🧠 Subtitle:
It’s not the system’s fault. It’s that some people know how to read it better. Time to become one of them.
We have all heard it: “All the money goes to the same people.” “If you don’t have an uncle in Koroni, forget it.” “The ESPA programmes are rigged.”
Truth or excuse? The answer is not so simple. But yes – there is a reason some people get the money… and some do not. And it is not only about who they know. It is about readiness, set-up and who has the right person by their side.
Who actually gets the money?
Businesses that:
Have clean numbers. Not half-declared, not “anything goes”, not black-and-white.
Have a targeted KAD. If your KAD is not among the eligible ones, game over. It does not matter if you are the next Tesla.
Are organised and set up properly. Not “we quickly set up an LLC with the mate”, but with turnover, staff, FTEs, balance sheets.
Have chosen the right consultant. And they do not remember them on the last day of the call for proposals. The file needs strategy – not just photocopies.
Speak the language of ESPA. Growth plan. Market needs. Innovation (not necessarily technological – operational). They are convincing that they will move forward.
Who does not get the money?
Those who “found out yesterday that a programme opened”.
Those who have not taken care of their profile over time.
Those who declare only what is needed for the Tax Office.
Those who insist on working without a plan – and expect the state to give it to them as a gift.
⚠️ Spoiler alert:
ESPA is not social policy. It is a development tool. And as such, it rewards the person who has already done the work. Who has a plan. Who has laid the foundations and is asking to build more.
It will not save you if you are not already being saved. But it will propel you if you are ready to press the launch button.
What should you do?
Build your financial and accounting profile now. Not when “something opens up”.
Find a consultant who speaks honestly – not one who tells you what you want to hear.
See the file as an investment. Because it is.
Keep up with the new programmes. Not through a Facebook post – through people who work on them.
At AFS, we do not put you into a programme simply to say “you got in”.
We help you get it. And then to use it properly.
Come and talk to us – before the next call for proposals is published. Because the one who prepares early is the one who eventually… gets the money.
Elina Karamanou CEO | Co-Founder | Business Consultant at AFS
