EIL 19: Business Excellence Beyond Skills and Talent with Panos Papadopoulos

Growing up in poverty in his native Greece and later on moving to Sweden at the age of 18, Panos Papadopoulos created an extremely successful swimwear design label from scratch in his new country. The company, named Panos Emporio after its founder, is today represented in more than 30 countries and has a loyal following by royalties, pop stars, and celebrities from all over the world.
 
Ethics and morale are two important issues in the work for Panos. Panos Emporio has very high standards regarding these matters, and Panos is well-known for doing his part to help society in difficult matters.
 
Panos is not only a successful fashion designer. He has large amounts of skills in many different areas for he is also a CEO, a leading trendsetter, a celebrity, and a pioneer in marketing and PR.
 
This episode will enlighten you on the power of communication—an open and honest one—in creating relationships that are anchored in trust and loyalty, so make sure you have your pens and pads ready.
 
 
Why you have to check out this episode
 
⦁    Learn from a brave life adventurer how he’s able to grow organically through hard work and establishing relationships and/or connections;
⦁    Understand the importance of being honest, open, and true to your customers and/or clients in relation to building a good and two-way beneficial partnership with them;
⦁    Find out how important passion, love, and respect are in your journey towards big success

“Talk to them, be honest, show them the reality, and they will help.”
 
– Panos Papadopoulos
 
 
Topics Covered
 
00:27 – A reflection of the past: How Panos’ childhood influenced his attitude and his business success
 
06:42 – The reason why I’m here today: Panos shares the story behind his book entitled “My Life, My Odyssey”
 
09:29 – Tip on how to create good business partnerships in a new country when you’re totally alone: Be as normal and as natural as possible
 
11:17 – It’s about trust: On having the feeling that he’s creating partnerships with the right people
 
16:50 – The importance of open and honest communication: Panos shares how he gets his customers to help him spread the word about his business
 
19:06 – Good quality of good fitting: When people buy something and it makes them feel very confident and great, they will never leave that brand
 
23:07 – Passion + Love + Respect = Big Success: Three words from Panos’ values that highly influenced his business attitude
 
 
Key Takeaways
 
“Being good people is to take care of yourself, but also to the simple things that maybe is not so easy today—to give respect to other people around you.”
 
“To start a business from zero and be in a new country alone, totally alone, it's not so easy. But my business plan, my idea, was to be as normal, as natural as possible, because that's what I think is best.”
 
“A partnership is very important, like a friendship. Because sometimes, you have to argue, you have to fight, you have different opinions. We have production, some issues. But I used to say, friendship, to be honest, we have a common goal. You have to make money when we work together, and I have to make money, so let's try to solve the problems together. It's not my problem; it's our problem. So, always communicate.”
 
“If not good connection, not good understanding, go away; don’t stay.”
 
 
People/Resources Mentioned
 
⦁    My Life, My Odyssey – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1911687123/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_HZMH7MAX5KX7K8K9WCH8 
 
 
Connect with Panos Papadopoulos
 
⦁    Website:⦁     http://www.houseofpanos.se/ 
⦁    LinkedIn:⦁     https://www.linkedin.com/in/panos-papadopoulos-66953720/ 
⦁    Instagram:⦁     https://www.instagram.com/panosofficial/ 

Connect with Dr. Katrina Burrus