Luminița Balaban – from Corporate to Founder of the Senior Freelancer Team (Liberty Digital)

Luminița Balaban is a communications professional with 12 years of experience in digital marketing, a Digital Strategist and founder of a team of senior freelancers who offer digital marketing services in Romania for entrepreneurs and companies – Liberty Digital. After 2 years in tourism and 6 in IT corporations, she joined advertising agencies and fell in love with the field. It all started with her blog in 2011, and today she writes articles on read-my-mind.ro, works from different countries, leads a team of 8 people, holds Meta Ads training for entrepreneurs, speaks at events, and has a mission to help entrepreneurs grow online – whether it’s their personal brand or business.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in one sentence to spark the curiosity of those who don’t know you yet?
Luminița Balaban: A person passionate about digital, travel, and emotional intelligence, whose mission is to help entrepreneurs grow their brand or business online with clarity, organization, strategy, and consistency.

C&B: Looking back on your career or business journey, what were the key defining moments?
Luminița Balaban: From employee to entrepreneur, from corporate to advertising, from office life to a lifestyle where I can work from anywhere in the world, as long as I have a laptop and an internet connection.
I earned a Master’s in Marketing and PR at ASE, but my first job was in travel agencies. The corporate lure came during university with a job I held for almost 6 years. Even though I was a Business Process Analyst at HP, I was very unhappy and knew I didn’t belong there.
In 2011, I started a blog, and in parallel, I was doing early forms of social media content for small Romanian brands. I also organized Readmymind Tea&Fashion, an event that brought together Romanian designers, press, and influencers.
Later, I joined my first advertising agency in 2013 as a Social Media Manager. Everything was new – we were the first generation learning by doing. After 3 years, I moved to another agency and became Head of Digital. In October 2018, I decided to go freelance.
The first year was about settling in, but by the next year, I was already building a team. Today, Liberty Digital is my full-service digital marketing team, working with Romanian entrepreneurs on major projects like websites, social media, ads, content, newsletters, SEO, and more.
Hundreds of marketing events, summits, courses, bootcamps, and a vast professional network have also played a key role in shaping who I am.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey, and how did you overcome it?
Luminița Balaban: The hardest part was my last year in corporate, when I no longer saw the purpose of my work, despite the good pay. Transitions are always hard. And in entrepreneurship, there’s the constant uncertainty – not knowing what each month will bring, managing people, understanding personalities, balancing personal life and projects, uniting brands and specialists at the same table.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Luminița Balaban: I’m living my dream, and I always knew it would be like this. I love what I do, I help others grow, and I have the freedom to choose – who I work with, when, where, and how. I’m grateful every day.

C&B: How were you at the beginning of your journey, and how have you changed?
Luminița Balaban: Looking back at the woman who quit her job in October 2018, I see someone much more anxious. I gave myself one year, thinking that the real failure wouldn’t be low earnings but having to go back to a job. That didn’t happen.
Since then, I’ve grown tremendously, built a team, created training programs, worked with dozens of entrepreneurs, and developed consulting and more. I’m more rational, calm, and balanced – thanks to both experience and emotional work. I’ve learned to read people and accept when values don’t align – and let go.

C&B: If we spoke to your team or collaborators, what would they say about you?
Luminița Balaban: It depends on the person – their mindset, values, emotional intelligence, and professionalism.
But I believe my long-term relationships with team members and clients show that they value professionalism, organization, consistency, respect, and involvement. They’d say I’m process-driven, organized, don’t tolerate chaos, and always give a bit more when I feel the same energy and involvement.

C&B: What’s the most important decision that changed your trajectory?
Luminița Balaban: Several key transitions: switching from tourism to corporate, then to advertising, and then from employee to freelancer.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style? Was it natural or learned?
Luminița Balaban: Leadership is innate – I’ve seen it since school, camps, and competitions. I always asked questions, challenged norms, and naturally attracted people around me.
Still, I’ve learned a lot – from business events, bootcamps, conferences, books, and certifications like NLP. But leadership is learned daily. Each experience prepares and shapes you for what’s next.

C&B: What makes your business or approach different in this industry?
Luminița Balaban: Every digital marketing team has something unique. At libertydigital.ro, we work only with experts in each field, we have a shared mission to support entrepreneurs, we’re clear and organized, and we don’t make clickbait promises. We show the real steps, focus on strategy and data, not just creativity.

C&B: What does a regular day look like for you, and what brings you the most satisfaction?
Luminița Balaban: The joy of being independent in digital is that no two days are the same. Some days it’s 10 hours of laptop work, coffee, and lunch breaks. Others are filled with events, business meetings, content shoots, or consultations.
Some days I allow myself to go to the gym or take time off. I value the freedom to choose when to work, without a fixed schedule or excessive routine. Every day brings challenges and professional moments I’m grateful for – it took me years of 9–6 jobs to get here.

C&B: What values or principles guide you, and how do you apply them daily?
Luminița Balaban: I value appreciation, good energy, harmony, validation through results, organization, and fairness in both work and payment.
The key principle when choosing someone for Liberty Digital or signing a client is alignment – shared vision, love for what they do, direction, and mutual understanding that great results come through calm, proactive work and clear processes.

C&B: How did the idea of starting your business come about, and how did you choose the name?
Luminița Balaban: I went freelance after years in advertising, and projects came naturally through networking and industry visibility. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t offer all services alone and started building a team.
In 2023, I gave the model a name: LiBerty – representing freedom of choice (a core value for me), and “LB” – my initials. Digital, because that’s what we do at libertydigital.ro.

C&B: What message would you share with those who want to follow your path?
Luminița Balaban: If you want to go independent, become a freelancer or entrepreneur, know that you are a personal brand – and everything you do with it, online and offline, matters.
Develop yourself constantly, find your mission, be passionate, stay curious. The money will come.
Entrepreneurship is unstable. You need emotional resilience, clarity about your offer and identity – otherwise it can break you. Believe in yourself, build experience, and don’t stay in jobs or with clients that give you insomnia. There is a place and career path aligned with your soul.
I believe in joyful entrepreneurship, where you enjoy the process – even the tough parts – and where money, status, or society’s expectations are never everything.

La storia di Luminița Balaban non parla solo di marketing digitale, ma anche del coraggio di cambiare rotta quando senti che non sei più nel posto giusto.