Bucharest City Tales: The “we got style” discussion behind some Romanian start-ups

Columnist Eleonore af Schaumburg-Lippe writes in her weekly column about life as an expat in Romania. This week she writes about Romanians who want to build up their own companies, and how the beginning looks like in some cases. Many Romanian have a great idea they want to pursue, which is a good thing, good for the country where the entrepreneurial spirit should be supported more in many ways. However, what I find interesting or funny is the way things are done sometimes. Many entrepreneurs are doing very well here in Romania, and small companies are constantly being built up, especially in fashion, design, export, imports, communication or IT. These companies and the people who create them are true fire souls here in Romania. But sometimes when you hear people talking about their plans or dreams for their own startup, the tone can be a little different in Romania, than if you listened to people going the entrepreneurial way in Denmark, for example. I don’t want to generalize anything about Romanians and I fully support those who want to build something on their own, but here is a little tale based on some of the observations I have done in Romania while listening to different kinds of people with great ideas and dreams. It usually begins like this: Two friends talking, they want to make something, they get an idea. They would usually say it is a huge idea, one of these that are going to change the whole game; maybe others have done something similar, but this is unique, different in so many ways, that they can’t even explain. This will be the new thing in communication, the travel industry or in any other area they could be targeting. This is a dialog between friends A and B who have a great idea and who now want to build a company.

- Ok, so I will be the Executive Director, then you can be the Deputy Executive Director. - No way! I want to be Partner and then you can be Executive Director. - Ok, that’s not so relevant, but let's agree on that. What next? We will need an accountant and a lawyer. - No problem, I know someone we can call, a friend of mine, actually my old classmate knows an accountant, and my sister's husband's brother in law's neighbor is a lawyer. - Great! Then we need business cards, white background, thick paper, good quality. Then we need an office, location is important, it’s everything, District 1, new place, not any old apartment, maybe part of a villa. - Yes, sure, with balcony, big meetings rooms, and high ceilings, and we need furniture. - Yes, sure, let’s look at the internet. Wow, this is a great mahogany table from London, look at this, what about this from the US? White tables that can be adjustable, they also come in Ferrari Red. - Hm, well, it is a little expensive, we are talking 3,000 euro and this is just for one table, hmm. Well, maybe we can use the table I have at home. - No way, it has to be new, it has to look good. - Okay, maybe we can paint some old furniture, so that it looks new. - No, it has to be new. It’s not a problem, we can deduct all we buy in taxes, so let’s look at that mahogany table… delivery from London 1,500 euro, no problem. I got a friend, actually my dentist's wife lives in London, I will call her, we can figure out something I am sure, she owes me a favor, I once installed a program on her computer, so I am sure that they can help us. - Then mobile phones, we need mobile phones for both of us, and maybe we should buy several for when we are going to employ, and with no limits of course, the company will cover the phones. No problem, let's go and check in the store. - Then what about the name of our company, it has to be something edgy, something short, something with quality, celebs, VIPs, stars… star quality. No, no, too old fashion, stars & quality, I like the & sign, it's cool, but we have to show style… maybe style and stars, then they know what we are… we got style, you know. - Then what about clothes, we got to look edgy. New suits! Let's cruise the malls and get new suits, shoes also very important… by the way, what watch are you wearing? - Hm, nothing special really, it’s an old Swatch. - Well, no problem, it can look vintage, otherwise I can ask my brother's best friend's cousin if I can use his …Wait a minute, we forgot something, a coffee machine, we can’t have an office without an coffee machine. - Of course not, how could we forget it, let's browse the shops again to find a coffee machine.