Garry Kousoulou’s Unstoppable Year: Awards, Innovation, and Impact

Finalist at the 10th Annual National Entrepreneur Awards

At the time of writing, Garry had just submitted his entry to the National Entrepreneur Awards. By the 2nd of September, he was named a finalist!

This achievement capped off a week filled with remarkable moments, including his participation in a clinical trial for remyelination in relapsing-remitting MS and launching a new venture — Tap To Trust Cards.

 

The Best Business and Community Enfield Awards 2023

Garry led his team to organize the Best Business and Community Enfield Awards from scratch in just six weeks — an event that usually takes three months to pull off. The result?

• 12,000 votes cast

• 12,000 emails collected

• Over 150 local businesses in attendance

• Corporate guests like Microsoft and local dignitaries

• National and local press coverage

Garry’s mantra, “Don’t become world-class at getting ready,” was in full force.

Community Leadership, Youth Support, and Environmental Action

He continues to serve as a judge for the Business Book Awards UK for the second year running — reviewing 50+ books and narrowing them down to 8 finalists. It’s one of the most fulfilling things he does all year.

This year alone, he:

• Hosted 30 work-experience students

• Was approached by the local job centre to help a staff member’s child

• Planted 1,000+ trees in Madagascar through a project with NoCO2

• Collaborated with The Eden Project on environmental initiatives

 

 

Dancing for Charity and Facing Fears

Garry stepped way out of his comfort zone to join Strictly Enfield, a local charity version of Strictly Come Dancing. Known for his “two left feet,” he still became the judges’ favourite and helped raise money for local causes.

Business Growth and Expansion

2023 has also been a milestone year for business:

• Loving Social Media doubled its turnover and profit since January

• The team has grown to 11 staff members

• Garry acquired his second optical practice in London with the Hakim Group — Askew Eyewear

• He established strong partnerships in recruitment

He even managed to take a four-week family tour across America while leading his team and maintaining business momentum — despite a staff member resigning mid-trip.

 

Innovation, Visibility, and Social Proof

From launching Tap To Trust Cards to building a local Facebook group with over 20,000 members, Garry is constantly creating new ways to connect and grow. His weekly live show and online directory are now local staples.

He has:

• Attended and spoken at 6 major trade events

• Built relationships with brands like Seiko Optical

• Achieved a 20% profit increase on a £500,000 turnover

• Scored 86% positive feedback in customer satisfaction surveys

• Led with transparent KPIs and promoted from within his team

 

Ethical Leadership and Mentorship

Garry’s leadership style focuses on growth, support, and ethics:

• Over 1,300 students mentored in 25 years

• Recruited 320 young people via the UK’s DWP Kickstart program

• Frequently speaks at local schools

• Supports clients in optical recruitment and social media strategy

His staff describe him as uplifting, focused, and relentlessly optimistic — even when challenges arise.

 

Recognised by the Industry

His contributions have been widely recognised:

• Meta conducted a case study on his success in social media and optics

• Regular speaker for Sightcare webinars and ABDO events

• Partnered with 100% Optical, the UK’s largest optical event

• Featured on Optician Online, Optical Journal, and more

  .

Challenges, Resilience, and Perspective

This year hasn’t been without its difficulties:

• A team member resigned during his holiday

• A client left unexpectedly, prompting a systems review

• He had to balance time management with GCSEs, A-levels, and family life

Still, Garry managed to coach a men’s charity football match with only 24 hours’ notice — and his team won with an unorthodox 4-3-3 formation, raising thousands for a local hospice.

Overcoming Unexpected Setbacks

This year hasn’t been without its difficulties. A key team member resigned during Garry’s U.S. holiday, which could have caused disruption. However, he stayed calm, rallied the team, and ensured smooth operations continued.

Another challenge came when a client left unexpectedly. As a result, Garry launched a full review of internal systems and communication workflows. His response was not reactive, but proactive — focused on long-term improvement.

He also had to lead a charity football match with just 24 hours’ notice. To everyone’s surprise, his team won, and the event raised thousands for a local hospice. Football may not be his specialty, but motivation, adaptability, and a good sense of humour certainly are.

Balancing Family and Leadership

Meanwhile, Garry faced time pressures at home. With one child doing GCSEs, another tackling A-levels, and the responsibilities of married life, finding balance was tough.

Despite that, he managed to keep fit, stay focused, and even start a new book on happiness in optics. He says learning when to switch off has been crucial, especially during family holidays.

In fact, the four-week U.S. trip became both a well-earned break and a leadership test. With limited access, he empowered his team and let systems take over. This was proof that sustainable business is about building people — not just products.

     

From No GCSEs to National Recognition

For someone who left school with no GCSEs, Garry Kousoulou has come a long way. He’s a director, author, mentor, entrepreneur, and advocate for community, ethics, and growth.

Most of all, he’s the Director of Happiness — a title he lives out daily.

  Garry does his best to unwind and run the business from afar. Ethical Business Practices Taking on Work experience students and mentoring them, talking at local schools and not always putting profit first. 1,300 over 25 years in business.
>Planted over 1,000 tresses in Madagasga with N0co2 Working with the government DWP Kickstarter to employ 320 young people last year Industry Recognition: Asked to have a partnership with 100% Optical, the largest optical event in the UK to fulfil their recruitment needs and those in the industry https://www.opticaljournal.com/sightcare-loving-social-media-webinars/ https://www.businessbookawards.co.uk/garry-kousoulou-2023/ https://www.opticianonline.net/content/news/sightcare-airs-marketing-webinars/ https://www.abdo.org.uk/news/digital-marketing-webinars-offered/   Link to Meta case study https://www.facebook.com/business/small-business/success-stories/gordon-thomas-goodlooking-optics?__cft__[0]=AZWZeZyWh9f_pKO8MvpgzApmaTAAa9srL05wjCCU8lPvJVzSnoG2-x_czth785HCZWIF6iLzbHo1VG-B0AgUcCFK5Dq0QiU-bDvAKBev24JEKl-7A540_r5zpCwoDThdaa1yq2r0nWh2ozDWF1bUMR3p&__tn__=H-R Asked to implement and deliver a once-a-month webinar on digital marketing, general marketing and leadership by Sightcare the largest independent membership organisation for opticians Innovation in Adversity: Garry Kousoulou’s ability to innovate and adapt to challenging circumstances, such as during economic downturns or global crises, as a commendable trait. never stop learning and growing.
New book on happiness in optics Resilience when things go wrong Member of staff resigns when I’m on holiday Losing clients unnecessarily reviewing systems and procedures Challenges with time management, kids doing GCSEs, A-levels, married with kids balance It’s only small, but I think it’s worth mentioning to be asked 24 hours before with very little preparation to manage a men’s football team for a charity match. Football isn’t necessarily something. I’m brilliant at my team winning with an unusual formation. Lots of motivation bribery, raising thousands of pounds for a local hospice..
>It’s a great honour for him, to be described as the leading authority in social media in the optical sector, author of˜Social Media Strategy for Opticians, the first book of its kind in the world ) he has spoken on this subject throughout the UK and as far afield as Dubai. work-life balance Holiday for 4 weeks and learning when to switch off! Keeping fit and a better understanding of what you put in is what you get out. Long-Term Vision: Do everything I can to stay out of a wheelchair with Ms. My financial goals are to increase my net take home by 20% buy 2 new opticians and increase my property portfolio from 2 to 4 rental properties.
>Personal: My family to be healthy and happy – Do as much as I can to help the kids of the UK to skill themselves up and spread happiness Loving social media to be regarded as the best agency in the UK which I think we are pretty close to right now! in a partnership to start UK apprenticeships The biggest challenges with time management, kids doing GCSEs, A-levels, married getting that balance right Not bad for a kid that left school with no GCSEs Garry Kousoulou Director of Happiness