Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of
VIVO Café, has created a buzzing city café hub that has become the Sydney CBD’s best known café brand. Through clever marketing, a substantial online presence and careful consideration to what she offers her customers, Angela has turned a once struggling café into the go-to place for business meetings, a space to relax and a place where big name organisations can host major product launches.
By leveraging over 26 years in business, Angela has also established herself as an authority in all things ‘small business’ and is fast becoming Australia’s Small Business Evangelist through her keynote presentations, online
Business Bites videos and upcoming projects in the media.
Angela Vithoulkas, CEO, shares her insights on running a successful business, the importance of being a member of NSW Business Chamberand what keeps her awake at night…
What has made your business so successful?
I have worked extremely hard to raise my business profile and that of VIVO Café. This hard work has paid off and resulted in me winning six business awards and the 2007 NSW Telstra Business Women’s Owner of the Year. I was also chosen as the 2010 Small Business Champion by NSW Industry and Investment and quite recently was chosen as the MC, Venue and Social Media Evangelist for the launch of Google’s latest product, in partnership with MYOB. This product is designed to get small business online.
My involvement with Google, one of the world’s major IT brands, will further raise my small business profile and allow me to continue my work in helping small business become big business and take advantage of what the online world has to offer.
How has membership with NSW Business Chamber helped your business?
I have found that the experts at NSW Business Chamber, in particular in the Workplace Relations field, are a huge help to small business owners like myself. The NSW Business Chamber specialists provide up-to-date information in a simplified way. I’ve also gained an enormous amount from attending NSW Business Chamber events, which are a class above other organisations and feed the soul of the business owner. Business owners want more than how to balance a P&L and attending and networking at NSW Business Chamber events definitely feeds the soul of the small business operator.
One of the main benefits I get from being a member of NSW Business Chamber is the interest they show in their members, taking the time to find out what it is that the business owners really need to know to move their organisation forward. This is a key aspect of my involvement. I feel that there’s nothing more important than knowing what your members or market wants, and NSW Business Chamber delivers on this front. I also get to make contact with people who, although they are in a very different business to mine, have a lot in common and we can all learn from each other.
Is there anything in the business world keeping you awake at night?
In the wake of the GFC, a contraction of our prime market within the eight minute walking circumference of my business had the potential to keep me awake at night. Within a few months thousands of people lost their jobs, and these people were my regular customers.
The GFC affected the hospitality industry significantly. There is still some residual effect but concentrating online has meant that I’ve maintained my business at a level that was sustainable and even profitable.
In general terms, I’m now concerned about the inability of small business owners to look beyond their immediate market and invest in their online strategies. As a member of the City of Sydney’s Retail Advisory Panel, the online versus offline debate continues to dampen the efforts of local retailers to establish themselves in their own market.
Is there anything in the business world that is exciting you?
The flip side of the seemingly slow-to-action small business owner is that there are now so many online tools available to help grow a business quickly. The advent of social media and new online initiatives from organisations such as Google mean that what was once a business with a market limited by geography can now become a truly global brand with a strong international and local following. The world of social media gives small business a unique opportunity to really stand out from big business and compete on a more level playing field.
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