Interview with Cosmin Mihăiță – How Brand Goal Transformed the Golden Generation’s Story

Interview with Cosmin Mihăiță, founder of Brand Goal, about career, passion, and the historic Golden Generation event.

Cosmin Mihăiță is an entrepreneur who transformed his love for football and writing into a marketing agency that tells the beautiful stories of our athletes. Brand Goal was behind the communications for the Golden Generation’s farewell match on May 25, 2024 — an event that broke the attendance record at the National Arena, created waves of emotion beyond imagination, and reached over 12 million Romanians through content created over 7 months. Gică Popescu, Ianis Hagi, Bogdan Stelea, and Ciprian Tătărușanu are among the big names of clients turned lifelong friends through collaboration with Brand Goal.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence that would make those who don’t know you curious?
Cosmin Mihăiță: I grew up with Hagi and Popescu, I started loving football thanks to the Golden Generation, and decades later I became part of their team at one of the biggest events in Romania’s history. And although it didn’t seem like a plan, every step I took in my life and in my 15-year career brought me closer to the moment I met my idols and turned them into friends.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?
Cosmin Mihăiță: The moments that brought me to where I am now as an entrepreneur happened while I was still an employee. I had three jobs before going on my own, each lasting exactly four years: ProTV (where I was an editor and sports producer) laid the foundation and transformed my passion for football into images; the marketing and communication agency (Making Of & First Content Studio) where I worked afterwards made me realize this was the direction I wanted; and the French real estate group Catinvest, where I was marketing director for four malls, gave me the courage to become an entrepreneur and follow my dream. I returned to sports and built my own agency, and since 2022 I’ve been congratulating myself every day for this decision.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment so far in your journey, and how did you overcome it?
Cosmin Mihăiță: I read a lot about entrepreneurship and everything that comes with it before I dared to take the leap. I waited long enough—until I was 35—so the difficult moments didn’t feel that difficult anymore, because I already had experience and understood the risks involved. Being sometimes overly optimistic and positive, it’s impossible for me to turn something work-related into a tragedy. There will always be disappointments, tensions, and difficult clients, but the freedom to choose who you work with and the joy of doing only what you love erase any problem and help you get through those tough moments.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, no matter the obstacles?
Cosmin Mihăiță: Happiness. I wanted my work to bring me happiness—and I’ve achieved that. I was lucky enough to have only jobs I adored, and I’ve never had a moment where I hated my work, no matter if it meant long hours, sleepless nights for live shows, or events organized in record time. All these jobs led me to the ultimate happiness—having my own business in a field I love and where I see myself for life, having the luxury of making my own schedule, working with and for people like me, while enjoying the results of my work. That’s happiness.

C&B: How did you look at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve changed until now?
Cosmin Mihăiță: At the beginning: curious, impatient, enthusiastic, eager to learn every day, and happy.
Now: gray hair, dark circles, and all of the above—but even happier than on day one.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Cosmin Mihăiță: They would say it’s obvious from the start how much I love what I do, that I have a talent for bringing people together in beautiful projects and events, that I make friends easily with almost anyone—whether client, collaborator, or supplier—that I put my heart into everything, and that I quickly identify with the client/project so my agency knows exactly how and what to communicate. And so I don’t just say the good things, I think they’d also say I’m a perfectionist even when it’s not necessary, and often on the edge of deadlines with what I/we have to deliver. Sometimes with a bit of adrenaline, but always with success. I think I’ve been chasing this adrenaline since I left TV, where live broadcasts often pushed you to work at the limit, and maybe this pace also comes from the dynamism I’ve absorbed from sports.

C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve made that changed your trajectory?
Cosmin Mihăiță: Although I didn’t realize it at the time, because I couldn’t imagine life without television and was devastated when I had to leave ProTV in 2014 due to restructuring, the shift from TV to marketing and communication proved decisive. I ended up working at an agency where I realized there was something even more beautiful than television: social media. I was among the first managing celebrity accounts, had the honor of growing Gheorghe Hagi’s official page to 1,000,000 fans, was project manager in award-winning campaigns nationally and even at Digi Day Awards in London – Eu Sunt 12, the phenomenon platform created for Romanian supporters – and met people who inspire me to this day and became lifelong friends. ProTV was an extraordinary period, a career start I never dared dream of and created the perfect background for everything that followed. Although I was “infected” with TV and could have continued at another sports channel, I decided to go for a somehow similar but totally new field. I believe the decision to make that “shift” from TV to an agency was the defining moment for me. Probably if I had continued in television, I wouldn’t be an entrepreneur today.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style or decision-making process? Was it natural or learned?
Cosmin Mihăiță: It’s something I’m still learning. Being very passionate about football and wearing the captain’s armband for my professional and amateur teams for years, I had an early idea about leadership associating it with sports and figures like Michael Jordan, but I didn’t transfer it beyond the field. I was inspired by bosses I had in my three jobs and learned from their good qualities to help me manage relationships with my team. It definitely wasn’t a natural process and I’m still not the leader I want to be, but podcasts and books by Gary Vee, Simon Sinek, and Mark Manson help me. You can’t become the leader or person you want overnight, but if you can be 1% better every day, “compound interest” will do the rest. And most importantly, along the journey don’t forget to have fun and be kind to others.

C&B: What do you think differentiates your business or professional approach from the rest of the industry?
Cosmin Mihăiță: I’d start by saying I have experience in all roles within the ecosystem we operate in because I had the chance to see the business from every angle: as a journalist, as an agency person, and also from the client side. I understand very well what each party aims for, what deliverables the client wants, and what content has value to be picked up by the press. I’d continue with creativity, openness, know-how, and connections. I’m not saying only Brand Goal ticks all these boxes, but we’re definitely among the few that have them all.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments give you the most satisfaction?
Cosmin Mihăiță: I like waking up and making my to-do list for the day—I have an obsession (read “pleasure”) for lists, notes, agendas, reminders and feel that only this way can I start my day well by putting the chaos in my head onto paper or phone. Not having a physical office and working remotely means my days are very different. I like to schedule shoots, meetings, and calls as close as possible to each other to feel I have a truly full day when I leave the door.
I don’t mind having a day full of meetings and shoots from 9 AM to 9 PM because I know I’ve arranged it so the next day I can compensate by staying home, spending time with family, and working from home if needed. That’s the greatest advantage of our field—we can work anytime, anywhere.
When you do what you love, every task brings satisfaction, but if I had to make a top list, it would be events, filming, and meetings at the top. When I’m surrounded by athletes, collaborators, press, and we’re in the middle of action (competition, conference, photo shoot), that’s when I feel best. The hours I spend alone in front of the laptop I’d put at the bottom of the list, although they’re not bad either because writing has always been my favorite and a common thread in my 15-year career so far (12 years as employee, 3 as agency owner).

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them daily?
Cosmin Mihăiță: Friendship, optimism, and a sense of humor. These may not sound like business values, but they are human values I inherited from my father. I lost my father in 2014, but I carry him every day through the way I approach life and have dedicated a special project to him now in its 11th edition—an annual sports event in his memory, about which I could write pages in an interview like this. I believe these values I grew up with have guided me on the best path in life and brought me everything I have now—from family and friends to projects and passions. First, I was a person, then a colleague, teammate, friend, husband, or entrepreneur.

C&B: How did the idea come to open this business and to give it this name?
Cosmin Mihăiță: When I was at my last job as marketing director at Catinvest, many people close to me told me to return to sports and start my own agency because that’s my calling and I seemed best suited for a business that combines two of my favorite activities: football and writing. I was content, still liked what I did, but didn’t feel fulfilled, and if I didn’t take this step, I would always wonder “what if?” Without any plan or backup, from a purely emotional decision, I gathered courage and resigned, and on the day I turned 35 I woke up an entrepreneur. It was the most beautiful feeling and I still feel it every morning, three years later. The name came naturally—I wanted something that combined communication/branding with an element that suggests sport (GOAL), while keeping the meaning of purpose and mission. Brand Goal still doesn’t have a website, we’ve been found through many other methods and channels so far, but we have an Instagram account @brandgoal.ro, where we share how we play sports marketing with Gică Popescu, Ianis Hagi, and other friends with whom we create content and campaigns we’re proud of.

C&B: If you were to send a message to people who follow your example, what would it be?
Cosmin Mihăiță: Find that thing that makes you happy and that can become your lifelong job. Learn about it daily, have the courage to take risks, don’t fear failure, and experiment as much as possible. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and who also love what they do. If the thing you do now doesn’t bother you even when working on a Sunday, at 2 AM, or even on vacation, then you’re lucky: you’ve found it and only need to nurture it. When you do it from the heart and don’t get bored, the potential is huge and you’ll congratulate yourself every day for trying until you succeed.

Cosmin Mihăiță’s story is proof that passion, perseverance, and courage can turn dreams into reality.