I grew up in Szőlőhegy a small, rural village in Hungary. A quiet place, especially in the early 00's, the five of us siblings would help out in the garden, roam the forests with our dog, Milo.
Fortunately, my parents were somewhat well travelled, from varied backgrounds; we grew up trilingual (English, Croatian, Hungarian) and my Mom was forward-thinking. She knew the internet was important and we were among the first households in the region to get a connection. Game-changer.
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I had an interest in computers from a young age, they were the gateway to the world, with all the information we could ask for at our fingertips (provided we had the patience on dial-up speeds). It was magic "How does it all work?" The time I didn't spend studying or wandering in nature, I spent learning about hardware and software.
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Come 2007, I saved up my allowance and for my birthday, bought a secondhand PSP. I was fascinated with the device and learned everything I could about it.
I like to say that my first foray into business, was when I applied my learnings and began offering my game console hacking and repair services, even creating my own basic hardware and software. It's how I saved up money to buy and learn new systems, build my own computers.
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In big part through this experience, I learned early-on about investing, supply, demand, pricing, etc. and is when I realized I wanted to combine my creativity, ability to learn fast and my computer knowledge, with my business mindset. I continued offering these services in various forms throughout my youth.

During high school, I wanted to gain official work experience and had my first foray into employment.
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I landed at a plastic galvanizing factory, appropriately named "GalvanPlastik".
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The environment was challenging, monotonous, exhausting. The job consisted of picking through large freshly-galvanized racks of components and sorting them out. It was a valuable experience that taught young me a lot about resilience, the lives of those who work in factories and made me appreciate the little plastic buttons you'd find in every day items a whole lot more.

This was also the period where I increasingly immersed myself in sports. Swimming, in-door climbing, weightlifting and American football. I've always known that a healthy mind means a healthy body, but after experiencing an achilles injury with an extended recovery period, this was highlighted to me. During my recovery exercises I realized how important sports and fitness were to me and they became a north star in my life from then on.

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When I first moved to Denmark, I arrived in a small town, Kolding, enrolled at IBA University.
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It took me a few months to gain my bearings, I lived frugally, immersed myself in studying, made friends, and in my free time I handed out copies of my CV and motivational letters around town. When I ran out of places, I went to the next town over.
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Initially I found a few odd jobs, newspaper routes, hot dog stands, pizza joints... Eventually meeting someone who worked at a cleaning company that had clients in various towns, I joined with them, traveling around the region every weekend, cleaning hotel rooms and bungalows. But, the shifts and commute were irregular, I would not be able to consistently do the work next to my studies or set aside enough financially. After four months I got scared, I was spread thin, for too little.
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Around Christmas, I reported back to Mom and Grandma. They noticed I was being overly frugal, cutting too many corners; food, heating, transport... sports. After some words of comfort they reminded me it was important to eat properly, take care of myself and continue training. Sports have always been a north star in my life; cutting sports and neglecting my health were harmful and that's when I was reminded that you can't expect to perform at your best if you're neglecting vital areas of your life.

This realization also sparked a new idea. I decided I would focus all my job search efforts into finding work at Kolding's largest gym, Fitness 1.

When I returned to Kolding, I dropped off my bags, updated my resume, and headed directly for Fitness 1. I reapplied, signed up as a member, and started training.
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For food, I planned a simple, unprocessed, and affordable diet: oats for breakfast, eggs, beans, rice, and corn for the rest of my meals, all seasoned with plenty of spices. A cheap, balanced, tasty, and nutritious diet.
I still didn’t turn on my heating, relying on wool sweaters and my grandmother’s knit blankets. Cold showers became routine, framed in my mind as a “health benefit.” For warmth, I’d head to the gym, which had saunas and steam baths.

I left my cleaning job in Billund focused on my studies and attended Fitness 1 religiously, checking in weekly for vacancies, networking with members, and training hard. I stayed focused, managing my time carefully between studying and training. Two months into this routine, Hanne, one of the gym’s owners, called with a proposal: shadowing the night cleaning staff as a substitute cleaner. I jumped at the opportunity.

For the next two weeks, I’d be in class during the day, study until late evening, work out, shower, and then join the night crew from 22:00 to 03:00, arrive home at 03:30 be in bed by 04:00, then head to class at 08:30.
Exhausting, but I was grateful for the opportunity. After the onboarding period, I had my first shift as a substitute. I scrubbed that gym clean, from disinfecting saunas to dusting weights. I stayed 2h overtime until 05:00, to make sure every detail was spotless. I left when the receptionist arrived, grabbed a quick nap, and headed to class.

Over the next month, I had a few of these shifts. Hanne never commented on my performance, but she kept calling me back, I took it as a sign I was on the right track. Sure enough, eventually, a vacancy opened up and Hanne offered me a job—but for day shifts instead of nights; stating that based on my work ethic, sociability, and as she put it, my “fantastic smile”, I should be more customer-facing. With hours flexible around my university schedule and a free gym membership, I had everything I needed: a steady job, supportive boss, and the chance to save.

When I wasn’t studying, I was training or working. I scrubbed that gym with a smile, proud of what I was building. I used the now-free membership to train regularly, which brought focus and clarity to everything I did. I made an effort to integrate with the team, taking Danish lessons, joining optional activities, befriending colleagues and regulars. I took pride in maintaining “my” gym, believing that a welcoming atmosphere would bring people back, benefiting everyone.
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I found great purpose in what I did and received glowing feedback from members and colleagues.
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During this period I became good friends with Nicklas, one of the PTs. We trained together, motivating each other to achieve personal and professional goals. As I prepared to graduate with my AP Degree and relocate to Aarhus to complete my BSc, he and some of the other trainers recommended me as a fitness instructor. Hanne connected me with a gym in Aarhus, Hi-Five Fitness, that would sponsor my instructor certification and provide a place to practice. I continued to clean but focused increasingly on training, branching out into CrossFit and Les Mills programs.

After graduating IBA at the top of my class, I moved to Aarhus to start the next phase of the plan and my studies. Marko, announced he'd be moving out, and soon joined me in Aarhus to pursue an engineering degree. Together, we tackled this new chapter, sharing both the goals and the burdens.
At first, I commuted to Kolding from Aarhus, as we needed to maintain income streams, but after Marko landed a job and we gained our footing, it was time for me to part ways with Fitness 1. Balancing Kolding shifts, Aarhus instructing, and my studies spread me thin, and I needed to refocus my energy on my degree.

I’m forever grateful to Fitness 1 and my time there; it was my springboard into adulthood, providing community, purpose, and opportunity. During my first months on the job, Hanne asked me why I was taking so many shifts and working next to my studies, so she became one of the few people I shared The Plan with.
The only time she brought it up, was when she heard Marko landed, "You did it!"

Working as a janitor and later as a fitness instructor taught me many valuable lessons. I gained an appreciation for the dedication required for essential, often invisible, roles. Balancing a physically demanding job, studies, social life, and training taught me the importance of structure. I learned that no matter the challenge, with grit and persistence, anything is possible.
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Climbing the proverbial ladder from a job society often overlooks (cleaning toilets as an immigrant who didn’t even speak the language) was an experience I was “forced” into, but one I would willingly repeat. It broadened my perspective, fostered an unparalleled appreciation for the value of hard work, further ignited my drive, and shaped my character.
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As Hanne once said, “It’s people like you who make the world go round.”

While adidas is based in Herzogenaurach (or “Herzo”), most employees commute from nearby Nuremberg. I decided to do the same.
On arrival I recall feeling a culture shock. I had assumed living in Germany would feel similar to Denmark—after all, they’re neighboring countries. But Germany, and especially Bavaria, was different from what I’d grown accustomed to in the Nordics.
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Denmark is, admittedly, in its own league. It feels digital, modern, progressive, and "The Danish Model" is viewed as an ideal to strive towards for other nations.
Germany is an amazing country, it's only when compared to a select few other highly-progressive, usually smaller countries, where it sometimes feels like stepping backward in time. I just happened to be moving from one of those countries.
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Small things stood out—like the majority of establishments being cash-based, the inability to digitally sign documents, needing a full day off to visit the town hall for simple matters like changing an address, or even filing taxes on paper. Social norms felt more traditional: gender roles appeared more defined. Something that strangely stood out to me and other non-Germans I've spoken to, were the parking garages having women-only spaces due to safety concerns—yet that being the solution felt striking.
It's been explained to me since and I follow the logic, but I'm unconvinced that this is a great solution as it will never cover all those who might benefit from it and doesn't address the root of the problem.
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Adjusting took time, but Nuremberg wasn’t without its appeal. The old town looked out of a charming medieval movie set, the surrounding nature is beautiful, the food scene is great. The city also has a vibrant international community, which congregates in similar areas, making it easy to meet people. Although over time, seeing the same circles could feel repetitive as work and social life began to blend.
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Despite knowing Nuremberg wouldn’t be my long-term home, in my nearly three years living there I came to appreciate it. I adapted to the rhythm of the city, gathered valuable experiences, and met incredible people—many of whom remain close friends.
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There was a moment during my first weeks in Nuremberg, that stand out as closure to my time and efforts in Denmark, a final push.
I arrived several weeks before my first day at adidas. The move to Nuremberg cost me all my remaining funds and due to missing a month of earnings in the move, my bank account became depleted by the time I started my first week at adidas, with 3 weeks to go until my first paycheck.
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An uncomfortable situation, I hesitated and felt embarrassed; all these years of precise budgeting, hard work and near-misses... and for the first time my bank account hit zero. With nothing in the fridge and rent looming, I texted the person I trust most, my brother, Marko, and asked if he could please loan me a months worth of costs that I would repay as soon as my first paycheck landed.
A minute after I sent the message, instead of a text, I got a bank notification. Marko wired me double the amount I needed "just in case" and because "we bought furniture together, since it stays with me I'll buy the other half off you"... beyond the tears, gratitude and feeling of support; this gesture felt like a form of closure for what was a life-changing chapter. I was, and am, so grateful and proud of Marko; he overcame his own challenges, established his own lane and continued playing for our team, well beyond this single moment.
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Like I wanted to help him achieve his goals, he wanted to, and did, help me achieve mine.

adidas was a special place, where I experienced immense growth on a professional and personal level from my first day to my last.
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I joined the company at global HQ, as a sales and marketing intern in the special projects team, Originals Statement and Consortium. Which included all luxury, streetwear collaborations and Y-3.
My internship lasted six months during which my responsibilities grew exponentially, from basic tasks to running my own sales meetings in Paris by month three and eventually managing a portfolio of ten accounts. Thanks to my strong performance, I was hired on a permanent basis right after my internship and started as an Assistant Sales Manager filling in for and supporting the APAC region while our director searched for a senior manager.
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My time responsible for accounts and brands in the APAC region was a "coming of age" for my career. The region was in desperate need of support, I was put in charge of 30 accounts and there were several urgent things which needed addressing. Chief among them was an exceptional amount of past-due receivables, which I managed to clear in the first months of me taking on the responsibility. Six months in I was given a promotion to reflect the increased responsibility of my role and allow me to make increasingly autonomous decisions, be more effective when needed.
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In the year I was supporting and responsible for APAC, I grew our total business in the region by 30%, renegotiated several trade terms and improved relationships. When the senior manager I was filling in for was hired, I traveled together with them for two months in the region across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan... to hand over the region, brands and accounts in my portfolio.
I left APAC in excellent condition upon handing it over and thanks to my exceptional results, I was fast-tracked for another promotion and reassigned to the EMEA region.
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I was put in charge of projects and 30 accounts in the BENELUX, DACH, NORDICS and UKI regions, including an alliance partner and 5 strategic key accounts. I spent four years habitually overachieving my KPIs and contributed to many projects and achievements during this time too.
A big milestone was from a project I started in my last months supporting APAC, working with a small team to revitalize the entire companies segmentation and distribution strategies, resulting in hugely increased profitability across all our regions and streamlined distribution.
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I grew my business, my accounts and regions became the most profitable and valuable in the team. I'm proud to have contributed to several highly-successful products and projects and to have coordinated and pitched several amazing launches and releases.
One of the most high-profile being a Superstar 50th anniversary launch together with BAPE that me and my core team dreamt up during a Paris lunch, legitimizing one of the icons of street fashion, the "knock-off" SKULL-STA.
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In 2019 I relocated to Amsterdam while retaining my reporting line, role and responsibilities, this was a personal request which was approved partially due to my performance but also thanks to its business sense. Given the amount of time my role required me to travel internationally, flying from Nuremberg, I always needed to stop over any time I jumped on an airplane, usually in Amsterdam. Being based in the city allowed me to be more flexible.
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During this period, the company began going through several reorganizations and in my last year, as the then-focus "win with the winners" strategy evolved, my account portfolio was redistributed and in 2021 I was put in charge of on one of five global alliance partners and would get a new team to support me in maximizing the potential of the account. I was asked to relocate to Stockholm, but I believed my place to be in Amsterdam and as I've spent five amazing years traveling and growing with adidas, I felt it was time to part ways. We did so amicably, in September of 2022.
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I have nothing but positive things to say about my time at and with adidas, I'm proud to have been a part of it. A world-class company with people to match; I learned a lifetimes worth in the five years with my team.

I joined Crocs as a maternity cover in the role of Senior Key Account Manager for Strategic Digital Accounts. This opportunity was the perfect platform to transition back into corporate life, reconnect with physical product, and collaborate with a talented, diverse team on impactful, longer-term challenges. It allowed me to apply everything I had learned in my previous roles, while testing and expanding my skills in a fast-paced, innovative environment.
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I saw Crocs as a deliberate growth opportunity. While my previous experience was broad and multi-faceted, I wanted to deepen my expertise in commercial product management and digital accounts—areas central to my new role. The position felt familiar enough to hit the ground running, yet it became clear early on that there was significant room for improvement. This wasn’t a business I could leave on autopilot.
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During my first month, as I navigated new systems and processes, I noticed several foundational gaps, such as the absence of critical trade terms for what were considered the company’s most crucial strategic accounts. It was both surprising and energizing—this was the challenge I had been seeking, and I was determined to rise to it.
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Over the next eight months, I poured my energy into transforming the business. The results were worth the effort:
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- Exceeded KPIs and Targets: Turned one of the least profitable accounts into one of the most successful in the company.
- Strategic Growth: Expanded key strategic partnerships far beyond initial expectations.
- Operational Improvements: Introduced new trade terms that benefitted all stakeholders, revamped systems and reporting processes, and cleared a significant backlog of arrears.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Enhanced coordination across teams, improving logistics, fulfillment rates, and range planning.
- Long-Term Impact: Provided a strategic roadmap to ensure sustainable growth.

This experience tested my expertise and problem-solving abilities in ways I hadn’t anticipated, but it was incredibly rewarding. By the end of my contract, I had achieved both my professional and personal goals: I left the business in a far stronger position, rediscovered my passion for the work, and had the privilege of working with fantastic people and a great team.
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As my contract came to an end, the possibility of staying on arose, but I knew I had accomplished what I set out to do. I approached this role as a consultant, there to "fix things up" and deliver value in a critical period. With that mission completed, I felt it was time to pursue new opportunities.
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Thank you, Crocs, and to all the amazing people I had the pleasure of working with—it was a journey I’ll always value.

I designed and built both the hardware and software that powers my home network—a hands-on, ongoing project that’s deepened my understanding of networking and its critical role in our connected world. My main goals were to support full gigabit speed, secure my network and all connected devices, block trackers and malicious ads, isolate potentially unsecure devices on separate subnets, and maintain interoperability with trusted devices on my primary network.
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For increased security and customization, I built my own router with trusted components and compiled a custom Linux-based OS, giving me granular control down to the kernel for every network infrastructure device in my home. While building my router, I identified and helped the manufacturer resolve a bug in a custom add-on PCB for a Raspberry Pi, benefiting a community of users who, like me, were facing booting issues with their devices.
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The images included showcase my custom dashboard, which tracks network requests and highlights blocked trackers—an ongoing glimpse into a secure and streamlined home network.

After parting ways with adidas, I found myself with an unusual amount of free time. I wanted to dive into a project with no deadlines—something I could do purely for fun. That project appeared when I visited my grandma and rediscovered one of my favorite childhood toys, well-worn and re-gifted years ago to my youngest brother, Vedran: my “Wheely King” RC Monster Truck. Seeing it there, aging in a box, I knew I couldn’t leave it to rot; I decided to restore and upgrade it to the specs I’d dreamed of as a kid.
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Back in Amsterdam, I got started by cleaning it up and assessing which parts could be salvaged and which needed replacing. The truck had years-old mud, mold, cracks; it was in rough shape but all the more worth the effort. After dismantling and scrubbing each component, I realized that many needed replacing. If I was going to replace parts, why not go for upgrades? By chance, I found a seller in the Netherlands with new-old-stock parts that were a perfect match for what I needed.
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Over the next month, I became their best customer, buying dozens of components. Where it made sense, I upgraded plastic to steel, swapped out the old motor for the most powerful one the truck could handle, adjusted the gearing, installed extra cooling, completed a 4x4 conversion, extended the wheelbase, and widened the track—the works. It was everything nine-year-old me dreamt of doing.
To retain a sense of soul, I naturally kept the original scratched-up body and used as many original parts, provided they were in good order, as possible.
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Every day, I woke up excited to work on this RC truck. The detail work, paper manuals, trips to the hardware store, soldering, tuning—it was bliss. In the end, I spent more on this old RC than a new one would cost, but this was never about getting a “new” toy. I wanted to restore and preserve a great toy and the memories tied to it.
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As a side note, I was impressed with how repairable the truck was—built to last, with all schematics and parts readily available. A nice, sustainable approach.
With the restoration and upgrades complete, it could still pop wheelies and I recorded a top speed of 40 km/h, mission accomplished. Since then, it’s been parked proudly on a shelf, this time in perfect condition.

This project gave me the focus and calm I needed to process leaving adidas and look forward to a new chapter. Working with my hands again, immersing myself in the details, taking my time, and seeing the results unfold was exactly what I needed.

I’ve always had a thing for Sony PSPs. They were my gateway to hacking and a taste of business, packed with everything before smartphones were a thing: games, music, GPS add-ons, movies, TV, and internet browsing. For a device from 2004, it was groundbreaking.
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My first PSP, a used Piano Black “2000” model, was a 2007 birthday gift, partially funded by my childhood savings and Mom. I dove in, learning to hack it, install custom software, and even managed to play Nintendo 64 games on it. Soon enough, word spread around my school, and I started getting requests to modify others' PSPs.
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After six months of PSP hacking, I’d saved enough to build my first PC from used parts. The family computer was slow for what I wanted to explore; building a personal rig was the logical step. Aside from gaming, I aimed to hack Xboxes and PS2s, which were becoming popular requests. My PC became my first major investment, not only in learning but in earning. I even started mining cryptocurrency, letting my PC generate passive income while I studied or worked on clients devices. Over time, I upgraded and maintained it, a cycle that taught me a lot about hardware... and the importance of good cooling!
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I associate PSPs with learning, earning, and fun. Recently, I wanted to reconnect with that part of myself, similar to restoring my old RC truck. This time, it was less about using the device and more about the journey of restoration. I found a white PSP-1000 from 2005 on Marktplaats, a “Made in Japan” model in my preferred PlayStation colour. It wouldn’t boot, likely due to a swollen battery. A new battery, memory card and a system flash did the trick, and I was happy to have this collector’s item in great condition.
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Although, my itch for a bigger project wasn’t scratched yet. After browsing eBay a while, I found a pristine PSP-2000 from 2007 in silver, my favorite color for that model, listed on eBay for EUR 5. It was supposedly bricked—battery LED lit up but no boot. Sounded like the challenge I was looking for.
When it arrived, the console looked almost new, I diagnosed it was a hard-brick caused by corrupted firmware. For older models, a “Pandora’s Battery” would do, but the 2007 model required special Sony tools to enter a specific recovery mode.
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Through old forums, I discovered that a present-day group of dedicated PSP enthusiasts had developed a workaround for this exact problem. Their solution, the “Baryon Sweeper,” involved creating an “Advanced Jigkick Battery” with a USB-TTL converter, an Arduino, and a specially prepared memory card. It required combining terminal skills and a working PSP – luckily, I had my recently acquired white PSP-1000 on hand.
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Through trial and error, I managed to bring the bricked PSP back to life and even contributed adjustments to the schematics for next users. It was a rewarding project, one that saved a PSP from e-waste and reconnected me with the community. Today, I check in on the PSP world now and then. The Baryon Sweeper method has since evolved, enabling every PSP model to be restored in nearly any condition. It’s amazing to see the dedication still alive in this, by now, niche community.

The PS1—an icon of the ’90s. Though I didn’t own one back in the day, it’s forever linked to my favorite game series, Tomb Raider, a PS1 classic. Inspired by nostalgia, I wanted to create a “sleeper” project that looked like an original PS1 but packed modern capabilities under the hood.
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eBay was the obvious starting point for finding parts. I didn’t want to modify a working PS1, I searched for a broken unit with clean visuals but faulty internals. I eventually found a mid-’90s model from a Japanese seller, and while waiting for it to arrive, I got to work on planning the build. The core would be a Raspberry Pi, but making everything fit and function smoothly would require custom work for the original ports, buttons, and layout.
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To keep it authentic, I reached out to an acquaintance in Germany with a 3D printing studio for custom components that would integrate seamlessly. Along with that, I ordered a custom PCB, wiring, solder, switches, cables, and all the other essentials for a project like this.
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Once all the parts arrived, I claimed the dining table in our Nuremberg apartment and got to work. There’s a time-lapse video on this page showing the whole process—rather than going into technical detail here, I’ll let the video speak for itself.
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After compiling a custom version of the popular Linux emulation OS RetroPie and installing it onto the revamped “PS1,” I could boot up almost any PS1 game, along with classics from Nintendo, SEGA, and other vintage consoles. It became a hit with friends, sparking nostalgia every time we powered it up, all wrapped up in a sleek, retro shell.
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This project was a blast to make—and even more fun to see others enjoy.