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Saša Cvetojević
Episode · #575

VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Saša Cvetojević

Guest Saša CvetojevićHosted by Darko BukovićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

Saša Cvetojević doesn't see himself as a "serial entrepreneur," a label he finds too simplistic. For him, the drive to build businesses isn't a series of distinct ventures but an intrinsic impulse that has defined his entire working life, an "entrepreneur in soul" from his earliest days. He started his first company, Insaco, at just eighteen, fresh out of military service and before even beginning university, unsure of its exact purpose but certain of his need to create. His story isn't just about his own ventures; it's also about enabling others to take the entrepreneurial leap. He famously persuaded his mother, a director of city pharmacies, and his brother, a traumatologist, to leave secure, established careers and launch their own practices. This conversation explores the core motivations of a lifelong builder, from the visceral fear of early financial drain to the later redefinition of money as a competitive scoreboard rather than a personal motivator. You’ll walk away with a richer understanding of what truly drives those who choose to build, and how that drive evolves over decades.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
The label "serial entrepreneur" is often a misnomer, as Saša Cvetojević points out. For him, it implies a series of distinct projects, but his path has been a continuous, almost involuntary expression of his "entrepreneur in soul" drive since childhood. True entrepreneurship is a fundamental way of being, not just a sequence of ventures.
02
An entrepreneur's growth often follows a progression from "artist" to "operator" to "owner" and finally to "investor," as a colleague once described to Saša. Each phase grants more freedom, allowing one to delegate tasks they dislike and focus on what they love, ultimately leading to a position of greater strategic choice.
03
Founding Insaco at eighteen, just after military service and before university, meant the company's name had to be broad and flexible. Saša chose a name that could encompass "information, consulting, informatics," precisely because he hadn't yet defined the exact business model. Early ventures often begin with open-ended definitions, driven by the impulse to start, not a fully formed plan.
04
Saša Cvetojević persuaded his mother, a director of city pharmacies, and his brother, a traumatologist, to leave secure jobs and start their own practices. For professionals in regulated fields, the missing piece isn't their craft, but the business structure and initial financial support to transition from an established system to self-employment.
05
The early days of a startup are marked by the visceral "ching, ching, ching" sound of money constantly draining from the bank account, even before earning any revenue. This constant, acute awareness of overhead costs, even for minimal rent and basic state contributions, is a unique pressure that profoundly shapes an entrepreneur's financial discipline.
06
Money, for a seasoned entrepreneur, is less a personal motivator and more a competitive metric, akin to a scoreboard in sports. Just as a runner chases milliseconds, entrepreneurs track revenue, profit, and EBITDA against competitors, using these figures to measure performance in the "game" of business.
07
Growing up wanting "something more" than his family's 62-square-meter apartment, even in a comfortable, educated household, became a persistent engine for Saša Cvetojević. This early, deep-seated desire for growth and expansion, rather than a specific material goal, is often the foundational impulse behind a lifelong entrepreneurial path.
08
After a significant business exit, the challenge isn't simply spending the money, but finding meaningful ways to deploy it without "squandering" it. For those driven to build, large sums of capital become a new kind of responsibility, prompting a search for continued impact and creation rather than mere consumption.
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