We see a lot of glitz and glamour online regarding entrepreneurship and running your own business. But is it all that it is portrayed to be? Possibly… but our CEO keeps it real with a story of the hardships faced on a daily basis with balancing family and a growing business with no borders. “The joys of entrepreneurship. So just leaving the house now and I was trying to get out while my daughters were sleeping. The shitty part is my four year old wakes up and she sees me sneaking out. Even though it’s a day trip to another country with 15 hours travel time there and back for four hours of meeting time. She breaks down crying, daddy please don’t go. It’s just devastating,” says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli CEO and Co-Founder. That must be the really hard part of being an entrepreneur. “You know this is the side of it that everyone says they are an entrepreneur and they have their own business and they are running it. And you see all this shit online that it’s glamorous. Yeah, it’s got its pros and cons but it is definitely a grind,” says George. Thanks for sharing your story George. I’m sure many entrepreneurs out there can relate to your story.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Perhaps. But what happens if the “beholder” is not even given a fair chance? You ever find yourself looking into a mirror in a retail changeroom… a hotel bathroom… or an office setting and think to yourself, “DAMN, I LOOK SO UGLY, I’M FUGLY!” While DNA may have something to do with that feeling, a major contributing factor is the actual mirror and the lighting in that space. You are not to blame for being ugly, the people who created that space are to blame, actually. Designers and owners of these spaces often overlook the importance and influence the mirrors in the changerooms and bathrooms have on their clients and visitors. How so you may ask? Well, to cut costs and keep budgets low, many designers and owners simply slap a mirror on the wall and a standard downlight above it, and call it a day. These are crappy conditions. What happens when your customer gets into the poorly lit changeroom to try on that special outfit? The lighting is horrible and casts unforgiving shadows on their body… or the mirror quality is so poor that they can barely see what they are looking at. The result? The customer runs out, feeling horrible about themselves, leaving the clothing behind. The solution? Ideoli’s customized LED backlit mirrors. Perfect for retail, restaurant, hotel, fitness and office applications. We have integrated highly-efficient LED lighting into the mirrors in hundreds of different variations, allowing the lighting to properly light the subject in front of the mirror. Depending on your space requirements and preference, we can customize the size… the lighting configuration… the light quality… and several other items. Allowing for clean, consistent and complimenting lighting for your customers. Clients who are using Ideoli’s LED backlit mirrors in their spaces are extremely satisfied in doing so and reaping the benefits as well. Ideoli is not only a kick-ass manufacturer, we also help people look prettier in front of our products. For more information on Ideoli, and our LED backlit mirrors, please get in contact with us.
Are you ever in the kitchen at home and look over to your spouse and think… “holy sh*t, he looks horrible in this lighting”? Are you ever in a bathroom looking in the mirror and think, “f*ck, this bathroom is disgustingly dirty and I look like death?” Chances are, your husband is not that ugly and your bathroom is not that disgusting. It’s a matter of having an aesthetically appealing light fixture installed with the right lighting quality. Studies prove it! That is why we developed Ideoli’s LED round pressed glass light fixtures. Inspired by European design, our fixtures are so sleek and unassuming, they fit in perfectly in your residential and hospitality environments. Our fixtures incorporate latest LED chip technology and the highest quality drivers, all within a thick layer of high-performing frosted glass. Allowing for the perfect light output and distribution in your space. Our standard fixture size is a rounded 11” diameter fixture, perfect for most applications. You can also customize our fixtures depending on your specific requirements. Our fixtures are used to light some of the most prestigious hotels and high-end residential buildings around the world. When your client demands the highest-quality light fixture with a perfected glass finish, our product is what you need. Let us know how we can get a test install going with you so you can experience this for yourself.
Did Ideoli’s CEO really share his political views on Fox News’ national broadcast? Kinda, not really, but maybe yes. While cruising the busy streets of Manhattan, New York with the Ideoli team, George was randomly stopped by Fox Network’s TV host Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery of the show, Kennedy. Asking people outside of the studio whether they support Capitalism or Socialism, George gave a neutral response that left host Kennedy speechless. Take a look.
You’re the person tasked with selecting the perfect furnishings and fixtures for your new-store roll-out. Or, maybe you are the person responsible for procuring the furnishings and decorative lighting fixtures that have already been specified. The traditional approach requires you to pick up a catalogue, search for options, negotiate pricing, get frustrated and go through the traditional sales channel to purchase these products. Well, what happens when you want to design something from scratch, or, replicate an existing style, or, simply want to get a better price on what you are already buying? This is where ideoli comes in. We work directly with architects, lighting designers, distributors and end users to bring their furnishing and lighting fixture specifications to life. People are often scared with the word “customization” because it usually translates into added costs, more time and uncertainty. This is not the case with us. We work directly with you to come up with tailored designs from an idea in your head or from something you have seen in another store or from another design. We then take our designs and work with our domestic and international manufacturing partners to come up with real samples and prototypes for you to test, and pricing and delivery options for you to consider. Once everything is agreed upon and you fall in love with what we have presented, we guarantee the furnishing and fixture vision you originally had will be of the highest-quality workmanship, the pricing will be at or below original budget and you will become the office hero! There is only one way to prove to you that our model works. Start by getting in contact with us and sharing your latest idea doodle, a picture you saw in a magazine or an existing sample you already have in hand and we will take it from there. “Customization” is not a bad word if you don’t have to pay extra for it
If you’ve ever visited Buenos Aires, Argentina, you know it’s a stunning destination. Now that Ideoli has established a team down here and started working with local clients, it’s fitting to learn more about the history of this destination. Here are 5 facts to know about Buenos Aires: NUMBER 1. Buenos Aires was founded twice. The first time in 1536, when Pedro de Mendoza built a fort overlooking the Rio de La Plata. And again In 1580, When Juan de Garay arrived from Spain and established a permanent settlement. NUMBER 2. For two centuries, the city fell under the rule of the Viceroyalty of Peru. This meant that all trade bound for Spain from Buenos Aires had to travel by land to Panama. NUMBER 3. For two months in 1806, the British controlled Buenos Aires. The move was meant to undermine Spain, which had allied with France against Great Britain during the Wars. NUMBER 4. From the late 19th century, Buenos Aires saw a massive wave of immigrants, resulting with an estimated 85 percent of city residents being of European descent. NUMBER 5. Today, citizens of Buenos Aires are known as porteños, a name that commonly refers to anyone from a port city. Now you know!
We have a few hours to kill and the weather is absolutely crap outside as you can see. It’s going to start pouring and we are going to head to Yu Garden (Yuyuan) and check out some good food and just check out the local culture here in Shanghai, China. George was right, Yu Garden is an absolute must when visiting Shanghai, and the ultimate location to kill some time and see some fun stuff. Located in the Old City, this bazaar is massive and stimulating. WE COMPILED A LIST OF 9 THINGS TO SEE, DO AND EAT HERE. SO ENJOY! #1 – READ ABOUT THE HISTORY: This was built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty. That’s all you need to know! #2 – VISIT THE AMERICAN FRANCHISES (NOT). Do yourself a favor and don’t visit the US franchises. They are on every corner here. #3 – EAT SOUP DUMPLINGS. Such a delicious treat. Drink it, then eat it! #4 – BUY SOUVENIRS. Everywhere you look, they are forcing themselves onto you, so just buy something! #5 – WALK THE POND BRIDGE. Crowded, yes. But just do it so you can say you did. #6 – CITY OF GOD TEMPLE. Religious or not, swing by, show respect and save yourself! #7 – SHOP THE BLACK MARKET. This is what you came for, so buy those fakes and make your friends back home really happy. #8 – DRINK TEA, LOTS OF IT! This is not code for anything… we swear. Tea is good for you! #9 – TRY ALL THE FOOD STANDS. Stimulus and smell overload. Tucked between the McDonald’s and Burger Kings are the tastiest food stands. That’s it… if you do these 9 things, then you can check the Yu Garden off your bucket list. Until next time! Stay connected with #ideoli online at ideoli.com and on all our social media platforms –
We work with partners from all walks of life – different industries, specific requirements and international destinations. Whenever we start the exciting process of working on a new project with a client or potential partner, we often hear these 6 common questions: 1. Will you help us design our product? Absolutely. We can get involved in any step of the way, but being integrated into the very beginning steps of a new product design process is the most exciting for us. 2. Can I receive a sample before placing the full order? Most definitely! Prototyping is a vital part of the ideoli process to a custom product. We work with you to develop the exact specification of the product you need for your space, then we work to prototype the product and get a functioning sample in your hands in just a matter of weeks. 3. What makes your product better than the competitor? Because they are yours! Our products are designed, engineered and delivered with you in mind. Why? Because you were part of the entire process along the way and you don’t have to settle on quality or aesthetics. 4. Is this the best price you can offer? Yes! If we have done our homework and lined up the project properly, you should have several options to consider. Our pricing stage is completed with the client on a per-project basis. 5. Can I get an earlier delivery date? Sure! As long as we plan for it that way. Whenever you are working on a custom product with us, it is always best to engage us at least 90 days in advance of the required delivery day. In many instances, the client needs product sooner and are open to air freight options to make it happen. 6. Is there a warranty on your products? Of course! We stand behind all our warranties. Depending on the product, application and environment we customize the warranties to meet our client’s needs. Making it easy to work with Ideoli is our main focus.
Ideoli is a company built on entrepreneurship, taking risks and meeting new challenges… that is why we always encourage our team to take time to reflect, learn and progress. We asked our team a simple question – What main lesson did you learn in 2017? “The one thing I’ve learned in 2017 is things take much much longer than expected, than you want. If you say one timeline, double it and add two months and you’ll probably be there.” “Probably the biggest thing I learned in 2017 is no matter what kind of pushback you’re getting from different angles when you’re going through a project’s life cycle you always got to make sure you keep the customers vision at the forefront. “ “The one thing that I learned in 2017 from being with Ideoli is that not knowing everything, doesn’t mean that you can’t contribute.” “In 2017 I learned that in order to have a good result and to have the client satisfied, you have to be satisfied for what you did for yourself and then everything else will be perfect.” “One thing I learned in 2017 is that the customer is always right; they pay the bills. We encourage our partners to share their insights with us too. We always learn from comparing notes.” That’s enough reflection for today… back to work we go!
On a recent business trip to Toronto, Ontario, Chris took some time to experience this world-class city. “Ideoli is in Toronto and behind me is the Royal Ontario Museum. Such a beautiful building designed 150 years ago with several different additions. The latest of which is what’s right behind me designed by Daniel Libeskind,” says Chris Hartswick, Ideoli CPO and Co-Founder. The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year, making the ROM the most-visited museum in Canada. “Such a beautiful structure, definitely one of my personal inspirations,” says Chris.
Ideoli is on the road again with our clients in San Francisco, California. Today we are on site at the client’s new store to receive the shipment of a new product we created for them and oversee the installation process. We have been working with the national-furnishing client to conceptualize, design and fabricate a fixture that truly communicates who they are as a brand and help promote their staple “Z” design. The client envisioned something to help drive pedestrians from the street into their stores, while being able to communicate their brand effectively to repeat customers. Ideoli engineered and manufactured the custom Z fixture using the highest-quality materials and finishes, along with customized LED technology to help bring this Z fixture to life. With a national rollout of the fixture under way, Ideoli is helping its client drive more business into its stores.
The boys travel all over the world for client meetings, production runs, and to continue expanding Ideoli’s already-growing footprint around the world. Throughout their travels, well, they gotta stay somewhere….right? In this video, our Co-Founders, George Stroumboulis, CEO, and Chris Hartswick, CPO, describe to us their worst hotel experiences. Learn from our mistakes… we mean, experiences! What is your worst hotel experience within the last few months? “We travel a lot. We’re in different parts of the world.” And your worst hotel experience is in? Your worst experience ever or recently? “When I was in Los Angeles. Recently. It was pretty bad. Okay go back to your backpacking and hostile days. Probably England, just outside of London. I stayed in a youth hostel for $8 dollars a night or whatever it was. That was expensive back in the day. It was a shared space with everyone and shared bathrooms.” What was bad with LA? “It was brutal. I felt like I was staying in a youth hostel. First of all, I showed up at 7 o’clock at night and had to be buzzed in because apparently, it’s just in a bad part of town. There was no paint. Oh, you want paint on the walls? Haha. In Los Angeles? Bed bugs everywhere. ******* Hotel. Stay away from it.” Awe you name dropped! Did you Yelp it? “I did not Yelp but I’m not a big Yelper.” “My worst experience in the last couple years, was last night. If last night was your worst experience, then you have been living good. You’ve had to see my room. There was DNA everywhere – carpet, walls and it wasn’t mine. Just nasty. Well it’s a four-star hotel we’re staying at. But there rating here is out of 15 stars. It could be worse man, it’s all for the good.” That is true. Its all for the good. Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, boys! Until next time…safe travels!