There are moments which, told well, can hold a whole world.
Moment one: courage.
Chronicle of an encounter
5 Stigmes is an online magazine of interviews with entrepreneurs, professionals, scientists, volunteers and creators. We ask them how they started, what was hard and what they learned along the way. Every interview has five questions, about the decisions that changed something: a beginning, a mistake, a success.
People & journeys
Those are the “moments” in our name: the journeys, mistakes and decisions behind every line of work.
“We do not remember days;
we remember moments.”
— Cesare Pavese
5stigmes.gr
“I never lose. I either win or learn.”attributed to N. Mandela
Who we are
5 Stigmes is an online magazine of interviews with entrepreneurs, professionals, scientists, volunteers and creators.
We ask them how they started, what was hard and what they learned along the way. Every interview has five questions, about the decisions that changed something: a beginning, a mistake, a success.
Those are the “moments” in our name: the journeys, mistakes and decisions behind every line of work.
Name days tomorrow
No major feast
Next public holiday
Ochi Day (28 October)
28 October · In 5 days
Moment of the dayThe moment when the man behind one of the most iconic food brands was born – Henry Heinz11 October 1844
Interview · 15 October 2026
Dorota Feifer of TravelEdventures talks about internships abroad through Erasmus+, the change that shows in young people when they come back, and what could help Greece move forward socially and economically.
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Interview · 30 August 2026
Alexandra Gianni, owner of Aestheticare, a modern aesthetics centre on Milos, talks about her decision to return to the island, the importance of continuous training, and what a woman entrepreneur needs in order to stand out in a small community.
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Interview · 30 August 2026
Ioanna Mavroeidi Alexiou, mother of Aliki Mavroeidi and head of Administration & Management at the Choroaktis dance school, talks about supporting her daughter's dream, her passion for getting things done, and the message she wants to leave for the generations to come.
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Interview · 29 August 2026
Aliki Mavroeidi, owner of the Choroaktis dance school, talks about the dream that came true, the path of the professional dancer, and how dance can change a child's life.
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Interview · 24 June 2026
Popi Manikarou, a Hatha Yoga and sound healing teacher on Rhodes, talks about her journey with yoga as a way of life, the power of sound, and the need to return to the present.
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Interview · 16 June 2026
Katerina Zafeirati, pharmacist at Qpharmacy, talks about the human moments behind the counter, the power of prevention, and health in the age of misinformation.
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Interview · 20 March 2026
With years of experience and deep expertise in shading systems, he develops modern, functional solutions with an emphasis on quality, innovation and customer service, building, together with his team, a reliable and constantly evolving business.
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eBay completes its acquisition of PayPal. From that moment on, online payments stop being a “risky experiment” and become a daily habit for millions of people: purchases, subscriptions, money transfers. PayPal becomes synonymous with paying on the internet without fear. 3 October 2002
3 October 2002
Microsoft releases Windows XP. For the first time, the computer becomes friendly, stable and part of everyday life for millions of people: home, work, internet, games. It was the operating system that “put a PC in every home”. 25 October 2001
25 October 2001
Apple unveils the iPhone 4S and, for the first time, Siri. Voice interaction enters the lives of millions of users and opens the way for AI assistants. 4 October 2011
4 October 2011
Instagram is founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Within a few years it changes the way people share moments, creates influencers and turns the image into a business tool. 6 October 2010
6 October 2010
Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney found the company that would turn animation into a global storytelling industry. Disney didn’t just sell characters — it sold emotional experience at scale. 16 October 1923
16 October 1923
Henry John Heinz, the founder of Heinz, is born. He was among the first to place emphasis on product transparency, mass packaging and branding, turning food into a global commercial product. 11 October 1844
11 October 1844
For the freelance professional, the moment you step up to the podium at a conference or take the floor at an event is the ultimate test of your Personal Branding (we covered this in a previous article). There, you are not simply presenting data; you are putting your standing and your personality on public display. The anxiety of exposure is natural, but …
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In an age of digital uniformity, where services are standardised and prices are squeezed, the freelance professional has one weapon that no algorithm and no large corporation can copy: themselves. Personal Branding is not a trendy marketing buzzword; it is the answer to why a client will cross the whole …
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Behind the successful business decisions, the awards and the well-appointed offices, there often lies a truth that is rarely discussed: it is lonely at the top. For the freelance professional or the owner of a small business, the weight of responsibility, the hard decisions and the uncertainty of tomorrow often make for a path walked alone. In reality, …
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The rise of remote working and online appointments has raised a fair question: do we still need a physical office or shop? For the freelance professional and the small business owner, the answer is not to abolish the physical space but to completely redefine its purpose. Your premises stop being merely a “place to work” and become …
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the technological “tsunami” sweeping across the world. For the freelance professional, the question is not whether it will affect them, but how they will integrate it into their work. Is AI a threat that will take their job, or an assistant that will take them to new heights? The answer, as so often, …
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Every year, the announcement of tax changes sends a shiver through the market. For the freelance professional, tax is not just “numbers”: it is family planning, it is the chance to make a new investment, it is a good night's sleep. In reality, tax compliance should not be a constant fear but a strategic …
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When we hear the word GDPR, the “General Data Protection Regulation”, most of us picture huge multinationals, labyrinthine legal terms and crippling fines. But for a professional, GDPR is not the “bogeyman” of legislation. In reality, it is the promise you make to your client that their sensitive data is in safe hands. …
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In the world of business there is a phrase which, however clichéd it may sound, remains the absolute truth: “People do business with people they know, like and trust.” Whatever industry you are in, you are looking for new strategic alliances, and that is about far more than “handing out cards” at an event. In reality, it is the art …
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They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. In the world of business, and for a professional who provides services, such as a doctor, lawyer, accountant or notary, the first impression does not begin the moment you open your office door. On the contrary, it begins the moment the client sits down in the …
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It is the nightmare of every professional who strives to do their best: you open your phone and see a notification for a 1-star review on Google. Your stomach tightens. Especially for a doctor, a lawyer or a consultant, whose work rests on their credibility and their name, a negative review feels like a personal attack. But before you reply …
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It is a conversation you hear at every business gathering: “I spent all that on Google/Facebook and didn't get a single client.” That frustration is real and, between us, justified. So before we decide that digital advertising is a “bottomless pit”, let us look at the truth behind the numbers, with a purely business eye. The mistake of the …
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Starting a business is a dream for many, but it is also one of the riskiest stages for mistakes that cost time, money and mental stamina. Many businesses fail not because the idea was bad, but because they fell into traps from day one. Let us look at the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them: …
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Before every interview, who is speaking matters as much as how we tell their story.
