Meet Hana Colakovic- CEO & Entrepreneur at Svippin, a tech venture that delivers software solutions (app, web and system) for clients across the world.
Hana describes herself as a curious and hardworking woman who is making her own path in life. She loves challenges- you will always find her looking for new ways to evolve personally, in business, creatively, and in relationships. She has been a firm believer in maintaining a positive mindset, creating partnerships with a purpose, and always striving for great outcomes; perhaps this is why her friends and family describe her as an outgoing and reliable person. On the other hand, her colleagues and/or clients often compliment her creative approach in solving problems and adapting to new kinds of environments.
Born to refugee parents, she learned at a very early age about the value of hard work and consistency. Both her parents worked extensively during the first few years of her life so that Hana and her brother would have a strong future. This kind of upbringing made her a bit untraditional for conventional society but it also gave her the strength to build an independent life for herself.
She founded her first company when she was merely 20 years old (while still being a student). She first took a bachelor’s degree in Economics followed by an MBA in innovation and technology management. While studying here, she reconciled with an old friend called Michelle Sæther, who later turned out to be her business partner in her new tech venture, Svippin. She says:
Svippin AS initially received 1.5 million in funding for an app that would increase attendance in the city centers (before Covid-19 hit the world). It eventually turned out to be a company that delivers software solutions (app, web, and system) for clients and also for Hana and her team. The pivot has given them more strength to stand on and their team has grown from 3 to 8 in 6 months, increasing their revenue by 4X in 3 months.
“As many entrepreneurs can agree- you have to be dynamic and flexible. In 2020 when Covid-19 hit we had to look internally as a response to what was happening in the external market and we chose to pivot instead of just ‘waiting around’. This was an interesting and all-consuming process. But looking back on it truly changed the direction of the company and made us stronger and better,” says Hana.
According to her, the team at Svippin consists of a variety of different backgrounds and capabilities that together makes them highly motivated, flexible, and competent. Their clients understand that when choosing them, they choose a partner for more than just that initial project- in addition to solving their request for tech development, Svippin also contributes with business development and advice about strategy, market, and innovation.
Hana believes that the greatest challenge with ‘going on your own terms’ is the risk of failure. Even though the risk of failure is continuously there, it can be minimized with our efforts, team, and strategy. She says, “One of the biggest challenges we had early on was the lack of revenue during our pivot. The team was all in agreement that we were not done with Svippin, and that we would all have to pull our own to make the wheels spinning again- and we did! We are still adapting to this new strategy and the challenge now is to continue creating revenue through innovation and technology in a crowded market space. What differentiates us is our flexibility and how ‘close’ we onboard our clients, and this is something that we will continue to highlight and improve.”
Today, Svippin AS is an award-winning development team consisting of full-stack and business developers. It has been recognized in the Norwegian market for its projects and Hana believes that ‘the best is yet to come!- “Our clients are very happy with the open communication and the thorough, creative dialogues we have during onboarding. Many of our clients call us their ‘strategic partner in development and we are proud to be so.”
Referring to Rihanna’s popular track ‘Work, work, work’, she feels that having a deep interest in learning, evolving and self-realization should not feel like work. She wakes up every morning feeling grateful for the opportunities that her day will bring and grateful for her team and the efforts that all of them have put into her company.
“I believe that anyone who has the guts to take a chance on themselves will, in some way or another, succeed. If you have an inner voice in your head telling you to change an aspect of your life- don’t wait for something to happen before you do it. Follow your gut, surround yourself with good people, and don’t give up before you have tried your utter best; no matter if it is in business, relations, or day-to-day achievements. You will never regret a chance you took- only the ones you missed out on!” she says.
If you are someone reading this article and is in need of a mentor or just someone to talk about the business side of things, then please reach out to Hana at www.hanackc.com
Also, if there is anyone in need of any tech development, then reach out to her at hana@svippin.com or www.svippin.com