How would you describe yourself briefly?
I am Alin Merer, founder of Merer, with over 25 years of experience in marketing and management. I am results-oriented, detail-oriented, and aware of the crucial role that both the client and the team play in the evolution of a company. I value and reward performance, but I also penalize its lack.
How would you characterize your daily work?
My activity involves a constant mix between management and marketing. It is a dynamic process, which puts me in front of new challenges every day. There is no room for routine. I am involved not only in the decision-making and control area, but also in the execution of actions, especially in the sphere of digital marketing, which is an area of maximum interest to me.
How has your career and the business you run evolved?
I started my career in 1996, in the banking sector, where I worked my way up from account manager to board member. I am a graduate of the Academy of Economic Studies – Faculty of Finance-Banking, and my professional training was reinforced by numerous management training programs, culminating in a two-year top management program in Vienna, at the Herstein Institute.
After this stage, in 2012, I chose entrepreneurship and founded one of the first complex digital platforms for men's shirts – hulber.ro . The business model was an integrated one: we identified market needs, developed products, produced them and sold them directly.
Subsequently, the concept was transformed and consolidated under the Merer brand (www.merer.ro) , which today means its own production unit, an online store, a physical store, a nationwide customer portfolio and an integrated and efficient team.
What were your visions as a child and how have they transformed today?
Since childhood, I have wanted to be a free man, to be able to do what I like, but respecting the limits of common sense. During the time I worked in the corporation, I lacked this aspect. Currently, as an entrepreneur, I have regained the feeling of independence and professional satisfaction.
I have always pursued the idea of excelling in a specific niche. In the current context, dominating a niche is increasingly difficult, but I believe it remains an achievable goal.
Can you share with us a positive and a negative experience related to your work?
A positive reference experience was the meeting with Philip Kotler in 2005. During a private discussion, I discovered for the first time the concept of "franchising" and "lateral marketing", ideas that would become relevant in the following years. Since then, many of my marketing strategies have been based on these concepts, and I currently consider franchising to be a very interesting option for the future of the company.
When it comes to more difficult experiences, I choose to look at them with optimism. Challenges and obstacles have existed, but I treat them as lessons learned and necessary steps for progress, not as failures.
What advice do you have for those just starting out?
The most important thing is to discover what you truly love to do and not let external factors influence you. It is a difficult decision, but one that only you can make for your future. Once you have identified this direction, you must follow it with perseverance, so that your passion inevitably turns into a source of income.
How do you define society and business in Romania?
I believe that the future must be built by your own efforts. You should not rely on anyone else. The essential thing is to find a niche that you like, exploit it, become the best in that segment and transform it into an engine of personal and professional growth.
Shari:
Swiss-Romanian Chamber of Commerce, Anniversary Gala – celebrating 25 years of activity in Romania.
The shirt: a versatile and always on-trend piece of clothing