Today we’d like to introduce you to Ross Tsakas.
Ross, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Greece to a Greek father and American mother. I completed my undergraduate studies in Athens, Greece and then went to Edinburgh, Scotland to pursue my Master’s degree and Ph.D. During the final semester of my Master’s degree, I was recruited by Diego (the parent company of Guinness) to prepare a market entry strategy for Guinness in Ethiopia. While I was in Ethiopia, I witnessed firsthand the dire health conditions and was compelled to find a solution to help people live longer, healthier lives. I view health as the preeminent driver to overcome poverty since healthy people are able to live productive lives and subsequently work, feed their families and improve their living conditions. So I set aside my own aspirations for becoming a businessman and worked night and day to find a solution to help improve the health situation in Ethiopia since, I suspected, similar health situations must exist across other less developed countries worldwide. I discovered that medicines such as vaccines and antibiotics were produced, stored, and delivered to Ethiopia in two containers as opposed to the single containers we are fortunate to receive in the USA. Instantly, I realized that this was a crucial issue. If I could consolidate the two containers into a single container, it would be possible to deliver twice as many medicines at half the cost worldwide. This led to the invention of the Single Vial System. I formed my first company, Eulysis, with the intention of developing, delivering, and donating the Single Vial System to developing countries free of charge. It wasn’t about making money or maximizing some arbitrary return on investment- it was about something far greater. Technologies like the Single Vial System are meant for the world and everyone should have access to them so that they can live happy and healthy lives.
I was fortunate to receive funding and endorsement for the Single Vial System from the World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and HRH Prince Charles among others. In June 2016, I successfully exited the company. This experience of creating an idea and developing it to fruition was an incredible crash course in the world of entrepreneurship and all it entails.
Now, I am an Adjunct Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at Babson College and have formed my new, Massachusetts based company, Founders Portal Inc. with my wife Amy Tsakas. Amy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts and, with my background and expertise in entrepreneurship, we offer counseling and consulting services to founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Our purpose is to empower them to overcome personal and professional issues that may be hindering their potential for success as well as supporting them through the various stages of their development. Founders Portal is a unique, full-service, boutique counseling and consulting firm devoted exclusively to founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who are the lifeline of the Massachusetts economy. We hope to make a meaningful impact on their lives, so they can continue developing their businesses, providing employment opportunities, bolstering the local economy and making Massachusetts the national hub of entrepreneurship. Most importantly, we offer our services virtually, using Skype and similar enabling technologies, to permit instant access so that the founders do not need to take time out of their already busy schedules to meet with us in person.
Has it been a smooth road?
As with any entrepreneurial endeavor, there have been perpetual peaks and valleys to overcome. On numerous occasions, in my last company Eulysis, I was faced with the potential of not having enough money to make the Single Vial System a reality. I faced constant ageism since I was so young and people did not believe in me or my ability to lead the company. It took me over 87 attempts to raise the final round of investment that we desperately needed to develop and launch the technology. I doubted myself and my ability to make this happen as well as whether I had chosen the right path for my own career. At one point or another, the luster of the entrepreneurial high subsides and you realize that it is not about a great idea but more so about executing on the great idea.
My biggest, constant struggle was overcoming anxiety, stress and self-doubt. I always felt some combination of one or all of these emotional issues. This is why I wanted to form Founders Portal. I didn’t want other entrepreneurs to suffer on their own when they already have so much on their plate. I wanted them to have people to support them and give them hope along the way. That is why my wife, as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and I, as an experienced entrepreneur who has been through similar struggles, are best suited for the task at hand- we know how crippling these emotional issues can be and we want people to get through them so they can achieve success.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Founders Portal story. Tell us more about the business.
Founders Portal Inc. is a full-service, licensed counseling and consulting practice devoted exclusively to founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. We specialize in anxiety and stress management, as well as personal motivation, coaching and empowerment on the counseling side. On the consulting side, we specialize in the whole spectrum of the entrepreneurial lifecycle- from inception through to venture capital and exit. Amy Tsakas, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of MA, and I am an Adjunct Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at Babson College as well as a seasoned entrepreneur who has formed and exited my own venture along with funding and endorsement from the World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and HRH Prince Charles among others. Our unique combination of skills makes us the best choice for entrepreneurs of all ages and stages who need a helping hand to overcome their own emotional and professional struggles.
Most crucially, we are an affordable option for expert counseling and consulting. We know that entrepreneurs are typically resource strapped and we want to help them succeed.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We believe we are at the forefront of a new revolution in delivering counseling and consulting services through virtual channels as well as providing services to entrepreneurs in an affordable and accessible manner. In the next 5-10 years, the traditionally closed world of management consulting will experience influxes of smaller, more nimble and specialized consultancies that focus on specific areas of personal and professional enhancement. Our objective is to be one of the pioneers in focusing exclusively on founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners since they represent 98% of America’s private sector and are largely overlooked.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.foundersportal.com
- Phone: 7744639947
- Email: ross@foundersportal.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foundersportal
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/founders-portal-hudson-6
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/11069179/
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