George Anagnostopoulos: A “badass” advertiser
There is this guy, who owns a company that is creating social media campaigns for big brands, helping them reach the right audience.
I didn’t know much about him, as he is keeping a low profile.
I contacted him and we arranged a meeting.
I entered his office in total formality. 10 minutes later I couldn’t stop laughing because he’s making jokes and I was having the time of my life.
Street smart? Hustler? Sharp witted?
All of the above? Check!
But let’s go back a little bit. I watched this video from the “YEAH” (Young Entrepreneurs in Action Hellas) conference that was held back in 2011.
As soon as he started talking, he took me by storm.
He was a pure action taker.
He was involved in any anything tech oriented, since he started back in 1999.
He has worked for and helped build 6 companies, written articles and worked as a freelancer for more than 10, and is currently a stakeholder at 6 companies. Hell of a track record.
My attraction was evident and I had to make arrangements to meet him.
So what’s the story behind George Anagnostopoulos?
Having a day job didn’t give him much free time so he decided to go after his luck and tried many things.
He started as a web designer, back when he was doing his masters at London, during the late 90s. However, it didn’t take off, so he ditched that.
He then got into affiliate marketing. Inspired by the needs of his fellow students, he created a website that would list the books one needs for college. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out as well.
His third attempt, was a translation agency that he created upon his return to Greece in 2004, following his studies abroad. That seemed to work for a while, but he still wasn’t satisfied with the results.
His last attempt made him realize his natural talent and true potential in digital marketing and promotion.
So, he started working for a digital advertising agency and eventually he built his own social media company called Socialab. The company is doing really well and going for an exit in the next few years.
As for the tips, let’s begin.
Take risks
Here in Greece, we are still not into taking business risks and mainly we don’t have that many early adopters — people that are dealing with a tool or a product just when its released, rather than waiting until it goes mainstream.
In Greece, it took us a lot of time to understand the power of Internet and social media. While this has now changed, we used to believe that mediums such as press or TV, to be the most profitable ones and we relied mostly on traditional advertising methods.
George had to invest time to “educate” his clients regarding social media, but eventually that paid off.
So, what about you? Don’t be afraid to try out new stuff and to meet with people that are using this kind of technology.
Right now, one of the biggest trends is using “messenger” on Facebook as a way to support your customers. Does your website still have a contact form?
Play defense
This tip has nothing to do with the previous one. This is about money.
What if something really bad happened to you today? What if your loved one had a very expensive surgery that could not be covered by social security? What if one of your parents had some major medical issue?
Would you be able to help them financially?
This is one of the prime reasons one needs to be financially free, yet people are living paycheck to paycheck, like it’s their last day on the earth.
Sorry to mess with the regular meme that you see shared on social media by “intellectual” people, but no this isn’t your last day.
Actually, after reaching a state of financial freedom you are going to have a lot of “last” days to live with no concerns. This isn’t magic or unachievable, but you have to put in the work to reach a “savings” level that will allow you to start “living the life”.
Until then, you need to work and work and work, like you couldn’t work the next day.
Product > Marketing
Coming from a marketer, that’s bold.
George is not too keen on politics or forming personal relationships with clients. He believes that professional relationships should be built around value.
He has built a company that is good at giving you results, not being your best friend.
So the takeaway?
Raise the level of services you provide and market that.
Don’t worry about making best friends, because having a team with the best skills and building the best product will win you the war.
Delegation
If you are good at something, delegate it. That is counterintuitive, right?
Well not for the educated ones. Delegating work that you are very good at, makes you the perfect judge and instructor. You have just the right info needed to mentor the people around you and help them to improve.
Doing that, will give you more time to spend on things you should know, but haven’t dealt with yet.
