Erno Ciupe Bartha is an uncommon businessman. He never wears a suit or a tie. He drives his Beetle and his green truck with a sunflower painted on it.
His businesses are not conventional, either. All of them are spiced with some fun and culture, so Erno is a kind of Richard Branson from Cluj.
His first business dealt with electronics. PC spare parts were exempt from customs duties payment in Hungary, where he had immigrated in 1987. The PCs resulted after the assembly sold well.
"Together with some friends of mine, I built a market position in this field. However, I was not thrilled by the business itself, but by the freedom to travel and make a living on my own," he recollects.
During the summer of 1989, Erno left for Italy for the apple harvest. He came across a baron, who lived in a castle from the 13th century. Employees worked 11 hours a day in the orchard, starting at 7 am, and had only one break, at midday.
"This was when I realised what capitalism is. I ate my lunch as fast as possible in order to have several minutes to relax my back."
He soon succeeded to work so fast and so fine that his work became some kind of benchmark. The baron was impressed and invited him to repair his castle over the next summer.
"After Ceausescu was overthrown, I came back in Romania. I used to tell my friends this was the America of the early 20th century. There were lots of business opportunities, so one who couldn't decide and moved from one thing to another eventually lost. I used to have several trump cards, but I lived as I do now: with lots of ideas and silly things," Erno recollects.
He sold, PCs, parabolic antennas, TV sets and even horses. In 1992, he thought to introduce in Romania the western tradition of billiard clubs, with a bar and good music.
He established Snooker&Gamebill and opened the first billiard club in the country within the former Casino located in Parcul Mare from Cluj.
As "Snooker&Gamebill" fared great, Erno felt he had to celebrate it somehow. This was how Music Pub was born.
"I initially intended it to be a place where businesspeople could find something for their taste, but also a place where penniless students could buy a beer," the owner explains.
He soon realised that well-off Romanians prefer luxury places and his pub was only a place where students, artists and other non-conventional people used to meet. Erno now organises concerts and exhibitions, an annual carnival and an alternative art festival for them.
But Erno did not forget about his rich clients. At the beginning of the year, after more than two years of plans and preparations, he opened the Escorial restaurant, located in Piata Unirii from Cluj.
Although his businesses are quite prosperous, Erno decided to sell everything and become a sculptor, as this is his passion. His companies registered more than five billion lei in turnover last year.
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