Biggest Challenges

Enășescu identifies the primary challenge in creating and growing his local newsletter with high journalistic standards as the difficulty in finding experienced reporters in the local area. Many individuals opt for more financially viable professions like advertising, making it challenging to recruit skilled journalists locally. Plans to collaborate with journalism students have not yielded satisfactory results due to insufficient skill levels, coupled with Enășescu's inability to provide the necessary hands-on support to train them while also maintaining the regular production of his newsletter.

This challenge is compounded by the need for financial runway to grow the business, which Enășescu estimates takes more than three years. However, funding opportunities for local media in Europe are limited, with the EU, for example, primarily focusing on cross-border collaborations rather than addressing the needs of early-stage local media initiatives. As a result, securing sufficient funding to support the growth and sustainability of Iașul Nostru remains a significant hurdle for Enășescu.