Co-founder and Managing Director of multiple businesses and ventures, Kyriakos Baxevanis is an avid entrepreneur whose entire ventures are built around people and connections, which is why as a 2024 sponsor, he complements the Sussex Business Show so well.
Little Jasmine Spa is an award-winning spa built for people’s enjoyment. Nostos is a Brighton-based restaurant offering people the best possible culinary experience of authentic Greek food and the Big Fat Greek Club is the Greek Odyssey of Networking providing business leaders and professionals an enjoyable way to network under the warm embrace of Greek hospitality.
With such a varied background, with the common theme of creating enjoyable experiences for people, we catch up with Kyriakos to find out more about him, his career and the people that shaped him into the person he is today..
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?
That’s a very interesting one and one that has a few answers!
Be consistent in your approach. Take calculated risks, and be kind to people around you.
What’s your biggest failure and what did you learn from that experience?
Oh, I’ve had multiple failures at all levels.
But, and this is key, failure is not defined as a failure if you keep trying.
I remember back in 2007, coming from Greece to Brighton for the first time after several failures in my personal life and my business life as well. But again, that was the launch pad of amazing things to come. So the failure turned into success, because I kept trying.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out in their career?
Be patient. Results take time.
As I said, be consistent in your approach and take time to reflect on your actions. Adopt a growth mindset. That will give you insights that you can carry over and improve yourselves, which goes back to the failures becoming success if you keep trying.
What are three books you recommend to our audience and why?
- Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed
I’m currently reading this and it’s an amazing book about organisational and personal learning and how learning can serve as a distinctive advantage to you operating in this world at an individual level and as a business.
- Systems Thinking by Doctor Russell Ackoff
This book gives you a unique way of experiencing the world – a set of lenses for how to interpret the world around you.
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
This book takes me back to my childhood. It’s a very romantic book about a boy and his adventures in life. I love that book.
If you could have coffee with any historical figure, who would you choose?
I would probably choose Alexander the Great.
I’m Greek myself and Alexander the Great was one of the most prolific war leaders and Empire builders in the ancient times. He conquered the known world by the age of 33 – I would definitely love some time with him.
Tell me about the three most influential people in your life and how they’ve impacted you.
The people who are most influential in my life are my family.
My grandmother, who taught me to love nature and be kind. My grandfather, who taught me to be consistent and curious about the world around me. And my mum taught me about loyalty and sacrificing yourself for other people around you.
What are three movies you’d recommend to our audience and why?
I love movies and there’s so many out there! My top three recommendations would be:
- Citizen Kane
Whilst an old one, this really conveys the power of populism and the destruction that it can bring.
- Star Wars
This kind of opens up a universe of possibilities and there’s just such amazing storytelling behind it. And when I was growing up, I wanted that sort of think outside the box exercise.
- Stand by Me
A very romantic movie by Stephen King about a team of boys and some friends going through an amazing adventure, bonding and learning about each other and themselves throughout the journey.
Where to find Kyriakos?
As a self-confessed new extrovert (!) Kyriakos can be found in many different places. You can find him online at LinkedIn, or meet him at the Dome on the 26th of September at this year’s Sussex Business Show.
