From 200 lei investment to 50,000 euros business

With a lot of courage and minimum investments, Colombina agency, specialized in entertainment and decorations for kids, has reached today to 50,000 euros business, on a fierce competition for novelty.

“There is, of course a competition, but we are old-timers in the market and experienced,” said Florea

Cristina, whose agency, Colombina bets mostly on events designed for kids “on an effervescent market and eager for new and quality”, as she described it.

From passion to idea and 200 lei investment

“I was fascinated with face painting and body painting and I came up with this idea. I didn’t even know whether it existed other people who did that, but I checked the internet and I saw it was successful in other countries. Therefore, I hit the roads with 2 million old lei but plenty ambition and imagination”, said Florea Cristea, owner of Colombina agency.

Colombina – a suggestive name in the world of the little ones – was launched in 2004. She started initially from the idea of doing face painting at the parties organized for kids.

“We have organized some Christmas events with face painting for kids in 2004, and then in the spring of 2005, we were called at an Easter festival. I remember we two clown costumes, but they were rented from the theater and two small professional kits for painting. I started the business from zero, I barely got the money to buy the painting kits, but I believed so much in this idea and here it is, with little means and lot of passion, I’ve managed to build up a company”, Florea explained.

The business started with five employees until an associate was found and the increase of the team to 15-20 employees, and to 50 costumes for parties, professional equipments for decorations, professional cases for face painting and online promotions.

For next year, Florea aims at doubling number of employees “in order to cope with the demand. Employees are trained within the company, as she stated.

Furthermore, the company will continue investing in equipments that is written off in 12 months. “We invest very much in new costumes, characters that children love, mascots, equipments for face & body painting, temporary shining tattoos, equipments for decorations,” Florea added.