“A Little Devil …”
Even in my early years, I was an “unusual” kid. Not in a way to be extraordinary but to drive parents crazy! My older sister was a perfect child: quiet, obedient, and predictable. I was just the opposite: “a little devil,” fearless, hyperactive, and full of crazy ideas.
This was a terrible combination, because I was eager to try out everything that popped into my head.
Besides some “interesting” activities that sometimes led to almost self-destruction or destroying the house (hint: experiments with electricity, chemicals, fire…), I had plenty of innovative ideas. Mainly for improvement of existing objects, combining things into something new, creating new toys, and so on.
At the age of ten I managed to build a real, small car for two persons to drive on the street. I also loved repairing bicycles and upgrading them. I even I made a “half motorcycle” out of my bike, while I was still in primary school. At that time I already knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I was also good at sports. Cycling and basketball were my favourites, but my real love was technology and innovations.
I specialized in repairing electronic devices and creating “moveable” toys. I made robots, model rockets, and boats to name a few. At the age of fifteen, I started my first serious business: developing and manufacturing state-of-the-art, hand-built, hi-fi amplifiers. They were selling like hot cakes for quite a high price. (For comparison, you could buy five very good amplifiers from well-known brands, like Sony, for the price of my amp.)
The major benefits of these amps, besides the high quality, were reliability, perfect class-A sound, and a flawless design (inside and outside.) “Everything had to be the way that no extra work, other materials, or additional amount of money could improve it. Simply, an amp had to be the best of the best,” I explained when someone asked me what the main benefit of my amps is.
I am very proud that even today, about thirty years later, some of these amps are still working in homes of original buyers, who refuse to change them for others.
This kind of thinking – working on a product until the highest quality is achieved – gradually became my prevailing philosophy in business. I didn´t want to create just “another product.” I wanted to create the best one: reliable, user-friendly, eye-catching, and above all, of the highest quality. “There will always be people who will want top-notch products. These are my customers.
I must be immune to the others who want an average product or the lowest price and don´t appreciate usability, reliability, and quality,” I was telling to myself. Today I still feel the same!
A Strange Night Habit … and First Millions
In my high school years I went to the Electrical and Computer Technical High School. Independent of my hi-fi components building business that was slowly growing, I showed interest in various spheres of activity – mechanics, electronics, software understanding and creation, design, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
Trying to understand and know how things works, I appreciated and valued every minute of every hour so much that I refused to go to sleep at normal hours. I slept for no more than three or four hours a night. Night-time was my “secret weapon” when I was free to think, develop ideas, and create various products (and watch TV, mostly documentaries… although there were only a few TV channels back then.)
I was gaining all kinds of knowledge in the fields that interested me: history, the universe and astronomy, money and payment systems, social skills and relations.
An important breakthrough happened when I started seeing how the economy and markets work. There are problems on one side and solutions on the other. Actually, I noticed that there were many problems out there but very few solutions, and it seemed like no one cared much. People were satisfied with the existing situation and showed no interest in improvements.
But I did. I was drawn to one specific problem at that time that occupied my mind a lot. It concerned cars. There was a lot of static electricity created while driving, and when you stepped out of the car and touched something metal, you felt quite an unpleasant shock.
I wanted to find a simple and cost-effective solution for that problem. I investigated options and came up with a small, eye-catching key holder made of antistatic and molecularly-improved graphite, mixed with iron. I called it ASBY. A driver simply touched a car with ASBY for a second and the static problem was solved.
I figured out all the components: where to find affordable materials; how to design and cost-effectively manufacture a product; how to package it attractively and professionally; and how to sell it by retail and wholesale.
In the meantime, I enrolled in a prestigious, competitive Academy for a week. I found it boring and a total waste of my time., so I withdrew and returned to my projects.
Gradually, project ASBY brought me my first million DEM (German marks; in today´s money it would probably be the same amount in Euros).
This money enabled me to develop some other projects – not very big ones, but they turned out to be mostly successful. These projects included: Stoney, a highly-effective, all-natural cleanser for stone surfaces – a best seller for cleaning tombstones; Angel Project, a specially-designed candle in the form of an angel; CISI Candles, an all-natural candle with a self-igniting mechanism (no need for matches); a bionic water tap, a unique tap, made of one piece.
All together there were 22 projects, making me about 3 million Euros.
Still in Twenties: First Serious International Projects
I assume my successes were mainly based on my ability to spot a problem ahead of time. With time I got used to being a pioneer, immune to comments like: “This is impossible; nobody has done it before.” My answer was always the same: “Well, if there is no solution, maybe it´s about time to create one?!”
Besides technical perfection, I had yet another goal while searching for a solution: to astonish a business partner or buyer – not to give them what they wanted and expected, but many times more. Of course the solution had to be top-notch, but this was only the entry level. It also had to be easy to implement and maintain. Additionally, I always offered great customer support. I used to say (and am still saying): “The client must always feel that even if he has a problem, he will not have it – because I will take over the problem and solve it.”
Here is the thinking that helped me develop this approach. I always felt that the customer rewarded me simply by choosing me to find a solution. He could have chosen anyone in the world, but he asked me. This is a great honour and responsibility for me, and this was also the only thing a client had to do.
Now it is my turn. I have to make him happy – today, tomorrow, and all the days ahead. This is how I will repay him for his initial trust. Without his order there probably wouldn´t be a solution found. Because he “forced” me into research and development, I have created it – thanks to him!
So, I have no right to offer anything less than the best. After all, my project is a reflection of my work, my approach, and me. This is not only my business; it is my life.
Spreading Business Abroad
Still in my twenties, I managed to build my first international business – a company in Italy, Slovenia, and later on in USA.
I opened a chain of small offices to help companies buy and sell goods in one place, for the best prices. It was like “Raw Material Exchange,” but for construction material only.
At the same time I opened an event management company. This one offered the best, high-class programs – event scenarios, performances, and sceneries – for the most important, grand events in the region.
In spite of my successes, I was not happy, mainly due to dealing with “a million projects and tasks,” yet nothing new was happening. I always wanted to provide new technical solutions, to improve people’s lives, and to help our planet be more sustainable.
What followed was inevitable. Although I succeeded to expand business to over 30 million euros per year, I left all my projects with my sub-contractors for free. I just walked away, basically “shirtless.”
Time for Change: Following a Passion
At that time, at the age of 29, I made a major decision. Why not try something really big?
In 2008 I founded a private research institute, making more connections with Universities, academics, and researchers concerning new and revolutionary technologies and solutions regarding the human body and brain, green technologies, and transportation. I started visiting China more and more often. I was impressed with the speed of the country´s development, mostly due to all of their positive thinking and believing that, “Everything is possible!”
With my Chinese partner we started to build a research-production facility on 40,000 m2 in the Hunan province.
During that time I was focused mainly on helping other innovators and entrepreneurs develop their ideas, bring them to realization, and make money out of them. I also supported a few children programs and did some successful research regarding health care and mental health improvement.
In the same year I moved to an astonishing, 500-year-old country house near the river.
For that occasion, my long-time friend and business partner, an exceptional graphic designer, gave me a very special gift: he designed my personal coat of arms with two main figures on it – a lion and a phoenix. “You are fearless like a lion and always rise like a phoenix,” he said.
A Crash, Struggle and New Start: Rising of a Phoenix
In 2010 the market completely collapsed and closed for new investments. A stormy period came unto me, with all the money already locked into research and project development with no other money coming in. Fresh projects were not ready to implement yet, and there were no investors. Banks closed the doors as well.
This situation found me unprepared. It was completely my fault, because I had assumed that I would always have access to some money. Business partners also fell and swallowed many promises. Well, I landed at the bottom.
All I was able to do was think, work hard, and dream about new projects and how to implement existed ones. This was, as it would turn out later, a blessing in disguise.
I have never taken time to think about and strategically outline the most compelling projects. But in this situation, with my hands tied together, nothing else was possible.
So I devoted my time completely to researching the world´s greatest problems and solutions. I selected a few core industries, where I would like to contribute a solution.
These were as follows: energetics, transportation, health and rejuvenation, new banking and payment systems, and some social projects. (“To make the world a better place for everyone.” I really believe this!)
With very little money I started to develop new technologies and solutions: a new mechanism for payment systems (today known as the “Mona Lisa” project); all-natural, superior food (today known as project X-309); solutions for green energy (especially Biomass and “waste to energy” technologies – “Biomass Ultima” and “Project Phoenix8”); new health and rejuvenation solutions (the “Tesla rejuvenation Resort” for deep physical, emotional and mental healing, “Project K400” for raising poultry with less antibiotics, and the “Antistress Capsule” as a free, stress relieving solution for the masses); and future transportation technologies (a flying, self-driving saucer).
Unfortunately, the financial situation hasn´t changed a lot in a year… or two, or three. What I had expected to last only a few months, a year or two tops, extended into a long, seven years. It was hell. I was literally waiting every day for investors to call back with good news, but it didn´t happen. A worldwide crisis didn´t help either – quite the contrary. They were tough times indeed.
Undeterred, I loaded myself with the top projects and worked around the clock, saying, “I will win or die trying.”
I figured out every detail, and the only missing piece was the investors´ money. But I knew it would come someday, because in the mean time projects had already been proven concepts with outstanding potential.
Finally, in 2017 the “D-Day” arrived. Just before New Year´s day 2015-2016 new investors announced that they would like to support one of my projects, AGE – the technology for transforming low quality wood waste into electricity with the highest utilization and no emissions called, Biomass Ultima.
In 2016 I signed a contract, and at the end of 2017 the first plant started to rise in a small city in Croatia – this was also a new factory for technology production in Europe. Finally, money started to pour in.
A new company was established in Hong Kong, PatentReal Corporation, to supervise all current projects: the “Mona Lisa” payment platform, Project Phoenix8 “Product reincarnation Technology”, the BHR Institute, etc.
A Look Into The Future
My heart is still beating for the same things I have fallen in love with years or even decades ago: astronomy, robotics, quantum physics, mathematics, computers, digital payment systems, healthy living, self-sufficiency, independency and mutual assistance in society (social projects), and edge science, to name a few.
I strongly believe in the positive future development of science and humanity. It must happen in conjunction with nature and other inhabitants of this planet.
I do see our planet as a better, smarter, and brighter place to live. The majority of people are positive and good. I strongly believe that the time of our true freedom is just about to come. All individuals will be able to develop their personal dreams!
So be prepared to activate your full potential. Fight for your heart´s desires, don´t give up easily, think positive, and trust the universe. It will surprise you. But you have to be open – ready to receive and do the hard work as well. Nothing falls from the sky. You might have an idea, but talking or thinking about it won´t help much.
Trust yourself, act fearlessly, and believe – then you will witness how an idea transforms into reality. (You will be surprised how easy and elegant solutions can be sometimes.)
But you have to think, “Out of the Box!” Progress can´t be made while thinking and acting the same old way. Be bold and the universe will reward you. Remember – Fight like a lion, and rise like a phoenix! You are stronger than you think!