September 21, 2022 - I am very grateful to the business magazine Poduzetnik, for inviting me to write the editorial for their September edition. The English translation.

My life has always been random, and if someone had told me a few years ago that I would be a 53-year-old YouTuber (how sad does that sound) on the cover of a successful business magazine, in a custom made suit as part of my role of the first international male model in the 100-year history of Varteks writing an editorial about why I am no longer interested in Croatian tourism, but something much more interesting and inspiring, the only surprise would have been that I made it to 53.

Jobs, the New Attraction for Foreigners in Croatia

I have had the most incredible summer in Croatia and, for the first time in 20 years, apart from 2 nights for the opening of the Peljesac Bridge, I haven't seen the sea at all.

And it has been fantastic.

I am trying an experiment, to live in an imaginary Croatia where there is no coast or tourism, just focusing on what remains. And what remains is quite exceptional. And full of foreign languages.

But these are not the voices solely of tourists on the streets of Zagreb, but of expats, new arrivals for our unicorns, Rimac and Infobip (and others), and a steady stream of digital nomads. In fact, take tourism away and look at what is left, and things get interesting.

Two years ago, nobody knew what a digital nomad was in Croatia. The pandemic, digital nomad visa, and award-winning Zagreb Digital Nomad Week changed all that.

The respected NomadList global survey placed Zagreb as the 5^th most-liked city for nomads in the world, as well as the 5^th fastest-growing remote work hub in the world. Co-working spaces are EVERYWHERE in the city, and arriving nomads are struck by the choice and diversity of workspaces.

They are struck too by the safety, the level of English, the parks, the nature, the authentic experiences, the lifestyle, the food, the wine, the people. The list goes on.

“The only thing missing in Zagreb for digital nomads,” said Israeli Dean Kuchel, “is more digital nomads. This place has everything.”

To mark my 20 years in Croatia, I recently wrote a series called 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years. It was intended to showcase the magic of Croatian with the right mindset, as well as a thank you to Croatia and its people. Doing business in Dalmatia, the olive harvest, bureaucracy and mindset, safety, raising children, getting sued, the Mighty State of Uhlljebistan.

The reaction was huge. SO many expats and diaspora. After part 7, safety, a Croat in Amsterdam messaged to say she was sending each article to the FORTY international colleagues at their new office in Zagreb. There was no book that explains Croatia to foreigners. We chatted a little – what if I turned this into a book?

“Then I will order 40 copies.”

And so Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners was born. An affectionate but honest overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly through a foreign eye which has seen more of the country that most locals, failed at business, fought with bureaucracy, and revelled in the lifestyle. It took me 15 years to explain the secret of success in living and doing business in Dalmatia. Fifteen years and one sentence in the book.

Do not try and change Dalmatia, but expect Dalmatia to change you.

TCN editor Lauren Simmonds is co-writing the book, with a practical guide for new arrivals; getting an OIB, finding a dentist, residence permits, and opening a bank account. Pre-sales have been extraordinary, with one Croatian company ordering 1,000 copies for a branded edition.

And they are not alone. Working in Croatia is 'in', your safe, authentic lifestyle destination – and with mindset and wealth generation in the package. Tourism? What tourism?

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners will be out in October. For pre-orders, including branded corporate copies, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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May 30, 2020 - The biggest Croatian entrepreneurs will come together for the Entrepreneurial Mindset for Students conference, which will be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at 10 am.

Poduzetnik.biz writes that when we talk about the future, it is extremely important that more and more educational institutions in our country put their focus on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial topics, but some things cannot be learned in school. Entrepreneurship, namely, is not only the ability to start a business, but also the skill of solving problems "on the go", the ability to properly communicate and delegate, as well as creative and innovative thinking. It is known that many successful entrepreneurs around the world started their companies just during their study days.

The media company Poduzetnik.biz wants to encourage young people to develop critical thinking, to rise above the problem and think outside the box, and to get to know real successful examples from the Croatian entrepreneurial scene. One in a series of projects in which words are put into action is the Entrepreneurial Mindset for Students conference, which will be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, starting at 10 am.

From the studio, where the show Entrepreneurial Mindset with Saša Cvetojević is filmed, many successful Croatian entrepreneurs will be featured as speakers at the Entrepreneurial Mindset for Students conference.

On behalf of the hosts, the conference will be opened by the CEO of the Bagatin Polyclinic and the owner of the magazine Poduzetnik, Ognjen Bagatin. The main partner of the consulting and auditing company EY for Croatia, Berislav Horvat, will moderate the conversation with entrepreneur Nenad Bakić, and Saša Cvetojević with entrepreneur Urška Sršen. Bellabeat co-founder Urška Sršen will talk about her youthful beginnings, and Nenad Bakić will present the news of his project, the largest extracurricular STEM movement in Europe, the Croatian Makers League, which gathers more than 150,000 children in Croatia alone.

Filip Ljubić, founder of Q Software, will talk about his example of a successful startup in Croatia, and Nanobit CEO Alan Sumina will talk about the beginnings of his strongest Croatian gaming company in the context of the crisis that proved to be an opportunity for them in 2008.

The panel, moderated by World Bank expert advisor Stephanie E. Trpkov, will feature Matej Špoler, co-founder and CTO of Infinum, Aleksandra Dojčinović, designer and owner of the LeiLou by Alex brand, and Danijel Ackermann, co-founder of the most award-winning digital marketing company Degordian.

To follow all the news and information about this conference, as well as the live follow-up link, you can apply via the Entrepreneurial Mindset for Students website, which has so far collected more than 500 applications from all parts of Croatia.

The conference will also be broadcast via the Entrepreneur's Youtube channel. See you on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at 10 am!

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.