In the welcoming space of her pharmacy in Xanthi, Olina welcomed us to share the story of her highly successful physical business, as well as the online business she developed with the support of the "Digital Step" action of the ESPA - EPAnEK 2014-2020.

I have always liked healthcare professions.

Olina confides in us. So, when she had to make a decision, Pharmacy prevailed over Medicine mainly because of her preference for Chemistry. However, as she states, from the very first days at university, she fell in love with the subject and realized she had made the right choice.

Two (2) years after completing her studies, she managed to open her own pharmacy, taking targeted and careful steps and faithfully following the comprehensive business plan she had prepared from the very start of her business, without forgetting the human aspect of the pharmacist profession. Guided by this principle, Olina, with empathy and genuine care for the patients and customers who walk through her pharmacy’s door, decided to work hard by leveraging the unique characteristics of her business’s “neighborhood” and succeeded in building a trusting relationship with her clientele.

“For pharmacies, the fundamental pillar is the medicine. Pharmacists should be regarded and act as healthcare providers”, Olina emphasizes to us.

In order to effectively provide advice to her patients-customers, the “restless” Olina specialized after her basic studies in applied therapeutics. After all, as she herself states: “The goal of the business is to be close to the patient-customer, not just to be preferred by the customer-patient, meaning someone with a health issue comes to us, trusts us, and we actually help them solve their problem — not simply to put money in the business’s cash register.”

However, Olina’s business background, further strengthened by obtaining a Master’s degree in Pharmacy Organization and Management and supported by a father with many years of experience in business consulting, quickly led her to realize that a pharmacy can offer even more.

At the same time, drawing on the experience she gained working in pharmacies in Thessaloniki, she decided to also focus on the parapharmaceutical sector. In this field as well, her restless spirit led her to differentiate herself by entering the workshop and lovingly creating handmade cosmetics to give as gifts to her customers, instead of offering ready-made products from some large company in the industry.

A few years later, the decision to enter the world of e-commerce came naturally, with the goal of opening an alternative communication channel with consumers seeking parapharmaceutical products and to be able to collaborate with more companies and suppliers—something that, in the physical space of the pharmacy, inevitably has a finite maximum capacity.

Olina, who always keeps her “antennas” open for new business opportunities, as she herself states, took advantage of the “Digital Step” Action under the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EPAnEK),” ESPA 2014 – 2020, to move her business forward to the next level.

The objective of the “Digital Step” action was to strengthen the digital identity of very small, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The program subsidized 50% of the costs for the purchase of computer and networking equipment, office and other technological equipment, office software, warehouse management, customer management software as well as specialized software, the creation of a website and/or an online store, digital promotion and advertising, other digital services, and the coverage of salary costs for new personnel.

“The program coincided with the time I wanted to launch the e-shop. Then Covid-19 happened, and it proved to be very useful to have it available during such a unique and challenging period.”

Through the “Digital Step” program, Olina Iliadou’s business acquired, in addition to its own modern online store operating at www.olinapharmacy.gr, additional tools that facilitated the daily work of the pharmacist and her team in managing both the physical and online business. These tools include office technology equipment such as computers, printers, and UPS, as well as other devices like label printers and barcode scanners. Equally important additions were the specialized pharmacy management software and inventory and sales tracking systems for the online store, which due to their high cost, are not easily affordable for most businesses.

“With the program, I acquired tools I hadn’t even thought of buying. In fact, I have found new uses for them. For example, I mainly got the label printer for the e-shop, but I also use it to print instructions that I attach to medications for someone who can’t read my handwriting or who needs the instructions in another language.”

For the submission and implementation of her business investment plan, Olina collaborated with Evi Voivatopoulou, Coordinator of Consulting Services for the Secondary & Tertiary Sector, and Sofia Argyriadou, Development Consultant in the SME Competitiveness Sector and member of the Marketing Department at ena Development Consultants.

“My collaboration with ena was excellent. I was very satisfied and believe that they guided me properly from the very beginning”

Olina told us that she would participate again in funding actions under ESPA, as she believes they are an excellent opportunity for anyone who meets the criteria to implement them. She develops her future plans day by day by following the latest developments. However, her plan includes further development of both her online store and the physical one, upgrading it technologically even more.

The Olina Iliadou Pharmacy operates Monday to Saturday every morning, and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons as well. Additionally, Olina regularly writes articles for the online magazine Pharmacy Management on health-related topics.

The creation of the 19th Business Story involved Christos Pitiakoudis and Sofia Argiriadou from the Marketing team of ena Development Consultants.

We thank Olina Iliadou for her hospitality, positive energy, and willingness to engage.

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