Nikola Dujmović is one of the most well-known domestic IT entrepreneurs. He is the founder and CEO of Span, a software company established in 1993, and today one of the leading companies in providing design and construction services for information systems and technical support for users.
From the beginning, they have been the leading Microsoft partner in Croatia, and they have clients in various sectors, from finance, telecommunications, and industry to public administration. Span has offices in London and Chicago, and is now expanding to the east. Dujmović, who along with board member for sales Sanja Bogunović Krnetić holds a 60% ownership stake in Span, has recently become the new president of the IT association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.
Until recently, you were an opponent of the Chamber of Commerce, how do you view its role now?
– The Chamber has its role in representing entrepreneurs. It needs to change, but my task is not to transform the Chamber. We just want to give a little better meaning to the IT association. Until a year or two ago, no one perceived IT as a serious industry. In that sense, Prime Minister Milanović’s trip to the US also helped. Although it did not bring anything concrete, it put IT on the table and since then it has been talked about.
What do you think you can specifically achieve?
– We can influence the legislative process to prevent oversights that make life difficult for everyone. We would like them to say: the IT association at the Chamber of Commerce told us not to do that. It would be good to index how each new law helps or hinders the competitiveness of the Croatian industry and what administrative burden it imposes on Croatian employers. Ruthless laws are being passed that shift the administrative burden onto entrepreneurs. Now, they will calculate taxes themselves after we prepare everything for them, so the powerful computers of the Tax Administration will independently generate calculations so we do not have to come to the counter, which is the first shift since the 19th century. We need to liberalize the Labor Law and try to explain to society and the state that Uber is not bad. These are business models that are here to stay, and why shouldn’t we be leaders in their acceptance? Why shouldn’t we allow Croatian workers to work from home if they want to? Now we have one law that allows it and seven others that complicate or prevent it. Let’s create a digital society in which we will all be better off, or we will again remain among the countries we do not want to compare ourselves with.
Span also had an unsuccessful experience merging with two other companies into Atento. Why does this model not succeed in Croatia, which is rich in small IT companies?
– The Atento model was that only large projects would be done through it, but a month after its establishment, a crisis came and there were no large projects. I think the reason is that emotional capital, a nicer word for the vanity of owners, is high in Croatia. We are like that too. But it all depends on whether your goal is to leave the company richer or for your business model to perpetuate and the company to grow. We have an agreement, we do not leave the company to our children or grandchildren. I told my children, if you want a company, establish it, and you will receive education from me wherever you want. We would like Span to succeed, but not necessarily with us because that would mean retiring with us. We are now exclusively hiring young people, no matter how discriminatory that may sound. I am thrilled with them.
