Ioan Mihai: How Digitalization and Local Communities Come Together to Create Real Impact

Discover how Ioan Mihai uses digitalization to create real impact in local communities in Romania.

Ioan Mihai is a specialist in marketing and web development, with extensive experience in project management and entrepreneurship, known for his initiatives in creating digital content and promoting local communities.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence to spark the curiosity of those who don’t know you yet?
Ioan Mihai: I am a self-taught entrepreneur who has turned failures into lessons and who understands that the true value of digitalization lies in connecting people and building something lasting, whether it’s a business or a community.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?
Ioan Mihai: If we were to look at the narrative thread of my career, I would identify three key moments that defined me:

• Launching my personal blog (2006–2008): It was my decision to enter the digital world at the early stages of blogging in Romania. Here, I learned the basics of content writing, SEO, and marketing, laying the foundation for everything that followed.
• Role as a digital content creator at PC Garage (2014): This was an essential experience in which I learned how to interact with a large community of clients and fans, understanding their needs and adapting content to provide them value.
• Relaunching eComplex.ro (2022): This represented my entrepreneurial maturation, being the culmination of accumulated experience. I managed to transform an online business idea into a viable and successful project, which is exactly what eComplex.ro represents today.

C&B: What is the main mission of the Brezoaele.ro platform, and what needs of the local community does it aim to address?
Ioan Mihai: The main mission of Brezoaele.ro is to be a digital voice for the Brezoaele community. Its goal is to transform the locality from a simple point on the map into a vibrant and relevant digital entity. Through this project, we aim to address three essential needs:

• Information need: local news, events, and important announcements, providing residents with a reliable source of information.
• Connection need: an online space where citizens, authorities, and local businesses can interact and collaborate.
• Development need: promoting cultural events, civic initiatives, and local businesses, thus contributing to the visibility and economic growth of the community.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Ioan Mihai: The dream or ambition that has always guided me was to use the power of digital tools to create a positive and visible impact in communities. I have always believed that technology should not be just a business or an entertainment tool, but a driver of development and a means to connect people. Regardless of obstacles, I have remained faithful to this idea, from my first blog to community development projects like Brezoaele.ro.

C&B: How did you look at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you have transformed until now?
Ioan Mihai: At the beginning of my journey, I was a technology enthusiast, full of energy and eager to learn. I was self-taught, ready to experiment and make mistakes to find my path.
Today, I feel that I have transformed into a professional with strategic vision. I have learned how to combine creativity with pragmatism. The experience I’ve gained has given me the ability to see the big picture of a project, from idea to implementation, and to ensure that each stage leads to a concrete and successful final result.

C&B: If we met with your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Ioan Mihai: I believe my former collaborators would say that I am a self-taught and solution-oriented person. They would probably mention that, even though I work independently, I am very open to learning from others’ experiences and contributing to common goals. I think they would appreciate my proactivity and perseverance, especially in moments when I overcame technical or logistical challenges.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?
Ioan Mihai: The most important decision was to take an independent entrepreneurial path, leaving a stable job. It was a risky leap, but it allowed me to fully develop my project management skills, learn to take full responsibility for the success or failure of my projects, and build a diversified portfolio.

C&B: How do you see the role of digitalization and online platforms in the development of local communities in Romania?
Ioan Mihai: I see digitalization and online platforms as essential catalysts for the development of local communities. They can transform a locality from a point on the map into a vibrant and connected digital entity. Through digitalization, communities can facilitate access to information, promote small businesses and local artisans, and increase civic participation.

C&B: How do you manage to combine local information, news, and business promotion in a useful and attractive way?
Ioan Mihai: I manage this by balancing useful content with content that provides value. Every post is designed to provide value to the reader, whether it’s important news, a local success story, or subtle but strategic promotion. The key is not to turn the platform into an advertising board but into a trusted resource for the community.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and what moments of the day give you the most satisfaction?
Ioan Mihai: A typical day for me is a mix of planning, management, and technical work. I handle website updates, content creation, and respond to partner requests. I feel the greatest satisfaction when I see that my work has a real and tangible impact, whether it’s increased traffic or positive feedback from the community.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them day by day?
Ioan Mihai: The principles that guide me are integrity, proactivity, and perseverance. I apply them daily by being transparent in collaborations, anticipating problems and seeking solutions, and never giving up on a project, even when major obstacles arise. I firmly believe that these values are essential to building sustainable and trustworthy projects.

C&B: How was the Brezoaele.ro project born, and what was the motivation behind it?
Ioan Mihai: The Brezoaele.ro project was born out of the personal need to create a digital platform for my hometown after seeing the potential of such an initiative. The motivation was simple but powerful: I wanted to provide residents with a modern tool for communication, promoting culture, and attracting investments, to contribute to the development of the place where I grew up.

C&B: What development plans do you have for Brezoaele.ro in the coming years?
Ioan Mihai: The development plans for Brezoaele.ro include expanding the news section with a focus on video reports, implementing a local volunteer platform to facilitate citizen involvement, and developing a mobile app that centralizes all important information for the community. We aim to continue being a driver of innovation and connection at the local level.

Digitalization can be a real driver of development when it is used to connect people and communities. Projects like Brezoaele.ro demonstrate that technology, combined with passion and local engagement, can turn ideas into tangible and lasting results.