---
title: "Robert Nikic Featured in The Guardian"
description: "The Guardian on how Robert Nikic went from never hearing of e-commerce to building a platform designed around why startups fail, often within 30 days."
canonical: "https://robertnikic.com/recognition/the-guardian"
author: "Robert Nikic"
advisory_role_profile: "https://reseated.com/robert-nikic"
type: "WebPage"
---

# Robert Nikic Featured in The Guardian

The Guardian on how Robert Nikic went from never hearing of e-commerce to building a platform designed around why startups fail, often within 30 days.

## At a glance

- Outlet: The Guardian (Nigeria)
- Format: Article
- Topic: Building against the reasons startups fail
- Robert's role: Founder and CEO
- Advice: No overnight riches
- Theme: Discipline
- Last updated: October 17, 2026

## What The Guardian reported about Robert Nikic

### Never heard of it

The Guardian Nigeria starts with a detail that surprises readers: when Robert arrived in the United States, he had never heard of e-commerce. Everything he later built, he learned from scratch.

### Designing against failure

After many failures of his own, the article reports, he built his platform around the reasons most startups fail, many of them within their first 30 days. Instead of hoping new sellers would avoid those traps, the platform was meant to remove them.

### No overnight riches

His advice to readers is blunt. There are no overnight riches. "You have to get up every morning determined to give your business 110%."

Related: [Mario Lopez on failure as fuel](https://robertnikic.com/recognition/on-with-mario-lopez) · [The European Business Review on removing barriers](https://robertnikic.com/recognition/european-business-review)

> "You have to get up every morning determined to give your business 110%." (Robert Nikic, The Guardian)

## In Robert's words

I hadn't even heard the word e-commerce when I got here. My family came as refugees from the Balkans and started over with nothing. My teenage startups failed, some of them fast, and I worked 18-hour shifts in between. So when I built a platform, I built it around the ways I'd failed. We grew it without outside investors, and it made the Inc. 5000 at #418 and #35. The advice I gave The Guardian still stands: you have to show up every morning ready to give it 110%. Since 2026 I've worked on SDG 8 & 9, including second chances.

## Key takeaways

- Started from zero: He had never heard of e-commerce when he arrived.
- Built around failure: The platform targeted the reasons startups fail early.
- No shortcuts: His advice: no overnight riches, just daily effort.

## Where this fits in his story

- 2011: First platform launched
- 2018: Relaunched as a full platform (this feature)
- 2023: Inc. 5000 debut at #418
- 2024: Climbs to #35
- 2026: Steps away to work on SDG 8 & 9

## Where it led

Then, he designed against failure. Now, under SDG 8.5, he works on second chances for people whose first attempts didn't work. The Guardian's story is about learning from failure, and his current work is about making sure the system lets people try again.
See: https://robertnikic.com/united-nations-sdg-8-and-9

## Questions

### What did The Guardian report about Robert Nikic?

That he had never heard of e-commerce on arrival and later built a platform around the reasons startups fail.

### What advice did he give?

There are no overnight riches; give your business 110% every morning.

### What does Robert Nikic do now?

He works on SDG 8 & 9, including second chances under SDG 8.5.

## Original article

Published in The Guardian: https://guardian.ng/news/dropshipping-guru-robert-nikic-how-he-reshaped-dropshipping-forever/

## About The Guardian

The Guardian is a Lagos-based Nigerian daily newspaper founded in 1983. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian_(Nigeria))

## About Robert

Robert Nikic is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and Advisory Council Chair at Reseated Councils (United Nations SDG 8 & 9). He came to the United States as a refugee, and from 2011 to 2026 he built and led an e-commerce company that was twice named to the Inc. 5000. Today he works to make it easier for anyone, anywhere, to start a business and grow it.