Zero to N

Rachid Labrik

Zero to N dives into the real journeys behind building and scaling companies across the Middle East and Africa. Hosted by Rachid Labrik, it explores the trade-offs, failures, and transformations that shape the region’s most driven founders and operators. No hype. No filters. Just the real code of transformation from zero to N.

  1. 13h ago

    How To Become a CEO | Amadou Diallo

    What if the most powerful business metric isn’t revenue or margin, but the sparkle in people’s eyes? From running his father’s shoe shop in a small Senegalese village to leading global logistics giant Aramex as Group CEO, Amadou Diallo’s journey is a masterclass in grounded ambition. In this episode of Zero to N, Amadou sits down with host Rashid to reveal how ancestral wisdom, the Senegalese spirit of Teranga, and radical humility drive multi-billion-dollar transformations. He breaks down why self-improvement is an obligation rather than an option, what AI will never replace in business, and how coming from "zero" gives you the ultimate competitive edge.

  2. Oct 5

    Loubna Imenchal: Global Leadership, Women in Tech & Turning “No” Into Opportunity

    Loubna Imenchal built a global leadership career by learning to treat “no” as a challenge, not a verdict. She joins Rachid Labrik on Zero To N to unpack career reinvention, multicultural leadership, women in tech, intuition vs data, AI and critical thinking,  while revealing the personal cost of always living in the future. Now, her focus is increasingly turning towards impact: from Connect to Elevate to serving as a judge at Final Pitch Dubai and encouraging women entrepreneurs, Loubna is using the lessons and network she has built to help more women create opportunities of their own.

  3. Sep 21

    “I Never Asked for a Promotion or Pay Rise” — Badr Zemmama on Playing the Long Game

    “I never asked for a promotion. I never asked for a salary increase.”   For more than 25 years, Badr Zemmama has built his career from junior positions to executive leadership, without following one of the most repeated pieces of career advice: if you don't ask, you don't get.   He doesn't believe it. His philosophy is different: Prove the value first.   In this episode of Zero to N, Badr and Rachid Labrik explore what it really takes to build a career that lasts and why patience, curiosity, trust and execution may matter far more than constantly chasing the next title.   Badr shares the early failure that almost changed the direction of his life, the words from his father that restored his belief in himself, and why he later chose a corporate salary worth a fraction of what he had been earning because he believed the long-term opportunity was more valuable than the short-term money.   They challenge the obsession with fast success, discuss what social media may be teaching the next generation about ambition, and ask a harder question:   Have we become so focused on getting ahead that we've forgotten to become good enough to stay there?   Badr also breaks down his approach to leadership, hiring, underperformance and negotiation,  including why he hires for curiosity, why leaders should build teams that no longer need them, and why trust starts by giving before you ask for something back.   His rule for business is simple:   Win the heart. Then the mind. Then the wallet.   And his code of transformation?   The right people. The right preparation. Relentless execution.   Because the idea is only the beginning.   The real work is going from Zero to N.

  4. Sep 7

    From $300 to WILD Group: Emma Burdett on Reinvention, Personal Brand & Starting Again

    Emma Burdett built WILD from a $300 event into one of the region’s best-known communities for women in leadership  before realising that the business, and she herself, needed to evolve.   Emma joins Rachid Labrik to talk about being fired three times, building from zero in Dubai, the mistakes she made while scaling, using LinkedIn to create opportunity, trusting intuition in commercial decisions and why sometimes success requires the courage to reinvent what already works.   A conversation about entrepreneurship, identity, visibility, freedom and knowing when it is time to build the next version.

  5. Aug 25

    SAAD Mohamed: AI, Digital Transformation & Morocco's Tech Future

    AI, digital transformation, future of work and Morocco's technology ambitions with Mohamed Saad, Deputy CEO of the Casablanca Stock Exchange and President of AUSIM.   Mohamed joins Rachid Labrik to explore why transformation fails, what happens to junior careers as AI advances, why critical thinking matters more than ever, and what Morocco needs to move from technology consumer to global creator.   From “adapt before you adopt” to the Infinite Game, they ask what really takes people, organisations and countries from Zero to N.

  6. Jul 27

    From Failing Medicine to 30 Years in Global Business | Mohamed Loughzail

    Mohamed Loughzail planned to become a doctor. Failing the entrance exam sent him unexpectedly into computer science and ultimately into a career spanning Morocco, Canada, P&G, Saudi Arabia and China. He joins Rachid Labrik to discuss comfort zones, leadership, education, people, retirement and why the legacy you leave behind matters more than the title you held.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Mohamed Loughzail01:59 The Failure That Changed His Career09:31 How Canada Opened Up His World15:26 Why Your Environment Shapes Your Ambition17:53 Fight the Comfort Zone18:56 Starting at P&G as Morocco’s First IT Manager21:19 Build the Foundation Before You Climb23:10 People Make the Difference25:25 When the Comfort Zone Wins27:06 Saudi Arabia, China and Choosing Family28:56 “Retirement Is Pure Fiction”30:24 Building a Business School Around Inclusion34:32 Education vs the Future of Work44:31 From Corporate Executive to Board Adviser50:57 Morocco: Hardware vs Software53:41 Mohamed’s Code of Transformation55:26 Why Success Becomes Collective58:35 The Power of Being a People Person

  7. Jul 13

    Paralysed at 10 to Building a Global Beauty Brand | Mouna Abbassy

    At 10, Mouna Abbassy suddenly lost the ability to walk and spent months rebuilding her body from the beginning. Years later, that same belief in possibility would shape Izil Beauty—a brand built to take Moroccan beauty rituals, heritage and ingredients to the world. Mouna joins Rachid Labrik to discuss resilience, identity, entrepreneurship, letting go as a founder and why building something meaningful requires the founder to transform alongside the company.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Mouna Abbassy01:20 The Experience That Changed Her at 1003:18 Paralysis, ICU and Learning to Walk Again05:14 Why Surviving Changed Her Mindset09:18 Returning to School in a Wheelchair13:09 From Morocco to Dubai18:16 When Moroccan Heritage Became the Opportunity19:56 Putting Morocco on the Global Beauty Map23:13 Why Izil Is About More Than Beauty29:16 The Moment She Finally Started31:31 The First Kiosk—and Leaving Corporate Life33:08 The Cash-Flow Years That Tested Her36:56 Zero to One Is Not One to Ten39:24 Learning to Let Go as a Founder41:26 The Emotional Reality of Entrepreneurship42:13 What Success Means to Her Now47:16 What She Would Tell Her 10-Year-Old Self49:24 The Global Vision for Izil

  8. Jun 29

    The Mistake That Changed His Definition of Success | Hamid Ben Elafdil

    One conversation with a struggling student changed how Hamid Ben Elafdil measured success forever. From entrepreneurship and public leadership to investing, Jadara and launching another start-up at 60, he joins Rachid Labrik to explore social mobility, failure, reinvention and why real success is ultimately measured by the lives you impact. This episode is in French, with some Darija.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Hamid Ben Elafdil01:20 The Conversation That Changed Everything04:08 Redefining Success Around Impact06:32 Social Mobility Shouldn’t Depend on Luck08:01 From Entrepreneur to Public Service17:32 Firefighter or Architect?20:36 Taking Impact to a National Scale29:03 “There Is No Small Entrepreneur”31:49 Why He Looks at a Founder’s Failures34:50 “You Don’t Have Control”38:13 The Accident That Changed His Direction40:20 Staying Grounded When Success Grows43:57 Why He Chose to Return to Morocco49:24 Jadara and the Responsibility to Give Back53:38 Closing the Social and Cultural Capital Gap56:25 Going Back to School—and Starting Again at 6001:00:41 When Your Business Becomes Your Identity01:02:16 Zero to One vs One to N01:03:32 When Your Ambition Is Bigger Than You

See All (21)

Trailer

About

Zero to N dives into the real journeys behind building and scaling companies across the Middle East and Africa. Hosted by Rachid Labrik, it explores the trade-offs, failures, and transformations that shape the region’s most driven founders and operators. No hype. No filters. Just the real code of transformation from zero to N.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachid Labrik
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Rachid Labrik
  • Show Website
    Zero to N