Councillor Angela Vithoulkas has been running her Sydney CBD business VIVO Cafe for 15 years.
After encountering so many small business roadblocks time and time again, Cr Vithoulkas decided to run as an independent councillor in her 2012 local council elections. She won her seat.
She’s been in Sydney Town Hall as an independent councillor since. Ricardo Goncalves had a coffee with Cr Vithoulkas to find out how she’s balancing life as a business owner and a local politician.
RG: How did you get into politics?
AV: It wasn’t a conscious decision, I’ve never had political ambitions until 2012, when I made the discovery that small business just really didn’t have a voice on a local government level.
RG: How important is it for you to be the first Greek-Australian elected into local council?
AV: I’m pretty Greek. I swear in Greek, I think in Greek. I couldn’t speak English when I first started school, so I would say I have a very strong Greek cultural background.
It’s vital for [the Greek community] to see our generation progressing. I’m the first generation of migrant parents, and facing all those challenges and issues… I don’t have any real education to speak of, I’ve been in small business my whole life.
RG: How do you think that Greek heritage helped you in that path?
AV: My family’s always been the underdog. We’ve always taken on things much bigger than ourselves, and it’s never fazed us. Whilst politics is daunting, I’m not scared.
RG: What are the similarities between politics and business?
AV: In business, you often do business on a handshake. That’s not the case in politics. So that was the eye opener for me, and the fact that I’m very fluid as a small business owner. If something needs to get done, I just work harder and get it done. In politics, it’s clunky, it’s slow…that’s how they win – because they wait you out. So, that’s been the most difficult compromise I’ve had to face, the patience that I didn’t have.
RG: How’s business for your café?
AV: Business is tough in the city. Small business has always done it traditionally hard, and we’re always up for that challenge. But in particular with us, since I entered politics five years ago, it’s hurt us commercially. It hasn’t increased my exposure in a positive way.
My brother and I are business partners, and we’ve been in the café industry for almost 30 years in the city. And I guess hard work’s always been a part of the formula, but consistency has always been a big part of the formula. We’re not fly-by-nighters, it’s not the latest trend or craze. Customers want a good product all the time, and that’s what we aim for.
RG: What are small businesses telling you are their challenges?
AV: Their biggest gripe is compliance. We call it red tape, and that’s a big word that we all use, but tear away the layers and you’ll find that compliance at a local government level…if it was streamlined and made more efficient, in fact half of it would be gotten rid of, and I know that from the inside-out now, then the life of a small business would be simplified and less stressful. Therefore, more successful. It’s unfortunate, but local government, in general, is doing very little to streamline the life of a small business owner.
RG: What are you doing for small businesses as a local councillor?
AV: I think it’s time for me to roll out a bigger political team right across government in NSW and give small business much more of a voice that’s focused but sensible.
That means there’s 29 hours in a day now and sleep is very elusive, but I’ve built a team called Sydney Matters, I’ve done a lot of the hard infrastructure work, and I’m ready now to go out there and make sure that local, state and federal government hears the voice of small business.
RG: What kind of advice do you have for small businesses?
AV: My happiest moments have been in business. I’ve been self-employed my whole life. I wouldn’t change it for anything. There are days that are the absolute worst that you can come across, and there are lots of those moments. But to have the freedom, not just being your own boss, but it’s making your decision on your terms – that’s what changes everything. You can be incredibly happy doing what you love and turning it into a business, but remember, it’s a business – not a hobby.
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