Business Model Adjustment

In situations where profit is too low and cash flow begins to dry up, the biggest mistake we can make is trying to force our sales “onto steroids” by doing the same things as before, only louder. The most common mistakes are creating a new website, changing visual identity, increasing activity and posting on social media, hiring additional sales representatives, and similar actions. Or to put it differently — if we have a “tumor” in our business, this strategy will only make it grow. Along this path, we often go through periods of reduced profit and cash flow as a result of our “intensified” activities. The “dopamine culture” (the hormone of happiness) fostered by technology and smartphone use, which creates a constant and uncontrolled need for “micro-excitement,” plays a major role here — it is far more exciting to “pump up” marketing and sales activities than to take the necessary time to identify the real problems in the business. However, an experienced business owner has a wide range of tools and levers in their entrepreneurial arsenal to increase profit and cash flow without falling into the trap of disproportionate investment in marketing and sales. In some situations, it is not enough to simply reallocate resources in a new way or improve efficiency; sometimes it is necessary to change the existing business model. When it comes to growth and profitability, we rarely reach for major changes to the business model — yet sometimes that is exactly where the root of the problem lies. There are five key questions that must be answered when it comes to the business model: How many resources (time, effort, money) must we invest? Over what period of time? How much revenue do we want to generate? Is that revenue sufficient to justify the costs of investment and maintenance, with adequate profitability? Can we achieve a return on investment within the planned timeframe? In our efforts to become more successful, most of us tend to see the solution only in increasing revenue, instead of taking enough time to gain clarity on the answers to the questions above. Signs that we have outgrown our current business model usually become visible when the business starts to “creak” and inefficiencies begin to surface — in other words, when more “drama” than usual appears in the workplace as profitability declines. At that point, we need to change the business model, not the marketing strategy, nor commission a new visual identity or new website. Siniša Drobnjak

What is a business mentor and how can he help me?

Petar Mandić is a leading expert in business development, mentoring and coaching, with more than twenty years of professional experience, and is known as the author of the first Croatian book on mentoring – “Mentoring Stories: Ancient Skills and Contemporary Tools for Professional and Personal Development”. Business mentoring is a process through which a mentor, an expert with relevant knowledge and experience, supports an entrepreneur or manager in developing their business, skills and thinking skills, with the aim of making the client independent and permanently improving business results. Petar Mandić, mentor and author of the first Croatian book on mentoring, in a conversation with Barbara Cerinski clearly describes the difference between mentoring, coaching and consulting and shares practical insights into the real impact of mentoring on individuals and organizations. What is business mentoring and who is a mentor? “A business mentor helps and supports an entrepreneur in the development and management of a business, in the development of his skills and quality of thinking. So, in everything he supports him to succeed.” Mandić points out that no entrepreneur has all the knowledge, so mentoring is an extremely important tool for the development of the organization, processes and employees. It is crucial that the mentor has concrete experience and knowledge relevant to the topic he is working on with the mentee: “Someone who has concrete knowledge and experience should do it.“ Mentor vs. consultant – main differences While a consultant brings ready-made solutions and leaves the organization after implementation, “a mentor trains you so that you can function on your own later, so that you no longer need a consultant or a mentor. That’s the point, to make you independent, to let you master the team“. The mentor guides the mentee through the problem, suggests from his own experience, but encourages him to come up with a solution on his own, for example, “he will teach him how to fish and to think that he knows how to fish on his own in different future circumstances“, emphasizes Mandić. Benefits of mentoring for companies Mentoring brings measurable benefits – according to research, “people who have a mentor, say in sales, are up to 20% more effective than those who don’t.” Mandić describes a program where employee turnover is reduced to zero thanks to mentors and a buddy system. As an added benefit, mentors and mentees often later pass on knowledge, even outside of corporations – “yesterday’s mentees become mentors to new ones.” The power of mentoring also lies in transferring culture, breaking down organizational silos, and creating advocates among employees. Storytelling as the essence of mentoring Mentoring is inseparable from storytelling. “As the first communities gathered around the fire, so the elders told stories. And through these stories the younger ones learned. Storytelling and mentoring are inseparable.” A mentor helps a mentee tell their own story from a new perspective, empowered by experience and wisdom. “You know, when you light someone else’s path, you’re essentially lighting your own. And now if you’ve helped someone in the organization be a better manager or lead a better team or whatever the topic was, it’s easier for you to collaborate with those people tomorrow.” A true mentoring relationship brings synergy, individual development and lasting empowerment of the organization. This is just part of the conversation from the new episode of the DBL Podcast – watch the whole show on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!

Daria Lorenci Flac: Strength, passion and entrepreneurship

Daria Lorenci Flac is a famous Croatian actress, mother, owner of the creative laboratory “Četiri sobe” and a woman of authentic energy. Her interview with Barbara Cerinski inspires not only actresses and artists, but also everyone who dreams of their own project or business. With an emphasis on experiential wisdom, Daria openly talks about the challenges, successes and inner struggles that accompany every true entrepreneurial path. Challenges and motivation of entrepreneurs Daria created her project “Four Rooms” out of personal need, passion and desire to contribute to the community. Today, this laboratory brings together hundreds of children, numerous mentors and an author’s program. “Four Rooms is a creative laboratory for children and young people, and now a little bit for adults too. I have always chosen the leaders as if they were my own child – because the program grows organically, from experience, like a family business,” says Daria honestly. The key strength of the whole story is passion:“Nothing is too hard for me. I am so passionate about it, when you have passion and when you want to do something – you don’t ask, you don’t measure. I do whatever it takes to make it perfect!” From running workshops, camps, administration, communication with parents and the media – every segment of the business passes through her hands. Authenticity is precisely the reason why the “Four Rooms” project is special: “If my Tin wasn’t at the camp for two days, something would be missing. But four weeks – that’s it, I work as if for my child.” Administration and communication challenges Despite her enthusiasm, Daria honestly admits the hardest part of entrepreneurship is communicating with parents about membership fees and organization: “The only thing that’s hard for me is communicating with parents. When someone owes me a membership fee, it’s a personal insult to me… People say to me, wait, are you calling? Because I personally understand that.“ He says that it is time to delegate and rationalize the business: “We are hiring three managers, I am reorganizing the entire work… I am going in the direction of a very precise systematization and division of tasks, and that makes me really happy!“ Passion and vision – a message to everyone Daria recognizes that every entrepreneur carries their own burden, but the key is in “what sign you put on each situation”:“It’s up to us to choose what kind of life we ​​will have. Regardless of the circumstances, one can stay on the bright side. It’s hard to live it always, but it’s true.” Without embellishing, Daria points out: “What people don’t know is that this is not where we get rich. It’s not that kind of business. We actually do something very noble and earn some salary, and everything else is a contribution.” When asked what she would say to her sixteen-year-old Daria, a refugee from Sarajevo, a girl facing elections and the sins of life, Daria concluded: “That little girl was great. She had joy, indomitability, she always went forward despite everything. I still have that to this day. That is perhaps my greatest gift.“ This is just part of the conversation from the new episode of the DBL Podcast – watch the whole show on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!

Vision, passion and female power in the dental industry

Sanela Drobnjak, owner of Dental Media Group and initiator of innovative projects in dental and aesthetic medicine, was a guest on the DBL Podcast and openly shared her business story, challenges and vision for the development of the profession. Magazines that educate and change perceptions Sanela has been a recognizable name in the dental industry for almost two decades, and her publishing work has launched numerous professional and educational magazines. “Our core business is publishing. We have one of the professional magazines, Dental Tribune, Croatian edition,” she pointed out, adding that she also launched Smile magazine out of a need for better patient education: “I launched an informative magazine for patients and it was really great, it was written by local authors, in the language of patients, so they brought the dental profession, procedures, prevention closer…“ However, as the profession developed, the need for specialized content for dental technicians and aesthetic medicine arose, which is how the magazine Esthetic&Design was launched. Sanela emphasizes how challenging it is to launch a new magazine: “It’s not easy, definitely. First you need to have an idea, you need to create a concept. The biggest problem is the content… When something new is launched, I finance it myself. I have to create something first, make it in order to show some value to someone.“ “Women in Dentistry” Conference: A Platform for Networking and Empowerment The podcast focused on the conference “Women in Dentistry”, which will be held on May 24th in Zagreb. The project, as Sanela says, has been waiting for the right moment for a long time: “Back in 2010, I had the whole project finished… but there was no time. Back then, it was just clinical skills… but there simply wasn’t time for it and it was put in a drawer. And last year… I came across that project of mine again and said, oh my god, maybe now is the time. And I think it is.“ The conference is intended for the entire dental team, with an emphasis on a holistic approach and support for women in the profession: “We are addressing exclusively women in dentistry, the entire dental team, so not just female doctors. Somehow, I am based on that holistic approach and all parts should be connected into one whole.” The program includes education on business, marketing, communication, but also inspiring panels with successful female doctors and young leaders. Sanela also emphasizes the importance of female energy: “I kind of adore that female energy, which is fascinating to me. I’m not a big feminist, but we women really have that special something inside us and we can really help each other a lot.“ Synergy of aesthetic medicine and dentistry: New standards of beauty and health Sanela was one of the first in Croatia to recognize the potential of connecting aesthetic medicine and dentistry: “It started a long time ago, in 2013-2014. When I entered those educations for dentists, because in fact this branch of medicine started to grow. Minimally invasive aesthetic medicine is actually the strongest and fastest growing branch of medicine… we entered first, we were kind of pioneers in these educations.” In Esthetic&Design magazine, she promotes a natural, balanced approach to beauty: “There’s this trend now that less is more. There are literally a million great products on the market now. We promote that natural facial look. So, refreshed, hydrated, a little tight, nothing too much, and no volumizing. And so I’m really happy that this trend has come about, because there are products that make that possible.“ — This is just part of the conversation from the new episode of the DBL Podcast – watch the whole show on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!

Camino as a stress test for business and soul

In the latest episode of the DBL Podcast, Siniša Drobnjak, an entrepreneur and multi-business owner, shares his extraordinary experience on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. His story is not just a travelogue, but a deep analysis of the personal and business transformations he experienced on this 820-kilometer journey through Spain. Siniša set out on the Camino with a clear goal – to find time for himself, but also to test whether his business could survive without his daily presence. “The main reason was to find 30 days of time for myself. I wanted to see if I could survive without my companies and if those companies could survive,” Siniša points out. Going on the Camino was, as he says, the first real vacation for his soul, not just his body or mind. One of the key experiments he conducted was the complete delegation of business tasks. Siniša entrusted his inbox, which took up an hour a day, to his colleague Filip. “During my entire Camino, not a single email of mine went unanswered. Filip wrote replies to those emails and after two weeks I gathered the courage and said to Filip: you know what, now I won’t call you at all for a week… That experience was truly liberating,” describes Siniša. During the 40 days of absence, the companies not only survived, but also the business results were above plan. “We were 13 percent above plan. I tell him, well, that’s the formula. When I step away for two months, we immediately grow above plan. I’m not even going back to work,” Siniša joked, confirming that the stress test revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the business system. Insights from the Camino: Letting go of identity and returning to oneself For Siniša, the Camino was a process of letting go – first of physical, then mental, and finally spiritual burdens. “The Camino is divided into these thirds where you first deal with the body until the body hardens… The second third of the Camino is the mind and the third third of the Camino is the soul. The Camino was the first vacation for my soul,” he explains. One of the most profound lessons was letting go of identity. Inspired by fellow traveler Silvia from Italy, Siniša concludes: “When I walk the Camino, I am just Siniša. I am neither the owner, nor the director, nor the father, nor the friend. All those identities remain out there somewhere. It is enough that I am Siniša.“ Lessons in control, trust and helping The Camino was also a lesson in control and trust – both towards oneself and towards others. “One of the rules of the Camino is that there is no judgment. You can tell any person at any time that you want to walk alone and that is respected. Pilgrims do not judge each other and we are not in the role of fulfilling other people’s expectations there as we are in this life,” Siniša emphasizes. A special moment was when he had to seek help for an infection – something leaders often find difficult to do. “That was a huge lesson for me. You did the right thing. You didn’t play the guy, you didn’t just walk away, you sought help, you went to the hospital and you addressed the problem the right way.“ Symbolic stone and release from worries One of the most emotional moments was the ritual of leaving a stone on the Cruz de Ferro: “Each of the pilgrims takes a stone with them on their journey from home and leaves it near the end of the journey… you leave it ritually because with it you are also leaving everything you want to leave behind in life,” Siniša pointed out. — This is just part of the conversation from the new episode of the DBL Podcast – watch the whole show on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!

From the hospital to her own practice: Ana Štanfel Hauser’s story about aesthetic medicine, ethics and entrepreneurship

Aesthetic medicine in Croatia has been experiencing strong growth in recent years, and among those who have left their mark on the scene is Dr. Ana Štanfel Hauser, a general surgery specialist with extensive experience in abdominal surgery. In an interview with the DBL Podcast, Ana spoke openly about her professional journey, the challenges of transitioning from the public to the private sector, but also about the ethical dilemmas that every responsible doctor faces. “Being a doctor and being an entrepreneur are actually two different worlds and it’s hard to somehow fit them into one system that moves together,” Ana pointed out, describing how the coronavirus pandemic was a turning point for her transition to private practice. Returning from Dublin and the closed hospitals prompted her to open her own practice: “I had a lot of calls from people… and then I realized that it would actually be good, I had to call that private hospital every time and ask when they had an appointment, then I realized why I shouldn’t have my own practice, because I see that I actually have my own patients and that’s how it started.“ Challenges and responsibilities of aesthetic medicine Ana comes from a family of doctors and emphasizes how much the experience of working at Vinkovci Hospital, with fellow war surgeons, shaped her professional attitude: “Working with people who gained experience in war is something completely different… growing up with them was a privilege. I couldn’t have received a better education anywhere in the world at that time.“ She entered aesthetic medicine gradually, first out of curiosity, and later out of a desire to offer more with her knowledge and experience: “My surgical experience actually helped me understand these injectable things. In the end, I can now say that I solve other people’s complications every day, which makes me happy.“ However, she warns of the dangers of frivolity and a superficial approach: “These procedures are not for everyone and not everything is for everyone. We can all have everything operated on and put everything in. But do we need that?… Nothing is simple in aesthetics and it’s not cosmetics, it’s medicine,” Ana points out. Ethics, education and attitude towards patients Ana emphasizes the importance of education and ethics among doctors: “I think the problem is both with doctors who approach this in a way as if it were a trade, and with patients who don’t understand the consequences, perhaps because they are not well educated. And as doctors, we actually have an obligation to educate them, that nothing is harmless, that nothing is completely destructive, and that everything has its consequences.“ For her, the patient always remains a patient, not a client: “I always say patient precisely because I make the decision and I’m the one who will do something or not… I very often bring patients back and they actually leave happy with the comment ‘Thank you for telling me that.’“ Trendovi, društvene mreže i budućnost struke When asked about trends and the influence of social media, Ana is clear: “The word trend in medicine, including aesthetic medicine, should not exist. I think it all comes down to the education of doctors and ethics.” She is particularly concerned about young people: “Young girls and boys have a problem here. I think they have a big problem. This perception of their beauty, how they should look… No one talks about where they will go to school and what they will be when they grow up. They just take pictures and look at their contours and physiognomy.“ Although the legal regulations are not yet strict enough, Ana believes that consultations with a psychiatrist should become mandatory before major procedures: “Maybe something like that should be done for the future. That a consultation with a psychiatrist is required before a major procedure.“ Entrepreneurship and personal development Opening her own practice was a combination of vision, determination, and family support: “The most important thing for you is to wake up at five. When everyone is sleeping… You’ll get there. That’s for sure, I’m sure of it.” She is driven by perfectionism in her work, but also by responsibility towards her patients: “I constantly care for my patients… I don’t think there’s any fear. They recognize that, too.“ Finally, Ana tells her young colleagues: “It’s not that scary if you read the rules. It’s not difficult to open a practice. You should master as many skills as possible during your specialization, no matter what your profession in medicine is. And in fact, when you master the skills and knowledge, there is no fear, no matter where or what happens.“ ——- This is just part of the conversation from the new episode of the DBL Podcast – watch the whole show on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!

Insurance is a tool that gives us peace of mind

In the latest episode of the DBL Podcast, guest Anđela Šutija, an experienced broker and director of one of the leading Croatian insurance brokerage houses Ano, spoke openly about why insurance is essential for every individual and entrepreneur. Through concrete examples from life and business, Šutija emphasized that insurance is not just “paperwork” or an expense, but a tool that allows us to sleep peacefully and protects our wallets from unforeseen life situations. “I like to say that insurance is help for what you can’t expect. We never want and we don’t invite misfortune, but simply – things happen,” Šutija emphasized. This sentence is the essence of insurance: no one plans for an accident, fire, flood or illness, but when they happen, the consequences can be financially devastating. Peaceful sleep and security for family and business One of the most important benefits of insurance is a sense of security. “This is what gives us a peaceful sleep, because it seems to me that this is what is important. Today, the world is full of various risks and we witness them every day,” Šutija emphasized. Whether it is home, car, business premises or professional liability insurance, an insurance policy gives us the security that we will not be left without everything we have built for years. Why do we often forget about insurance? Although most citizens regularly insure their cars, property and lives often remain unprotected. “In Croatia, we love our cars the most, more than ourselves. Car insurance accounts for over 40% of the total insurance premium,” says Šutija. On the other hand, home or business premises insurance is often neglected, although the risks are just as real. ——- This is just a part of the conversation from the new episode of the DBL Podcast – watch the full show on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!