I (yes I wrote my BIO myself, doesn’t everyone?), have had a passion for driving and tinkering with cars, since buying my first vintage car as a teenager. That car was a 1956 Holden FE, which had neither side view mirrors, nor seatbelts, but I thought it made me the coolest gal in town!
So, in love with my first car and navy overalls on, I was eager to get my hands greasy!
There’s the dipstick, I know what that does! But what does this thing do? And this one? And where do I go to find out?
Now remember we are talking about a time way before the internet and there wasn’t a section in the Encyclopaedia (really big expensive reference books) titled ‘hot car tips for cool chicks’!
There just wasn’t anywhere to go as a girl to get to know your car.
I didn’t want car mats with frangipanis, or Betty Boop air-fresheners.
I was looking for a car culture I could have fun with.
So one evening whilst out enjoying a rockabilly band wearing full skirts and with our Holden’s parked outside, my friend Kristy and I dreamt of a metaphysical garage just for the gals.
Why this car is automatic, hydromatic, - it’s Galmatic!
And 13 years later, with that dream still in mind, I left the corporate world behind and started Galmatic - an old fashioned service orientated car care garage _ hands on, friendly and trustworthy. The push to brave the change was the hormones that kick in after child birth, reminding me that I was super talented (after all I had a little human to prove that) and the dream that there was more to life than working ‘for the man’ (sing Roy Orbison song here).
So what’s under my bonnet? Well, some nuts and bolts, 25 years’ of driving both old and new cars, a lifetime of teaching and training and a desire to introduce other women to the fun and enjoyment of being car and road savvy.
Australian Businesswomen’s Network member and Managing Director of Galmatic, Eleni Mitakos, has recently featured in the story ‘Turning a hobby into a full-time job’ in the Sydney Morning Herald. The article profiles the growth of Eleni’s car company, which started out as a hobby but was later transformed into a profitable business. Eleni Mitakos recognised [...]
ABN Members, Ariane May and Eleni Mitakos were both featured in the August 2012 edition of Prevention Magazine. Ariane May - Age of Enlightenment The first article entitled “Age of Enlightenment” features 43 year old Ariane May, who made the very hard decision to have a baby on her own at the age of 40 [...]
Focusing on empowering women behind the wheel, Galmatic is a one-stop destination for women looking for car care and driving courses and information. Galmatic is the brainchild of ABN member Eleni Mitakos, and has just featured on Channel Ten’s Breakfast show. Working towards a zero road toll on Australian roads through road safety training and [...]
Australian Businesswomen's Network Members Making it! Member of the Week Eleni Mitakos with daughters Zoe, 6 and Ava, 3 Eleni Mitakos and her company Galmatic were recently featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and on The Sydney Weekender! Galmatic runs fun and interactive Car Care Workshops for women. Learn more about Eleni Mitakos [...]
Congratulations to ABN Member Eleni Mitakos of Galmatic who this week celebrated four years in business and who was recently interviewed on SpeedFM - The Voice of Motorsport. Galmatic runs fun and interactive Car Care Workshops for women and is a gals one stop shop for car care products and information. We are big fans of [...]
Last week, we received this great account of one member's way of making use of the webinar library, included as a member benefit for Premium Members. A long-time member and successful small-business owner, Eleni is a great example of a woman who is truly 'going for it' when it comes to taking opportunities 'by the [...]
Australian Businesswomen's Network member Eleni Mitakos was featured in a recent edition of The Sunday Telegraph in an article entitled, The Mumpreneur Myth. The article explores how spending more time with your kids and being your own boss is the dream – but a far cry from reality. The image of a mum working from home is [...]
Welcome to herBusiness Mentor - where we introduce you to the stories of mentors and mentorees and give YOU practical business strategies that you can implement to GROW your business. This interview is with Eleni Mitakos of Galmatic. Eleni has had a passion for driving and tinkering with cars. She bought her first vintage [...]
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