Franchise blog

The Pireas center of the Grapsa Educational Group, under the current management, spread its sails in August of 2011, amidst the crisis, with a Greek society in turmoil, angry and shocked, and an economy in a tailspin. Everyone and everything pointed to the contrary view. Yet Panagiotis Kentistos had told me smiling: "Nick, I do not fear the crisis!”. That’s what I needed, that’s what I wanted to hear, and we were completely vindicated.  

Nothing is easy since on my part also there was no entrepreneurial experience but the circumstances were also hostile. Many big and small businesses vanished overnight despite a long-year presence in the local community. Even so, we not only endured, but came out stronger. Year by year we kept growing, increasing, and in all these years we have never had a negative outcome.  Even during the pandemic we remained stable.  

  

How was this achieved? One might say through hard work. Another might say quality of work, keen interest, knowledge, experience, technical know-how, teamwork, humanity, and another 20 thousand things, and everyone would be right. But what unites us creatively and dynamically is the love and honesty that we feel for our work. We provide something which is not tangible, which we do not see, not hear, unless one says that this transmutes into a certificate. It is a service to people and more specifically to adults, with all its concomitants, as behind every adult who decides to learn a foreign language there is a history which I believe you must identify with to be able to contribute. And that is exactly what we have been doing for 14 years now. It is the point where professionalism meets humanity.   

The Grapsa Educational Group however is multileveled because no matter how professional you are, you need to be subject to a structure and a mechanism so functional and efficient that even in the most difficult situation you are able to put forward solutions. There is central planning which completely covers the academic as well as the organizational aspect, with executives who are experienced and tested, but also with key tools to offer a way out of every impasse. When there is such support  behind you, then who doesn’t feel the strength and self-confidence to fight?  

Small and big human moments, successes, gratitude, passion, tears of success, you can’t forget anyone and no one can forget you. The ten "good mornings” they will shout out to you during a short walk says a lot. From Leosthenous Street to Agiou Konstantinou, next to the Municipal Theater, in front of the metro, it isn’t just ten minutes on foot, it is seven and a half years of giving.  Who can forget all those who wanted to leave for abroad at the height of the crisis and were in need of help not only with the language but also with the whole process. Although we were a foreign-language school, we did not hesitate to bring them into contact with embassies, liaison offices, even with communities abroad, but also to go through all the red tape. Who can forget the so many sailors - commercial, military, coast guard, submarines - who besides being colleagues have now here at us also become classmates. Just two years ago, the captain of a coast guard patrol boat attended classes from inside the patrol boat at sea.   

Who can forget all that group from Thiba (I have said this before but I feel I must mention it again)  who traveled three times a week to Pireas because they needed a B2 certificate to remain in their job. That people continue to come from Thiba to Pireas eight years later says a lot. 

How could we on the other hand leave out shipping? Collaboration on In-house English for shipping executives, either general or specialized Business English for Shipping, Management, and Marketing. Even the shipping community of Syrians in Pireas would come to us. Is it coincidental that we are for the third straight year in the top 100 education organizations in Greece?  

  

 But see how the same question is posed once more: How is it that despite what we have been through in these past fourteen years (and it wasn’t little: from the entirely unanticipated political and financial events, to the pandemic and the two current wars) with the general global uncertainty, we still manage to be LEADERS?  Certainly not by luck, because I don’t believe in luck. My life doctrine is based on faith in what you do, on the love you have for the people-associates who become family (the Grapsa Educational Group has this special quality) on experience and professionalism. But at the end of the day, what remains is the congratulations you receive from the mother who hears her sons speak English at home, just when she had lost all hope. 

That’s why UNRESERVEDLY GRAPSA!