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.
Get ready to be motivated and inspired by the power of open and honest communication in building trust and loyalty.
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 on 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 an 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/
Full Interview Transcript
(Note: This transcript was created with an AI transcription service. Please forgive any transcription or grammatical errors. We probably sounded better in real life.)
Katrina Burrus
Welcome to the Excellent International Leadership podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Katrina Burrus, and today, we have Panos, and please help me with your last name.
Panos Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos.
Katrina Burrus
Okay, thank you.
A REFLECTION OF THE PAST: HOW PANOS’ CHILDHOOD INFLUENCED HIS ATTITUDE AND HIS BUSINESS’ SUCCESS
Katrina Burrus
You grew up in a poor area of Greece, and then you created an extremely successful swimwear when you went from 19 years old to Sweden. So, you created this swimwear in Sweden, in a country that was not yours or was not of your language. So, tell us a little bit about how the way you grew up influenced your attitude and your business’ success.
Panos Papadopoulos
I believe this is very important, what you asked now, because all my book is about it without mentioning. Because what I tried to explain to myself, to understand myself, how I was when I was six years, five years, ten years, when I grew up in Greece with family values and the political system and everything around me, how that affected me as an adult and also to my business career. And I can say today, when I look back, a lot, or everything, depends, what I do now, how I was when I was a young boy.
Katrina Burrus
So, give us a little bit of examples of something that affected you when you were young and how that reprocuted as a business owner.
Panos Papadopoulos
Let’s start with the first one. I work very hard, even today; I don’t need, but I do that. So, when I was six, seven years old, I started working; it was very hard. This followed me all the way, all my life.
The second one I can say, my family values—how to be, how to behave, how to treat people around me. So that, also, is the same today, how I treat my employees, my business partner, my customers, my consumers.
Katrina Burrus
How were you treated as a child in your family?
Panos Papadopoulos
My mother never went to school because she was in the war in Greece and my father had only three years of education, but they were very interested to give us—the kids—good values, to be good people. 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.
Another example that my father teached me when I was very, very young, they never said to us but here we could see how they act, that they never borrow anything, any money. They bought the things they needed when they had money.
Katrina Burrus
I see.
Panos Papadopoulos
And these affect all my business. When I started my business, I had no money to start with, but I decided to never have a loan in the bank. That was a very good decision at the end.
Katrina Burrus
So, you were never really in debt?
Panos Papadopoulos
Never.
Katrina Burrus
Or you didn’t never live above your means?
Panos Papadopoulos
Never. And this was my father and my mother’s values. So, this is what followed me, and this is something that I’m very happy and glad that I have with me.
Katrina Burrus
I see.
Panos Papadopoulos
Because during the business trip, you always face a lot of issues. And of course, there was a lot of difficulty sometimes; disasters, let’s say. And if I had big loans in the bank, I would not exist anymore. So, that was the strength of my business trip—that I had no loans, no debts anywhere. Of course, it helps in a good way. The weak part of it is that you cannot develop your business very fast without loans.
Katrina Burrus
Right.
Panos Papadopoulos
This is the balance.
Katrina Burrus
I see.
ON GROWING ORGANICALLY THROUGH HARD WORK AND NOT GOING BEYOND WHAT HE COULD DO BY HIMSELF
Katrina Burrus
But you grew organically through hard work and you didn’t go beyond what you could do yourself.
Panos Papadopoulos
I can tell you. A few days ago, I have a friend, he’s very successful in his business run in Sweden, very, very rich, a very big company, real estate, and he’s a millionaire, million business. He said to me, because he has read the book, “I want to be like you.” I said, “What?” “I want to be like you now.” I said, “What do you mean? Compared to you, my money is no money.”
Katrina Burrus
Yes.
Panos Papadopoulos
He said, “Yes, but listen, I have a lot of debts, a lot of loans everywhere, and it was so good for you not take $1 from the banks. This is very strong of you, and this is something I’m going to do for my own business now. I hope in a few years, I will not have any loans.”
Katrina Burrus
I see.
Panos Papadopoulos
I said okay.
Katrina Burrus
You’re an inspiration for him.
Panos Papadopoulos
Yes.
THE REASON ON WHY I’M HERE TODAY: PANOS SHARES THE STORY BEHIND HIS BOOK ENTITLED “MY LIFE, MY ODYSSEY”
Katrina Burrus
So, tell us the title of your book.
Panos Papadopoulos
The title of the book is “My Life, My Odyssey”, and this is not a business book. When I started writing the book, the idea came from some students or from some lectures I had. They always ask me, how, why I did this, about the marketing, about the business plan, and about how I was thinking, why you’re successful. And everybody was asking to give some ideas how to make it their own trip, in a good way and successful.
During the COVID [pandemic], I got the inspiration to start writing something, and I sold it to my daughter. She was 18 years old. She’s very critical; “No, no, no.” And when she read four or five pages, [she’s like] “It’s amazing.” “Say what? Do you like it?” “Yes, it’s good.” And what was it? I start writing how my life when I was four or five years, and others; I can’t remember the things. And for me, it was something
went back to understand myself, why I’m here today; what’s the reason?
Katrina Burrus
Right, like a catharsis.
Panos Papadopoulos
Yeah, exactly. And I had no plan to make a business book. I had no idea how it’s going to be. But after a few days, I found a way. I said, okay, let’s start from the very beginning and come until now and see what happens.
Katrina Burrus
How wonderful that your daughter could read it. You see? It gives a new depth of understanding about you.
Panos Papadopoulos
Yeah, because she’s very critical. “Oh, why do you do this? And this? And this?” I always listen to the young generation. And also in my business, when I could touch them in some way, if I could touch them and understand them, and if they can get a reaction, I’m very, very happy. I always had the right feeling that I could be connected with them. And when my daughter said, “Yes, this is great, Papa. Go on, keep writing.” I said, “Come on.”
Katrina Burrus
That’s wonderful.
Panos Papadopoulos
Yeah.
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
Katrina Burrus
So, tell us, how do you create a good business partnership? Did you have partners while you developed your business? And how did you select them? On what basis?
Panos Papadopoulos
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. When I contacted the big clients, because I saw the business, I had to be with the big clients, not with small clients. But to take care of a big order without money, it’s not so easy. So, I just went there saying, “This is my product. Do you like it?” “Yes, but I don’t have money.” “I need your money to give you this product.” So in some way, they helped me and I helped them.
Katrina Burrus
I see.
Panos Papadopoulos
And it was the same when I went for the first time to Hong Kong to make my products, because they demand a lot of big volumes and the money in advance or letter of credit. So, I had noticed possibility. For me, it was just to communicate, to see their eyes and tell them who I am, where I want to go, I can give them back if they help me. So, I got a lot of good partners from the very beginning that believe in my dream.
Katrina Burrus
I see.
Panos Papadopoulos
That makes my life very easy.
IT’S ABOUT TRUST: ON HAVING THE FEELING THAT HE’S CREATING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Katrina Burrus
And so, what made you decide to go with one partner over another?
Panos Papadopoulos
It was about trust. I got the feeling that this is the right people. 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. Some of them, and I was lucky I met quite a lot of them, we had a good connection directly. Some of them, no; I didn’t work with these people. If not good connection, not good understanding, go away, don’t stay.
Katrina Burrus
So you used your gut feeling to determine whether or not to work with a person?
Panos Papadopoulos
Exactly.
Katrina Burrus
If you had to explain, what was it in your gut feeling? You said trust. Was there anything else that you paid attention to in your gut feeling?
Panos Papadopoulos
I used to see the people in the eyes, and it’s how they talk to you, how they react when you say something. I did study them so carefully. You go somewhere, you meet somebody, and you get the feeling “This is a person I can do something together.” It’s very difficult to explain. Small things around it.
Katrina Burrus
Give us an example.
Panos Papadopoulos
Okay. I was negotiating big contract, a big order in Hong Kong, and it was the first time I met that man. He was around 65 and I was around 30 years old. After 30 minutes, we negotiated the size, the price, the volume, he took his luxury pen to sign the contract. And I opened my bag, I took my big pen for twenty cents, and I could see his eyes directed to my pen, then I made a joke. I say, “You cannot compare my pen with your pen. But what you have, to be safe, is that I will always pay you an invoice on time. You will never lose $0.01 from me.” And he said to me, “No, I could see on you, that you are an honest person.”
Katrina Burrus
Yes.
Panos Papadopoulos
“And I trust you. You don’t need to open a letter of credit.” For me to open a letter of credit, I had no possibility because I had no money in the bank.
Katrina Burrus
Right. Wow.
Panos Papadopoulos
To be honest, to be real, authentic, you will find similar people and you will make this fantastic, amazing partnership.
Katrina Burrus
Have you ever had a relationship, a partnership, that didn’t work out?
Panos Papadopoulos
Yes.
Katrina Burrus
And in hindsight, why was it that it didn’t work out?
Panos Papadopoulos
Of course. Every time I had a problem, some issues, deliveries, money, they cheat me or whatever was it, it was people that I never met.
Katrina Burrus
Ah.
Panos Papadopoulos
30 years ago, 35 years ago, it was not so easy to travel from Europe to Hong Kong; very expensive and everything. So, you did some business by telefax, so you never see the pitch.
Katrina Burrus
That’s telefax, that’s a problem.
Panos Papadopoulos
Yeah. it was by telefax. You don’t get the feeling, you don’t see the person, you don’t hear the voice. So, every time I had problems, that was the people that I never met.
Katrina Burrus
Good. So really, it’s the connection with the person direct. You have invested. Into a relationship that makes the difference, if I understood correctly.
Panos Papadopoulos
Correctly. It was the same with the customers, because to be a very small, new coming brand, the big department stores, they don’t want to work with you because they don’t know if they can get their deliveries. You are nobody, you are not known. That time, it was very difficult. And for me, it was just to have a relation, to show them that you have to trust me, and I have a dream and I will be there. And they believed me and they helped me.
Katrina Burrus
Really? Even the big companies?
Panos Papadopoulos
Yes. And many of these customers, they’re big customers for 30-35 years now.
Katrina Burruss
I see. You’ve really developed a relationship.
Panos Papadopoulos
Exactly.
Katrina Burrus
Wonderful.
THE IMPORTANCE OF AN OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION: PANOS SHARES HOW HE GETS HIS CUSTOMERS TO HELP HIM SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT HIS BUSINESS
Katrina Burrus
You also say that it’s good to research your competitors, also to provide the best quality swimwear you can provide. And since you had a marketing budget that was low, you had to use your clients as marketers. Can you comment on that? Why these three things are essential in your business development?
Panos Papadopoulos
When I started the business account with my first collection, I had no possibility. That time was from month to month or buy advertisement in newspapers or fashion magazine. I had no money, I’m just a small collection, I want to find some 10-20 clients to sell some bikinis. For me, it was impossible to compete with established international brands, to do any advertisement, to do any campaign. So, what I said to myself, if I sell to ten customers, these ten customers, they will help me to make 30 customers next season, and they did it. And every time I met one very happy customer, when I supply and they were selling goods, I came back personally to him or to her and say, “Are you happy with me?” “Yes.” “Do you make money from me?” “Yes, we love your collection, it’s very good, and our customers, our consumer, they love it.” “So, can you help me?” “Of course, I can help you. What do you want from me?” “Do you know any colleagues? They have shops, in another place, in other city?” “Of course, I have. You want to sell more?” “Yes.” They call for me, they make the appointment for me.
Katrina Burrus
Really? Wow.
Panos Papadopoulos
This was, for me, communication. Talk to them, be honest, show them the reality, and they will help. We help each other. This, for me, was a way to grow fast my business. After five years, I had so many customers, so many happy customers; that’s the most important.
GOOD QUALITY OF GOOD FITTING: WHEN PEOPLE BUY SOMETHING AND IT MAKES THEM FEEL VERY CONFIDENT AND GREAT, THEY WILL NEVER LEAVE THAT BRAND
Katrina Burrus
How do you make sure that you don’t overextend yourself?
Panos Papadopoulos
Okay. So, you’re getting new clients and everything, but you don’t want to overextend and not deliver.
Katrina Burrus
No, because I got help from my factories. I got help from all. All people around me, they believed on my dream and they could see that I was doing professional things and I was doing what I promised; I did. So, for me, it was easy to grow because they helped me at the same time and I helped them to make money because they love my collection.
I tried to be different of the other brands in the market, because what was missing by that time, it was a lot of swimwear in Sweden. I remember once, in the fair in Sweden, 135 swimwear brands participated in exhibition in Sweden, 8 million people, and ten months a year cold. To compete with this one…there was something missing in the market and that’s what I saw. They didn’t care about their customers and their consumer and about the fitting. The fitting was the most important issue on the market because when I was visiting in the very beginning some shops, I could see consumer that was trying 20-30 pieces before they could buy one. That means there is a problem. If you need, as a woman, to try 20-30 bikinis or 40 bikinis, you are not happy and you go to the next shop, there is a problem somewhere.
Katrina Burrus
I see. You have fit really well.
Panos Papadopoulos
Exactly. It was the strong testing I did.
Katrina Burrus
The strong testing, is that right?
Panos Papadopoulos
Exactly, yeah. It was the best. Every woman, mostly women, because bikini and swimsuit has to fit good. If it’s not fitting good, you don’t buy it. So, when you buy something, if it really makes you feel very confident and feel beautiful, nice, you feel great, you will never leave this brand.
Katrina Burrus
Right.
Panos Papadopoulos
That’s what happened. When I started, I have 30 years old, let’s say, girls, women. When they grow up to 56, they had their daughters and their daughters’ daughters. So, they follow generation after generation because of the good quality of the good fitting.
Katrina Burrus
Good fitting and good quality. And you came to that conclusion by doing some research work of your competitors? How did you do the research work?
Panos Papadopoulos
Mostly on the field, on the store, in the small stores. I was sitting there next to the castle and was watching what happened on the fitting rooms, and it was a terrible situation. I could see the girls helping the lady to buy a bikini and they say after 1 hour, “Oh God, she tried 40 bikinis and she’s not happy. She’s complaining.” I say, “She’s complaining not because she wants to complain but because there is a problem.” And I found the problem on the field. This is one of the reasons, the success for the brand.
Katrina Burrus
I see.
Panos Papadopoulos
To understand the real needs.
Katrina Burrus
Right. Women definitely want to look good in a bikini, for sure.
PASSION + LOVE + RESPECT = BIG SUCCESS: THREE WORDS FROM PANOS’ VALUES THAT HIGHLY INFLUENCED HIS BUSINESS ATTITUDE
Katrina Burrus
Tell us about your values and how it influenced your business attitude.
Panos Papadopoulos
I have three words and also in my book and everything I do—it’s passion. I’m a passionate person. Whatever I do, even though I was working in a restaurant as a diesel or whatever I do, I do it with passion. I want to be the best. I want to do it very good. I want to be happy because I’m doing a very good job. I don’t need my boss to say, “Oh, you are very good. I can see the results.” So, passion is number one.
To love what you do, to be in love with what we do, it’s very, very important. And the third word is respect. You can respect yourself first, but respect to the people working, to the people you are doing with, what? You have to understand them. This is to show respect.
So, these three words in combination together, it makes a very, very big success. But if you remove one word from these three, it will not be the same success. You can be passionate, love, and respect.
Katrina Burrus
Love for your clients, for the product.
Panos Papadopoulos
Exactly. For everything. Because love, what you do, love is about the environment. If you love yourself, you love the life around you, everything around you. I was first when I was thinking about all these plastic bags. When I was delivering to the department stores 35 years ago, they packed a bikini in a plastic bag after next plastic bag in a big plastic bag; plastic bags. And I said, “What to do? Why?” By that time, plastic bag was nothing. Everybody was eating plastic bags, no problem. But it was first because I could see a big problem. So, this is love also. Love about life, about the environment, about everything.
Katrina Burrus
I see. Okay, thanks for explaining.
And we’re coming to the end of our podcast, unfortunately. Tell us the title of your book again and a little bit of what’s in it. You said your personal life.
Panos Papadopoulos
Yes. My Life, My Odyssey.
Katrina Burrus
Okay, and where can our listeners purchase it?
Panos Papadopoulos
In Amazon. Mostly, in Amazon, around the world, because they deliver all over the world.
Katrina Burrus
Okay, wonderful. I encourage my listeners to purchase Panos and all, really. I mean, can you think at 19, leaving Greece and starting a business in a totally new country with a new language; that is really an adventure. You are an adventurer, right?
Panos Papadopoulos
Exactly, and that makes life very interesting.
Katrina Burrus
Yes, I bet. You never went back to live in Greece?
Panos Papadopoulos
Not for the moment. I left Greece because I didn’t enjoy my life there. I don’t know. Greece, in me, is something not much and so much. I miss in Greece. I’m going quite often for vacation, but I don’t know if I can go back to live there. I don’t know.
Katrina Burrus
Yes.
Panos Papadopoulos
Maybe one day.
Katrina Burrus
Maybe one day. Who knows? Okay. Well, thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and your wisdom, and I appreciate very much. On behalf of my listeners, I thank you.
Panos Papadopoulos
Thank you very much. Thank you.
