First Month of Business Exchange under EYE program: A New Business Direction for Pedro

Pedro Victoria, from Colombia, is passionate about professional basketball and fitness. Currently a third-year Business student at the Faculty of Business in Cluj-Napoca, Pedro discovered the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program through a presentation by the Fundatia Danis at his university.

He is now participating in a three-month business exchange in The Netherlands, working alongside Paul Kostner, a host entrepreneur, and expert in analyzing and improving the performance of high-level swimmers.

Pedro started by getting to know Paul’s organization, meeting the team, and understanding the daily business operations. Early on, Pedro participated in strategy meetings with Paul and his marketing team, where they reviewed the current marketing strategies and discussed ways to better connect with their audience.

The exchange focused on several key goals, including helping Pedro refine his business plan and offering him a new perspective on creating effective marketing strategies. Pedro also contributed to Paul’s business by analyzing marketing strategies and helping with the development of a new website.

During this process, Pedro realized he wanted to change the focus of his business. Initially, he planned to offer branding services to stores selling sports supplements. However, after working with Paul, he decided to shift his focus to personal branding services for professionals across various industries who want to build their presence on social media. This new direction led Pedro to reconsider and adjust some of his original business objectives.

Reflecting on his exchange experience so far, Pedro said, „This program has allowed me to identify gaps in my plan and add essential new elements. I have learned to focus my strategy directly on the needs of my target audience and to reformulate my offering. I highly recommend this experience to young entrepreneurs.”

Pedro’s first month in the exchange program has been a valuable time of learning and growth. As he continues, he looks forward to applying what he has learned and refining his business model for future success.

This exchange was organized under the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme (EYE), with the support and guidance of Fundatia Danis, Intermediary Organisation for the EYE Programme.

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs helps provide aspiring and new entrepreneurs with the skills necessary to start and/or successfully run a small business. New entrepreneurs gather and exchange knowledge and business ideas with experienced entrepreneurs from other countries, with whom they stay and collaborate for a period of 1 to 6 months. The stay is partly financed by the European Commission.

In Romania, Fundatia Danis has facilitated over 140 such experiences since 2012.