Dropping Bombs
Dropping Bombs · 2024
Robert Nikic on Dropping Bombs with Brad Lea
Dropping Bombs · Episode 749
Robert Nikic on Dropping Bombs with Brad Lea, episode 749: escaping war, arriving in the U.S. with nothing and building his platform from scratch.
At a glance
- Show
- Dropping Bombs
- Host
- Brad Lea
- Episode
- 749
- Published
- October 10, 2024
- Format
- Podcast and video
- Robert's role
- Founder and CEO
Last updated
What Robert Nikic discussed on Dropping Bombs
Escaping war
In episode 749, released October 10, 2024, Brad Lea asks Robert to start at the beginning. Robert talks about escaping war in Bosnia and Croatia as a child and what it meant for his family to leave everything behind.
Arriving with nothing
He describes landing in the United States with nothing and rebuilding from scratch: new language, low-paid jobs and long shifts. The point is not sympathy. It is how much of what came later was learned in those years.
Building from scratch, and a warning
The second half covers how he built his platform from the ground up, and what new sellers should watch out for. Robert is direct that people starting online businesses need to look past promises and check what they are actually getting. The episode was released the same year his company climbed to #35 on the Inc. 5000.
Related: Benzinga on spotting bad actors · Fatherly on his refugee beginnings
In Robert's words
Brad doesn't let you skip the hard parts, which I appreciated. I talked about escaping war in Bosnia and Croatia and coming here with nothing. My family started over completely. I failed at startups as a teenager and worked 18-hour shifts before I built anything that lasted. We grew the company without outside investors, from #418 to #35 on the Inc. 5000. The part I most wanted people to hear was the warning: if you're starting out, check what you're buying into. In 2026 I stepped away to work on SDG 8 & 9, so the rules protect new founders better than they protected me.
Robert Nikic
Key takeaways
01
A childhood in war
Robert describes escaping war in Bosnia and Croatia.
02
Rebuilt from scratch
Arriving in the U.S. with nothing shaped how he built his platform.
03
Advice for new sellers
He tells newcomers what to watch out for before they commit.
Where this fits in his story
2011
First platform launched
2018
Relaunched as a full platform
2023
Inc. 5000 debut at #418
2024
Climbs to #35
This feature
2026
Steps away to work on SDG 8 & 9
Where it led
This episode is one of the fullest tellings of Robert's second-chance story. That is the heart of SDG 8.5, decent work and second chances for people rebuilding their lives. His warning to new sellers also connects to SDG 8.3: simpler, clearer rules make it harder for bad actors to take advantage of first-time founders.
Then
In episode 749 (October 10, 2024), Robert joins Brad Lea to talk about escaping war in Bosnia and Croatia, arriving in the U.S.
Now
SDG 8.5: second chances and decent work for people rebuilding their lives.
See Robert's SDG 8 & 9 workWatch or listen
Questions
When was Robert Nikic on Dropping Bombs?
Episode 749, released October 10, 2024.
What was the episode about?
Escaping war in Bosnia and Croatia, arriving in the U.S. with nothing, building his platform and advice for new sellers.
Can I listen here?
Yes. The Apple Podcasts player and the video are embedded on this page.
Original article
Read the original article · Published in Apple Podcasts, October 10, 2024
About Dropping Bombs
Dropping Bombs is a business podcast hosted by entrepreneur Brad Lea.
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.