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Do you know the saying: “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” by Oscar Wilde? Now, this is my personal and editorial guess that if Oscar had lived in the 21st century, he would have arranged his country house by tuning into Freshome.

Launched in 2007, Freshome is a weblog devoted to uncovering (and sharing) the latest and greatest products in Architecture and Design. Today, the website numbers more than 7,000 articles on how to best fit our living space, more than 70,000 subscribers on Twitter and RSS feed and almost 4 million unique visitors on www.freshome.com each month. Yes, you read me right, each month. What’s even better is that Freshome apart from being great, it’s a great Romanian project from Timisoara started by Micle Mihai Cristian, CEO and Founder Freshome.

As curious as I am, I approached Mihai for a short, yet insightful interview on developing Freshome and their future plans. As always, enjoy!

VC: How would you describe Freshome in one line?

Freshome is an online magazine about modern design, architecture, interior design, style, creativity and everything that makes life less ordinary.

VC: What were your techniques for entering an already rich market for interior design sites and becoming one of its best? 

When I started Freshome in 2007 the market was crowded, but not totally closed ..I can say that I was there at the perfect time. Now talking about techniques .. I can say that online is pretty easy to find out what people want and what they are searching for. All you have to do is get inside your “customers” heads …see what they want an create that thing. There are plenty of tools that allow you to see what people are looking for online.

VC: Was “becoming the best in the industry” something you had in mind from the beginning?

In the beginning it was like a game for me. I was doing lots of experiments and learning along the way. I never planned to be the best in this industry but after 5+ years in this industry perseverance pays off in the end.

VC: You have a small, yet absolutely brilliant editorial team. How do you divide your work to manage such a popular weblog?

Yes behind Freshome is a small team, but a very organized team. Everybody knows exactly what to do and when someone has questions I do my best to answer those questions.

VC: What is the typical working day like for a Freshome editor?

It’s hard to define what a “typical” writer’s day is like from minute to minute because most writers have their own systems for getting things done. It doesn’t matter what time of day you write or where you are if you have a computer with internet access. Here at Freshome we usually plan everything in advance and I make sure that everybody has something to work on for the next few days.

VC: Doesn’t all this work ever become run of the mill? How do you cope with that?

Even if you love your work, there will be times when it no longer fills you with passion and energy. You need to unequivocally set boundaries for “work” time and “other” time. Focusing just on work was a really big problem when I started Freshome, but with time I’ve learned how to deal with this problem.

VC: Has Freshome become a profitable project or is it still something you do mostly out of passion for architectural art?

While enthusiasm is a great place to start, it’s not enough to sustain a business for the long term. Freshome is 5 years old project and it became profitable after the first 3 months, so the conclusion is : “Things come much easier when you’re passionate about what you do.”

VC: What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

I always wanted the chance to create, not just carry out a role and I’ve decided that becoming an entrepreneur can give you that feeling. In conclusion ..the joy of owning your own business and the feeling that you’re in charge … this was my motivation for becoming an entrepreneur.

VC: How would you advice young people that think of starting there own business but have no clue how? What should they do first? 

Entrepreneurship is for those who take what they are given in life and rather than accept it as their fate, go all out using what they have been given to get what they really want. Plus you always need to remember that entrepreneurship is not work. It’s a lifestyle. When you become an entrepreneur you are always thinking about your business, …even when you are sleeping. Do you think you’re ready for it?

VC: Which are Freshome’s objectives for 2013?

It’s very hard to set objectives in today’s fast-paced world because everything is changing so fast, and before setting objectives you need to adapt to the changes around you first. For 2013 we are planning to improve Freshome marketshare & profit.