An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

We can only influence ourselves so don’t try to change others.

As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos.

Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos is the founder of Coimatan, a Minnesota-based company that is working to revitalize local economies with a focus on main streets. Vasiliki describes Coimatan as a think tank and incubator for small retail and culinary businesses that brings together owners, creatives, and nonprofits to reimagine products and experiences. She’s on a mission to disrupt retail standards with social and environmental impact in mind.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

Thank you for having me. Sure, I am Greek-Cypriot-American and grew up in Minnesota where yes, it does get pretty chilly in the winter. My career path has been incredibly nonlinear but across it all has been a curiosity to learn and explore. I’m inspired by the idea of bringing nontraditional approaches to traditional concepts. What led me to do what I’m doing now is ultimately a love for brick-and-mortar retai.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

“Disruptive” speaks to our endgame and the goal behind the work we do. Buying from a small business is often seen as a charity act. In America especially (and now the rest of the world is following suit), where bigger is better, small business is just that, “small.” At Coimatan, we believe in the collective power of small and we believe in main streets. We’re reimagining the way we experience local, small business because social, environmental, and economic justice depends on it.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

That’s a hard question! So many mistakes that I can’t quite remember a specific one. The lesson I would say I have learned though is that mistakes may happen — embrace them, respond to them, learn from them, and do better next time.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

Formal mentors I wouldn’t say I have had a lot. I learn something from everyone I interact with though, and so I’ve received a lot of help along the way. Beth Comstock and Jeremy Heimans have been two of the most influential. Their work is momentous. When I felt most alone within a large corporation, Beth Comstock’s book “Imagine It Forward” kept me going. Jeremy Heimans’ book “New Power” provoked a career shift.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

Disruption is an interesting concept. I used to think all “business” disruption was good. In school, we learned about disruptive leaders and disruptive solutions. Then I was called disruptive in a negative way and I started to think about the term a bit more heavily. Here’s what I concluded: there are two questions to ask to determine the positive or negative outcome of a disruption — what is being disrupted and who is finding it disruptive? This applies to when we are disrupting industries (which are just made up of people), teams, or even when going out and being noisy.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

There is actually one piece of advice that has been the most eye-opening and transformative so would love to share it: we can only influence ourselves so don’t try to change others. “Why are they acting this way?” — that’s a question that took up a lot of energy to continuously deliberate and analyze. Now, I’ve learned that it’s best to block that thought and redirect my focus.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

Not sure — shaking things up definitely isn’t my priority but improving the status quo is. My focus is on the intersection of environmental, social, and economic impact and right now, that revolves around revitalizing main streets. I am also quite fascinated by the circular economy.

Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?

Yes, there are two books that come to mind:

“Gaza Writes Back” — I’ve never finished a book so quickly. Each story was more captivating and emotional than the last. If a book can teach us what humanity is, it is this one.

“Buy the Change You Want to See” — this is a powerful read. Jane Mosbacher Morris articulates the concept perfectly. We all hold power with the dollars we spend to see about a positive difference.

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

Oh, yes! While searching for a yearbook quote in high school, I came across one that has stuck with me since — “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain.” There are a lot of dimensions to this quote. One is with regards to outlook — all we do and think we can do is brought about by our attitude. Looking at this quote another way shares a sense of urgency — why should we wait around?

You are a person of great influence. 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. 🙂

Thanks but I wouldn’t quite say that. I’m inspired by everyone around me and hopefully my actions influence positive change. We’re missing a global movement to revitalize main streets — when we start thinking at scale about the role independent brick-and-mortar retail can take with regards to social, economic, and environmental justice, that’s when we’ll see the good we can bring about.

How can our readers follow you online?

Online, people can learn more about our work at www.coimatan.com and follow on social @coimatan. And if anyone is ever in Minneapolis, always happy to connect offline.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Thank you for the opportunity to join you!


Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos Of Coimatan On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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