Name: Alexandru MuresanOccupation(s): Owner/Fitness Monitor/ Front Desk
How long have you been doing this? The company started on January 1st – that is when we filed all the paperwork. However our first client came on my birthday, May 19th, 2011.
Where are you from originally? I am from Romania, but I moved to the United States in 2004 and currently live in Athens, GA. My parents are in Warner Robins, GA.
What did you graduate from UGA with? BBA in Economics and Minor in Dance.
What was the road that led you to do what you are doing today? I decided that all the jobs I was offered were not going to make me happy. So I followed the advice I want all the kids in my program to learn – fail fast and learn from it. Move on. Don’t be scared. Do what you love. I wasn’t going to wait until I retired to live the life that I dreamed of and be happy with what I do.
What exactly is FAFAYC? Fail As Fast As You Can is a program that teaches creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship to children through classes in art, music, dance and foreign language. We want kids to be able to do what they want in life and know how to go about doing it. The world isn’t a factory anymore, like it was in the 1800s, so we need to adapt. Those who thrive are those who see what they do as art. You need to create something new, be proactive and create things that change people’s lives. These lessons apply to any area of your life and any subject.
How did it come into being? I originally wanted to own an International Boarding school for Dance. A place where dancers could grow and experience cultures and styles from all around the world. In the creative process I realized that I could start with younger kids and not just focus on dance. A couple of books and lectures later, FAFAYC was born.
How hard was it to juggle school and FAFAYC? To be honest, FAFAYC was in the infant stages while I was still in school, so it wasn’t too bad. I spent a lot of time developing the website, flyers and other marketing and HR tasks, but it wasn’t too bad. Now I have 3 part time jobs to support my business and myself. I am lucky though, because I love what I do and I love where this program is going.
What are your ultimate goals for FAFAYC? The ultimate goal is to replace education, as we know it. At some point we will dive into math and writing, science and technology classes. The world has evolved tremendously, but education has remained the same. Most kids hate school and everything that it stands for. Learning can be a beautiful thing if we can incorporate what they want to learn and what they need today. It should be intriguing and fun at the same time.
How do you envision FAFAYC and LTF working together? FAFAYC and LTF will be great together! Hopefully we will push each other to get as many kids as possible and expand our reach beyond what each individual entity could do alone. Kids will be exposed to much more real world music because of LTF and we owe them for this opportunity.
What do you wish you had known at 15? That it’s ok to be different. That you want to stand out and go for what you believe in. You write your own story and as long as it is honest it will go far.
