promoting blog content 

▪︎ Monitored social media channels for brand mentions and engaged in conversation to address inquiries, and build positive relationships with followers

▪︎ Researched and stayed up to date on the latest social media trends, best practices, and algorithm changes to ensure PCO’s social media strategy remained effective and innovative

Social Media Marketing Specialist

Tech4Dev

▪︎ Collaborated with engineering, design and data analytics teams throughout the product lifecycle (from ideation to pre-launch), ensuring 70% execution within 6 weeks

▪︎ Facilitated agile project management, leading to a 40% increase in project progression and a 10% reduction in project timeline

▪︎ Developed and maintained product documentation, resulting in a 25% reduction in the team's knowledge gap

▪︎ Conducted user research and competitive analysis to identify markets opportunities and customer needs

▪︎ Defined and prioritized product roadmaps, incorporating user feedback, and market analysis 

▪︎ Managed the product backlog, ensuring task, stories and epics were clearly defined, estimated and prioritized, facilitating agile development sprints

▪︎ Championed the complexities of the software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering to testing, ensuring 70% delivery of the parenting software

Software Product Manager

ITTS: International Testing & Training Services

▪︎ Surpassed 40% improvement in test data management, as measured by the accuracy and completeness of test data, by creating and maintaining test data sets that represented real-world scenarios

▪︎ Achieved 50% increase in user experience, as measured by usability testing results, by identifying and reporting medium and low priority bugs per testing session

▪︎ Completed 90% of the quality assurance process, as measured by the resolution of medium and low-priority bugs, by logging and reporting identified issues to the development team for correction

Product Tester

ExecHero, Inc.

▪︎ Identified and qualified 50+ potential clients through direct message outreach on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, contributing significantly to the company's sales pipeline

▪︎ Converted 10% of social media leads into scheduled meetings with the founder, demonstrating a strong ability to identify and qualify ideal prospects

▪︎ Developed and implemented a daily reporting system for appointment history, providing insights into lead generation progress and conversion rates

Executive Assistant

Koboaccountant

▪︎ Gained hands-on experience from practising daily accounting tasks like bookkeeping, data entry, invoicing, and inventory management

▪︎ Acted as team lead for a group project and managed the time given to deliver the project

Operations Manager

Agency Growth Hub

▪︎ Prepared reports and documents in English using Microsoft PowerPoint 

▪︎ Managed the director's calendar, email inbox and conducted follow-up sessions 

▪︎ Implemented strategies to optimise productivity and work-life balance

▪︎ Take on ad-hoc projects like updating databases, scheduling and managing meetings

▪︎ Planned and managed the director's travel arrangements for conferences and industry events

▪︎ Providing technical support

Yaba Local Council Development Area

▪︎ Assisted the billing accountant with month-end expense and inventory reports

▪︎ Distributed memos and payment reminders to the company debtors

▪︎ Reported billing data using Microsoft Excel and Charts 

▪︎ Issued receipts to business associations for payment of fines and levies

▪︎ Detected and corrected errors in client invoices, and customer accounts

Everyday Supermarket

▪︎ Maintained financial reports and processed business transactions on behalf of the accountant

▪︎ Adjusted discrepancies in invoices, and payment records

▪︎ Supported the accounting department with administrative tasks such as data entry, file management, bookkeeping, and correspondence

▪︎ Prepared cheque analysis for vendor payments

De Castle Resort

▪︎ Reported fraudulent activities and events to the Auditor

▪︎ Supervised work schedule in all departments

▪︎ Performed assurance and testing work on behalf of the auditor

▪︎ Reviewed financial records of the company

▪︎ Conducted investigations to obtain evidence of fraudulent reports

PRUDENTIAL AUDITORS AND CONSULTANTS

▪︎ Handled office administrative tasks including correspondence, calendar management, minutes taking, email, and chat support 

▪︎ Coordinated educational meetings and industrial tours to promote learning 

▪︎ Executed short and long-term plans for the organization in line with functional rules and regulations

▪︎ Prepared report for the organization sales using Microsoft Excel

Head of Operations

Product Manager | Helping Tech Startup Founders Solve Product-related Problems with 100% Focus on Customer Needs & Business Growth | Lifelong Learner

As a product manager with a mix of experience in accounting, operations management, marketing, and communications, I bring a unique perspective to product management for businesses looking to drive digital transformation and sustainable growth. 

I've worked in industries such as business consulting, hospitality, education, technology, accounting, and auditing, and the experiences I've gained from these fields have empowered me to handle complex challenges with flexibility.

My goal is to make life easier for people and businesses, leveraging technology to improve how we work, interact, and live. So, I excel in environments where creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration unite.

My technical skills include:

- Agile project management
- Operations management
- Go-to-market strategy
- Product development
- User story writing
- Market research
- User research &
- Accounting

Outside of work, I cherish family time, enjoy learning new things, and love sharing my knowledge and experience with others using technology to drive positive change.

If you need a product manager who combines technical and business skills, with a strong passion for innovation, let's connect! 

Feel free to message me directly on LinkedIn or book a FREE call with the link in my featured section to explore opportunities for collaboration.

taplio

The Battle

Zack Deris

Chikaosoro Ugwu

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taplio

The Battle

Zack Deris

Chikaosoro Ugwu

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Zack Deris's LinkedIn Performance

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