Excerpts of Interview with Otilia Pruna

DE: Where are you from?

OP: I‘m from Romania, a small country in Eastern Europe, with some economical issues at this point.    Like the whole Europe itself, Romania is a great country to visit for its culture, traditions and art and I’m proud of it.

DE: When did you first come to the U.S. and why?

OP: I first came to U.S four years ago. A lot of friends of mine use to come here to spend their summer, working and visiting because every college student is amazed about the “American dream” and about spending few days in New York, walking on 5^th Avenue or Broadway or even more amazed by flying above the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls.

So I took the chance, applied for the Interexchange program – Work & Travel, passed the U.S Embassy Visa interview and here I was: 2006, JFK International Airport NYC, me and my one piece luggage heading to New Hampshire, ready for a three month American adventure.

DE: What did you study in college?

OP: My college degree is Economics, Finance and Banking and I also graduated a Business Development Management Masters Degree in 2009.

DE: Did you have to pay for your college?

OP: Yes, I did. Some of the money that I made here helped me pay for my college fee. I also started to work in Romania, for a small advertising company as a sales agent in my third year of college.

DE: What are you doing while here?

OP: Since 2006, I came here every summer for three months and then go back to school. I used to work for Evans Expressmart, at their Subway Franchise on I-89, Exit 16 in Enfield, NH. This year, I got the opportunity to come back for a one year Management Internship Program with the same company.

DE: What are the major takeaways from your management training experience?

OP: My program started on June, it’s almost 6 months since I’m here, working with a great team at Evans Group. My goal as an intern is to obtain professional skills, knowledge and competencies within the company’s structure and ethics.

DE: What are some of the differences that you see regarding the way that business is conducted in the U.S. and Romania?

OP: The way of doing business is way different from country to country. Romania still feels some communism influences regarding people’s way of taking things when it comes to business. Romania still has big issues regarding corruption, which I didn’t see that obvious in U.S. Hopefully, I’ll get the change to interact more in the future with the American business environment, in order to be able to express a clearer comparison between the two.

DE: What do you hope to be doing when you return home?

OP: I took this challenge of working and spending a certain amount of time in a different society from my country like an international exposure and also a good English language improvement. An internship in a foreign country is a plus in the eyes of every multinational company like Genpact, Home Depot, or Emerson, which are some of the global leaders in business process and technology management located in Romania. I have always been looking forward to be able to build a career based on operational excellence, integrity and professionalism in one of the companies mentioned.

DE: What do you like most about living in the United States?

OP: At this point I enjoy my time in U.S, I like seeing and visiting as much as the time allows me to, and probably the thing that I enjoy the most is that time that I feel I miss home so much, that I find the strength to keep myself healthy in mind and spirit.

I Love the Smell of Strategy in the Fall.

     One of the great things about living in New England is the change of seasons. While we may not love each and every season and its characteristics, there’s something both comforting and energizing about the change.

     For those of us in business, the four seasons provide handy clues and reminders about the challenges, opportunities, processes, and commitments we face as entrepreneurs and managers. From a functional and administrative perspective, I’m used to thinking of spring as tax season, summer as vacation season, fall as preparation for year-end, and winter as time to hunker down and minimize expenses.  Of course, depending on which industries you’re in, the seasons can represent periods of time when you experience vast differences in the levels of revenue that you generate.

     From a strategic planning perspective, fall is the perfect time of year to begin reflecting on your company’s performance thus far. By mid-October, your organization should have clean financial performance data for the first three quarters of the year. I recommend taking this information and, utilizing historical data and trend analysis, developing projections for fourth quarter performance and year-end results.

     Ideally, you will then cross-reference your financial performance data with goals and objectives that have been set forth for the year, and draw conclusions and make determinations based on the review process.

     Some companies have solid processes and commitments in place for reviewing a dashboard of key success factors on a periodic basis. Many solopreneurs and small businesses rarely look at financials and lack the experience and training to utilize them for planning purposes.

     At the very least, we should all take an organized break from the rigor of daily operations and reflect on what is working well with our businesses, and where there are opportunities for improvement. Then, we can begin by developing a simple, actionable plan to address these obstacles and opportunities.

     Even though this is considered common sense and old news for many business people, the vast majority do not practice it regularly or effectively. Those who do take the time to reflect on their goals, competencies, and changing opportunities in the marketplace, however, are far more likely to develop sustained competitive advantage.

     As the holiday season approaches, carve out some time in the near future to review your financial statements as part of your planning process. And, if you need help in this process and can benefit from the participation of an experienced entrepreneur, manager, and accountability partner, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.