In the entrepreneurial scene of the entire region, the name of Zagreb’s Kristina Ercegović is well-known and synonymous with business success. Many who seek a turnaround in their business will surely seek advice from Kristina, a writer, serial entrepreneur, and business consultant, who is rightly called the ‘good spirit of entrepreneurship’.
The initiator of Business Cafe, author of numerous successful articles, blogs, and columns, as well as authored books on entrepreneurship, some of which have become regional bestsellers, has had several business turnarounds in her own career, so it is no surprise that she named her current company Zaokret. Success has always followed her, and in various business decisions, from resignations in other successful companies to her own that she sold, her driving forces have always been personal growth, optimism, and great ambitions… Kristina is truly a leader, one of those who never falter on their path despite perhaps not so ideal times and circumstances in which they live and operate.
In your long-standing successful entrepreneurial career, you have often made drastic changes and turnarounds in business, primarily guided, as you have emphasized, by further personal growth. Recently, you shut down one of your very successful projects, Business Cafe, which for years networked and educated small entrepreneurs. What prompted you to take this drastic business move?
I mainly follow my intuition, of course, and the numbers, but above all my inner voice, and somehow I have the luck to see a little ahead and the bigger picture and can connect things before time. Sometimes it is a burden, sometimes a blessing, because timing is very important. Business Cafe continues in neighboring countries. It is not completely shut down.
Since you expanded Business Cafe by selling licenses to some countries in the region, how successful has that venture proven to be? Will you continue to be part of that project, and in what ways?
It has proven successful as a concept in all countries, seven of them and 25 cities where we tried, but it has not been financially sustainable everywhere. The other day it was in Skopje, it continues there, as well as in Sarajevo and Ljubljana. I have three potential buyers for Croatia, which I did not expect at all. There are some ideas to continue perhaps in a slightly different form, but there is definitely interest, because as people say: ‘Where do entrepreneurs socialize? Well, at Business Cafe.’ It is very important to socialize with like-minded people; that need exists and will not disappear. What pleases me most in that part of the job is the selection and conversation with guests; I am open to continuing that part. I have a few unsolicited offers and proposals that I am now considering. And the colleagues who run Business Cafe in other countries always eagerly await me as a guest and co-moderator, of course.
Is it sometimes useful advice to ‘stop when it’s best’?
I believe it is. And in life, one should know when to stop. And have a measure. And a sense of timing. Stopping does not mean giving up nor does it mean that we have not succeeded in something. Sometimes it means ‘let’s see if someone else can do it smarter’. Or just stop. Or take a break. Or wait. Or let things happen on their own. For an entrepreneur, the most important thing is to get out of their own way, as well as their company. And to never be a slave to their work and to adapt their work to life, not life to work.
Have you ever regretted any of your business ventures and moves that changed the direction of your career and business? Did all of them ultimately prove to be justified and successful?
I have not, but I have made financial mistakes and I chose some people poorly, both personally and professionally. I regret selling two of the four properties I owned at one point, or that I did not keep them and create a passive income source, and I regret not using other people’s money more for business growth. And I have one dream that has never been realized, which I thought of too early. Its time is just coming.
You are always proactive, simultaneously working on numerous projects, almost never resting, and this has been going on for years. What are you currently most occupied with?
My focus is on the project ‘Women and Money’. Our mission is to change the financial future of women in the Balkans. Our vision is financially independent women. Several business angels are entering into co-ownership with me, and we have great ambitions and concrete plans. I am giving 300 percent to that. Personally, I am currently taking a course for successful online business and soon I will start training as a constellator. Namely, I want to enrich my consulting for small entrepreneurs, in which I always have a holistic approach – a combination of awareness, business, and psychology, with the NLP Master I have had for years, with knowledge of systemic (primarily business) constellations.
Do you ever get tired of this consecutive proactivity and constant multitasking?
No. What tires me the most are nonsense, meaningless activities, and people who drain my energy, so I have always, but even more every day, been careful about who I am in contact with. Achieving my dreams, contributing to society, that can never tire me. I do not practice multitasking; I am focused when I work on one thing at a time, only I have a lot of passion and interests, so I work a little on all of that. And I often rest and recharge my batteries. I take short breaks and regularly go into nature. I am in the south or on some trip for at least a third of the month. I love being in Dalmatia, looking at the sea and sunsets for a long time; that is where I recharge my batteries the fastest and easiest, and all my ancestors are from there. As soon as I pass Sveti Rok, I am a different woman. My partner has a boat, so he ‘hooked’ me on the boat and sailing the sea; I slowly grew to love it, from initial fear to true enjoyment.
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What is your most important driver and motivator to always move forward and not give up, even when it is difficult and the business situation and circumstances are not ideal?
The mission – why I started all this. My passions are entrepreneurship – I want to encourage people to think entrepreneurially, which means not complaining but being proactive. We do not all have to be entrepreneurs; it is not for everyone, but we can all stop complaining, be grateful for what we have, and take action on what we can. We can always make some lemonade from life’s lemons, right? My other passion is empowering women. In everything I do, I want to leave a mark, or as someone told me – you make everyone better. That is why we are here, to love each other, to be supportive. Let’s make the world at least a little better when we leave than when we arrived, and how, by sharing our talents with others.
You often emphasize that in entrepreneurship, it is not important what you have achieved but what kind of person you become along the way. What other moral qualities are you most proud of?
My favorite compliment I received is precisely this that I have already mentioned, you make everyone better. But also from one client: ‘There is a business life before and after meeting Kristina.’ I think that is the best answer. Freedom, honesty, loyalty, community, relationships, generosity, truth, and most importantly love and doing good are important to me.
