Early Curiosity
I grew up in one of Croatia's most war-affected regions. When my first-grade teacher called me "the stupidest child she had ever seen," it sparked something in me. Instead of accepting her judgment, I became determined to understand how things really work. Throughout my early years, I heard plenty of voices telling me what I couldn't do. Each "no" just made me more curious about what might be possible. History fascinated me from a young age, especially military strategy. By ten, I'd filled fifteen notebooks with battle formations and castle defenses. My mother would smile and say, "Leave him to his battles, and you won't hear a sound for hours." Those drawings were my first explorations of leverage and strategic thinking. Archery became another passion. Winning several national championships taught me that excellence comes from consistent, focused effort, not grand gestures. There's a special clarity when drawing a new arrow – everything else falls away. Just you and your target. This feeling that I could truly love doing something and be great at it gave me confidence to aim higher in life.
Call For The Adventure
Business books captured my imagination next, leading me to study Business in England. Those student days taught me resourcefulness – I went without a pillow for three months, seeing it as an unnecessary expense. After my first tough year at university, I took a summer job on a beautiful Croatian island tucked in a hidden bay. Without my phone, I spent the summer reading and talking with interesting people who arrived on boats. I met businessmen, billionaires, generals, designers, footballers – not one boring conversation. I left with memories, business cards, and offers, but I wanted to find my own path. My career wasn't straightforward. I went from Croatian archery champion to international student working multiple jobs. From washing shisha pots to becoming known as the "shisha doctor." From breaking sales records on my first day to boosting revenue through digital marketing. I realized I wouldn't be the next Gates or Zuckerberg at 21, but I treated each job as a chance to grow. My big break came after missing out on a Big 4 consulting role. I landed in marketing while actually interviewing for warehouse work. There I found untapped potential in digital markets and gained trust to work across different parts of the business. Later, I joined a respected manufacturing company in the English countryside to run their new online business. After significantly growing their revenue, I moved to another company but struggled with bureaucracy. Eventually, I left England to start my own projects back where I began.
Finding Some Answers
Today, I've come back to the place where it all began. I've reconnected with my past and the child I once was. After taking a little break from professional work I have spent a lot of time with my own mind, meditating on what is the meaning of life and what do I truly want. I have found a lot of joy in just practicing mindful meditations, advancing on my reading and learning about the great philosophies that have shaped the world. In doing so I have experienced redefining moments of absolute peace and tranquility. Those moments of peace have been my navigating system ever since as it brought me to the understanding that no matter what you have to be okay with who you are and live a life that is honest to your real self. That has defined how I approach anything. I'm far from achieving the freedom and the professional position I would ultimately like to achieve but I am very grateful to be working by following what truly resonates with my most authentic self and the ultimate desire to be doing exactly what I'm doing, from my start ups, my consulting business, to the novel I'm writing & to this website. All is shaped around the same philosophy that everything is a story and it's all a lot more simple than most can admit to themselves. I often think of the ancient Egyptian story of joy and giving joy, they believed that once a person leaves this world he finds himself at the entrance gate of something new and he is asked a simple question if he has found joy in this life, and if he gave joy to others? Thank you for taking your time to read this far, I hope you enjoy some of my blog pieces. With Love, Ivan