Mesteacăn Mic signed Hold the Door to offer one first-time founder each quarter the kind of practical encouragement its own team wished it had received. The Cluj-Napoca business makes compact furniture for children and has learned through experience how to test a product idea, find a workshop, and prepare for a first market. Its quarterly support will include a two-hour planning session, a review of basic costs, and an introduction to one relevant local contact when appropriate. The first participant was developing fabric storage pieces and had not yet set a price. Together they listed material and labor costs, then tested three price points with potential buyers. The founder sold 11 pieces at a weekend market and used the feedback to adjust the next batch. Owner Ioana Radu says the pledge is not a grant or a promise of guaranteed success; it is a small, structured way to open a door. Mesteacăn Mic will ask each founder what follow-up would help and report its quarterly support activity internally.
