If someone had told Tomislav Anadolac, a financial and IT consultant, and his partner Hrvoje Bušić, a pilot who worked for Croatia Airlines, a few years ago that their hobby, or side job of producing spirits, would take off so well that both would leave their careers to dedicate themselves to this business, they would have laughed in his face. The duo is behind the brand Duh u boci, a distillery where they produced their whiskey and vodka in their spare time, and now they are already producing, according to some recognitions and awards, the best gin in the world.
– Due to the growth of our side business, Hrvoje recently stopped piloting and is now fully engaged in our joint company, while I still have my IT and consulting services company, but I also plan to fully dedicate myself to the joint business that has essentially grown out of a hobby – emphasized Anadolac, who has already spoken to Lider about the transition from a small local production facility to a global player in the spirits industry.
Unknown territory
Nikolina Gajec could not have imagined that one day she would employ as many as fourteen people, that her aunt animators would become stars of the main influencer profiles in Croatia and beyond, and that her calendar for the entire year would fill up by spring. From her incredibly entrepreneurial spirit came the idea for Little Stars by Nina, a business specializing in childcare and animation at weddings and events such as birthdays and various celebrations.
She studied pedagogy and wanted to work with children her whole life, although she worked in something completely different for a while. A job in another industry, at a completely different workplace, did not satisfy her in any way except existentially. And since she always thought it would be good to start her own business, she did not hesitate to enter unknown territory and was the first in Croatia to start a business she believed in from the start.
– I first opened a craft business with just a few animators who, like me, had this as a side job, something we did on weekends. Today, after four years, I can say without hesitation that I have built a serious business that survived the pandemic. The craft is now a company with fourteen employees, the business is thriving, and I believe good things are ahead of us – emphasized Gajec.
The team from the Tax Administration
Starting or entering a side business in Croatia has been a common practice for decades. ‘Side hustlers’ are everywhere: plumbers, electricians, seamstresses, hairdressers, teachers, and even journalists; few are those who have never done a side job. However, even fewer are those like the duo from Duh u boci or Nikolina Gajec and her stars who have invested so much effort and work into their side jobs that it has become a real business.
—
—
However, what is quite normal in some other countries, working for another employer or engaging in one’s own hobby for financial gain, is still not sufficiently regulated in Croatia. Moreover, most of Lider’s interlocutors who do something on the side do not want to talk about it under their own name and surname – out of fear of the Tax Administration.
