Croatia Online - Business

A recurring theme, amongst those that are successful in Croatia, Croatian nationals, or foreigners alike, is the need for a portfolio career. This is particularly important in the challenging but ultimately rewarding region of Dalmatia. Foreigners in Dalmatia have an extra challenge – Dalmatia has a very independent spirit of its own and seems prepared to voice/enact it tacitly or otherwise, as necessary. Croatia, as a nation, is young; Dalmatia is timeless when it wants to be.

In business you can either ignore Dalmatia or try and engage with it. You may be at your peril whichever way you turn. If you want to engage with it, be prepared to spend some time in the process. If you can afford to ignore it then you’re probably in for less angst and more short term profits. If you want to flit in and out then you may get the best and worst of both worlds.

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Philosophy aside, this week has been somewhat inspirational to Croatia Online with a number of associated projects coming to fruition. Lessons that continue to be learnt are:

1. Understand the business environment - it’s hard to do business here but the better you understand it, the easier it gets
2. Recognise the good from the bad – if it feels’s like a breath of fresh air it normally is but, as a foreigner, you have to work a bit harder for reciprocal trust
3. If it smells fishy then it probably doesn’t deserve to be on the menu in the first place
4. If you understand the customs of your host nation then you know whether you are being treated with respect and you will know how to treat your hosts with respect
5. Seek the best of help and support and put something back into the environment you work in

Above all, don’t generalise (!).Doing business is about people. The wider you cast your metaphorical net, the more likely you are to find a fish to eat, a dolphin to play with, or a hopefully friendly predator. The Adriatic may be “fished out” but Dalmatia, on land, arguably has a rich and balanced food chain.

We’d like to spare a lot of blushes but for a gasp of fresh air continue to read these pages. When we find something good, we like to share it.

And for those of you, who quite rightly expect us to inform rather than pontificate, please go to the following earlier business pages on our site:

Croatia's Ship Building Industry
Croatia's Banking System
Croatia Boat Shows
Doing Business in Croatia- A Personal View
Nautical Tourism In Croatia
Croatia - Hotel Industry


Our site is just over a year old but content, in Croatia, is quickly dated. Bear that in mind as you read old postings! Expect a lot of new content on business in Croatia, on these pages from April 2007.

Thanks to :

Life Jacket Adventures for today's photo

and to the following for this week's dose of fresh air:

Portal - Trogir Travel Agency

Hotel Globo Split

Hoteli Vodice