Forbes
Forbes · 2024
Robert Nikic Featured in Forbes
A people-first decision in a hard moment.
24 hours
To decide
$250,000
Per employee (as reported)
At a glance
- Outlet
- Forbes
- Format
- BrandVoice
- Published
- March 13, 2024
- Topic
- People-first leadership during a financial setback
- Robert's role
- Founder and CEO
- Reported figures
- $10M setback · $250,000 per employee
Last updated
What Forbes reported about Robert Nikic
The setback
Forbes describes a moment when the company Robert led faced a major financial hit. The article reports that he chose to treat the $10 million as an investment in the people who built the company rather than as a loss.
The 24-hour choice
According to the piece, every employee got the same offer: take a $5,000 early-exit bonus with a pre-signed resignation, or stay. They had 24 hours to decide. Some took the offer, and others stayed.
The reward
Forbes reports that each employee who stayed received a $250,000 bonus. Robert presented it as overdue recognition of what they had given the company when it needed them most. The article frames the decision as a picture of how he led: mutual respect, trust and rewarding hard work.
Related: Business Insider on leading without investors · CEOWORLD on his people practices
"They were there for me when I needed them most, and at that time, they weren't compensated as much as they deserved."
In Robert's words
"They were there for me when I needed them most, and at that time, they weren't compensated as much as they deserved." I said that to Forbes and I'd say it again. We built the company without outside investors, so there was no one else to absorb a hit like that. Giving everyone the same choice, with a clear deadline, felt fair. My family started over with nothing when we came from the Balkans, and I worked 18-hour shifts for years. I know what it means to be owed. Since 2026, on SDG 8 & 9, I've focused on getting small businesses paid faster.
Robert Nikic
Key takeaways
01
People before balance sheets
Forbes reports the loss was turned into a reward for the team instead of being written off.
02
Loyalty recognized
The people who stayed through the hardest stretch were the ones rewarded.
03
Trust as strategy
A clear, equal offer to everyone, with a deadline, built trust in the decision itself.
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
Then, he made sure the people who built the company got paid what they deserved. Now, as Advisory Council Chair at Reseated Councils, working on SDG 8.10, he pushes for payments that reach small sellers in days, not weeks or months. Getting paid on time is the same principle at a different scale.
Then
Then, he made sure the people who built the company got paid.
Now
Now, he works on SDG 8.10, helping small sellers get paid in days, not weeks or months.
See Robert's SDG 8 & 9 workQuestions
When was Robert Nikic featured in Forbes?
March 13, 2024, in a Forbes BrandVoice piece.
What did Forbes report?
That he turned a $10 million setback into $250,000 bonuses for each employee who stayed.
What does Robert Nikic do now?
He works on United Nations SDG 8 & 9 as Advisory Council Chair at Reseated Councils.
Original article
Read the original article · Published in Forbes, March 13, 2024
Forbes BrandVoice
About Forbes
Forbes is a global business media brand founded in 1917. Wikipedia
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.