Eugen Cojocaru is a serial entrepreneur (with over 20 years of experience as a technology expert) who, over the past 13 years, has built several companies in fields such as technology, marketing, investments, media, and business consulting.

His declared mission is to support, through everything he does, the development of a world shaped by authentic leaders who create environments where people grow together, excel, and prosper.

He is the organizer of the Transylvania Meets Business People event and has participated as both a speaker and moderator at numerous business and personal development events. In addition, Eugen supports entrepreneurs through one-on-one consulting, leadership courses, and business strategy programs.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?

Eugen: You’re inviting me to take a wonderful trip down memory lane. I’ll start with the moment when, after my first three months at university, I sought and received support from two professors to study beyond the curriculum and the standard coursework. Later, at the end of my first year, I decided to get a job so I could learn real things from the industry, complementing what I was studying at university. I didn’t care how much I would be paid—I was actually willing to pay for the opportunity to access environments where I could interact with professionals developing technology. I had the privilege of meeting people who trusted me, were patient with me, and guided me through my first steps in the field. That encouraged me to keep growing, realizing that personal development is a never-ending journey that I can enjoy throughout my entire life.

Another defining moment was the experience I gained while working as an employee in a multinational organization, where I came to understand the importance of systems and the fact that, within a company, people are a form of capital rather than merely a resource.

In 2013, together with an exceptional person who became my business partner, I founded my first company—a technology company. Over the next four to five years, we built a team of passionate professionals around us, all engaged in a continuous development process. However, I eventually realized that everything revolved around me. I was an excellent leader and a very good manager, but I also realized that business is about much more than that.

The next step involved educating myself in entrepreneurship while deepening my self-awareness. During that journey, I met extraordinary people who became true mentors. I enjoyed this growth process so much that I became involved far beyond simply learning concepts. The results quickly became visible in my business, and those who noticed the transformation began asking me for consulting. That is how both the desire and the personal fulfillment of helping others grow came into my life.

From there, things expanded further. I founded and developed other companies while simultaneously helping dozens of entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Yet, directly or indirectly, everything intersects with what will soon become as commonplace as electricity is today: technology and artificial intelligence.

I then became involved in business communities, created events designed to make a positive impact on society, and taught at university. I’ve managed to accomplish many of the things I once only dreamed about, and the story continues. Over time, I’ve learned that one of the most important abilities a person can develop is the ability to reinvent themselves, and that becomes possible by creating a vision with genuine purpose for the next stage of growth.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?

Eugen: I gave this question a lot of thought, and I realized it’s difficult for me to choose a specific moment simply because I don’t really perceive any experience as a burden. Early on, I understood that every challenge I encounter is an opportunity for growth and that, as long as I don’t give up searching for solutions, I will become stronger. I’ve learned to appreciate challenges when they arise and even to seek them out by placing myself in situations where they are inevitable. I’ve faced many challenges, and I’m certain there will be many more because I have no intention of stopping.

To answer your question more directly, I believe my greatest challenge was understanding that nobody owes me anything and that everything ultimately depends on me. That realization gave birth to a level of responsibility that freed me from expectations and empowered me to act with confidence.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of the obstacles?

Eugen: I don’t believe there’s a single thing that has had that effect, but it’s certainly not ambition—it’s commitment. Commitment to excellence. I want to dedicate myself to things that honor who I am because life is too short to play small. The difference between who I am today and who I can become lies in what I do every single day, and that occupies all of my time.

C&B: Which professional experiences shaped you the most before launching Universum?

Eugen: Beyond my career as an employee, where I learned a great deal about work ethic and professionalism, I also had the opportunity to build at least one company beforehand. That allowed me to approach consulting, media, and marketing with maturity and confidence, as they all became part of the Universum group.

Before developing this group of companies, I had recruited hundreds of people, built high-performing teams, worked with international clients, and understood that every successful business is built upon an inspiring vision, a strategy firmly rooted in market realities, exceptional people, and effective systems.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Eugen: Some time ago, I read something that completely changed the way I approach life. To paraphrase it, it goes something like this: “I don’t know the secret to success, but I certainly know the secret to failure: trying to please everyone.”

Some people might say that I turned them down, but it’s important to be selective about whom we dedicate our limited energy to and why. Others might say that I could have done better—and they would be right. That mindset pushes me to continuously learn from every experience and keep evolving. Perfection doesn’t exist, but I am fully committed to excellence.

The vast majority of my collaborators would probably say that I am a man of principles (although that doesn’t necessarily mean they always appreciate it! ). They would also say that whenever things don’t go according to plan, I’m there to look for solutions—and we always find them.

I’m a loyal person who values long-term relationships built on mutual trust and on the idea of creating situations where three parties benefit: myself, my collaborator, and society. We all need people we can rely on, and we all need to surround ourselves with individuals we trust. I constantly strive to choose such people to be around me while also being that kind of person for them.

C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve ever made—the one that changed your trajectory?

Eugen: Choosing, with confidence and pragmatism, the right people to accompany me on a journey that would ultimately impact many others. Refusing to compromise just to keep close those who were unwilling to do what we had agreed upon.

In business, emotional attachments and excessive emotional involvement undermine performance and the ability to build something solid and scalable. I’ve concluded that true success requires harmony between the passion and spirit of a people-oriented culture and the pragmatism of systems focused on delivering excellent results.

C&B: How did you develop your leadership style and your approach to decision-making? Was it something natural or something you learned?

Eugen: The answer is actually in your question—I built it.

From an early age, I paid close attention to the small details that make a difference, and I’ve always loved people. That naturally helped me do many things in ways that now feel instinctive. However, over time I realized that everything is actually the result of thorough preparation—initially unconscious and later intentional—which gave me the privilege of knowing how to choose valuable people to have by my side and how to filter those who had already passed the initial selection.

The easiest problems to solve are the ones we never have because we’ve anticipated them and elegantly avoided them.

From my perspective, every organization relies on two essential forms of capital without which it cannot perform: financial capital and human capital.

I genuinely love people, and it brings me great satisfaction to identify those with whom I can share different stages of our journey. Leadership has become one of the central areas of everything I do because, in reality, abstract leadership principles lie at the root of most of our successes and challenges, whether we’re talking about our professional or personal lives.

Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the most valuable abilities a person can develop is self-awareness. The better you know yourself, the better you are able to understand others.

For me, an authentic leader isn’t someone who has followers, but someone who creates other authentic leaders.

C&B: What differentiates Universum Media from other agencies or media projects on the market?

Eugen: We chose to enter the marketing and media industry because this is where we can create meaningful impact for both businesses and society. There are many aspects that make us different, but I’ll mention just a few.

We operate at the intersection of marketing expertise and business consulting—an essential combination that allows us to understand much more than traditional marketing expressed through social media posts, articles, or other execution-focused activities. We begin by understanding the company’s objectives and then reflect them in measurable strategies and implementation.

We’ve also developed our own proprietary framework, ValueDrive, which enables us to work in a structured and transparent way, starting from the real needs of the business and implementing concrete actions that generate equally concrete and measurable results.

The media landscape is essential for visibility and social impact. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dependent on authentic and valuable information, and that comes with great responsibility.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Eugen: My day starts early, before sunrise, with exercise and time spent with my family. It continues with activities that provide direction and support for the companies I’m involved in, and it ends with quality family time, reading, and rest.

The moments that bring me the greatest satisfaction are those spent with my family and those in which the people I work with succeed. It’s easy to feel good when you’re surrounded by people who are doing well.

C&B: How do you manage the challenge of creating content that remains authentic while also delivering results for your clients?

Eugen: Authenticity is an essential ingredient of great content, but it’s amplified by the ability to truly understand clients’ real needs—beyond what they initially express during the first conversations.

It’s a process of discovery. Clients gradually open up, we explore together, and together we uncover deeper levels of need and the reasons behind them. Once we’ve reached that point, it becomes much easier to identify exactly what best fits each unique situation.

At the same time, we benefit from technology that enables us to significantly accelerate many stages of implementation and delivery. The real key lies at the intersection between the human element and technology.

C&B: How did the idea for Universum Media come about, and what motivated you to start your own business in the media industry?

Eugen: Universum Media emerged from a personal need that I identified within the other businesses I already owned: the need to approach brand exposure and promotion in a structured, measurable way, at the intersection of business and marketing.

We quickly realized that marketing and media are industries with tremendous future potential and a significant impact on both business and society. Our main motivation was to contribute to the evolution of this industry while also benefiting from that evolution ourselves.

C&B: What strategic directions will Universum Media explore over the next two to five years?

Eugen: Our focus will be on helping brands benefit from the intersection of promotion, visibility, and trust-building.

Additionally, we will continue to adapt to the constant changes taking place in this dynamic industry. We are currently developing an online platform that will allow not only us but also other agencies in the field to intelligently automate both marketing strategy development and implementation.

This will enable professionals to focus on what people will increasingly be expected to do in the future: build authentic relationships with clients, guide them through meaningful questions to uncover relevant answers, and master the ability to truly understand their needs so they can provide solutions that make a real difference.

It sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice is an art—and that’s exactly what we do every single day.

Eugen Cojocaru’s interview highlights how authentic leadership, innovation, technology, and continuous growth can transform both businesses and people. Drawing on his extensive experience in entrepreneurship, business consulting, and media, the founder of Universum Media shares valuable insights into the future of marketing, artificial intelligence, and building high-performing organizations founded on trust, strategy, and people.

The post Eugen Cojocaru, Universum Media: “Authentic leadership means creating other leaders, not just followers” appeared first on careers-business.com.

Graduate of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Ilie Preda, founder of AdeonaCamps, is an unconventional entrepreneur fascinated by mountains, karate, people, and the philosophy behind every kind of ascent. At just 19 years old, he founded the Ochiul Muntelui Mountain Tourism Student Club. He never practiced in the field he originally studied, choosing instead to build his own vision of mountain tourism from a young age while continuing to climb some of the world’s great mountain ranges: the Tatras, the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalayas. Yet the ascent that matters most is undoubtedly AdeonaCamps. Even today, after 25 years, he remains actively involved in organizing mountain camps and excursions for children, playing a significant role in the development of adventure tourism in Romania.

He believes entrepreneurship is much like high-altitude expeditions. There are no guaranteed recipes for success, no certainties—perhaps only the beauty of each unique story. Attitude determines altitude!

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence that would capture the attention of someone who doesn’t know you?

Ilie: In the autumn of 2016, I decided to share lesser-known aspects of my life with people. Four years later, after repeatedly revisiting and rewriting entire chapters, a book emerged about a man who is always climbing, searching for a summit that does not exist—a Sisyphean effort whose ending remains uncertain.

On the Other Side brings together the years spent in the karate dojo, the mountains I have climbed, the entrepreneurial projects I have built, and the people who, in one way or another, influenced my transformation.

Even today, I firmly believe these worlds complement one another naturally because, at their core, they all require hard work, humility, determination, and respect.

C&B: Looking back, what has been the “red thread” guiding your professional journey?

Ilie: Avoiding a theoretical answer, I would rather highlight five personal moments that significantly contributed to my professional path and likely shaped me into who I am today:

1. Founding a karate club for children at just 18 years old, together with a close friend who was equally fearless.
2. Deciding to establish the Ochiul Muntelui Mountain Tourism Student Club in Cluj. It was an extraordinary opportunity and my first encounter with what I would later understand as leadership.
3. Choosing to resign from what was then a very well-paid job after learning the basics of sales and deciding to follow my own dream.
4. Signing the first long-term contract and building the first dedicated location for AdeonaCamps camps.
5. Stepping away from the operational side of the business and delegating decision-making.

If I were to draw a common thread, I would say: vision, motivation, attitude, learning, values, and hard work.

Exactly in that order.

C&B: What was a difficult moment or failure that truly changed you?

Ilie: I believe people stubbornly refuse to learn much in the absence of pain.

Each of us evolves through the accumulation of experiences over time, but meaningful change only occurs when we are pushed beyond our limits.

For me, the critical moment came in 2021, immediately after the pandemic, when it became clear that my heart condition was far more complex than I had believed. Three medical interventions quickly pulled me into a new reality that was difficult to accept.

I was forced to understand that the mountains would remain the same without me and that the only true profit is life itself and my family. No one can stay at the summit forever.

C&B: What courageous—or counterintuitive—decision significantly influenced your trajectory?

Ilie: It happened in 2009, the year my daughter was born and also the year the global economic crisis was causing dramatic effects across every industry.

At that time, I signed a 15-year contract for a mountain lodge in the Retezat Mountains, a property requiring extensive renovations and a substantial budget.

It seemed crazy, but I took the risk and borrowed the money needed to start the investment, surprising everyone around me—including my own family.

It worked. From that year on, AdeonaCamps began a steadily upward journey.

There was very little time before the start of the summer season, and what followed felt worthy of a Hollywood movie. I described the episode in detail in the book I mentioned earlier. In short, our first guests had already left Timișoara while we were still landscaping the property.

Romania’s road infrastructure unexpectedly helped us. The group was delayed, and the extra two hours we gained before their arrival meant flowers throughout the courtyard and the smell of fresh paint everywhere.

Today, I remember those times fondly, especially since Lolaia remains part of the Adeona portfolio—a place very close to my heart.

C&B: How have you changed over time as a leader and professional?

Ilie: I believe the passing years and especially the health issues I mentioned earlier taught me to slow down.

Deadline-driven projects and an endless list of achievements—if I may put quotation marks around the word—come with a price, one paid first by the leader and later by the team.

I have come to the conclusion that the process is more important than the numbers, even if this somehow contradicts entrepreneurial thinking and is therefore difficult to accept.

It wasn’t easy for me, but I believe I eventually understood that in life—and therefore in business—everything should be measured, yet time is the most important resource. All other resources will naturally align afterward.

C&B: What do you think the people who work closely with you would say about you beyond your public image?

Ilie: I don’t have a professionally crafted public image. Some say that is not something to be proud of and that an entrepreneur or leader should embody the image of their business.

I don’t feel the need to be at the center of attention, although I have often found myself in that position and managed reasonably well.

In fact, I do not believe I deliver what is popular today—inflated numbers, clichés, and glitter—but rather a certain spirit of humility, perhaps even an excessive one, which I cultivated through mountain climbing and years spent in the dojo.

To answer the question, I would like to believe that I inspire the people around me, even if I am often challenging.

C&B: What truly differentiates the way you build or lead?

Ilie: I believe there have been two completely different stages in my evolution.

The first was before the age of 45, when deadline-driven projects were the norm. The second began with my health issues.

As I mentioned earlier, every action comes with a cost. When that cost is no longer measured in money but in days spent in a hospital, decisions become self-evident.

As for my leadership style, I genuinely believe organizational culture is what people do when the leader is not present—not what they say they do, but what they actually do.

For this reason, I have avoided controlling people and invested heavily in trust. The real battle was against inherited prejudices and my own fears.

Sometimes I was wrong. Sometimes I made poor choices. But that is part of the game.

I do not hide the fact that there were occasions—few, fortunately—when my perspective was completely mistaken and I treated valuable people unfairly. That too is part of my evolution, even if it is less comfortable to acknowledge.

C&B: How has the current context—technology, AI, and the economy—changed the way you work?

Ilie: A large part of AdeonaCamps’ activity takes place in nature, in the mountains, or on sports fields.

Apart from the inevitable business tools used for communication, promotion, and marketing, we are only minimally affected by technological transformations.

I could say that the current context dramatically influences the behavior of our customers, and that behavior, in turn, transforms us and the way we operate. However, that is a much broader discussion than the space here allows.

C&B: Is there a habit or routine that has significantly influenced your performance?

Ilie: First of all, I believe I should define what performance means to me in business: I managed to build a model organization in a niche field without resources, relevant information, or established examples to follow.

Today, Adeona’s impact is significant, confirmed by the tens of thousands of students who have participated in our programs over the years. For most entrepreneurs, performance is measured through revenue, number of employees, or profit.

My main routine is organization. I do not start projects until I know exactly what steps need to be taken and what scenarios might arise.

At the beginning of each year, I create a rigorous plan that includes personal goals, new projects, ongoing projects, development initiatives, and investments.

All of these are anchored in a calendar and supported by separate budgets.

This does not mean such planning guarantees success, but it certainly provides a mirror that accurately reflects reality.

It helps that I can break down long-term objectives into smaller ones and track their achievement in detail without excessive effort.

I believe we should make a habit of taking one small step every day toward the summit we are trying to reach.

Long-term results do not come from spectacular leaps but from small, consistent, repeated achievements that accumulate quietly until they become a difficult-to-match advantage.

Real progress appears when you do those “small things” even on the days when you don’t feel like it.

Rhythm beats intensity, and consistency becomes a multiplier of results.

This is the formula through which strong careers, resilient businesses, and highly capable people are built.

C&B: What principles guide your most important decisions?

Ilie: It is a complex question with many possible answers. I will try to limit myself to five principles derived from five questions that I consider essential:

1. Why am I doing this? Is it important for me or for the business? How clear is the objective?
2. What resources does the project require? Time, energy, and money—in that order.
3. What are the possible scenarios? What is the downside risk for me or for potential partners?
4. Who are the partners and people involved? Do we share the same values, standards, and expectations?
5. Have enough days passed since I formulated my answers? Are those answers still valid? If yes, the project is probably viable.

I can honestly say that whenever I failed to answer one of these questions rationally and allowed emotions to dominate the analysis process—or avoided or vaguely answered one of them—I encountered problems in managing the project, some of them quite serious.

C&B: How do you see your industry evolving over the next three to five years?

Ilie: I believe there will be substantial transformations.

I expect a restructuring and resizing of the market, a clearer specialization by activity type—mountain camps, seaside camps, educational camps, sports camps, and so on—and, not least, a forced professionalization of the sector.

By that, I mean well-defined processes and standards established by the key players in the market.

C&B: What role do you intend to play in that evolution?

Ilie: AdeonaCamps is approaching the end of a stage marked by numerous organizational transformations.

It is time to consolidate the final conclusions and balance the elements that still do not function exactly as we would like within the systems we have built.

Once this process is completed, we will move toward an accelerated franchising strategy.

Franchising itself requires professionalism, processes, standards, evaluation methods, and more.

C&B: What practical advice would you give someone who wants to build something meaningful today?

Ilie: I will be as concise as possible and limit myself to five essential questions:

1. Are you sure your dream or project is not just a passing trend or temporary whim? What will it look like years from now?
2. Can you create transformation, progress, or meaningful impact in your chosen field?
3. Do you have the necessary resources? What is their source?
4. Who will accompany you on this journey?
5. Who do you want to become by the end of it?

If the answers satisfy you, it is time to act.

If, after many years, you remain relevant, you probably answered those questions correctly.

If you need to constantly praise yourself on social media, you may be making money—I cannot say—but it is certain that you have not built anything truly meaningful.

C&B: What is an uncomfortable truth about your industry that few people talk about?

Ilie: Unfortunately, the children’s camp market—the market in which we also operate—is undergoing continuous transformation, and not necessarily in a positive direction. This is only my personal opinion and should be treated as such.

Behavioral patterns are changing at an astonishing speed from one generation to the next.

Social media and the isolation of young people are part of this irreversible process. The confusion between reality and the virtual world seems to be becoming acceptable.

Mountains, nature, and sports of any kind all require a certain level of physical effort.

What is sad is that fewer and fewer children are willing to make the effort necessary to experience the joy of a hike in nature or a ball game with friends. Instant gratification is only one click away.

The real issue is this: parents are part of this transformation as well.

The mountains are a way of life, and I believe each of us has a responsibility to bring them, in one form or another, into our children’s lives.

But perhaps that is a conversation for another time.

Ilie Preda’s story proves that authentic performance is built over time through discipline, patience, and the ability to remain true to one’s values. From mountain expeditions to the development of AdeonaCamps, every stage of his journey reflects the power of consistency and trust-based leadership.

The post Ilie Preda, AdeonaCamps: “Attitude determines altitude. In business, just like in the mountains, every summit has its lessons” appeared first on careers-business.com.

Alexandru Ion is an entrepreneur whose skin is hard to wear. On one hand, you have the business you’ve always wanted. On the other hand, you have to make it work.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence to make people who don’t know you yet curious?

Alexandru Ion: “It’s very hard to be Alexandru Ion.”
I am a person for whom mistakes have mattered far more than success. I don’t consider that I’ve reached the threshold of “success” yet, but I believe I’ve made many mistakes along the way. I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment where I could say, “I’ve made it, I’m successful,” but I have had many moments where both I and the business had to evolve, adapt, and learn from certain situations.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?

Alexandru Ion: The difficult moments in this journey have defined me far more than the good ones. The first key moment was on May 1, 2015, when I acquired Nexus Gamer’s Pub and officially became an entrepreneur. The second remarkable moment was in August 2015, when we opened the gaming hall on the upper floor of Nexus and shifted from HORECA towards other recreational activities. The third remarkable moment was sometime between the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 when we founded the esports team Nexus Gaming for the games Counter Strike GO and League of Legends, initially as a marketing engine for the physical location on Regina Elisabeta street.

Afterwards, there were almost three years of trial and error in which we tried to build a sustainable business under the Nexus umbrella. We hadn’t managed to stabilize or create a profitable business and were caught off guard by another crucial moment in Nexus’s history in 2018, when we had to leave the University location and move to the new headquarters in Tudor Vladimirescu, where we had to start over in August.

At the new location, we experienced slightly more stability, from August 2018 until March 2020, when the pandemic hit and we had to stop all offline activity. Shortly before, I had pitched the video production business on Imperiul Leilor, a televised moment where I think we received some sympathy from the business community.

The most defining recent moments for Nexus were in 2020 when we clarified the business direction as an influencer agency, event organizers, and broadcasting company. For the past five years, we have only been scaling and refining what we started during the pandemic.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?

Alexandru Ion: Definitely the pandemic. It was a difficult moment for pubs as well as gaming halls, so you can imagine how challenging it was for a hybrid of the two. We overcame it through a moment of “we have to do something because we won’t survive otherwise.” That’s when we opened the business lines for video production and event organization, focused on gaming. We observed the general trend that people were spending more time on online streaming platforms, and we took that risk. We retrained people, bought the necessary equipment, and the Nexus Gamers Pub space became a hub/studio for online events during that period.

C&B: When did you realize that esports could become a serious career, not just a passion?

Alexandru Ion: Like any video game enthusiast, I discovered this by seeing what was happening abroad toward the end of the 2000s. Even back then, there were competitions, large events, and fans of the phenomenon. For me, the most important thing was the idea that I could do what I love—play games—at work. That’s what drew me in and still attracts me to this field.

C&B: If you could change one thing in the Romanian gaming ecosystem, what would it be?

Alexandru Ion: I would like brands and commercial entities to understand that the gaming space is no longer a niche. It has an impressive fanbase, even in Romania, and a return on investment in terms of marketing that is better than traditional media.
Properly done gaming can be an aspirational activity, not just a way to “waste time.” It can be a driving force for the development of tomorrow’s youth.

C&B: If we met with your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Alexandru Ion: Probably that I like to “troll” or they might even criticize me for “trolling too much.” In front of collaborators, I think I have a more serious image, but whether they are fully satisfied with working with me or not, I would like them to give me feedback, even negative, because we always want to progress with every action we take.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?

Alexandru Ion: I oscillate between two very important decisions: 1. the initial investment was very hard, to start this whole madness and risk a fairly large amount of money. 2. the decision not to go alone as a sole partner, the decision to dilute myself and go forward in a team, with the risk of divergent visions that could jeopardize the business.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style or the way you make decisions? Was it a natural process or learned?

Alexandru Ion: It was a combination of my personality, which some might call “eccentric,” and the knowledge I accumulated by studying and working in multinational companies. My leadership style is unconventional and disruptive, as anyone who has worked with me can confirm. On one hand, there’s Alexandru Ion, the troll under the bridge, with humor and a laissez-faire attitude; on the other hand, there’s Alexandru Ion, the businessman who studied the market, the phenomenon, and the gaming industry for years. You never know which one you’ll get—it depends on the gravity of the situation.

C&B: What does “professional gaming” mean to you, and how have you redefined it in Romania?

Alexandru Ion: Professional gaming is a complex phenomenon with very specific characteristics. I don’t think I’ve redefined much; I haven’t reinvented the wheel. What we did instead was realize that a round wheel was needed in an industry where most wheels were square or completely missing. Of course, we drew inspiration from best practices abroad, studied events and campaigns that worked there, and then adapted them to the Romanian market as best as we could.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and what moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Alexandru Ion: When you’re Alexandru Ion, days are anything but ordinary.
From Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., I hold a Senior Leadership role at a renowned delivery company. I wake up at 8:55 a.m. to catch the 9:00 a.m. daily call with my boss (I sleep until the last moment because the night before I was gaming like a true gamer until 2 a.m., sometimes 3). In 5 minutes, I brush my teeth, get dressed, and teleport into my car to reach the office by 10:00 a.m., though I don’t always make it, much to my shame. Often, unforeseen situations arise: files to complete, emails to send, urgent calls, or my 3-year-old daughter wants to play a bit before I leave for work.

Then calls, meetings, lunch, calls, more meetings, and around 6:00 p.m. I leave Promenada for Nexus, as 9 hours of work is never enough. If you want to succeed, you have to work at least twice as much, so I prefer to go to Nexus to handle something for the company or, in the worst case, play for my own enjoyment. Some days I go to the gym at 8:30 p.m. for a one-hour workout, but most days I stay at Nexus until midnight or later, either in meetings or gaming.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them day-to-day?

Alexandru Ion: I’ve always appreciated smart, hard-working people with a touch of madness. I like to think I fit this pattern myself, but more importantly, I’m confident that I’ve managed to surround myself with such people.

C&B: How did the idea of starting this business come to you, and why did you choose its name?

Alexandru Ion: The initial idea was simple: I wanted to be able to play at work. I wanted my business to be a playground, both for me and for clients. I didn’t choose the name, but whoever did probably drew inspiration from a very popular game in 2013 called League of Legends.

C&B: How do you see the evolution of the esports scene in Romania over the next five years?

Alexandru Ion: We’ve started having increasingly large events for some games, which excites me. The next step for us, as well as for the domestic competitive scene, is international events. At these events, the best teams in the country will compete against internationally renowned teams, with hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans.

C&B: If you were to give a message to people following your example, what would it be?

Alexandru Ion: Don’t risk more than you can afford to lose and understand that when you most likely will lose, it’s an expensive lesson to be learned, then move on. Do research, educate yourself, don’t blindly trust your own beliefs or ideas, and surround yourself with people who can give constructive criticism and offer a fresh perspective.

Alexandru Ion shows us that success in esports and business doesn’t happen overnight. It requires passion, adaptability, learning from mistakes, and a constant drive to grow.

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