Presentation of the exchange:
“On May 4th 2016, I opened the door to a new office, one that, by that date, had been unknown to me. Later, I would have an experience that I am now able to define as a choice that I would repeat without further ado.
Although I started out for a 4-months exchange, those new things I saw I could learn there in such a short period of time made me want to extend the exchange; Sergio, the host-entrepreneur, was as open and as receptive as possible to my request, our choice in fact, to extend the exchange with another two months.
My expectations were high with this exchange; and here I find that my expectations were exceeded. Why am I saying this? I felt integrated in their activity, I felt a part of their team and I felt that my opinion mattered; I managed to obtain an overview and a much clearer view of what I should do so that my business be a success on the market and survive (starting from the manner of communication and promotion, presentation, management of expenses and income, to the management of failures and potential hindrances and the approach of the market and of the potential clients); moreover, this exchange has taught me completely new things, things related to my work, which are certain to add value to the activities I will perform; they also helped me obtain a long-term relationship with Immagica, the host-company.
As to them and to the added value that they obtained from this exchange, in Sergio’s words: “A young and creative view, eager to make things work as well as possible, she was more than welcome to the Immagica team. We have definitely learnt a lot about the Romanian market and about how they think and act, especially since we have had indirect contact with clients from this market and we are likely to continue this in the future.”
Iulia Ghile, New Entrepreneur from Romania
Profile of the entrepreneurs:
Ghile Iulia Dumitrita, New Entrepreneur
Duration of the exchange: 6 months
Sector of activity: Marketing
“I entered this programme because I wanted to understand better what was behind an activity of entrepreneur. Perhaps that, more than anything else, I wanted to discover the potential things I should NOT do now, at the beginning of my road, and to learn from other people’s mistakes.
I also wanted to validate the directions in my company’s strategic plan and to improve the aspects that were perhaps not approached as they should have. A long-term relationship with the host-company was also welcome.”
Sergio Carima, Host Entrepreneur
Immagica Comunicazione
Sector of activity: Marketing
Location: Parma
“The possibility of our team having someone from another culture was an idea that could add value to the activity we perform. And I think that the desire to grasp and to understand the underlying mechanism of some companies from outside Italy could be best achieved by connections with the corresponding person. So that was what I did, I brought a person whom I wanted an active one, concerned with being ready to listen and also to provide input.”
Quote of the NE
“I don’t know what “successful” means for other people, but I do know that this exchange exceeded my expectations, both in terms of the people I met, and in terms of the information I gathered in this period. It’s almost difficult to go back while I know there are so many things I can still learn.
But I am ready, I believe this is the fine feeling I have after this experience: I am ready to approach the entrepreneur’s success and to confront the challenges and the hindrances, starting this journey with a lot of resolve and confidence and with more attention paid to small details that can make a big difference.
I recommend it to all those who, first of all, doubt their own strong points and find it difficult to define a clear direction, their objectives, in other words – their vision, their perspective on the future. Furthermore, I recommend it to all those who are skilled in what they do, but who never had contact with a record of expenses and income, since they do not have a well-defined management policy.”
Quote of the HE
“When your knowledge becomes richer than what I knew in the first place, this is a clear gain for you. But when these new pieces of information, obtained following a contact with a third part (in this case, the fact that I met Iulia) act on your results, the categorical exchange can be called successful. I recommend that all entrepreneurs take part in such an exchange experience and I am confident that they will not regret it.”
New and experienced entrepreneurs shall apply for the programme via the web page www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu
For further information about the programme:
Cordelia Badescu
cordelia.badescu@fundatiadanis.ro
New entrepreneur Intermediary Organization: Fundația Danis pentru Dezvoltare Managerială
This article was funded by the European Union’s COSME Programme (2014-2020).
The content of this article represents the views of the author only and it is her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Executive Agency of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.
