Transcript 0:00 [intro music] Hi, and welcome to Work Around, a podcast about career transitions and the people who went through them. Today, I'm talking to Elefteria, whom I've known for a really long time. 0:13 Uh, we met about thirteen years ago when we were both working in startups, and I've watched her career unfold in the most interesting ways. 0:21 Elefteria went from working with startups to corporate roles to banking, corporate innovation, and had some really interesting side quests along the way. I know she did a sommelier training. 0:32 I know that she's brilliant at hosting and bringing people together, and right now she's building a completely new business around olive oil. [percussive music] Elef, welcome to the podcast. 0:44 I couldn't be more excited to dig into your journey with you today. So let's start with you. How would you like people to know you? Thank you, Ana, for having me. Um, I am Elefteria. 0:57 I'm a Greek-born olive oil sommelier based in the Netherlands. 1:00 I am a founder of Lelea Olive Oils, um, where I source exceptional olive oils from small regenerative farms around the Mediterranean, and I love to bring farmers and food citizens closer to one another, so we know where our food comes from, so we know who's behind the bottle. 1:19 And my vision is to bring olive oil from the shelf and onto the table, so we know what we are enjoying. Amazing. Thank you for the quick intro. 1:29 Now maybe, um, I'm curious, could you go back in time a bit and walk us quickly through your career journey and some of the significant pivotal points? 1:39 I'd love for people to get a sense of what you were doing before you got to this point in your career. Yes. So my career starts in tech right after university. 1:51 Also, in a random way, I ended up working at a startup accelerator. And I say random because I, I was looking for, uh, an internship after uni in marketing, social media, and I just bumped into this accelerator website. 2:05 And at the time I did not know what even a startup was, but I was just so carried away by the way they were presenting themselves and what they were doing and who they were helping and their why, and it sort of touched me so much that I sent an open application. 2:20 They didn't even have openings. Um, and as it happens many times with, you know, when sort of stars align, I, I, I got hired as an intern, and a few months later, I got hired as an employee. 2:32 And then, uh, yeah, in tech, but in marketing and communication roles and community management roles, which, uh, 2:40 it was a good fit for me, and I stayed there for, um, a few years, maybe five years in total in tech, not in this particular job, but in general in tech. 2:50 And I think what I got out of that was I learned what entrepreneurship is, how to do it well, at least the practical side of entrepreneurship, not necessarily the emotional part of the entrepre- entrepreneurship. 3:02 And, um, it was just lovely to see how all these young people were building amazing businesses and with big visions. I could not have imagined that so young you could do these things. 3:15 And, um, a few years later, because of course, startup jobs are also quite insecure, and they don't pay much, and I was looking for more stability in my life. 3:24 I got an opportunity to join the innovation, the hub of a, a big bank in the Netherlands, uh, which was wonderful because basically we were operating like a startup accelerator, but with the stability and the, the cushion of a corporate and the paycheck, of course, of a corporate. 3:40 So it was really nice. And as it happens with corporates, every couple of years, they are sort of restructuring, and they usually kill innovation budgets first. 3:48 So I moved to another bank where I stayed for five years, and I also explored a leadership role as well there. Um, and worked on lots of interesting projects. And then after that, I, I started my business. 4:03 But I have to say that during my time in, in the corporate world, I was having some interesting side quests, as you said, which played a big role in, uh, where I am today. 4:15 So especially the most important one is that I started a wine club. What are other than wine lovers? I, I grew up in a family that made wine and made olive oil as well, mostly for ourselves. 4:26 So I had this very strong connection and beautiful memories of making wine, sharing it with one another, sharing it with our friends. So when I moved here, I wanted to learn more about wine. 4:36 I wanted to study it and, and in a social way, not in a- [chuckles]... classroom way. Yeah. And, uh, I was looking basically for a community or for a wine club that I could join, but at the time didn't speak Dutch. 4:49 Um, so I decided to make my own. So I started a meetup group. It kind of resonated with people, but I think I remember in my first event, I had twenty people that showed up and paid to be there. 5:01 And, um- That's great for a first event. Anyway, that was... Yeah. Mm-hmm. There was something there. [chuckles] And, uh, same for the second one, and, uh, I kinda did that for five years. 5:14 I did a lot of collaborations as well with restaurants or with different spaces. Um, it was really beautiful experience that gave me confidence to start something of my own later. 5:27 Uh, but also I saw this pattern of being very interested in artisanal products like wine and the connection to farmers, the people behind them. I love telling their stories. 5:40 I love telling stories in general, and, uh, I love bringing people together. I find that what happens around a table, uh, over wine or over food, which resonates very much with me, uh, as a Mediterranean. 5:52 [chuckles] It's something that I really wanna bring into my new chapter. So when the time was to leave corporate, I, I had this urge to leave. 6:01 I went looking for this kind of feeling, and I'm really glad I got to find it. Hmm, amazing. I'm happy for you. And I love this, um, 6:11 concept of if I don't find what I'm looking for in terms of community and belonging, I'm gonna build it, and it's often maybe easier than people think it would be to bring people together if you really have a passion that you can share with them. 6:27 Um, but you mentioned there briefly that you 6:31 had this urge to leave corporate, and I know from our previous conversations that you have, as many other people working either in startups or in corporate, experience burnout. That's more common than, than we'd like. 6:43 Would you be willing to share a little bit about what that felt for you, and how did you know maybe you were burning out? Yes. And then what helped you, what did you do about it, and what helped you get through it? Yeah. 6:56 Um, I have to say that, um, I got a taste of burnout twice in my career. Luckily, it did not go that, that deep, but still, I think the second time I could, I could recognize the signals because of the first time. 7:09 Mm-hmm. So the first time was during my first job in, in tech, um, when the company was going through a big transition and the conditions were not in any ways ideal. I started feeling extremely emotional at work, 7:24 crying a lot, uh, at... in the toilet, uh, because, of course, I was very embarrassed. There's too many emotions. I didn't know why they were so strong. I was very confused. I did not feel 7:36 like, um, I did not feel like my work mattered. I did not feel like I mattered very much, uh, in the company, although for most of the time, I felt very much as part of the group. So these are the emotions I remember. 7:51 I don't remember being tired. I don't remember having a foggy brain- Okay... that are also common sy-symptoms, but I remem- I was just very emotional. I remember I took a break from work then, like two weeks, 8:04 and then I came back, and I had exactly the same thing. Oof. So I knew I could not go back there. So I-- we made an agreement, and I, I left the company at some point. And, um, 8:19 the transition then was very hard because I had no idea what to do next. So it took me a while to get on my feet again, have a new focus. That also helped my mental health, uh, be better. Mm-hmm. 8:33 Well, fast-forward many years later, um, I am in, in my last corporate job. I was, uh, working with a team that was not, um... I did not feel appreciated. Again, this is a common thread. I felt... 8:49 I, I really felt like my presence didn't really matter. Um, and it was my only project also, so I had... didn't have any other sources of energy, and that was slowly draining me out. 9:02 And, um, I started feeling, again, very emotional, like I did not wanna start the day. Uh, and again, I took time off. 9:12 I also requested some changes in the team, so I, I was a bit more assertive, and I talked about things that didn't work for me and even I got some agreements about changes. But it still didn't... 9:24 the feeling did not, did not get away. I didn't think the changes were necessarily genuine or that would be long-lasting. Uh-huh. And I think my body felt that. And I took some time off. 9:34 It was Christmastime, and I was, uh, looking forward to come back and get a new project going, and I came back, and that energy never came back, and then I knew that this is not a good sign. Oof. Oh, that's really heavy. 9:49 Yeah. It was. And, um, I remember I asked for some time off. I wor- I was working 50% less, and that was also not enough. Then I took 100% off for a while and then started reintegrating, as it happens in the corporate, 10:05 and I still thought, "This is not gonna work." I could feel it in my body. I, I don't see me coming back. I still was not ready to leave, so I could use a sabbatical as a way to take a long break and sort of figure out 10:22 what to do because I had no idea. Like, I, I, I had the feeling that I need to go, but I did not know where to, where towards. And that was quite... and I, I probably... you probably recognize it from your conversations. 10:34 That is, for me, the most stressful part, is not that I have to leave. It's that I, I don't have a new focus. So I took four months off and went home, went to Greece. I traveled around. I visited friends. 10:47 My goal was very much to reconnect with my roots. I felt that they really ground me, and I needed that grounding at the time to find my new step. Although I had sort of... 10:58 I did not burden myself with finding answers in that sabbatical, and I think that was also a good choice, uh, because it took all the stress away. Yeah. How long was your sabbatical? It was four months. Okay. 11:11 That's, that's a good time. Yes. It was the max I could take. I remember also there were a few moments of... that sort of gave me signs of what I could do next, and there was also a moment that would... 11:23 gave me a sign that I really have to leave. Mm. So because I still had, like, one, let's say 0.5% chance that I could stay. Okay. 11:31 [chuckles] But I remember I had to open my laptop, um, throughout the sabbatical, and then I would see the, the chats of my colleagues on Teams, uh, whenever I would open it, and I could really not relate anymore. 11:47 I completely found it uninteresting, not relevant to me, so I knew there was no way I could go back. Hmm. That's a clear sign if there's ever one. [chuckles] Yes. And then the next question was, yeah, and now what? 12:03 And then I had my revelation moment, uh, a few weeks later. Okay. Tell us about the revelation moment. What happened? How did it unfold? Yeah, set the scene. 12:14 Um, when I was traveling in Greece, I, I went to this remote island that's-- it's also part of the blue zones, Ikaria. I also have some roots there. 12:23 My grandfather's family is from there, and they really live a very slow life there, very connected to, uh, to the, to the earth, very connected to each other, community is strong, 12:37 and it attracts also a lot of people who want to live like this. 12:40 And I remember visiting a store that had a collection of wines and honeys and other products made in the island, and I instantly felt like I wanna have a store like this. 12:52 And a few weeks later, I am in Crete, in the most untouched virgin part of Crete, in the easternmost part. A good friend of mine lives there, and she has an olive grove, and she's an olive oil producer. 13:03 We've been buying as a family her olive oil for a while. 13:07 But for the first time, I visited her farm and did an olive oil tasting, where we tasted three different olive oils from the area, including hers, but also from some other producers. 13:16 They're olive oils that were made from the same olive variety and the same region, and yet they tasted so different from one another. 13:25 And for me, that was the revelation moment because I saw olive oil with completely new eyes, not just an oil that I use everywhere without thinking too much about it, but as a product with identity of place, exactly like wine. 13:38 And because probably of my wine background, I got so excited, I wanted to dive into it, and I wanted to take people along with me into that journey. Then I knew, I knew. 13:48 That was the moment I knew that I have to follow this path. That's so beautiful. How, how did you know? Was it something in your body that told you, yes? Was it an excitement? 13:58 I'm curious how other people can also know, right? 14:01 Because you were telling me before about this phase when you're in between knowing that you have to leave something, but not knowing really where you have to go next, and that's a really stressful and scary place. 14:14 Many people know how that stressful part feels, but what about the knowing? How did it feel for you? There was certainly a very strong enthusiasm element there, but there was a knowing. I don't know- Mm-hmm... 14:24 how to, to explain it because I, I am somebody who gets enthusiastic about a lot of things. 14:29 Possibly the fact that I had this pattern, I had this wine thing before, it sort of clicked as well because it was something I was familiar with. But it just felt so, so right. 14:40 Also, the atmosphere and the tasting was really beautiful. We were sitting around a table, a bunch of strangers, and through this experience, we felt so connected with one another. 14:51 And I think that was also a big element of my decision 'cause I-- this is how I want to feel- Yeah... and this is what I want to bring. 14:59 So the combination of the curiosity for the product itself and this feeling of connection, which for me, I think it's a vital feeling to have in my life. When I don't have it, I feel very isolated and depressed. 15:13 If I could bring these two things together, that was, for me, the recipe for the next step. Yeah. I love that, and it makes so much sense, right? 15:22 Because you, you had such a visceral feeling, again, when you opened that laptop and you saw the conversations and you thought, 'No, this is really not the environment I see myself continuing in. 15:33 I don't want to go back to this.' And then you had this other experience, probably more or less in parallel, right? Yeah, yeah. I mean, only a few weeks apart. Yeah. 15:43 And what you're des- what I described before as when I opened my laptop, it is actually a feeling of disconnect- Mm-hmm... complete disconnect from what's happening there. Yeah. 15:52 And then you have this other- And I wanted exactly the opposite. Exactly the opposite. It's connection, being with people, connection to the land, connection to the products. 16:00 And connection to myself, I think, in the end. Because I, I think... I mean, if I analyze it, I, I see where the connection comes from. I think that's related to how I grew up and my connection to the land- Yeah... 16:12 and how the work in the land and creating those products was-- created this feeling of connection with my family and my loved ones- Mm... and my culture. I think if I analyze it, that's where it takes me. Yeah. 16:23 But I did not go through that analysis back then. It was very- Mm... much a body sensation. Yeah. And you had your revelation. You felt sure that this is what's coming next. 16:34 But I imagine there's a gap between enthusiasm and feeling sure and actually making it happen. So what happened next in terms of how did you take this feeling into what it is now, into making it a business? Yeah. 16:48 So then I had to decide whether I will leave my job, whether I will keep my job and do this on the side. But I really did not go back to my job. 16:56 [chuckles] And I was lucky because I had financial cushion, so that made the decision kind of easy for me. Or not super easy, but easy enough. It was-- I had, I had significant savings. 17:10 I have support from my family, so I could make the step. The first thing I did was I had a conversation with my, uh, planned already with my manager at the end of my sabbatical to discuss my return, 17:22 and we agreed that I will, will-- I will be let go. And then by the end of that year, um, I concluded my work at the bank, and then I was free. After I left the, the job, I actually flew back to Greece. 17:38 I had a family house that I inherited, uh, some years ago from my grandfather that was sitting there, and I was, over the years, renovating with whatever savings I had, and it was so close to be finished, and then I wanted to put it on Airbnb and have an income from it. 17:54 Since I did not have any income anymore, creating an income stream would be, uh, I thought it would be wise. So I spent half a year in Greece doing that. I did not expect it to be that long, but it was. 18:07 I was also working on the business, so I was looking for farmers, and I was building a website, uh, which was for me A way to mostly structure my thoughts on what is actually that I want to offer. 18:22 And actually, I was planning to do an MVP to see if that would resonate. 18:28 Uh, in the end, I did not end up doing it because the renovation was so heavy, I did not have the head space to do that, so I had to park it for a bit. 18:36 But after the renovation wa- was done, I went to Spain for studies 'cause it was time for me to study olive oil. Sounds so cool. Yeah. Sorry to interrupt, but it sounds so cool, "It's time for me to study olive oil." 18:50 I mean, you can take different tracks of what kind of things you want to study on olive oil. Is it gonna be production? Is it gonna be more the sommelier track? 18:59 I wanted to start with the sommelier track because if you source olive oil, you should be able to recognize quality, and I was very interested about food pairing. 19:07 That's for me a very important thing, so that was also part of the course. So I went to Valencia where there's a, 19:14 uh, Olive Oil School of Spain is based there, and I did an intensive course on becoming sommelier, had great teachers, visited some farms and some olive oil, uh, mills, and yeah, I learned a lot. 19:26 That was only the first step, though. There were more studies- Hmm... that came later. And- Okay, what else, what else did you have to study? 19:32 I did a more advanced sommelier course a few months later, where we went a bit deeper on the tasting and on the food pairing track, and a bit on expanding experiences. And I also did the, the producer's, uh, track. 19:44 I did the olive grove management and milling Master Miller course in Spain again, uh, in Andalusia. 19:52 And, uh, during harvest, which was really beautiful to see harvest, uh, in the biggest olive oil-producing region in the world, um, with, with really important experts. 20:03 Um, and then I continued online, mostly on business education, on exports and, uh, the business side of olive oil, and which I'm actually still concluding. I still need to write my thesis for that one. [laughs] Okay. 20:16 So you did all this learning, and I imagine that this was a big investment in yourself and in your business. Is there anything else that you had to invest in before you could actually go public? 20:26 Then it was about building the business its- itself. Um, so I was doing the studies, and in parallel, I was in the background building the business. Um, I was building the brand together with a, a brilliant designer. 20:39 So as you, you notice that the process itself, I realized that it sort of guides you to the right place. That's at least... that's what I noticed. Okay. 20:48 You don't know all the answers from the beginning, and you just find them along the way. 100%. 20:52 And then you have the right, you have the right people next to you, and they ask questions, and you're like, "Yeah, that's a good question. I need to find answer for that." 21:00 And sometimes you're also not sure that's the best answer, but you go with the best answer you have at the time. Yeah. Yeah. So I built the brand, so we started building the website. I had found my farmers. 21:11 I mean, I did have a setback 'cause one of the farmers had a bad year, bad harvest, so we couldn't work together, uh, unfortunately. But I decided to, to start smaller with fewer farmers, so it's okay. Right. 21:26 And, yeah, I also invested in going to a few olive oil fairs, where I get to taste olive oils, uh, from different regions. 21:34 So it was learning, it was going to these environments where you can taste more and discover more. Uh-huh. It was investing in network, so I, I joined some online networks. 21:47 There, there are people in olive oil there, and their recommendations, their referrals really helped me also find producers. Mm-hmm. Um, so this kind of thing. 21:58 So you've been building your business for about nine to 10 months now. You're an entrepreneur. How does that feel like for you? What's the experience? What's the day-to-day? 22:08 What are some of the highs and some of the lows? Yeah. When I was working with startups, people would, would always say, being a founder is a rollercoaster, and it is. Now I found out myself that that's the case. 22:21 I mean, I am operational as a business for three months only. Uh, the first six, se- seven months were prep work, and each phase has its difficulties. 22:30 Um, the first part is, of course, you have absolutely zero data from the market beyond what you find online and maybe some interviews you do to figure out a bit your direction. But 22:42 so many assumptions, uh, and lots of uncertainty. The biggest question I had, for example, um, before I launched, was how much olive oil do I order? What should my first order be? 22:53 And then I had to, uh, make so many assumptions about it, and, and now a few months later, I'm still like, "Hmm, I probably ordered maybe not the right amount of olive oil." 23:04 So the first few weeks, I launched, and I saw my network being activated and buying my product. 23:10 It was an incredible feeling to see those orders coming in and seeing those products being shipped or getting them in my hand. It's the most beautiful feeling. 23:21 But then there were moments where I had now a good month where nothing was moving, and I had zero sales, and I really had to find ways to be calm about that. 23:32 [laughs] It seemed to me that I reached the limits of my network, and now I need to step out of my network to, uh, get more sales. Another big, um, difficulty I had along the way was, uh, packaging. 23:44 I could not find the right packaging for my products that would be delivered on time, that would keep my products safe, and it would look good enough. 23:51 Uh, it was a puzzle that I had to search for an answer for a few weeks, and these weeks were pretty crazy because people were expecting their orders, and I did not have a way to bring to them. 24:04 I felt like my reputation was on the line, you know. Um, what if I disappoint them? What if I am not able to deliver on time? Yeah, there is a lot. Yeah. Yeah. 24:16 I'm familiar with this as well, with the highs and lows, and that's the thing. There are highs and lows, but you're always pushed to learn. It's not like- I've solved this problem, that's it. 24:27 Uh, things are going to be smooth sailing for now. 24:29 There's always something that comes up, and I think it's important for people to realize that realistically, when you start a business, the first maybe year or two, maybe even longer, depending on the kind of business you have, you're going to have a lot of disruptions, and you're going to go through ups and downs, and maybe things get smoother 24:47 at some point- Hopefully... but not in the beginning, and this is what I learned the hard way as well when I thought, "No, things are going to work out in a couple of months." Um, and they don't. They don't. 24:59 I was about to say they don't always, but they don't. 25:01 So I think the right mindset to go into building something of your own is to be patient, give yourself time, and make sure that you have financial security because if on top of all these issues you don't have financial security- Yeah... 25:15 it's a little bit, uh, difficult to pull through. For sure, and what keeps me sane is to say, this year is for learning. This is my mantra now. This year is for learning, so don't worry about anything else. 25:30 This is for learning. So the, the, the costs are not gonna be right, the earnings are not gonna be right, but as long as you learn and adapt, no other pressures beyond learning. 25:41 And also, I have to say that I only gave myself one year to do this full time. 25:46 Uh, my financial projections show me that I won't be self-sustainable within, yeah, within the year, so that means that next year I'm planning to get a part-time job to support myself. So it's not a straight line. 26:00 However, I did want to dedicate one full year to this, so I can discover as much as possible before I limit my time and focus then to something smaller. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. 26:15 It's a very realistic insight into the life of an entrepreneur starting a small business completely alone. I hope everything works really well for you. And maybe, who knows, maybe you don't need a part-time job. 26:28 Uh, but it's good to plan for it. And, um, is there anything about where you are right now that you couldn't even imagine a year ago? I don't think I would have imagined how, how my life would look like. 26:43 I did not have any idea. So thank- Mm... thank God for that. I was just, like, thinking day by day kind of or week by week. 26:51 I think, um, if you ask me on a day to day, I would tell you, "Oh, my God, everything's going so slow. Uh, I thought I would be so much further." But if I look back where I was one year ago, 27:05 when I was still renovating that house and not even have started my education on olive oil, that blows my mind. Yeah. Also. So much. You've managed to do- Yes... so much. I mean, you're live. 27:16 You're, you know, doing- Yeah... what you imagined that you'd be doing in that moment when you had that revelation, right? It's crazy. It's crazy, and, um, that's why... 27:27 That's sort of also my advice to people, uh, that want to make a change is like take a pause and look where you came from. 27:37 That is, that's a, a valuable perspective that we should not forget, and I have to remind myself all the time, and I have my entrepreneurial buddy doing that for me. 27:45 [laughs] And the other thing is, um, that I really could not have imagined that I'm doing a lot of sales in, in Dutch. Ah. Interesting. And I'm certainly not fluent. 27:56 Yeah, conversational level, fine, but I did not have the confidence. I was too perfectionistic about it. I did not dare to speak. Mm. And now I just felt like I had to. 28:07 I had to be on the stand or behind in the market stand and, and then just speak, and I... 28:13 It sort of comes out now, and I make mistakes, and I don't think too much about it, and people seem not to think too much about it either. So that gives me confidence to keep talking, 28:24 and I think, yes, soon I'll be doing proper events in Dutch, and, uh, that's a- Very cool... thing I've been wishing for a long, long time. And then in terms of, um, 28:35 support, because you're going onto this journey of building something on your own, I've found that many people who did that can feel quite lonely on this journey, so I'm a big, big advocate of having a support network. 28:47 What did that look like for you? At first, it's more individual people than, you know, a community. I think the first... 28:56 The, the biggest supporter was my mom, which actually was really important for me to have her support. Yes. 'Cause I would go to her crying sometimes because of I was so uncertain, and I was like, "What am I doing?" Mm. 29:09 Um, you know, "I'll fuck it up," you know? [laughs] And she was just, "Just do it. Just try it. It do- you doesn't... 29:17 You don't have to succeed, but I think you will succeed because you're really honest about this, and I think you love what you're doing. Now it's the time to do it." 29:25 Yes, so that, that already felt great, and I also had a friend in Greece whom we'll meet, um, every week for dinner, and then I would sh- sort of tell her what I was working on. Even just that. She had nothing to do... 29:38 She has nothing to do with business and nothing to do with olive oil, but I would just tell her what I was working on, my dilemmas, my questions. 29:45 Just talking this through and having a good listener who would ask questions and think critically with, with me, that really helped me also structure my thoughts. 29:53 There was, was also a safe place for me to share my doubts or my, my, my stresses and, um, and then I also had an entrepreneurial buddy, 30:02 so a fellow, uh, entrepreneur, um, who was in a similar phase as me starting her business. So we would meet 30:12 every month maybe for an hour, an hour and a half, and just discuss where we're at and just asking questions to one another, which was really, really helpful. Mm-hmm. 30:22 And ultimately, when I did start the business, it was my network here in the Netherlands that really showed, showed up for me. 30:29 Uh, in many beautiful ways, from buying my product to sending me, uh, beautiful heartwarming messages, to introducing me to people, to thinking along. All of these things were... meant the world to me. Yeah. 30:42 When you don't know what you're doing, sort of, and you're doubting everything, well, this was a good idea. Having that support is so important. Nice. Yeah. So you mentioned some advice there. 30:52 Is there anything else that you would advise, uh, somebody who's thinking about starting something on their own? I think it's all about first know what your starting point is. Uh, what's your financial cushion, 31:07 and how much do you know about what you want to build? Maybe you know nothing, like me at the time, so you need to explore more. 31:14 So if you know nothing about it, and you don't have no idea where to go, what I did was focusing on what are the things that I'm drawn to, what are my interests, what are the things I'm passionate about, and sort of dive deeper on these things. 31:26 And join communities. Go create something. Start a meetup if, uh, not alone with some other people. Just follow your passions, but get out of the house. Not just read on your own. 31:37 Meet other people who have in similar passion. Explore if those passions are lasting, and if they are, I think one thing will lead to another. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Trust the process. Absolutely. 31:48 Staying home will, will not help. You gotta get out there, even if it's in the small, smallest possible ways, a coffee, a meetup, whatever feels doable for you. 32:01 Start with what's doable, and then I think the, the capacity will increase along the way. Definitely. So now as we come closer to an end, what's coming up for you? What does the future look like? Uh, I must say [laughs] 32:16 that, uh, the day by day hasn't changed very much. [laughs] I think I pretty much know what happens until, um, the end of summer- Okay... 32:24 but then it's also for me the time to take the learnings of the, of this year and make decisions for the, the year after. 'Cause for me, the year ends basically end of summer 'cause harvest is in the fall- Okay... 32:38 and the harvest I... when I place my orders. What I hope is that the next years will be full of, uh, events, full of experiences. I hope to collaborate with more restaurants. I hope to be in more markets. 32:53 I want to speak with more people. 32:55 But I think ultimately I would love for this business to sort of start rolling without me constantly needing to be here, having a basis so I can actually spend a bit more time with my family in Greece and sort of be here, spend, split my time between the two countries. 33:11 Outsource all the operational stuff that I don't- [laughs]... 33:13 I'm not really good at to somebody who really loves doing it, and, um, focus on the stuff I love, which is being in front of people, educating people on olive oil, creating experiences. Mm. And, uh, yeah. Okay. 33:28 I hope that's what would the future bring. Well, we'll check in in a year and see where you are. Sure. [laughs] Now we have proof of what you said you would like the next year to look like. 33:38 If people would like to taste your products, where can they find them? You can find me at leleaoliveoils.com or at, @leleaoliveoils on Instagram. Uh, you can find my products. 33:50 You can find recipes with olive oil, uh, and some educational tips on how to enjoy olive oil more and how to source it, uh, to buy it better quality in your cooking. Great. Thank you. 34:03 There will be some links to that in the description. Thank you so much, Elif. Uh, I really, really loved our conversation. I really enjoyed hearing your story. 34:12 I'm glad that you are so open and honest about the hard parts, but also the messy parts in the middle and also the good parts. So thank you, and I wish you all the best. Thank you, Andrea. [outro music]
