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When Constantine was a child, his father was stung by a wasp. A regular occurrence in the Grecian summertime which, unbeknown to the family, would have lifelong repercussions. For tragic reasons which were never explained, Constantine’s father had a reaction to the sting - or its treatment - that would rob him of his speech and ability to walk. He lived with the profound disabilities for another 30 years.
“So, you know, I was a carer. I have experienced of it. I was 13 years old then. I must say that I was quite adaptable, so although everything turned upside down, I quickly went into acceptance and action mode.”
And so Constantine Karampatsos has remained…in action mode.
This accounts for his current role as CEO and co-founder of Good Life Sorted, a tech-enabled business which provides comprehensive elderly care services in the UK. It is quite a change from his previous high-powered involvement in colossal global businesses like Amazon and Shell and begs the question why?
“I picked up a lot about tech on the way and I became a marketplace expert by mistake. You kind of get sucked into corporates and all their money. I was in demand but I still had no job satisfaction. There is no hero story here. I don’t like them. But I started this business six years ago with my co founder and it’s so satisfying. It is a social enterprise and our primary focus is to have a social impact.
At the heart of Good Life Sorted are the 900 or so helpers (chosen from 48,000 applications) who offer a range of services on a one-to-one basis, like shopping, trips out, meal preparation, dog walking, light cleaning and more. Clearly this vision of help owes much to Constantine’s own family experience, not just with his father but also his grandmother, Zoe.
“I come from a culture and country in Greece where you don’t go to the government for this sort of help at all. There is zero. So we support each other in the community because we have to. You have to help others because one day you might need help yourself. And there is no shame in asking for help. If my grandmother needed it, she would say so to the point of emotional blackmail. And we were lucky as a family that she had a neighbour called Maria who would visit and keep an eye. It was so reassuring.
“In England, people don’t like asking for help. So we initiate care in a non-threatening way. Our helpers do not arrive wearing a uniform. People see carers in a uniform as the beginning of the end. They like the informality of our helpers. It’s practically like a neighbour coming in. And the helpers are chosen very carefully to build this community support. We’ve create this niche of “home help.” It’s for people who don’t need a carer and they don’t want a cleaner, they want something in between. When they discover what we do, they are delighted.
“Most of our customers are self-payers. They typically pay between £20 and £24 an hour for their Helper, which is manageable when you consider all the benefits of prolonging their independence in their own home. It’s about good quality of life. That is what we are aiming for. I think the time has come to realise the money is not there for the government to provide social care for all. So we need to come together as communities and support each other.
“Our number one ambition is definitely to expand across the whole country and to launch other services that can help people through different partnerships. Since we launched in June 2019 with two customers and four helpers we have helped 5500 households and we’re currently supporting 2000. We could have grown faster if we had doubled our number of helpers but to find the right helpers with the right judgement you need to take your time. You want peace of mind and you need to earn trust. Building this business is a marathon not a sprint.
“I do work long hours. I don’t know how it do it but we need to do it. And when I’m not working I love watching videos about physics. I am not a scientist but it’s hobby. I find it relaxing, to delve into the essence of things.”
Constantine has a way about him that instantly disarms those who might fear his Amazonian background with its emphasis on algorithms and regimented workers. He has the tech expertise but it is allied to a human heart. He is a great believer in communication and has special fondness for conversational “ice-breakers” when he meets people.
“I love saying, when people ask me where I’m from, that I grew up in Delphi — but I’m half Lesbian. Because my mother was from the island of Lesbos. People in England don’t always understand what I mean. But they are so polite. They just say ‘Oh’.”
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Caption: (Norah, one of our very first customers back in June 2019, and Laura, one of our four original Helpers. Norah was 94 when she called us, explicitly telling us that she wanted to stay independent at home for as long as possible. We matched her with Laura, who supported her for three years until Norah was 97. Norah passed away after just a 24-hour stay in hospital. She truly did remain at home for as long as possible, just as she had wished.