How We Built a Business in Athens: Connecting Expats with the Best Local Experts (Without the Bullshit).
Introduction: Why Athens? Why Us?
When I first arrived in Greece, I already had three jobs:
Outsourced Sales Director (stress, targets, pressure—you know the drill).
Buying and selling houses in France (but with French taxes and politics, it’s like fighting over a dried chicken bone).
Recruiter and Trainer (because I like helping people, but bills won’t pay themselves).
Yet, something was missing. I wanted to leverage all this expertise into something powerful and useful—especially for those who want to live in Athens (or are already here and struggling).
Step 1: Landing in Omonia (or How to Start with a Bang)
Like every good expat, I arrived knowing nothing about the city. Travel guides are fine, but experience is better.
I ended up in Omonia, a neighborhood that’s… let’s say lively. Between the crackheads and guys selling "Rolex" watches for €20, it’s a bit like the Wild West of Athens. But hey, it’s close to the city center, and honestly, I never felt unsafe. Athens is like that: a mix of organized chaos and warm humanity.
First takeaway: Random encounters are fun, but they can also be destructive if you let them take over. So, I decided to organize friendly meetup events.
The Events: Between Gems and "Weirdos"
Like any social experiment, there were:
Amazing people (shoutout to Leila, Tzeni, and others!).
Some odd characters (I’ll let Leila tell you about her smitten admirer, hahaha).
Bottom line: Not a groundbreaking experience, but very positive. It helped me build a network and realize one thing: expats need help, but not just any help.
The Initial Idea: A Coworking Space (But Not Just Any Coworking Space)
With Leila, we first thought of a coworking space. A real one, filled with books, laughter, culture, and business—not one of those soulless cafés charging €7 for a coffee.
But we quickly realized we could do better.
Why?
We wanted to help people, but without the hassle.
We wanted to make money, but without becoming a scammy agency charging €500 for crappy service.
We wanted it to be affordable (or free), but sustainable.
Problem: I have zero patience. Leila pretends better, but she’s a little lion ready to roar (hahaha).
The Breakthrough: Hakuna Matata Meets Greek Opportunities
We thought: "Greece is full of opportunities, and people want things to be easy."
Our criteria:
No marketing agency (too boring).
No travel agency (I don’t see myself driving a bus).
Something simple, useful, and true to who we are: helping expats enjoy the best of Greece without the headache.
Our solution?
A practical guide, a service platform, and a community where we share our experiences, contacts, and tips.
The Core Idea: Connecting Expats with the Best Local Experts
We’re not experts. We’re foreigners ourselves. So, we decided to:
Contact local experts (the best ones).
Negotiate fair prices.
Make it agile so people don’t have to waste time on apartment hunting, paperwork, or bureaucratic nightmares.
Connect you with the best—no hellish processes, no overpricing.
Because let’s be honest: Greece loves to complicate things.
Our Vision (and Why We’ll Succeed)
No bullshit: We tell you what works and what doesn’t.
Fair prices: We won’t rip you off.
Community first: We want you to feel at home, not like a customer.
The coworking space? It’s coming, we promise. But first, we’re building the foundation.
What’s Next? (And How You Can Help)
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover? (Housing, paperwork, business, integration…)
Do you have a story to share? We want your experiences (the good, the bad, the ugly)!
Want to join the adventure? We’re looking for local partners, testers, and ambassadors.
👉 Reach out (or leave a comment)—we’ll get back to you!
