An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Surround yourself with people that you can rely on.

As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Aimee Stoopler.

After moving into Manhattan from Long Island, Aimee Stoopler and her husband Evan Stoopler were on the hunt for a vet for their dog Mason, a 10 year old Maltipoo, who had hurt himself jumping off the bed. The vet they found upcharged them for anti-inflammatory drugs, gave an impersonal and incorrect diagnosis, as well as poor customer service start to finish. It was then that the Stoopler’s saw an opportunity to provide New York City with the best medicine, best customer care and best customer service to the furry patient and the patient’s family.

Aimee is thrilled to be a disruptor in the animal and veterinary care space, and is having fun while doing it. The duo works hard to find the best quality Veterinarians, Specialists, Practitioners, and Client Service Representatives — and want these friendly faces to care for your pets each time you walk into a URvet Care location.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

Growing up in a small beachtown on Long Island, NY, we lived a simple lifestyle enjoying the freedom of playing outside (with no cell phones) and only hearing moms calling us home from their porches as the sun went down. Our neighbors were our family, and our family was this small town, cut off by a small bridge from the rest of the world — even from our classmates from school. I grew up with several cats and a dog named Sandy Suki Chan, who was a Llasa Aapso.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis

I am a staunch believer that you cannot change what happened yesterday but you have the control to make today and tomorrow your power. People spend a lot of energy manifesting the past, which is a helpless situation. I believe taking the bull by the horn and creating a new energy is the best choice we can have.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

When I was pretty young, I watched the movie Ship of Fools (released in my birth year 1965). I reflect back and realize this movie made a profound impact on me throughout my life. For me, it has shown me not to always judge people by what I see, that people have stories — and all of these stories make up who we are, who our world is. I have always had a passion to help others, especially our elderly population and I spent a lot of time volunteering. Today I am a Board Certified Patient Advocate so that I am able to support the underserved, give a voice to people that don’t have one, and offer love and caring to those whose tanks run low. This movie really was meant to reflect all of these “broken” people that make up the world’s microcosm. It is something that we all struggle with today- to recognize the struggles of others.

There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?

Taking an idea, or a feeling, you have and making it a reality is a daunting task. However, my husband and I repeatedly were faced with barriers in veterinary health care. One day, we sat in bed and really “talked” about it. Our ideas were endless and the things we had stirring in our heads were overwhelming.

For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands/opens its doors?

1. Get it on paper, dream it, dream it some more, and be organized.
2. Float the idea to others.
3. Get money!
4. Hire the right team- and do not make decisions too hastily.
5. Make it legal. Get your name, your social media, everything in order!

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?

1. I really value the advice of others and the people that did this “before me.”
2. Never react without absorbing the information first.
3. Write every step that you took down, from Day 1.
4. Surround yourself with people that you can rely on.
5. DO not forget to keep in touch with friends and family.

There are many development consultants when it comes to starting a business. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

Personally, I have found the speed at which marketing and advertising has moved away from the baby boomers is staggering. I have always worked within industries that required me to be in touch with digital technology, advertising and sales. Today, the information roller coaster to create the correct presence is best left up to the newbies, as for them it is second skin. There are so many different skill sets needed to “come dressed to the party” it is virtually an impossible task to strike out on your own.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

Of course this depends on the product you are building, the cost to build an ice cream shop versus a hospital is a lot different. In the instance of URvet Care we were committed to producing medical excellence. Our standards made it necessary to raise capital.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

There is not one day that goes by that I do not make a conscious effort to better the life of someone in my circle. It can be someone on a NYC street, a caretaker for someone, or people that work for you and with you. Creating jobs is about creating happiness, creating a culture that feels like you are part of a team and extended family. People want to feel safe, and feel like they belong. This is what I am all about.

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Without hesitation, I would inspire a movement of listening. People need to listen to what is being said, absorb it and act. Regarding URvet, our main focus is to provide excellent, personal, convenient and safe medicine for our pets and make the experience for our pet owners and doctors a lot less daunting, and alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with owning a new pet and treating ill ones. I have always had a passion for our elder population and providing them with attention and the resources they need to age in place with respect. As a Board Certified Patient Advocate, it is very common for my clients to have their own therapy animals, providing comfort and love.

Oftentimes, I have seen these animals need their own special attention. For instance, some clients are not able to transport their animals for care, so I started thinking of a solution with my husband. I thought “Let us try to either get transport services or have someone come to their home.” Some clients are away from their home for extended times in a hospital or a rehab, requiring friends and family to step in and help with the pets’ care. These are obstacles that are common and exist daily. Providing the solutions can alleviate so much stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety in our elderly often gets exhibited in ways that we do not immediately recognize i.e. obstinance, depression, anger, frustration.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would love to sit down and meet with Bethenny Frankel because she is a real person and an animal lover, and for me she is in my own genre. Bethenny is a doer, a helper and her BStrong initiative has caught my attention many times over. She has become a public figure and uses that platform to help and support those in need. Her personality is real, and she is direct and to the point — similar to myself. I believe she can offer input to build upon our URvet culture as we are only just getting started.

Where can we go to learn more about URvet Care?

For more on URvet Care, visit www.urvetcare.com or follow along on Instagram @urvetcare.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

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Making Something From Nothing: Aimee Stoopler Of URvet Care On How To Go From Idea To Launch was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.