Mrs Elena Athanasiou well I couldn’t state it better…. A Woman in a Men’s World! I must admit that spending 48 hours with Mrs. Elena Athanasiou was a challenge. She has multiple roles: a mother of three kids, CEO and owner of Home Chic Home Group having its headquarters in Cyprus;, owner of a service company and owner of one of the most famous beach bars in Cyprus – La Isla.
Elena was raised in a family which was involved in the construction business, “I remember Saturdays and Sundays going around visiting construction sites with my father.” “I was into it without doubt. I like the fact that you create from scratch something that is on paper and this will be the “home”, “the dream house” of a family. The clients motivate you to work on a good faith and deliver their desirable choice of leaving. Either modern or classical architecture their preference; I need to follow/guide them for the best solution based on their preference and end result expectations.
According to Mrs. Athanasiou, “Home Chic Home Group’s business incorporates all areas of the property life cycle, including development, construction, investment, and facilities and property management in the Limassol area of Cyprus”.
Since 1984, Home Chic Home Group has created world-class property developments in the Limassol region of the beautiful island of Cyprus. These developments offer a wide variety of lifestyle choices, all which showcase the glamorous, modern, or classical design of a home or building. As Mrs. Athanasiou claims: “The designs of our buildings are very chic – so chic, in fact, that it is part of our identity! Our first class development stands out among the crowd, and the quality of our structures is unparalleled”.
I must admit that spending 48hrs in her business world was one of a kind experience since she was a mummy and a professional business woman at the same time….achieving what we all desire the “work-life balance”. However, I found myself being in the office and after 40 minutes being actually at the construction site with her.
Her day starts at 07:00am, since she takes her kids at school, (yes this woman has a young boy at the age of 9 and a girl at the age of 19) and then straight to the gym. Officially her day starts at 09:00am which is usually full of meetings with business associates and clients. Visiting construction sites and at the same day going for a business lunch is something that needs good daily programming. As Elena said: “Never forget to be a woman in every occasion….that’s why I am might need to change clothes two to three times per day for the suitable outfit”. Her working day usually ends at 19:00pm nonstop from the morning. Due to her heavy daily program she sees her kids at dinner. Therefore, her weekend are dedicated to her kids: “…I am a full time mummy trying to catch up all the things that a mother and children should do”.
During our last coffee after her busy day she admitted that being in the construction and development industry for twenty years transform in a way her character to be more dynamic and quick decision maker without any regrets or second thoughts. As she said: “……Construction business needs what I call “man brain” and for sure strong nerves to survive”.
Spending time with Mrs. Athanasiou in her actual working environment I have noticed the relationship and the direct communication she has with all her employees. And what impressed me is that this mutual respect and direct communication is not only with her employees at the office but also with workers in the construction site: “…..I learn to respect my people who are constantly exposed in difficult weather conditions”. I thought to write that the very last minute and I am waiting to see her comments reading it; but she actually enjoys drinking a quick coffee with her construction workers on spot. I guess her whole attitude it is built around her personal moto: “Treat others like you wish they treat you”.
According the Mrs. Athanasiou : “Making Money in not my goal…making Business is my goal”, and this is so obvious when it comes to her relationships with her clients. After so many years of hard work her clientele list includes people from Russia, Ukraine, Middle East and China. Being a multilingual person (yes she speaks fluently four languages) gives her the advantage to understand easier the different cultures and communicate easier with her clients. As she said proudly: ….”customer satisfaction is my reputation and my strongest marketing tool”.
When it comes to time management well I must admit she is the first CEO that I meet that she actually carries three calendars: “…I am an old fashion business woman……I write everything down….so I have my personal calendar, my kids calendar and my business calendar”. I ask her what she loves about herself: “The thing that I really love in my self is that I never regret, never go back and never allow myself to analyse what made me unhappy… I keep walking like nothing happened…I do not like even for a minute to feel depressed…health is more important from all”.
I ask her to share with me an advice for young graduates and newbies in business arena and I want to share with you the exact reply: “well I will I give the same advice that I am giving to my children …. try to gain all the good things from this life. Fight from your dreams and have actual and materialistic targets and goals!! If you know where you are going and what your goals are the least you will succeed is to enjoy the journey towards those goals! All our life must be a journey full of experiences and emotions! Try to have a lot”.
I can keep on writing for my 48 hours with Mrs. Athanasiou I guess what I will keep from the time I spent with this lady is her positiveness and very sharp decision making along with her personal moto: “….Life is too short!! Keep away whatever makes you unhappy”. Well that was a BizandLove Project full of lifetime lessons for me at least!
I hope you enjoy it!