Daria Chernysheva was born in Odessa, Ukraine and moved with her family to Hamburg, Germany when she was 9 years old. After her graduation, Daria became an expert in Online Marketing, Digital Transformation and Business Management. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Economy and Business Psychology from Leuphana University Lüneburg and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in International Business and Brand Management from London School of Business and Finance (LSBF). Over the course of 15 years of working experience, she worked for different large international IT and Consulting companies in diverse countries, such as Italy and Ireland. Daria knows several European languages.
Daria Chernysheva, Chief Executive Officer, Business Owner
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I was born in Odessa, Ukraine, which I’m very proud of. When I was 9 years old, my family moved to Hamburg, Germany where I grew up.
I really love to travel and visit different countries. This love comes from the time when my grandfather was a captain on large cruise liners. He took me on a cruise for the first time when I was only 8 months old. I was lucky enough to visit so many countries on the Mediterranean Sea. But I have a special love for Italy, its food, language, culture and people.
After school, I studied economy and business psychology at Leuphana University in Lüneburg. As an Erasmus student, I went for half a year to study in Italy at Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" which I greatly enjoyed. After my graduation as a B.A. in Economy with a focus on Marketing, I started working at Axel Springer SE. This job introduced me to Online Marketing when it was still in “baby shoes”, and this is how I became part of the industry. In 2014 I moved to Dublin, Ireland where I worked for Google, covering the DACH and CIS market. Also, the same year I enrolled for an MBA program in International Business and Brand Management at London School of Business and Finance. Combining distant learning and work was very hard but this is how you develop discipline and determination to achieve your goals.
Before founding my own company in 2019, I worked for several international companies and gained extensive experience in digitalization and business management. Professionally, I was ready to start my own business. Plus, I had a strong desire to become an entrepreneur to be independent and have more time for my family.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients? The name of my company is Ellenburg Consulting. We provide 360° services in digital marketing, digital transformation, and business management consulting. We support our clients from strategy planning, implementation and monitoring of projects to analysis and solution recommendations in the above-mentioned fields.
Also, we expertly assist our clients in expanding their business or brand to new markets in Europe and North America. The company also provides individual workshops for business professionals or for groups. We shape our workshops based on the requests we get from our clients and the topics they are most interested in.
How did you come up with the name of your company?
I wanted to have an international name that is easy to pronounce in any language and that sounds professional. What kind of audience do you target your business towards?
We work with mostly small and medium-sized businesses but also with large companies from different industries. Our company also strongly supports start-ups. What are your current goals for your business?
Learn and grow. The world changes by minute and one must keep track of new developments and novelties. At Ellenburg Consulting we are proud to offer interesting and innovative solutions. Currently, the world economy is perilously close to a recession, and our current goals are to optimize our operations and help our clients to overcome this difficult and uncertain economic situation together. What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
For me, personally, I would like to travel more. During the pandemic I realized that traveling is a very important part of my life which makes me happy and gives me motivation and inspiration. Being your own boss requires a lot of strength, persistence, discipline and resilience. Taking breaks is essential to keep going. If you don’t feel energized, it can have a very negative impact on your business and your relationships with clients.
We hope that the state of the economy will change for the better and we will see new innovative businesses flourish. We want to be a part of the driving force in the future.
In addition, we take our social responsibilities very seriously. Our company always seeks qualified employees, who can think out of the box. Currently, we’d like to offer support to Ukrainian refugees, freelancers and entrepreneurs to help them find their way back to the labor market.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
It is my family. They always supported me and encouraged to step out of my comfort zone and be better. My grandfather was an incredibly important person in my life who taught me so much. His death four years ago was emotionally very difficult for me. I wanted him to be proud of me when he was alive, and I do my best to meet the expectations he had of me.
Also, I’m my own worst critic. I always analyze my actions and see how I can improve my communication, my relationships with people and so on. The first step to improvement is understanding of your status quo and what needs to be optimized or changed.
What is your work inspired by?
My work is inspired by achieving great results. I want my clients to succeed.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
I think my greatest career achievement was to found my own company and become independent. It feels great to be your own boss, manage your time the way you want and share your own core values with your staff.
In general, I believe that success is a series of small victories. You have to take it day by day and overcome obstacles. Small achievements in your life pave the way to great achievements. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
When I started to work in digital marketing, in the early days there were no degrees, courses or certificates for this subject. One could only gain expertise through hard work, continuous learning and self-development. Nowadays, digital marketing stands out as a business unit and one can get a degree in digitalization. Many people without sufficient knowledge and experience started offering all kinds of digital marketing services. Sometimes I see their ads with headlines promising miracles, like: “Make 6 figures revenue in 10 days”, “I will help you to get thousands of prospects in one month”, etc. Even though they sound very compelling, most of the offers are pure fraud and are created for clickbait. As a result, we now have huge mistrust in the industry when it comes to digital marketing consulting because many companies had a negative experience in the past. Those who just received a certificate after a three-month online marketing course have no right to call themselves experts because they lack any practical industry experience.
I think we need some sort of “Checks and Balances” system to avoid fraudulent business consultants. This could restore customers’ trust in the industry and would lead to greater satisfaction. Trust in business is as important as it is in private relationships.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
This pivotal moment in my life was the day when my grandfather passed away four years ago. I couldn’t go to work for a few days because I had to take care of my grandmother and mother. We were all in terrible grief. Also, the police investigated the circumstances of his death because he died in the hospital, two days after a surgery. After the funeral I was back at work. I remember a personal discussion with the CEO of the company I worked for at the time. When I said that my grandfather passed away, his reaction was abhorrent; I couldn’t believe that a person can be so heartless – he just smiled to my face and said nothing. Everyone who has ever lost a loved one knows how painful it is. Then, two days after I returned to work, the CEO informed me that I’m no longer needed at his company. This new blow in less than two weeks after my grandfather’s passing hit me hard.
…The last two days before my grandfather died, I was at work as there was an important project and I didn’t want to let the company down. Instead, I could have been in the hospital with my grandfather when he needed me the most. The employer’s “gratitude” was letting me go…
Is it reasonable for an employee to expect empathy and support from their management in the event of a personal tragedy? I strongly believe so. I am also convinced that, in the long run, an employee will pay back with their ultimate dedication and best contribution to the company. Unfortunately, nowadays such attitude towards employees is rare in the workplace.
When I returned home that day, I said to myself that, from now on, I will never be an employee again. I didn’t want any other employer to hurt my feelings when it was painful enough… I was determined to become independent and never be in such situation again. I promised to myself that I will never treat an employee of mine in such a heartless, cruel way… Also, I realized that, no matter how important your career is, your family should always remain your priority number one.
Success is the best revenge to those who want to hurt us and see us fall to our knees. By overcoming personal struggles and challenging situations, you show how strong you are. Rise like a phoenix from the ashes and achieve your best.
