Interview with serial Croatian entrepreneur Kristina Ercegović

Kristina Ercegović (Photo: Private album)

Interview by: Zoran Rajn

Below we bring you an interview with Kristina Ercegović, serial entrepreneur, co-owner of the Women and Money portal, and publicist who recently presented her sixth book, It’s not about money, it’s about us.

Can you share the story of your entrepreneurial journey, from founding Heraklea to your current role as the founder and director of the Women and Money portal?

I have been an entrepreneur for the past 21 years. During my recovery from an operation, I watched a TV show where mystery shoppers were mentioned. It sounded like something I just had to do. 10 years later, I sold it. In the meantime, I started a project, sold it, and started a Business Cafe, later an education and Women and Money portal, and events.

What inspired the creation of the Women and Money portal? How does it address the specific needs or challenges faced by women in the business and financial realms?

My mother and later my father died, both highly educated and well off, but both died in debt that I inherited, so this made me realize it’s not about how much we earn but rather how well we manage the money we have.

I wanted to start openly writing about money on my already existing blog, but my friend, an entrepreneur, told me that I should have a special portal. We then started a VIP club and organized events, education, and retreats.

Over time, we notice women change their relationship with money and start to earn more, manage their money better, save, and invest. We are addressing all the specific needs: a lower sense of deserve-ability, over-giving, being less paid for the same job, asking for a raise, setting the right price, not missing sales, not doing unpaid work, selling, being visible, and attracting more business angel capital and funding. We are talking about financial abuse as well as how to get proper allimony and not reject inheritance, etc.

(Photo: Private album)

Could you share more about the unique structure of the Women and Money portal as a company with 11 female co-owners and business angels? How does this model contribute to the company’s success? 

We are all different and have different backgrounds, contacts, and experiences, but we share the same values, vision, and mission. The synergy effect and support I get are exactly what we need to grow, and we wanted to set an example for other women and encourage them to be business angels as well and invest in other women-owned and run businesses.

After a certain pause, you reactivated the Business Cafe project. The Business Cafe project emphasizes networking. How important do you believe networking is for entrepreneurs, and how can it contribute to their success?

One of my mentors told me, “It’s who you know, not what you know, and she said my network is my net worth.

Everyone agrees we become the average of five people we spend the most of our time with. So I would say networking is critical to success, but not many people know this skill. Also, Business Cafe is about sharing the ups and downs of inspiring entrepreneurial stories as well as providing support and sending a message. You are not alone, and you can make it in Croatia, too.

Through Zaokret, you educate small entrepreneurs. Could you highlight some key advice you often provide to entrepreneurs on starting, building, and selling their businesses?

We are not our company. There is more to life than just running our business. We have to set up a business so it can run and later grow without us. So setting up a system and working on a business is crucial. Also, the most important thing is to be a good human being. It’s all about relationships.

As the founder of the Voice of Entrepreneurs Association, what role do you envision it playing in supporting entrepreneurs, and what motivated you to establish this association?

I was one of 20 founders. I am not actively involved anymore. While I was there, I was organizing education online for entrepreneurs.

You’ve authored several books on entrepreneurship. Could you share a bit about your writing process and the key messages you aim to convey to your readers?

I wrote six books. All of them in a couple of days while I had inspiration. Three relate to the measurement and importance of customer service. One is about how to start your own business. The penultimate one is about how to build it without burning yourself out. And the last sixth is about the attitude towards money, called “It’s not about money, it’s about us”.

It’s not about money, it’s about us (Photo: Private album)

As a co-author with Veronika Karlsson, what motivated you to write the first expert book on mystery shopping, and how has it contributed to the field?

When I was starting my mystery shopping business, there was no information available, so I gathered all the information, and then Veronica said, Why don’t we write a book? And so we did.

You’ve received various awards throughout your career. Which recognition holds a special place for you, and what does it mean to be recognized for your contributions to entrepreneurship?

It is nice to get recognition from colleagues. But most important for me is the proud look in my son’s eyes and Luka saying to his friends proudly, This is my mom.

Having worked internationally, including in Poland and the Czech Republic, how has your global experience shaped your perspective on entrepreneurship, leadership, and business?

I also traveled a lot, visited about 70 countries, and spent a lot of time educating myself abroad. It just made me realize more that Croatia is the best place to live and do business.

(Photo: Private album)

Entrepreneurship comes with its challenges. What have been some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?

There were many; the biggest one was when I inherited my mother’s debt, Corona came, event business, which was 90% of my business back then, was banned, and I was living alone with my son. After 7 days, I started all over again and made a new story about women and money. The way to overcome everything is inside of us.

What are your future plans and aspirations, both for your entrepreneurial endeavors and your role in supporting and educating entrepreneurs?

Doing systemic constellations works as much as possible because it is a modern miracle. It can help us see and remove hidden and transgenerational patterns that run our lives and businesses.