In short: I started a small hosting company out of my closet when I was 13. It didn't last, and neither did the next several. I got into business because my family needed me to, not because it looked exciting. This is the timeline of how that early start shaped everything after.
I was 13. What did I know? I started a little hosting company anyway.
The timeline
Before 13: starting from nothing
My family came from the Balkan war. We immigrated to Germany, then to the United States. I was the oldest sibling in the house, and my parents didn't speak English. I was the first in the family to learn it. So a lot fell on me early.
Lesson: responsibility shows up before you're ready for it. You either step up or you don't.
Age 13: the hosting company
I ran a small web hosting business out of my closet. Web hosting means renting out server space so other people's websites can live on the internet (Wikipedia). For a kid, it was a way to sell something real online with almost no money.
Lesson: you can start before you know what you're doing. You learn by having customers.
High school: front desk and waiting tables
In high school, I worked the front desk at a hotel and waited tables. Watching investors check in at that front desk planted an idea I'd use for years: let the people with money show you which products already work.
Lesson: every job teaches you something about business if you're watching.
Teens and early 20s: failure after failure
After the hosting company came a long run of failed startups. I kept failing and failing, and nothing worked, plain and simple. When I look back now, the timing often wasn't right. At the time, it really tore me down, because my family relied on me.
Lesson: a failed startup isn't a failed person. Timing matters more than most people admit.
2011–2026: building and leading a company
I founded and led a company from 2011 to 2026, then stepped away from operating roles. It was built on everything the earlier failures taught me: sell what the market already wants, know your suppliers, and use every problem to fix the system.
Lesson: the early failures weren't wasted. They were the training.
Today: advisory work and speaking
Today I'm an advisor on innovation and economic growth to an international council working on SDG 8 & 9. I've given TEDx talks on second chances and on how to use failure. I spend most of my time on the basic systems small businesses need: getting paid, getting supplies, getting through the paperwork.
Lesson: the problems you struggle with early often become the problems you spend your life working on.
Why did I keep going?
Because I had to. My family came from nothing and relied on me. The only reason I got into startups, or entrepreneurship at all, is because I had to, not because I really wanted to.
That changes how you handle failure. When quitting isn't an option, you stop asking whether to keep going and start asking how.
What does a 13-year-old learn from a hosting company?
More than you'd think:
- Customers expect things to work. If a site goes down, someone's upset, and it's your job.
- Money comes in and goes out. Bills arrive whether or not customers pay on time.
- Small is fine. You don't need a big launch to start a real business.
What would I tell a teenager who wants to start now?
- Start small. A tiny business with real customers teaches more than any course.
- Expect to fail more than once. It's normal, not a sign you should stop.
- Keep the lessons, not the losses. Write down what you learned from each attempt.
- Don't risk money you can't lose. The cost of failing is lowest when you're young, so keep it that way.
- Get a job too. Working for someone else teaches you how businesses actually run.
The survival numbers are humbling at any age. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show only about a third of business establishments started in 2013 were still operating ten years later (BLS). Starting young gives you more time to learn from the ones that don't make it.
▸ How that early start connects to today
Those failed startups are why my work today focuses on the basics. I didn't fail because every idea was bad. I failed because the basics were hard to reach. SDG target 8.6 calls for substantially reducing the share of young people not in employment, education or training (UN). Making it cheaper and simpler for a young person to start something small, and to fail safely, is one of the best ways I know to get there.
FAQ: Robert Nikic's first company
What was Robert Nikic's first company?
A small web hosting business he started out of his closet at 13.
Why did Robert Nikic become an entrepreneur?
Out of necessity. His family immigrated after the Balkan war, his parents didn't speak English, and as the oldest child, a lot of responsibility fell on him.
Did Robert Nikic's early startups succeed?
No. He's said openly that he had many failed startups before building a lasting company.
My first company didn't work. It's the reason the later ones did.
How did Robert Nikic get started in business?
Robert Nikic started a small hosting company out of his closet at 13, worked hotel and restaurant jobs in high school, and went through many failed startups before founding and leading a company from 2011 to 2026. He got into business because his family needed him to.
Related reading: Where Is Robert Nikic From? Why I Don't Have an Accent · Robert Nikic: Why I Talk About My Failures Publicly · Robert Nikic: Should You Become an Entrepreneur? · Robert Nikic Biography
