In February 2013, what we now happily call Gun Media was born. It’s been 9 years since this dream became a reality. 9 years with ups and downs, memorable moments, amazing people, and achieved goals.
Today, Gun Media means a team of 15 people and a portfolio of approximately 100 clients, but things were not always like this.
Curious by nature, we wanted to learn more and „grilled” our colleague Robert Trandafir, who is also the co-founder of Gun Media. He told us about the agency’s beginnings, how the name was chosen, and this nearly decade-long journey.
We talked about values, evolution, and satisfaction. And last but not least, we discussed our most important asset: the team.
In short, we had a „story moment” about Gun Media and we want to share it with you.
When was the Gun Media agency founded?
It started in 2013 with Ana and Florin and it was called Hotspot Online. It started as an exclusive Google ADS agency. I had started another small SEO and content agency. Then, starting from a phrase I read that says „better than one on a nut, better many on a watermelon”, things aligned and we ended up merging, keeping the Gun brand.
How did you decide to start this business?
It seemed to me that I was very good at what I was doing at the time and no one was giving me the salary I wanted. I was also doing a bit of freelance work and there were clients asking me for an invoice. So I decided to prove to myself that I could do it on my own. The good part, after all this time, is that it seems I was right 😊. It wasn’t such a hard decision.
How did you choose the name and why ‘Gun’?
I would like to say that it is the result of a branding strategy, but the truth is that gun.ro found me. I owned this domain for a long time from a friend. I had bought it with the idea of owning a short, 3-letter domain name that at some point could be useful for a brand. When I did research for the name of the agency’s website, I realized that they own gun.ro. It slightly derived into Gun Media accompanied by the first slogan „We only aim for performance”. I thought it fit a performance agency.
What is the first memory that comes to mind from the early days of the agency?
It’s not the first memory, but the first thing that comes to mind: my first employee, Andrei, for whom Gun Media was his first job. He contributed a lot to the initial growth of the agency because he was very eager to perform. In the meantime, Andrei is the digital marketing manager at Global Records and is doing an amazing job. I am very proud of how he has grown. I will never forget his CV with a huge, full-page A4 photo of him in a suit at a wedding. 😊
How was the first year of activity?
It was absolutely full of new things, most of which were unrelated to online marketing: I found myself needing to understand accounting, HR, finding an office, negotiating rents, and looking for clients. Basically, I didn’t have a single job; I had about 6 at the same time. The beginning always seems hard, but the enthusiasm is great, and necessity teaches you. Until 2013, I had no entrepreneurial experience whatsoever.
How did the first clients come about?
I had done a bit of freelance work, delivered results, and was recommended. It was also a favorable context because the agency where I worked as an SEO specialist until 2013 exited the market in a bizarre way, leaving many clients without providers. I had a good relationship with some of them, and they trusted me to continue with them.
Tell us a funny story from the early days of Gun Media
I’ll mention a more recent one, from 2-3 years ago: Stefan’s housewarming party. What I can say is that everyone tasted about 7 different types of drinks. Some more, some even more. What happened at Stefan’s stays at Stefan’s. 😊
If you were to describe the agency in 3 words, what would they be?
What are we eating today? 😊 Those are three, and they work.
On a more serious note: Freedom, Responsibility, Expertise.
What values have you established for Gun?
Honesty, learning, loyalty, flexibility, and autonomy.
How has the agency developed over the years?
From freelancer with a handful of clients, to freelancer with helpers, then to a team of 15 amazing people and apx. 100 active customers.
What are you grateful for today, 9 years after its establishment?
