On this occasion, we enjoyed the support of Mr Daniel Firică and his wife, Ms Ruxandra Firică as workshop facilitators. Having accumulated several years' worth of experience in accessing EU funds and successfully running Vitria (a vending machine-first flower boutique), they were the perfect fit for facilitating this workshop.
In terms of structure, the event followed a format of three equally-timed 1:30 sessions with a 30-minute break after the first two sessions. More precisely, the first part was facilitated by Mr Firica and focused on the legal framework in Romania pertaining to starting a business from scratch, including an explanation of the necessary documents, tips on how to streamline this bureaucratic process as much as possible and best practices sharing related to early-days business management. Afterwards, the second part translated to an introduction by Ms Firica into the types of funding accessible by businesses through numerous EU programmes, as well as insights into how to write a convincing application to be submitted for accessing such funding. Finally, the third session challenged the participants to split into two teams and apply their newfound knowledge by staging a mini business plan competition, complete with drafting financing applications and a final jurisation. Impact-wise, the workshop's participants reported decidedly favourable thoughts, highlighting the relatability of the facilitators and their no-nonsense, clear approach to sharing their knowledge in particular.
