From inception up until the setting up process, how did you start your business?

I started my business working from home in the kitchen, then I moved to the lounge room and then the back room.
Once my two children were born I had to move my work out of the house and into the garage.

From here I employed two engineers and finally we ran out of space in the garage and had to move into a larger work space, which is when we re-located to 1130 Burke Road Balwyn North – our current office.

As our client base and work load grew, so did the number of staff we employed.

We now have a full office and demand is still growing.

Did your Greek-Australian background help you or impede you during your early days?

I believe it helped me a great deal in the sense that many people with a Greek background knew what line of work I was in and when they needed engineering services they felt they could relate to me.

My Greek background also helped me because there are many first generation Greeks that cannot always speak fluent English so my ability to speak Greek was a great advantage in working with these clients.

My long involvement with soccer helped me a great deal early on in my career in regards to networking. (Kyrgios played goal keeper for Clifton Hill, Brunswick Juventus, Banyule City & Lalor over 30s and more recently, he has begun coaching).

What would you say stands out as the comparative advantage of your business over the competition?

Each project we document is looked at on its own merits. Regardless of the scale, each job is treated with the utmost dedication and commitment.

We have personalised and thorough documentation on every project no matter how small the fees are.

How is business currently?

Business at the moment is very good and there is definitely no shortage of work.

Even though the economy is still going through a crisis at the moment, people have not stopped building and developing residences, commercial properties and even apartment buildings.

Annually we provide work experience for university students. Although this may not produce a position in the company, they are given an opportunity to experience real engineering problems.

I strongly believe [in] giving young people an opportunity as I was given one 20 years ago.

What is your vision for the future of your business?

My vision is to continue producing a high standard of work and hopefully take on a larger number of substantial projects such as the number of apartment buildings we have designed in the last seven years.

Do you have any tips for young entrepreneurs?

My philosophy is that if you really want something you will do your best to achieve it. It is also important to enjoy what you do and if this is the case and you apply yourself you will succeed.

Think big! Always set goals and don’t limit yourself to what you can achieve.

If you think you are only going to get to a certain level that is the level you will reach and you won’t get any further. Always think positive keep an open mind.