The 2nd International Conference on Diaspora Tourism took place in Split on May 17, 2019. TCN meets some of the returning diaspora who have made a success of life in Croatia. Next up, Kreso Gotovac of Trigon Capital in Split. 

1. You are from Canada, returned to Croatia, something that many diaspora dream of doing. Tell us briefly about your journey.

 
I left Canada 19 years ago, but I had a very different path in returning. It was a very multistep process, moving around back and forth from neighboring countries until I finally made my home base in Split. Croatia, in particular Split, was always a faraway dream, as I visited regularly with my family, and made a large base of friends throughout the younger years that I still have today. So, when I had the opportunity to join a start-up telecom company in Slovenia in 2000, I did not even have to think about it for a second. I accepted the job and left 7days following a phone interview, as I had asked, “When do you need me to start?”, and he said “yesterday”.  One of the major reasons for leaving Canada was the daily commute of 1.45 hrs to work and then 1.45 hrs back, making the dream job that I had in Toronto somewhat of a fantasy, as you don’t have much time or energy to do anything after spending so much time on the road.

My commute to work now in Split is a 5-10 min walk through the 1700 yr Old Historical Diocletian Palace, or a quick electric bike ride. Now, looking back and comparing, I have more than 3 extra hours to enjoy with family and friends and many, many “kava” meetings, all the while, getting well-deserved vitamin D in the sun on the Split promenade and other places.   I must also mention that this life-changing move was all due to the part my brother Danny played in organizing the phone interview. He had already been living in Europe/S.America for 6 years at that time and dreamed of us brothers working and living the European lifestyle together. His dream came true and made mine as well, and to this day I am grateful to him.    

 
From my initial position in Ljubljana which was supposed to be a 6-month contract, but extended to 2 years, I found my way to Split through networking and meeting business like minds, thereby continuing telecom services and opening a firm. After working in Split for 2 years, the project ended abruptly, and I applied online to work for the UNDP in Kosovo and was accepted for a project lasting a little over 2 years. These were some of the most memorable life and learning experiences that Canada would not have been able to provide.

Shortly after, there was another interval of 2 years of working in Split where I met my wife and knew that I had to figure out a way of staying without constantly changing countries and projects.  However, due to certain circumstances, I joined an Irish Investment Fund in Budva, Montenegro, developing residential property along the coast.

At that time, through networking, I met one of the key lifechanging individuals in my life, that was the CEO and founder of an Estonian Fund who was visiting Dubrovnik for vacation. After 8 months of team meetings and discussions, he asked me to join his team in Croatia, with the office based in Split on the main promenade.   How could someone say “no” to this?  So, I gratefully accepted and have been living in Split, and working with Trigon Capital for the past 10 years, investing and developing tourism and residential projects along the coast of Dalmatia with my college Tomislav Sladojevic, who also returned to Croatia from Germany 15 years ago.    
 
With this next step in my professional career, my personal life also took off. I got married, and my wife and I decided to invest all of my savings into tourism, and thus, we opened SleepSplit.com - Luxury Suites & Rooms in the UNESCO center of town in 2012 knowing that “Split will be our forever home” as they say.   This is the story in short as I would need to make a movie to explain everything in detail!

 
 
2. Looking back, what were your hopes, expectations and fears about moving to Croatia?
 
When I moved from Canada, I took a 6 month leave without pay from a career job in the center of Toronto. Everyone expected me to return. Soon after, I extended for another 6 months, but ended up staying for 2 years in Slovenia before moving to Croatia. That was 19 years ago. Returning to Canada was always an option in the early years, but jobs and opportunities continued to present themselves.

Today, Croatia offers so much more potential for newcomers, compared to how it was when I first came. Back when I arrived, I was changing countries and high-level jobs in neighboring countries, but today you can come to Croatia and start in any field and find or start your own company, especially in tourism, considering the enormous influx of tourists these past 5 years.   In the beginning I was always looking at a short term project or start-up, but 10 years ago I knew I wanted to stay and this was a game changer! That’s why I invested into Sleep Split - Luxury Suites - to have a foundation and eliminate the worry and fear of moving again to another country and another job, especially now with a family of four.   

 
3. How supportive was your Croatian community back home at the time?
 
I think everyone believed it would be a short leave, but they soon realized I was not coming back! They accepted this and encouraged me during all my stages in getting settled in Croatia.   During those early years and even more today, I have friends visiting and only wishing they could find a job like back home but live in Croatia.   The funny/crazy thing is that they can, but the majority with families will never take that risk. However, younger generations are trying, as I know 3 individuals that have returned to Split from Canada in the past 3 years and all are successful.  I encourage and wish everyone from the Diaspora to take the risk and return to Croatia, as that decision is the hardest to make.

4. Many diasporas think of returning but few do. In truth, there is little information out there about real-life stories and help/info about the process. What advice do you have for those who are thinking about making the move?
 
Life in Europe and along the coast in Croatia cannot be explained or described to give its beauty justice. This is especially true of Split; everyone just needs to do it and never look back.  I believe if there is even the slightest opportunity, everyone should take it young or old.   From summers in Croatia, winter skiing in Italian or Austrian Alps and everything in-between, it has proven to be a perfect formula.   My very good local Croatian friend which I met more than 10 years ago would work 4 months and travel the world for 8 months. I always wondered how that was possible, an 8-month vacation?  In Canada, you only have 2 weeks’ vacation.

Today in Croatia the season has expanded to 6-7 months, so vacation and time to work on other projects for someone in the tourist sector is now “only” 5-6 months. I consider this the dream job everyone can do if they decide to return to Croatia, just like my local Croatian friend that many know.   There are so many of us Diaspora that do such seasonal work, and that is the hidden reality - you don’t have to settle with only 2 weeks’ vacation, but you invest and work hard in the tourist sector and, as a result, take any time for yourself for vacation and other projects.

 
5. How were you perceived in Split as diaspora moving back - was the welcome warm?
 
The usual question even today is why would you move to Croatia?  Is Canada not better? With the country being so small in population, and politics being a major topic of conversation with the locals, it seems that only negative news and discussions of corruption and who you know is talked about. No wonder they think we are crazy to return.  
 
However, the group of expats and people that have returned, never talk much politics or about general problems, but instead, work hard to understand the process needed and get things done and also work to change the system if possible. This is why there are many stories of successful people returning, especially with the tourism and real-estate boom these past 5 years.

 
6. Through a lot of hard work, you have been very successful, while many foreigners have given up and left Croatia. What are the keys to success in doing business in Croatia in your opinion?
 
Never give up is main formula for being successful and for staying in Croatia, and patience.  I had many opportunities to return to Canada, but decided to take jobs in neighboring countries such as Slovenia, Montenegro and Kosovo while always searching and networking for a way to return to Croatia, and not Canada.   Once you find your niche in Croatia, in whatever sector, your quality of life will improve in every aspect of your life.

It’s hard to explain, but I wish everyone could have a chance to live in Croatia for a longer period of time, and realize that you cannot compare the quality of life in Croatia to Canada. We do have to mention that Canada has contributed to our success due to our upbringing, work ethics, education, and mindset. The qualities that you have gained abroad like customer service need to be used, and success will be imminent.

 
7. What is the diaspora community like in Split and how integrated is it with locals?
 
It’s amazing! The group of Diasporas that live and work in Split are only positive and work hard.  Everyone shares their knowledge and experiences helps in every way possible to make sure that someone who has just arrived is successful as well. In the tourism season, we meet much less, but that’s why we make up for it during the offseason by enjoying each other’s company and traveling Europe and the world together.

 
8. And finally, a word on this conference. How was it for you, and what were the main take-home points?
 
Meeting so many people for the first time that I have not met before was very positive and there were so many amazing stories to listen to.   We exchanged and shared contacts, and just today I was in contact with a few new Australian friends that live in Zagreb. We are already planning to discuss business ideas and meet next month on Island Lopud, where we annually have a Canadian Diaspora meeting at “Villa Lopud”, owned also by Diaspora from Canada.

For more on the Croatian diaspora, check out the TCN dedicated section.