“Do not take NO as an answer, and find your own way of doing things that makes sense to you.” This is the advice Vicky Grammatikopoulou gives to emerging women business leaders. She says, “I have done most of it by reinventing, not following. It should start with finding something you love and running with it. If your job feels like play, you will know you’re in the right place.”
Vicky Grammatikopoulou is the Founder and CEO of Vie Aesthetics. She possess 20 years of experience in teaching, Higher Education lecturing and teacher education. She has strong business development skills in the Aesthetics industry and Wellness.
In an interview with World’s Leaders, Vicky shared her journey experience as an educator and a business leader.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a woman entrepreneur. What challenges have you had to face to reach where you are today?
Upon reflection on my journey as a female entrepreneur, I wouldn’t change a thing. With all its ups and downs, I find the role of founder and CEO invigorating, exciting, and stimulating. It is a journey of constant learning, growth, risk-taking, and exploration. I have to admit that along the way, on occasions, I have come across gender bias (conscious and unconscious), but this has not held me back. Maybe my background in education, where I was in the business of empowering young people, has served me well to be able to recognize and confront bias, to turn it into a positive and to command my own space.
Describe Vie Aesthetics offerings that address the need of your customers.
While we offer all your go-to medical and cosmetic treatments, our range of signature packages are bespoke and tailored to complement one another to achieve only the most effective results. Signature treatments include the VIELift, VieStem Face and VieStem Hair, VieStem RF in addition to Life Coaching and a 360-degree Medical Weight Management Clinic and advanced Medical Skincare.
We are a luxury brand providing cutting edge aesthetic treatments with stunning yet natural-looking results. Our doctor-led team specialise in combining advanced non-surgical procedures and world class top of the range products to achieve stunning results for face, body, wellness and hair.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Medical Practice industry through your expertise in the industry?
Vie Aesthetics was named Global Aesthetic Practice of the Year in the MyFaceMyBody2020 Global Awards. The Vie Aesthetics Signature Treatments include the VIELift, VieStem Face and VieStem Hair, VieStem RF in addition to Life Coaching and a 360-degree Medical Weight Management Clinic and advanced Medical Skincare.
Our clinics are doctor-led and we are a CQC-regulated, Save Face-accredited Medical Establishment providing only the safest and effective cutting edge aesthetic and anti-ageing solutions. For the last 8 years, a highly skilled and specialised team of doctors and therapists, under the guidance of celebrated aesthetic doctor and Medical Director Dr Ioannis Liakas, offer the latest medical and cosmetic solutions under one roof.
We are renowned for the expertise of our practitioners, our personalised treatment plans, and our globally award-winning customer care.
What are the challenges you and your team at Vie Aesthetics come across in your day-to-day operations?
One of the challenges in our industry in the UK is that our industry is fairly unregulated. This means that we need to educate our audience about quality over quantity, about safety in beauty and about realistic expectations. We invest a huge amount of time and resources to this end, and we have created and attracted a well-educated and clientele.
What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you?
On my many professional pathways, I have met some amazing people who have influenced my journey in one way or another. A key figure that has influenced me in my professional ambitions is Elon Musk. He thinks outside of the box and I admire the way that he marries his business acumen with vision and service to the planet.
A piece of literature that has really followed me through life and helped me build my personal values is Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. Another amazing teacher for me has been Byron Katie. I have been fortunate enough to learn from her personally during an immersion retreat and “The Work” has become my daily practice, helping me stay present, connected, and aware- both in my professional and my personal life.
Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensuring safety of your employees at the same time?
While the pandemic meant that we had to be agile in adapting to the ever-changing guidelines and restrictions, as a Medical Clinic we were equipped with PPE when we needed to be- we even were in the position to donate some of our unused PPE to our local NHS trust during the first lockdown. Since reopening we have been implementing a stringent Covid-19 policy across all departments, from client -facing encounters to internal procedures, we put the safety of both our clients and employees at the forefront of practice.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives Vie Aesthetics.
The Vie Aesthetics Values are distilled in 5 words: Excellence, Safety, Care, Innovation and Responsibility. This is practiced throughout the clinic and makes up the meaning of each role here in the clinic. The culture that drives Vie Aesthetics is based upon a flat hierarchical structure in the sense that we have an open-door policy and as a CEO, I work closely alongside all members of the team.
We have a well-organised structure of scheduled meetings and weekly face-to-face briefings to ensure we maintain communication across and a much-needed sense of belonging. This is vital and needed now more than ever.
Originally, we were a small, family-ran business, so I feel that I am able to understand the pressures of being a working parent. I encourage the importance of having a balance in your home and work lives and recognise that family time is priceless, while the Vie Team are very much like a family, I want my team to put themselves, their mental health and their family’s health first.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Vie Aesthetics?
I see the future of Vie Aesthetics being very bright. We are in the process of completely refurbishing and redesigning our next clinic that will be opening in Holborn, London. I am truly excited to start meeting a whole new host of clients in our new clinic. We are onboarding staff as we edge closer towards the grand launch in the coming months. As we expand in staff members, we are also expanding our list of treatments. We are looking to introduce healthcare services in the form of phlebotomy services and hormone and menopause clinics, with the hope to take the strain off of our local NHS trust.
