An absolute business mum

MamaMag were thrilled to be the Diamond sponsor of this year’s AusMumpreneur Awards in Victoria. There were so many fantastic entries from amazing mums across the state who are doing fabulous things in business. This year’s top gong, The VIC AusMumpreneur of the Year Award, went to Oakleigh mum Elle Likopoulos from Absolute Business Brokers and The Mumpreneurs Club!

You’re obviously a mum! Tell us about yourself and your family.

I am a mother of four kids under 10 (two of which are 20 month old twins).

My husband and I were high school sweethearts so despite being only 21 when we married, we had been together a long time. Despite always knowing we would end up married, we didn’t quite plan to tie the knot so early! In early 2009 I went to the GP complaining of stomach cramping, I had suffered from stomach aches and bloating for a few years but every doctor concluded that it was IBS or constipation and never thought too much of it. This particular day the GP was concerned the pain may be my appendix and before I knew if I was taken to the local hospital to have it removed in fear of a burst. When I woke up from that surgery, my life would change forever. A very long story short- I had ovarian borderline tumours engulfing both ovaries. I spent over a month in hospital and had very painful abdominal surgery that left me unable to walk for weeks. It was in my hospital room that my Oncologist advised he was able to safely remove the tumours from one of my ovaries to give me a chance at IVF. He couldn’t save both, but he was able to keep a sliver of one and retain all the other components in my body to allow me the chance to carry children. At the time I was in shock and survival mode and I remember I kept telling my devastated family that I didn’t mind if I couldn’t have kids of my own. I wanted to say and do anything to keep them from being upset, it was the only thing I felt in control of during that time. Despite trying to convince everyone around me that I was strong and resilient, I distinctly remember my walk around the ward and passing the maternity wing which was on the same floor. I remember slowly walking past the babies as I held my drip rod in one hand and telling myself not to allow the emotions and fear to flood my mind. I made a promise to myself from that day that I would never feel sorry for myself and I would be back one day in that very ward holding my baby. My husband proposed to me a few weeks after I was released from hospital and we were married July of that year. By October I was pregnant with my son and the very next year I proudly walked around that same ward and to my old room in the Oncology unit holding him. That was a moment in my life where I realised the power within myself to create my own destiny. I’m very lucky to have the family I have today and never once take it for granted. It was this chapter in my life where I realised how short life could be and it made me determined to take every opportunity to live it with no regrets. As a young mum, I was adamant that I wouldn’t pick between my professional goals and my kids and I would try my best to do it all.

Tell us about your business.

I run Absolute Business Brokers which is a family business. I also host a podcast called The Mumpreneurs Club which is designed for career women with children and I’ve also recently launched a not for profit support group for mumpreneurs navigating the Covid market and lockdown. My role in Absolute Business Brokers is to motivate a male oriented group of agents to sell, manage the administration staff, handle legal matters and steer the direction of the brand. I’m also the highest earning sales agent in my firm and the first business broker to be invited by the Chinese government to speak in China to visa buyers.

My father was a migrant from Greece who came to Australia with no support or ability to speak the language. Like many migrants in his time, he worked in factories and small business. My father saw a gap in the market for reliable business brokers who could provide support and decided to focus his passion into filling that gap. Absolute Business Brokers is a legacy of my father’s passion and I feel the responsibility of seeing it succeed and continue to grow. With my higher level of education and English being my first language, I have been able to take my father’s dream and see it flourish to an international platform. Absolute Business Broker’s vision is to ensure community support through business investment.

What has been your greatest challenge and how have you addressed this?

My industry is heavily male dominated with most being older or middle aged men. My greatest challenge as a young woman with kids was proving myself to them. I had to work harder and achieve more to earn their respect and allow me to be their leader. There were sacrifices made such as working through the night to ensure I kept up but didn’t take away from time with my children. My age and gender meant I had very few passes with my peers at first until they took notice of me.

What have been your top three greatest achievements in the past 12 months?

Despite the challenges of Covid, I have grown my sales team; started a podcast to support mumpreneurs and pivoted my business whilst maintaining staff morale under lockdown conditions. Despite the continuing trials and tribulations our business has grown and strengthened during this period.

What do you wish you knew before you started your business?

I wish I knew in the earlier years to have less self-doubt in myself and my gut instincts. As women I think we are sometimes conditioned to be quiet. Standing out or being assertive aren’t always popular traits for women in business. If I could go back I’d stop wasting so much time in doubting my capabilities and my value as a business woman.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a business for the first time?

Don’t take on too many things at once. Do six things 1000 times not 1000 things six times. Consistency and determination are the keys to success. Running a business is a slow burn and immediate satisfactions or results are not something you should be chasing.

When you’re not busy working, what are you up to on the weekend with the kids? Where are your Melbourne go-to’s for fun?

My husband and I love to travel and find joy in exploring Melbourne café’s and local restaurants that allow us to explore new food and cultures. We love to visit our local café Vanilla for weekend family breakfast and frequent local parks where the kids can play. Murrumbeena Park is one of our favourites because it has play zones to suit each child’s age and let’s the whole family interact together whilst being age appropriate for all of them. Our favourite restaurant is San Antone at the Crown Casino because we love Southern Style bbq cuisine and the older kids look forward to playing at the arcade and bowling alley at Kingpin afterwards.

And finally, where can we find you?

You can listen to The Mumpreneurs Podcast on Apple, Spotify or most FREE podcast platforms.

Join in at Facebook Instagram nd find my business online at www.absolutebusinessbrokers.com.au