A passion for furniture, a family heirloom. The Furniture Lab - Reghin, Mures, workshop opened through Start-Up Nation

Valentina Ciobota, manager of The Furniture Lab - Reghin, Mures: "I grew up next to my grandfather's small carpentry workshop and it seemed natural that at some point I would take over the activity and bring it up to the current requirements. The Start-Up Nation programme gave me the financial support I needed to start the business and Felder Gruppe Romania gave me the security of a reliable partnership."(INTERVIEW)

For Valentina Ciobota, her passion for furniture is a family heirloom. She spent her childhood in her grandfather's small carpentry workshop, and starting a furniture manufacturing business was more than natural. He opened his own workshop through theStart-Up Nationand produces custom-made furniture, designs furniture according to clients' needs and puts his personal stamp on each piece he creates, adding a different and unusual element each time. Even though the organisation was quite difficult and the decisions were hard to make at the beginning, Valentina considers it worth the effort to build something in this field.

Key points:

• Production: furniture made of chipboard / MDF to order

• Machinery purchased through Start-Up Nation:

  • Hammer K4 perform circular saw with movable forming table
  • Hammer F3 mobile table milling machine
  • Hammer A3 41 2-operation combined thickness straightening/grinding machine
  • 2 x Felder AF 22 M professional mobile exhaustion system
  • Festool hand tools

• Criteria for choosing the machinery supplier: the security and trust of a long-term partnership, flexibility and adaptation to processing needs

• The secret of success: the passion, courage and support of those closest to you

• Tips and advice for future entrepreneurs: have a well thought-out business plan and take into account possible changes in direction their business might take.

INTERVIEW Felder Gruppe Romania: Valentina Ciobota, manager of The Furniture Lab - Reghin, Mures

What were the first steps in the industry like?

Valentina Ciobota: Growing up in a family of carpenters, I started out with all the advantages. Being the 3rd business I had started, I already had a customer base and potential projects, but I still believe it wasn't and isn't easy. There are many things to prepare for and anticipate, but also many unknowns that come with risks, disappointments, problems. But in the end, it's definitely worth the effort to build something in this area.

What exactly do you produce?

Valentina Ciobota: We make furniture from chipboard / MDF to order. We design furniture according to the client's needs, but we always add something different and out of the ordinary, whether it's a play on light, a new material or a different and unexpected role for a particular piece.

Why did you choose Felder Gruppe Romania as your supplier for machinery? How would you characterize the partnership within the Start-Up Nation project?

Valentina Ciobota: When I started the project I was a bit overwhelmed by the situation, there was a lot of information about an area I didn't know from a business perspective, decisions to make, the right equipment to buy. That's why I chose the machinery supplier who gave me the most confidence, cooperated the most and was the most patient with a novice in the wood industry like me. Felder Gruppe Romania gave me security, I felt I could rely on the partnership with them and they were also very attentive to my production needs.

What were the problems you faced in running the programme? What were the biggest obstacles you overcame?

Valentina Ciobota: The organisation was the most difficult, it is quite demanding to plan a business in production. During the programme you accumulate a lot of information which becomes quite overwhelming, you have to make quite important decisions and at the same time you have to stick to the specifications of the project you have committed to.

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If you are among the future entrepreneurs who want to open a business through Start-Up Nation, find out what other problems Valentina Ciobota faced during the funding program, but also what are her recommendations and advice for future entrepreneurs in the furniture industry, reading the full interview here.

The interview with Valentina Ciobota is part of the Felder stories campaign that you can read here.