Interview with Toma Grozăvescu, founder of SMARTERS, about his journey from political science to marketing, the principles of growth hacking, and how he builds smart growth in business.
Political scientist by training, marketer and entrepreneur by choice, Toma is best known as the Founder of SMARTERS – the first growth hacking marketing agency in Romania. He is also a partner or co-founder in other Romanian entrepreneurial projects.
Toma has spent the last decade helping Romanian companies grow smart and fast. With over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and strong entrepreneurial instinct, he has guided dozens of startups and companies to achieve tangible and measurable results.
He is also a prolific educator—author of over 50 marketing courses and trainings, speaker at top industry events, and partner in multiple projects.
Whether he’s coaching teams or building brands, Toma keeps one thing at the core of his work: positive impact.
C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?
Toma Grozăvescu: I can’t imagine having done anything else. But looking back, I see that my path was shaped by small, spontaneous moments, by questions like “What if…” and by following what felt right.
I completed my bachelor’s studies in International Relations and European Studies and was preparing either for a career in Brussels or in a company managing European funds projects. But after a study visit to Brussels and an internship, I realized I didn’t see myself doing either.
Then came the idea to start a business—a creperie—with a childhood friend. But since we didn’t have the money to start it right after graduation, I decided to do a Master’s in a field that could help me when we launched the business. After a quick search online, I saw that marketing seemed important, so I said, “That’s what I’ll do—and I’ll catch up later for not having studied it before.”
Once I started my studies, I realized I loved marketing. I devoured everything I could find on the subject, even beyond the academic curriculum.
By chance, I discovered the concept of growth hacking—a more specific marketing approach—which in 2013–2014 was almost unknown in Romania.
At the end of my two years of master’s studies, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: marketing, and more specifically, growth hacking.
I still wasn’t thinking about starting my own business. But since the “Mom & Dad Scholarship Ltd.” funds were running out, I decided to look for a job.
I couldn’t find much (there were only about 3–4 online marketing agencies in Timișoara back then). One of them had an open position, but it didn’t seem like the right fit.
So, thanks to the energy of youth, I said, “If there’s no growth hacking agency in Romania where I can get hired, why not start one myself?”
That’s how SMARTERS was born. There was also a small funding process involved, which I wasted about 90% of—but that’s a story for another time.
SMARTERS came to life, and then came the phase of building while learning.
C&B: What were the first challenges in introducing a new concept to the Romanian market, and how did you overcome them?
Toma Grozăvescu: In our case, it was the misunderstanding of the concept itself. Usually, when you introduce something new, you must explain what it is and why it’s important.
Our advantage was that the concept was starting to gain traction in the West, and that helped. But if you tried to learn about it, you’d get the wrong impression that it was about “hacks,” about finding magic pills or buttons to solve a company’s marketing or growth problems.
So often, when we brought it up, we either had to explain it—or “unexplain” and then re-explain it correctly.
Fortunately, the name was interesting and attention-grabbing, which allowed me to elaborate further afterward.
What helped us most was (1) the fact that I studied the concept deeply before starting the agency (I think during the year between discovering it and launching the agency, I literally read everything available on the topic), and (2) the fact that I didn’t wait to start the agency to apply it. I used it in NGOs I was part of, in personal projects, on myself and my career.
So when I talked about it or had to use it, I felt confident.
C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Toma Grozăvescu: Definitely. And in my case, even ~10 years later, it’s still valid.
For me, it has always been about making a positive impact and “enjoying the ride.”
Someone once told me that I still have the “volunteering bug” in my blood from my student years, and I couldn’t agree more. Although SMARTERS is a for-profit company, my first instinct has always been to help.
Interestingly, helping others is one of the best ways to make money—directly or indirectly.
My ultimate goal, my desire, is for us to adopt a more modern mindset in marketing and entrepreneurship—to move beyond instinct and working to protect something, toward using principles, methodologies, and modern (and more efficient) processes. I believe that will also reflect in our daily lives, multiplying the impact.
For example, I think I’ve become a better person and friend because I apply marketing ideas in my personal life—like measuring things more specifically, not just relying on “feeling.” Often, I’m surprised myself by what actually happens when you put things down in black and white.
C&B: How did you look at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve transformed since then?
Toma Grozăvescu: First of all, I had more hair 🙂 But beyond that, I think—and hope—that at my core, I’ve stayed the same. I still read things I wrote back then (vision, company values, ideas), and I get chills seeing that they’re still valid.
What I’ve learned along the way is to be more patient, more humble, and not to believe everything I think.
At the beginning, I was quicker to label people as good or bad professionals, more or less intelligent, and so on.
Now, after realizing how many times I was wrong or sure of something that turned out otherwise, I’ve learned to listen more and talk less.
Of course, I’ve also learned tons about marketing and entrepreneurship—but that comes second, I’d say.
C&B: If we met your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Toma Grozăvescu: Oh, I’d be very curious myself! I do ask them from time to time, but I’m not sure they’re 100% honest.
I think (or hope) they’d say I’m a kind, passionate person who loves to help. That maybe I make too many digressions when I talk and want to do too many things. And that they’re glad our paths crossed.
C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve made that changed your trajectory?
Toma Grozăvescu: Telling myself, “Why not?”—as in “Why can’t I be X?” or “Why can’t I do Y?”
C&B: How do you define the success of a growth hacking campaign, and what is the main difference compared to traditional marketing?
Toma Grozăvescu: I’d say success should be defined the same way: by the growth of the company or organization. I believe traditional marketing and growth hacking should overlap 80–90%.
In practice, however, the difference lies in purpose—or how the work is measured—the “Why,” and the processes—the “How.”
In traditional marketing, the “Why” isn’t always clear. Sometimes it’s growth, sometimes awareness, sometimes the ego of a decision-maker. And the “How” is usually traditional—lots of focus on visibility, publicity, getting known, with channels ranging from TV to digital (some digital channels are already “traditional” too).
In growth hacking, the “Why” is 140% clear: growth. Sometimes that means profit or sales, other times users or clients, but we always look for a key metric to improve.
As for the “How,” the difference is that a growth hacker focuses on the entire customer journey—from when they first hear about a business/product/service, to when they buy, buy again, or even recommend it. It’s a virtuous circle.
And then there’s experimentation and testing. Growth hackers accept that no one knows 100% what will work, so they test more—and test differently.
It’s the difference between making several small bets at first and investing in what gains traction (growth hacking) versus making big bets from the start (traditional marketing).
C&B: What inspired you to use a non-conventional approach to marketing, and how would you convince traditional companies to try growth hacking?
Toma Grozăvescu: The convincing part is easy: growth hacking = more profit (usually faster and more sustainably). It simply works better in today’s context.
Personally, I didn’t know that at first. I was drawn to its novelty and the fact that it made sense—it aligned with how I viewed entrepreneurship and marketing.
Then I saw it brought better results, and I decided to stick with it.
C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and what moments bring you the most satisfaction?
Toma Grozăvescu: I usually wake up around 7 (give or take—now that we’ve adopted a cat, sometimes she has her own opinion about the sleep schedule). After making a coffee for my girlfriend and a chicory for myself, I get straight to work.
Days differ. Some are filled with smaller or administrative tasks—jumping from one thing to another, meetings, discussions, answering emails.
Other days are for deep work—when I don’t open my email or touch my phone until noon or the end of the workday—and I dive deeply into projects (or sometimes have existential crises that nothing makes sense :D).
But I’m human—there are days when the plan doesn’t match reality, and I find myself scrolling through social media 30 minutes later, even though I opened it to look for something specific.
The moments of greatest satisfaction (professionally) are always the same: when I see the positive impact of my work. Whether it’s a client’s or a student’s results (now I spend about 50% of my time on education) or simply someone telling me I helped them—that gives me energy.
C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them daily?
Toma Grozăvescu: Integrity—doing what you said you’d do. That’s the main one. How do I apply it? First, by being careful what I commit to (still learning that), and then, if I’ve said I’ll do something, to actually do it, not look for excuses.
Positive impact—this is about the result of my activity. It’s about choosing what I do based on whether it brings a positive impact or is just something to do (or something that only brings money).
Professionalism—if something passes through my hands, I should hand it over better than I received it. Add something positive.
Fulfillment—this one I also call “enjoy the ride,” pleasure, etc. But at its core, it’s about feeling fulfilled—feeling good about myself, what I do, and what I leave behind.
In general, “feeling” and emotions are my compass for applying values. When something doesn’t feel right, I investigate why—and usually realize, “Oh! This goes against one of my values.”
C&B: How did the idea of founding SMARTERS come about, and what made you bring the growth hacking concept to Romania?
Toma Grozăvescu: I think I covered that earlier in my career story. But in short—it was discovering the concept of growth hacking, not finding a job where I could apply it, and having the courage to say, “Why not do it myself?”
C&B: Is there a project or campaign by SMARTERS that best demonstrated the potential of growth hacking to you?
Toma Grozăvescu: It’s hard to pick just one—they’ve all proven it over time.
One challenge with growth hacking is that when you look for examples, you often see the shiny ones. But behind them is a lot of unglamorous work—analyzing data, talking to clients, thinking from multiple perspectives, trying things, and improving them.
If I had to choose one, it would be one of our early projects. We were working with a course provider, and by applying a few basic things, sales tripled in just a few weeks.
We were all surprised—both the client and us. That’s when I understood that you don’t need complex tactics to succeed, that fundamentals really are fundamental, and that growth hacking works here too.
Through SMARTERS and his role as an educator, he inspires a mindset shift, proving that success is not only about numbers, but about the value you create for others.
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