KEYNOTE SPEECH IN ATHENS WITH GEORGE STROUMBOULIS | E082
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ABOUT THE GUEST
George Stroumboulis, CEO and Co-Founder of Ideoli Group, delivered his keynote, "Building Beyond Borders: How Curiosity, Relationships & Leadership Drive Global Growth," at the 26th Annual International Conference of the Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA), held at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece.
Drawing from his journey of building Ideoli into a global lighting and technology company operating across more than 30 countries, George shared practical insights on scaling businesses internationally through curiosity, trust, meaningful relationships, and resilient leadership. His keynote introduced the B.U.I.L.D. Framework, highlighting the principles that have guided Ideoli's global expansion while encouraging leaders and entrepreneurs to think beyond borders, embrace cultural diversity, and create lasting impact in an increasingly connected world.
Presented to an international audience of business leaders, academics, and innovators, the keynote explored the intersection of entrepreneurship, global commerce, and leadership, offering actionable strategies for building organizations that thrive across markets and cultures.
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Filmed at the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) Conference in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis presents his keynote, Building Beyond Borders. Addressing an international audience of business leaders, researchers, and entrepreneurs, he shares the leadership principles, global growth strategies, and relationship-driven approach that transformed Ideoli Group from a startup into a global organization.
“Trust will get you invited to the table. Execution will get you invited back.”
MEDIA RELATED TO THE EPISODE
Filmed at the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) Conference in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis presents his keynote, Building Beyond Borders. Addressing an international audience of business leaders, researchers, and entrepreneurs, he shares the principles that transformed Ideoli Group from a startup into a global organization, offering practical insights on leadership, global expansion, relationship-building, and creating lasting impact in today's interconnected world.
Filmed at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis delivers his keynote, Building Beyond Borders, at the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) Conference. Joining fellow keynote speakers, including Dr. Delener, Dr. Tsolis, and other distinguished global leaders, George shares insights on leadership, global growth, and building meaningful relationships across borders.
Recorded live at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis takes the stage at the 26th Annual GBATA Conference with his keynote, Building Beyond Borders. Joining an accomplished lineup of keynote speakers, including Dr. Delener and Dr. Tsolis, he shares lessons from building a business across more than 30 countries.
From the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis delivers his keynote, Building Beyond Borders, during the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association Conference. Featured alongside Dr. Delener, Dr. Tsolis, and fellow keynote speakers, he discusses leadership, resilience, and expanding business beyond borders.
Filmed during the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) Conference at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis presents Building Beyond Borders. Joining an outstanding keynote lineup led by Dr. Delener, Dr. Tsolis, and other respected speakers, he shares practical insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, and global expansion.
Filmed at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis presents his keynote, Building Beyond Borders, at the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) Conference. Sharing the stage with Dr. Delener, Dr. Tsolis, and other distinguished keynote speakers, he offers practical insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, and building businesses that thrive across borders.
ABOUT THE “INVIGORATE YOUR BUSINESS” PODCAST
The Invigorate Your Business with George Stroumboulis podcast features casual conversations and personal interviews with business leaders in their respective fields of expertise. Crossing several industry types and personal backgrounds, George sits down with inspiring people to discuss their business, how they got into that business, their path to the top of their game and the trials and tribulations experienced along the way. We want you to get inspired, motivated, and then apply any advice to your personal and professional lives. If there is at least one piece of advice that resonates with you after listening, then this podcast is a success. New episodes weekly. Stream our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, Amazon and all other platforms.
ABOUT GEORGE STROUMBOULIS
George Stroumboulis is an entrepreneur to the core, having launched several ventures across multiple industries and international markets. He has held senior-level positions at progressive companies and government institutions, both domestically and internationally, building an extensive portfolio of business know-how over the years and driving profit-generating results. George’s ability to drive real change has landed him in several media outlets, including the front page of the Wall Street Journal. George was born in Toronto, Canada to his Greek immigrant parents. Family first. Flying over 300,000 miles a year around the world puts into perspective how important family is to George’s mental and emotional development. With all this travel to global destinations, the longest he stays even in the most far-out destination is 3 days or less - a personal rule he lives by to make sure he is present and involved in family life with his wife and three daughters. To read about George’s global travels, stay connected with his blog section.
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FULL SHOW CONTENTS
00:00:00 Welcome From Athens
00:03:16 Why This Conference Matters
00:07:06 Ideoli Group And The Real Story
00:08:52 Family Restaurant Lessons On People
00:11:32 Turning Relationships Into Global Growth
00:13:24 The BUILD Framework Explained
00:16:06 Designing Resilience During COVID
00:18:03 Legacy And What Success Means
00:19:31 Audience Q&A On Growth And Markets
00:27:17 Subscribe, Share, And Stay Invigorated
FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT
George Stroumboulis 0:00
Welcome to another episode of Invigorate Your Business with George Stroumboulis. Today's episode comes from beautiful Athens, Greece. And I get to sit down and share my keynote speech that I gave at the Global Business and Technology Association conference here in Athens. Special thank you to Dr. Deleaner of the Association for the invitation and giving me the platform. And also special thank you to Dr. Peter Tsolis from the Hellenic American University here in Greece. It was absolutely an incredible experience being able to share my story, what I'm doing at my company with my partner over the last 10 plus years. And by no means was it any type of, you know, bragging or showing all the positives. It's talking about what we've been doing, all the challenges we've been facing, and how we're overcoming that. And I think that's where there's real value to the listener to understand that hey, I'm not trying to pitch that everything is perfect and rosy and we're crushing it on all fronts. There's always barriers, and you're really going to enjoy this. There's also a great QA period after the keynote that we've captured as well, that we're going to share here today. So enjoy this episode starting now. My name is George Strombolis, and I'm extremely passionate about traveling the world, meeting new people, and learning about new businesses. Join me as I sit down with other entrepreneurs to learn about their journeys. This episode of Invigorate Your Business starts now. Alright, so in this episode, we're gonna do things a little differently today. And just being able to come here and talk about what I've been doing with my company along with my business partner over the last 10 plus years, really share those experiences on building a global company, an international company, but more importantly, talking about the challenges, right? Like not everything is perfect. And I know on social media, a lot of times people just put the positive out there and you know, uh the shiny stuff and what's perfect. Definitely not like that from my experience the last decade. There's been more downs than ups, but you know, we have a strategy, we have a mission, we have a passion for what we do. So I got to capture that in this keynote speech that I gave. Um, it was really, really cool experience. And then just the QA after was awesome, right? We had a panel up there from other professionals working within Greece, you know, and around the world. So, the first up, I want to make sure we listen to Dr. Peter Tsolis just talking about what he's doing here in Athens, what this association is, and um just hear some of his words right
Why This Conference Matters
George Stroumboulis 3:16
now.
Dr. Pete Tsolis 3:16
So, uh, Dr. Paniotti Pete Solis, I am the director of the business programs at the Hellenic American University, Hellenic American College here in Athens, Greece. I run the business programs, so like the MBA, the undergraduate programs, and I oversee the faculty and other aspects of the institution. And we are here now at the Global Business and Technology Conference for the Global Business and Technology Association, and it's the 26th uh conference uh being hosted here in Athens, Greece. There's academics from all over the world, from the United States, from South Africa, from Greece, from Japan, Russia, Turkey. So quite a lot of academics sharing their expertise, sharing their research. And we're lucky enough to have George join us to be one of our keynote speakers. Uh, and so thank you, George, for taking the time out of your day to come and share with us how it is to run a business in Greece and give these uh us academics a little bit more of a practitioner's approach to uh to what we're studying and what we're writing about. Yeah, so I'm not like a typical academic. I I never really went through the proper stages of like, you know, I went to undergrad, grad school, and PhD. I worked throughout all this. So PhD from Pepperdine University in global leadership and change management. When I had finished my uh coursework and I was working on my dissertation on tourism in Greece, is when I got off for the job here in Athens. Uh but before then, and even currently, I work in consulting for casinos, mostly in Las Vegas, a little bit uh dabbling here in Europe. Uh over 20 years experience within the hospitality sector, mostly in Las Vegas and around. Uh so opened the cosmopolitan as the first uh player development and VIP manager. I worked in MGM Corporate on the data strategy side, MGM uh at the Mirage, uh, and then quite a few treble properties. So, you know, for me personally, whenever I have the classroom in front of me, I bring in more of like this is what the theory says, but this is what I experienced in my day-to-day life. So, like having guest speakers, and you know, we've had a couple engagements before where you come and speak to students uh and share the actual real world, the dirt that's underneath your fingernails.
George Stroumboulis 5:22
Yeah, absolutely. All right, so next up, we're gonna listen to my actual keynote speech that I gave here in Athens. Uh, just a little background. You know, I was asked to present what it's like building an international business. So, ideally, my business, I founded it over 10 years ago with my business partner, Chris Hartwick, right? And in those 10 plus years, we have experienced every imaginable high and low. And the the purpose of my keynote was not to sit there and talk about and boast about how great our company is, how much we're crushing it and all that. It was to say we've had tremendous success, but we've also had way more failures along the way, right? And it's a constant struggle, you know, and staying focused and re-evaluating your business model and just doubling down in hard times, right? Like COVID and so on, and developing for the future and how you're gonna build continuously build. And that's where I think the true, you know, lesson is. Everyone can post on social media about how great their life is personally and how great their business is and how they're crushing it. And most of that, in my opinion, is just bullshit, right? But you know, what I wanted to capture is the root of where we are today, where I am at uh professionally, but like where that started, right? As an immigrant family in Canada, the lessons my parents taught me without their words, but with their actions, right? My mom teaching me about relationships, my father teaching me about curiosity, my sister, myself, and the family unit talking about hard work. That was the foundation of the keynote. Uh, and then we'll we'll talk after um about the QA as well. So please uh listen to the keynote starting here.
Ideoli Group And The Real Story
George Stroumboulis 7:06
Appreciate it. Uh I want to start off by saying good morning and thank you to you, sir. You did great. Uh I appreciate having the platform to be here and speaking to everyone today. Um, to Dr. Peter Toles for always being a supporter, giving us the platform. Uh it's very exciting. I love coming to Athens. Every time I'm here, I always get asked, hey, are you here for business or pleasure? And the answer is always yes, right? It's both. How do you come here and not enjoy both? Absolutely love it. Uh so why am I here today? I'm going to talk about what I've built with my business partner, and we'll jump into that. So, Ideoli Group, we are a custom lighting specialist. We're a global lighting supplier, and we've just entered our 11th year. Uh and what we do is everything lighting, whether it's lighting design, whether it's custom manufacturing, distribution, you name it, that's what we do. And we do it on a global scale. So we have seven offices globally. Our products are installed in over 30 countries around the world. We have worked with over a thousand different brands and clients in different markets. We have over two million products installed in those 30 countries around the world. And I never like showing logos, right? But I'm just as proud as working with a Planet Fitness or an Aston Martin as I am working with someone who has one restaurant, right? And they just want to get the right lighting for that space. So for us, it's always about the partnerships and what we do. And what I've learned over the past decade is that, you know, business, ideoli, all that stuff, you know, it didn't start with like business plans for me. It didn't start with like studying the market and going there. It started with understanding people, right? And trust. And it started, you know, my childhood
Family Restaurant Lessons On People
George Stroumboulis 8:52
being raised in a family, right? So if you're Greek living outside of Greece, chances are you grew up in a family restaurant. It's just what Greeks do outside. And that was our family unit, right? We had this restaurant for over three decades, and I learned two key lessons being here, right? So my mom worked the front of the restaurant, my dad worked the back of the restaurant, and then my sister and I were, you know, essentially free labor, right? So anytime someone was out, I hated it at the time. I truly hated it. But then growing up, you realize how important that family unit is. Uh, and it kind of shapes everything moving forward. So my mother taught me like one of the best things about relationships, without using her words towards me. It was seeing her how she would work. She, you know, exhausted, tired, all this stuff. And every day she had this face to the customers. Everyone would come in for my mother, right? She was like, How are you? Happy birthday, how are you, Miss Smith? How are you, Miss Jones? Like just 12 hours a day doing this. And she always like made it known that, hey, you got to understand people will remember how you make them feel, right? And she did that all these years, which was huge. My father, on the other hand, taught me curiosity and stubbornness, but we're gonna talk about that in another uh keynote. But my dad taught me like about curiosity, right? So he migrated from Greece to Canada, opened up restaurants, and he would always, you know, at the restaurant, we would have stacks of magazines, stacks of like the Wall Street Journal. There would be The Economist, there would be maps. He would collect maps from all around the world. And from you know, a little age, he would quiz me like, what's the population of this? What's the capital of that? So like he taught me to think globally before I stepped foot out of the restaurant, right? So that's that's what I learned from my parents growing up. And then from there, you know, I started looking globally and seeing, you know, where can I take this? So at 19 years old, uh, I moved to Greece for a year and I did an internship for the European Union Business Development Center. And that was the first time that I stepped out globally to work, right? Like to kind of learn. Even though I would come to Greece in the summers, it didn't really count, right? So being able to go there, I was working in an office with a dozen different students from across the European Union uh in the year 2000, right? And there I learned, I thought I would learn about business and how Europeans interact and how this works. But by the end of that year, I learned perspective, right? I learned color of your skin, culture, everything. It just erases, right? And it's about perspective and understanding people, what makes them tick. And it was like the best eye-opener because then that grew into the
Turning Relationships Into Global Growth
George Stroumboulis 11:32
next stage, and you know, the world kind of became my classroom. So when I went back to Canada, I went to France after and I studied a year abroad, right, and learned again different cultures, different everything. Um, and then my first job at a university was in Northern Ireland in Belfast and lived there for two years. So I was able to kind of understand at a very young age what people want, you know, how you build trust and so on. That company moved me to New York City, opened up an office there, and then that's where kind of ideoli started growing. So, ideoli, you know, it's it's all about trust. And this is like a very powerful statement because it's true. Even though we're in the lighting business, we don't export lighting products, right? We export trust. And the lighting products just happen to travel with that. And it all starts with each relationship. I could tell you someone who was very junior at a company that we just were so responsive, right? And making sure they got their eight chandeliers and one was broken and the response time and how you deal with that. Um, and that person then got a better position or a higher position, and they always thought of us because we would get it done, right? And I'm in the industry, this is a commodity. You can buy lighting anywhere, right? But it's the trust in the people. And then that trust traveled. So we did a store in New York City, for example, for American Girl owned by Mattel. And we did such a great job, the execution above and beyond. When they wanted to expand to the Middle East, they called us and said, Hey, we trust you, let's go there together, right? So instantly we became an international company by doing that. So that's that's how we built a trust, one relationship at a time. You know, and the big thing here is like trust will get you invited to the table, but like execution will get you invited back, right? You're only as good as that loop. So that was a big deal. And this kind of led to you know, where I'm at
The BUILD Framework Explained
George Stroumboulis 13:24
today. And um, I've developed this framework without even knowing it. But my whole life has been understanding this. And it starts with the the acronym BIOD, B-U-I-L-D. And it's the five principles building beyond borders. So the B is for be curious, right? It all starts with curiosity, right? When I started my company with my business partner, we were talking about hey, how can we make this better? How can we change things? How can we bring products to market? So it starts with the curiosity, and then from there you build on, right? The you is understand people. I need to understand, you know, if I'm picking up the phone and I'm calling you and like, hey, you want to buy lighting, lighting, lighting, and I'm trying to jam lighting down your throat, everyone's doing that, right? Instead, where can I bring value? Like I pride myself on making sure if I make a connection today and hopefully I get to meet some of you after, it's I I'm just programmed to think like, how could I bring value to this person? Right. And it's not money or it's just value, introductions, you know, advice or whatever. Sales will come down the road. I never chase purchase orders. They end up coming when you bring value with people and you bring those relationships. The I, the next step in building this framework, the I is identify champions. So before we started expanding, we always made sure there was a key partner in a market. So whether we were founded in New York and we wanted to go to LA, right? Or we were in the United States and want to go to Canada, and we were in Canada, want to go to China and Argentina and Greece. It always started with finding like that champion, that person that's your anchor. And then it's like, yeah, you know what? We're curious about this market, right? I have a great relationship with Costa, for example, before we started working. Hey, could we work in Greece maybe? What does this look like? Aligning our interest and everything, and then we start and we enter that market. So it always starts for me personally in that um format, and it's worked for us, and we've been able to expand and grow that way. The L is for localize the expertise. So once you're in a market, even in New York, New York to Los Angeles, buying lighting is a completely different model. And that's just within the same country. So imagine now coming to Greece and trying to sell lighting products when this guy's related to this guy, this guy's cubato as this guy, it's a different animal, right? So here, and then you're working in China, and then you're working in Latin America, then you go to Canada. Every market, and some of these countries we speak the same language, but we speak different languages when it comes to this. So you always have to localize, right? Understand the local market, understand what works, what doesn't, because there's so many forces against you that you should fail, but you you just gotta kind of figure that out. And the D is design resilience, right? This is very important. You
Designing Resilience During COVID
George Stroumboulis 16:06
know, during a storm, you can't try to come up with a solution. You gotta be prepared. The biggest lesson for us where we showed resilience was during COVID, where most people struggled during COVID. Some people flourished, right, depending on what business you were in, and so on. We were unfortunately on the part where it was like, okay, what do we do? Do we do what everyone's doing? Fire people, cut salaries, close offices, all that stuff. Because if they're not building, they're not buying lighting. So we were in that position. And uh what we did is we took on a significant loan, several million dollars, during COVID when it was doom and gloom, and we reinvested with my partner and we said, look, even if we come out of this alive and we're thriving, we need to change our model, right? We need to be set up for the next 10 years. So that's when we pivoted. We invested in infrastructure, we launched a whole new distribution division. Instead of just being manufacturers and looking back now five years, it was like the best decision because we're so well diversified now, um, where before we were just dependent on certain clients, certain offerings. Um, so like the resilience aspect came out of that. And you just got to plan, and sometimes you just gotta put it on the line and see. And if it didn't work, I'd have several million dollars to pay back. So luckily uh it did work. So that that is the build framework, kind of looping this in, but being curious, right? For for me, even to this day, you know, I still have goals with the business and everything, but you know, being curious and talking to people and learning about an industry or learning from someone that I know nothing about or I'm interested in is why I launched the podcast, right? So I travel a lot with work. I try to find gaps in the schedule where it's like, you know what? I just met so-and-so, he or she is doing this. Let's sit down for an hour and let's talk about it, right? And then we share it and it's growing, there's an interest in it, and I enjoy it. So at the end of the day, if it makes me happy, right, it's just being curious. And
Legacy And What Success Means
George Stroumboulis 18:03
finally, legacy, right? Just talking about legacy. So now my legacy is, you know, I have three daughters and they're my world. But when you set up a company, you know, my goal is not for them to take over the business down the road. My goal is for them to understand, you know, what it takes to be curious, right? What are you gonna do in your path in your life? Be kind, be a good person, learn how to communicate, like learn how to bring value to people, right? So, like that's my goal in teaching them the next steps in life as well. And if there's anything that you remember from this, right, it's it's the five principles that I've essentially used to help build a company where we sell product in over 30 countries around the world. Be curious, understand people, bring value. And that's that's what I hope you leave with this today. And that's it. Thank you. Okay, so that was my keynote that I delivered to the Global Business and Technology Association conference here in Athens, Greece. Um, it was uh, you know, very invigorating to be able to present, to discuss, and kind of share my story. And that was the first time that I've actually talked about my personal, you know, upbringing on that to that extent, right? Resulting in where I'm at from a business. And uh it felt really good just being able to deliver that message, communicate it, and just kind of discover new things about myself along the way. Right
Audience Q&A On Growth And Markets
George Stroumboulis 19:31
now, we just have some uh questions and answers. It was a vibrant crowd, right? There was a lot of feedback, a lot of questions for the panel. You know, questions were coming from different mindsets, which I really appreciated. There were people from Portugal, the Congo, Latin America, Russia asking different questions about the business, you know, adapting and so on. So take a listen to some of the QA here. Is it still uh is it still evolving? For me, it's always evolving, right? Like I'm not the same person I was a few years ago, a few years before that. Goals change, right? Like related to business, yeah, we we always have new goals that we're trying to achieve. Um but on the personal side, when you're trying to achieve those goals, everything's changing. So for me personally, you know, I like to reevaluate every six months you know what that is, what's driving us, what are we trying to achieve? Um you know, money is not the only motivator, right? And I'm realizing that now, like being a family man, uh you just think of things differently. But yeah, great question.
Audience Question 20:35
Why did you go to lighting? And then are you still involved into the family business? And uh you talked about the bill framework, right? So I was thinking, do you go to a market first to observe the market, or do you let the market come to you with the needs and stuff like that?
George Stroumboulis 20:55
Appreciate your question. Uh, how I got into lighting, I still ask myself that every day. Uh no, uh look, we got into lighting. Um, when I moved to New York City, you know, I was business marketing driven. There was an opportunity for an old distributorship that needed some rebranding. Um, so I joined there when I was in my early 20s. And then from there, the CEO really liked me, just open book. We ended up becoming drinking buddies, right? And uh, and then he's like, you know what? I'm going to start something new. Do you want to come over there? And that's when that was my first startup I was a part of. So it was just you know being genuine, being real and gravitating with them. And he's like, hey, you know what? We can learn about lighting, but I like what I'm seeing here. And then once you're in lighting, you're just there. Regarding the markets, we we never sit there and say, hey, let's go to Congo, but now we're gonna swap information after this, right? And if you go to the uh the I identify champions, right, maybe we can be champions together, right? But that that's honestly how it starts. Right, and we've we've installed in South Africa because it started with a relationship. Um, and in the end, again, it's not trying to save money trying to do this, but everyone can win when you partner together, as cheesy as that sounds. All right. So appreciate the question.
Audience Question 22:15
Family restaurant.
George Stroumboulis 22:16
Oh, and the family sorry, what was the family restaurant one? No, so uh family restaurant during COVID, right? All these measures, especially in Canada, was one of the strictest, you know, lockdowns in the world. And my parents, my dad in his 70s, my mom in her 60s at the time, it was just too busy. They reduced the hours, so it was just time for them to retire, right? So I live in California, so I found a buyer. Nobody was buying restaurants during COVID, right? So I found a buyer on Kijiji, which is like the Craigslist of Canada, right? And uh found the guy, did stuff virtually, and I wasn't allowed to visit Canada because of lockdown. So we ended up selling the restaurant that we had for 35 years, right? During COVID, and I wasn't there to see that happen. So uh yeah, it was a great chapter. My parents were appreciative, and the internet's a beautiful thing.
Audience Question 23:09
So when you are in the startup phase, how do you balance the resilience while we rebuilding your frameworks and models, building your brand and building the trust and also in order to um acquire the client base and also bring the sound collaborators?
George Stroumboulis 23:28
Look, what when I started my company with my business partner, we saved up enough money, right? We left the last company that was now publicly traded, and we said, hey, we're not gonna pay each other for the first three months, and we're gonna go out there and hit the market. Uh, you know, the saying, when man plans, God laughs, right? So we we all had plans, and uh the first three months, I was hit with identity fraud in the United States. Someone stole my identity, um insurance, hundreds of thousands of dollars in my name. So this happened right when we started and uh just kind of changed everything. Then I had a six-month-old baby, a new mortgage. So it was like the perfect storm to like buckle, right, and cry in a feudal position in the corner, which I did many times. Um, so that that was our first six months. But you know, I was lucky to have a business partner where we can bounce ideas off of. Because when you're in the same boat with someone, when someone else didn't just throw money and invested and you're in there and he had a baby and a mortgage, it changes things, right? So 10 years later, we're still battling stuff, right? Lines of credits and everything. It's never smooth sailing, like from my experience. But I would say if you're gonna go into a business, you know, having a partner that you get along with changes everything. Because like those those times really help.
Audience Question 24:44
So your production tools are key, that's the countries. This must be our market. How do you reach to the different uh like uh countries market? Because we don't know their culture, what is their need for the AED? And uh why is search readings for different markets? Different quality, you can select the people, different culture, how do you reach the high owners?
George Stroumboulis 25:03
So light lighting's a commodity, it doesn't matter what country you're in, you can find you know a $5 light fixture or a $500 light fixture. And to the average person, it's like it's a light fixture, right? So that's why it comes back to, and I I know I've said it a lot, but it comes back to the trust, right? Where when we communicate, it's what are you trying to achieve here, right? And it doesn't have to be a big Apple store or Planet Fitness, it could be a small restaurant. Hey, you know, I have a very tight budget, I'm trying to achieve this. And we always understand the the owner that we work with doesn't care about lighting. What they care is they want to make sales, right, in the cash register. So, like, what can we do from a lighting standpoint to achieve that? So we we have that transparency. Fun fact, up until three years ago, we never had a sales team in our company. So I at my wedding, I had three tables dedicated to the lighting industry who were distributors, right? Friends that I used to work with. And it was again back to my presentation where it was trust will get you invited because they trust me, but execution will get you invited back. So a lot of my friends at the time were like, I'll get you in front of CVS, I'll get you in front of Dollar Tree, I'll get, I'll get you in front of whoever, but it's on you because I trust you as George, but then we had to execute to get back and back. So that that's how we've gotten there. And then now we've expanded and hired a sales team and growing here in Athens and everything as well.
Audience Question 26:30
Thank you.
George Stroumboulis 26:30
Thank you.
Audience Question 26:31
All right.
George Stroumboulis 26:32
So that's the recap of some of the questions and the answers uh that took place after the panel uh presentations. It was an ultimate experience. I really enjoyed this. Also enjoyed connecting with other professors and deans from other business schools around the world, whether it's Portugal or South Africa, um, and being able to further push, you know, just that communication and inspiring people through actions and you know, upbringing and just kind of communicating that everyone comes from a different background, right? And taking that, harnessing it, fostering it, and using it to your advantage to build whatever business you want to build in the future. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. Have a good one.
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George Stroumboulis 27:17
Thanks for listening to this episode of Invigorate Your Business with George Strombolas. Please hit the subscribe and like buttons and follow me on all the main podcast streaming channels. Also, please share your comments when you can. I appreciate your help in expanding this network to a worldwide audience. Until next time, stay invigorated.
WHAT IS THE GBATA (GLOBAL BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION)
The Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) is an international academic and professional organization dedicated to advancing research, education, and collaboration in global business, technology, economics, management, and related disciplines. Each year, GBATA brings together business leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, educators, and policymakers from around the world to exchange ideas, present research, and explore emerging trends shaping the global economy.
Its annual international conference serves as a platform for keynote speakers, peer-reviewed research presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities that connect academia with industry. The conference encourages cross-cultural collaboration and practical solutions to the challenges facing businesses in an increasingly interconnected world.
The 26th Annual GBATA Conference was held at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece, under the theme "Critical and Strategic Perspectives: Shaping the Future of Global Business and Technology." The event attracted participants from universities, multinational organizations, and innovative businesses across multiple countries, fostering meaningful discussions on leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, sustainability, and global growth.
WHAT IS A KEYNOTE AND WHY ARE THEY RELEVANT AS A MEDIA OUTLET
A keynote is the featured presentation at a conference or major event, designed to set the tone, inspire the audience, and provide thought leadership on a topic of significance. Delivered by recognized leaders, innovators, academics, or industry experts, keynote speeches often address emerging trends, share real-world experiences, and offer practical insights that shape conversations throughout the event.
For media outlets, keynotes represent valuable content because they bring together influential voices, fresh ideas, and timely discussions in one place. Covering keynote speakers allows media organizations to provide audiences with expert perspectives on business, technology, leadership, entrepreneurship, and global trends while extending the reach of important conversations beyond the conference stage.
Recording and publishing keynote presentations also creates lasting educational content. Unlike live attendees, digital audiences can revisit the ideas, share them across platforms, and engage with thought leaders long after the event has concluded. For podcasts, publications, and business media channels, featuring keynote presentations strengthens credibility, showcases industry expertise, and delivers high-value content that remains relevant well beyond the conference itself.
TIP AND ADVICE ON DELIVERING A KEYNOTE SPEECH
A great keynote is about far more than delivering information—it is about creating an experience that educates, inspires, and leaves the audience with ideas they will remember long after the event ends. The most effective keynote speakers don't simply present facts; they tell stories, challenge conventional thinking, and connect emotionally with their audience.
Preparation is the foundation of every successful keynote. Understanding the audience, the event's objectives, and the broader theme allows speakers to tailor their message so it resonates with those in the room. Rather than trying to cover too much, focus on two or three key ideas supported by real-world examples, personal experiences, and practical takeaways.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools a keynote speaker can use. Personal journeys, business successes and failures, and lessons learned create authenticity and make complex concepts easier to understand. Audiences are far more likely to remember stories than statistics alone.
Confidence comes from preparation, not perfection. Practice enough to know your material thoroughly, but avoid memorizing every word. Speaking naturally allows for better eye contact, stronger audience engagement, and the flexibility to adapt to the energy of the room. Visual aids should enhance the presentation, not replace the speaker. Simple, impactful slides often create a greater impression than text-heavy presentations.
Finally, every keynote should end with a clear message or call to action. Whether encouraging innovation, leadership, collaboration, or personal growth, audiences should leave with one memorable idea they can immediately apply in their own careers or organizations. The goal is not simply to inform—it is to inspire people to think differently and take action.
BLOG POST
Building Beyond Borders
How To Scale A Global Business With Trust
We Do Not Export Lighting We Export Trust
The Secret To Selling Lights Without Selling
What If Your Real Product Is Trust
Most people talk about global growth like it is a straight line. It is not. From Athens, Greece, I share a keynote I delivered at the Global Business and Technology Association conference, and I tell the story the way it actually feels: more setbacks than wins, constant problem solving, and the daily work of earning trust one relationship at a time.
I walk through how my partner and I built Ideoli Group into a global custom lighting supplier with seven offices, work in 30+ countries, and millions of installed products, without pretending it was all smooth. The real differentiator is not a lighting fixture, because lighting is a commodity anywhere. What travels across borders is trust, backed by execution. When clients see you handle the broken chandelier, the tight deadline, or the budget constraint with speed and transparency, they remember you and they bring you to the next market.
To make it practical, I share my BUILD framework for building beyond borders: be curious, understand people, identify champions, localize the expertise, and design resilience. We also get into the hardest moments, including how COVID forced a major pivot, why we took on a significant loan to reinvest in infrastructure and diversification, and what it means to plan for the next decade instead of the next quarter. The Q&A digs into evolving goals, how I got into lighting, how we choose markets, and why having the right business partner changes everything when life hits.
If you want a grounded, real-world take on international business strategy, relationship-driven growth, and resilient leadership, press play. Subscribe, share this with a founder who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of building trust feels hardest in your business right now?
Building a global business often gets reduced to glossy posts and victory laps, but the real work lives in the messy middle: uncertainty, relationships, and the slow grind of earning trust. From Athens, Greece, George Strombolis shares a keynote on how Ideoli Group grew into a global lighting supplier with seven offices, installations in 30+ countries, and millions of products in the field. The core lesson is not about custom lighting, manufacturing, or distribution alone. It is about international business growth powered by human connection, consistent execution, and the willingness to admit that there are more downs than ups while you build a company that lasts.
The story starts long before any business plan. Raised in a Greek immigrant family in Canada, George learns customer experience and relationship building in a family restaurant where his mother shapes how guests feel and his father trains curiosity through maps, newspapers, and global questions. That foundation turns into early international exposure through work and study abroad, where perspective beats stereotypes and culture becomes something to learn rather than fear. For entrepreneurs and business owners, this is the practical base of cross-cultural communication: listen first, ask better questions, and understand what truly motivates the person across the table before you ever talk about what you sell.
From there, the strategy becomes clear: trust is the product. Lighting is a commodity in every market, but responsiveness, follow-through, and problem solving create loyalty that compounds. George describes how serving someone well when they are junior can lead to bigger opportunities when they become a decision-maker, and how strong delivery on one project can open doors to expansion in new regions. The takeaway for global expansion and B2B sales is simple: trust gets you invited to the table, and execution gets you invited back. That loop is what turns a local supplier into an international partner, especially when clients need consistency across multiple countries.
To make the approach repeatable, George shares the BUILD framework for building beyond borders: be curious, understand people, identify champions, localize the expertise, and design resilience. Curiosity drives innovation and better offers. Understanding people keeps you from pushing sales and instead focuses on bringing value through insights, introductions, and service. Identifying champions means anchoring each new market with a real partner, not wishful thinking. Localizing expertise recognizes that even two cities in the same country buy differently, and every region has its own rules, relationships, and expectations. Designing resilience is the difference between surviving shocks and being crushed by them, because you cannot improvise your way out of a storm.
COVID becomes the proof point. When demand collapses, Ideoli takes a multi-million-dollar loan and reinvests to pivot its business model, build infrastructure, and diversify with a distribution division instead of relying on a narrower set of clients and offerings. That decision illustrates risk management, operational resilience, and long-term strategy under pressure. The Q&A reinforces the personal side of leadership: goals evolve, money is not the only motivator, and a strong business partner can be the difference between quitting and continuing when life hits all at once. The episode closes with legacy, family, and a practical charge to lead with kindness, communication, and value so the business you build can outlast the moment you are in.
MORE EPISODES
Filmed at the 26th Annual Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) Conference in Athens, Greece, George Stroumboulis presents his keynote, Building Beyond Borders, sharing practical lessons on leadership, global expansion, and building meaningful relationships that drive lasting business success.