MISLIŠTE Marko Žunić

Guest Marko ŽunićHosted by Sandro KraljevićMay 3, 2026

Marko Žunić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Many young professionals fear making mistakes, seeing them as setbacks rather than steps forward. This fear, Marko Žunić argues, is a greater barrier than any market condition. As a seasoned lawyer, founder of a successful law firm, and a board member of the World University Sports Federation, Žunić has seen how the most significant growth rarely happens on the back of triumphs. Instead, he insists, "on victories, self-confidence grows, sometimes ego; but we grow on mistakes." His perspective combines legal precision with the dynamic realities of entrepreneurship and sports leadership, offering a refreshing view on what truly drives a career. Readers will walk away considering how their own relationship with failure shapes their capacity for growth.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

When hiring, Marko Žunić asks candidates: "What is your drive in life? What makes you happy?" He calls money a "reward, not a purpose" and warns, "If you too often wait for Friday on Monday, change your job." The true test of a fulfilling career isn't the salary, but whether your Monday energy matches your Friday anticipation. Money follows purpose; it rarely creates it.

Žunić insists that in business, "we don't grow on victories. On victories, self-confidence grows, sometimes ego, but we grow on mistakes." He looks for people who understand that "mistake is an integral part of life." Growth isn't about avoiding errors, but embracing them as the primary source of learning. If you don't make mistakes, you're not pushing boundaries enough to truly grow.

Žunić defines the legal profession as "less about law, more about people," stating that lawyers solve "people's problems, not legal problems." The core of any service business isn't the technical skill itself, but the human problem it addresses. Your true value lies in solving the client's underlying need, not just their stated request.

He recounts organizing a major European university handball championship in 2011, where he "did absolutely everything" himself. This led to a crucial oversight: forgetting to arrange dinner for 600 attendees on the first night. The belief that you can (or must) handle every detail yourself is a common trap for founders. Real leadership means knowing when to delegate and trusting others, even if it means pulling back the reins.

Žunić describes his mistake of entering partnerships too easily, "presuming that everyone thought the same." He suggests "mini-tests" to verify alignment before committing. A shared vision isn't something to presume; it's something to actively test and confirm before entering a partnership. The cost of exiting a misaligned partnership far outweighs the effort of early due diligence.

Žunić notes that clients today are "much more informed," often knowing "much more than you" in specific areas, having "read everything on the internet." The era of information asymmetry is over. Your value as an expert no longer lies in hoarding knowledge, but in synthesizing, interpreting, and applying it more effectively than a hyper-informed client can do on their own.

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