Leo Greguric from Zagreb is no ordinary teenager from the Croatian capital. He has his own business in parallel with his education, and he's doing excellently.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes on the 16th of August, 2020, by the time kids hit about fourteen years old, most are at an often complicated crossroads in life. They're the stage of transition, not quite a child and not quite an adult, and they develop their own preferences and play sports, study computers, music, learn new technologies, "hunt" for girls or boys and most of all - they want to build an identity.
Who would have thought of doing something else, and to do it so seriously? Leo Greguric is a remarkable young man who had such ambition and now hehas a company in which he is a “director” with three years of experience, all before even coming of age! Leo Greguric runs 3DGlobe from Zagreb, which deals with 3D pressing.
"While I was still in primary school, I had a great desire to start my own small business and to run it in parallel with my high school education. Before I started the company, I bought a small 3D printer from a then-new American startup via Kickstarter. After a few months of use, I ran out of filament (plastic) and wanted to buy more. The closest representative for that was in Poland, so the idea for representation in Croatia came to me. It was a trigger and the whole idea of what I wanted to do suddenly formed in my head,'' the innovative Leo Greguric explained.
Noting that, of course, he shares other interests with his peers, moreover, skiing in winter and windsurfing in summer, but he added a little more to that list. In the beginning, only a few of his closest friends knew about the company, and over time more and more of them came to find out about it: "Some of them showed more interest, so I told them in more detail." His professors, however, still weren't aware of the business venture.
''I never told them about the company. I remember in 1st grade I gave a presentation on 3D printing in a computer science class, and the teacher praised me and then I said that in my free time I do 3D printing, and she gave me some really nice words of support. I didn’t say own a company, it was still early days back then and I didn’t have the courage to say something like that. Maybe I should have,'' Leo said honestly.
Since he couldn't register the company himself as a minor, his father helped him, enabling his son's business to be formally run through his company GWT, which deals with development and investments in new buildings in Zagreb. But despite the fact that his father got the ball rolling legally, Leo remains the boss at 3DGlobe.
''I'm the founder and CEO. In principle, I do everything myself, and my dad helps me out if something isn't clear to me about the paperwork, and he also supervises the issuance of invoices; I will turn 18 in November and I don't have a plan to form my own company yet,'' said the young man, who fell in love with this sort of technology while reading Bug magazine.
''I came across 3D printing while spending some time googling about novelties on the tech scene. I immediately became very interested in it,'' he noted, while when asked what trends prevail in technology today, he modestly replied:
"I'm not a big expert on that. I focus on 3D print technologies, and the trend is the rapid development of technologies and reducing the price of 3D printers with a parallel increase in print quality. As for technologies that aren't to do with 3D printing, I think that augmented reality, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and software in general, especially solutions for companies, are a lucrative business in Croatia,'' said Leo Greguric.
Regarding the activities of the company 3DGlobe, Leo says that the printing equipment in three dimensions includes 3D printers, materials for 3D printing, as well as some spare parts and various accessories. He currently sells two different types of 3D printers, as well as suitable materials. In addition to sales, the company also offers 3D printing services for others.
''We started out with the 3D printing service later. We do everything, and our clients are diverse. Individuals will order some items in small quantities that they need or want, but can't buy. For example, figurines, but also some buckles modelled on the original that broke and can't be easily bought. Legal entities that have so far ordered from us, for example, include architectural offices and dental offices. For the architects, we printed a larger quantity of house models, and helped the dentists in making tooth models. If I had to single out something unusual, then it's the order of a custom propeller for a drone,'' Leo Greguric recalled.
Leo has every right to be more than satisfied with his business. “From the beginning, my dream has been to secure sales every month. That goal has been achieved so I'm now focusing on growing those sales. Revenues have been present every month for the last year and a half, and there's a profit. These are nice numbers that provide me with some solid "pocket money". Formally speaking, I'm the only one who works in the company, but my cousin Ian helps me,'' said the young technology entrepreneur who wants to enroll in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER).
"If that doesn't go according to plan, then I'll consider options like FSB (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture), and maybe something else," Leo Greguric said.
Leo was asked whether or not he thinks that the STEM field is sufficiently represented in the Croatian education system, to which he responded:
"The other day I saw a post on social media in the form of statistics that say that Croatia is among the leading countries in Europe in terms of introducing STEM in education and the results of young people in competitions. Accordingly, I'd say that STEM is sufficiently represented. We can always do more and better, but we're on the right track,'' said the young man, whose role model in running the company and the overall organisation is his father.
''I can see first hand and learn every day what it looks like to run a successful private company that he started all on his own. Regarding the development of technology in Croatia, Mate Rimac is the obvious answer. He's an inspiration to me because he has proven that in Croatia it's possible to develop and work around high-tech products, but it's equally inspiring that he creates great jobs in Croatia and is a respected employer,'' concluded Leo Greguric.
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