Robert Nikic Against All Odds
Making it easier for anyone, anywhere,
to start a business and grow it —
opening the doors he once found closed.
obert Nikic is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and advisor on innovation and economic growth to an international council working on United Nations SDG 8 & 9. In plain terms, his work is about one thing: making it easier for ordinary people to start a small business, keep it alive and grow it.
Most small businesses don't fail because the idea is bad. They fail on the basics: waiting too long to get paid, not being able to get products or credit, not being able to sell to customers in another country, and red tape that costs more than they can afford. Robert calls these the rails of a business, and fixing them is the focus of his work.
United Nations SDG 8 is about decent work and economic growth. SDG 9 is about industry, innovation and infrastructure. Robert's part is bringing the view of founders and small-business owners into those conversations: faster payments, fairer access to credit and products, simpler rules for starting a business, and digital tools that let a shop in a small town sell to the world.
He knows those roadblocks firsthand. He started over in America with almost nothing and failed at business for years before building a company that was recognized twice among America's fastest-growing. His TEDx talk, "Unlocking Success: Second Chances Can Change Your Life," explains why a second chance, plus the right tools, can change a life.
Growth
of America's fastest-growing private companies — climbing from #418 to #35 in a single year.
From Struggle
to Success
Robert's family is from the former Yugoslavia and fled the Balkan wars when he was a child. They arrived in the United States with five suitcases, and he was the first in the family to learn English.
He went to work young, in restaurants and hotels, and started his first company, a small hosting business, at 13. Most of what he tried in those years failed, and each failure taught him the same lesson: the hard part usually isn't the idea. It's getting paid, getting supplies and getting through the paperwork.
The company he founded and led from 2011 to 2026 made the Inc. 5000 list twice, climbing to #35 nationally.
As he put it on WFLA Daytime: "A lot of people think businesses fail because of lack of capital, lack of marketing or lack of innovation. No, it really comes down to the policy of what it actually takes to start that business in the first place."
Today his work centers on United Nations SDG 8 & 9: cutting the red tape and opening the doors he once found closed. What follows is why, in his own words.
To those who have been counted out —
I've never believed that the size of an economy is what matters. What matters is whether one person, anywhere, can start something of their own and make a living from it. That's why I serve as an advisor on innovation and economic growth to an international council working on United Nations SDG 8 & 9. Not as a title, but as a duty.
I know what it's like to start with nothing. Everything I've built since rests on one thing: someone gave me a chance. A chance to work, to learn, to fail and try again.
So my focus is simple. I want it to be faster to get paid, easier to get credit and products, cheaper to sell across borders, and simpler to start a business at all. Those are the roadblocks that stop most small businesses, and they're the ones I work to remove — for the shop owner who can't reach a customer overseas, the worker waiting on a second chance, and the founder in a place the world forgot.
If that work helps even one more business cross a border, or one more person get their chance, then everything it took to get here will have meant something.
With purpose,
United Nations SDG 8 & 9
Robert Nikic
In Conversation
Podcasts and interviews on resilience, reinvention and growth
Global Appearances
From Balkan War Refugee to America's Fastest-Growing Founder
Robert Nikic arrived in the U.S. with almost nothing. Two decades later, he built a two-time Inc. 5000 company — without outside investment.
"Coming from war and having nothing teaches you the real value of perseverance and hope — it ingrains in you a determination to build a better future not just for yourself but for others who might be struggling."
"Our goal is to democratize ecommerce — making it accessible and profitable for sellers from all walks of life, selling brand-name products on Amazon, Walmart, and eBay."
Who Is Robert Nikic? Inside the Founder Reshaping How the World Sells Online
His platform lets everyday entrepreneurs sell brand-name products on Amazon, Walmart, and eBay — and he built it without a single outside investor.
The Leadership Playbook Behind America's Fastest-Growing Company
Robert Nikic is a leader who not only talks about innovation but demonstrates it — his ability to combine vision with execution is what sets him apart.
"Technology removes human error, which has historically been the downfall of many ventures — that is the foundation we built the entire platform on."
"A company's success starts with its people — investing in people first is what builds something lasting."
The CEO Who Refused Every Investor — and Kept the Upside With His People
Robert Nikic took a two-time Inc. 5000 company to #35 nationally on his own terms — no outside capital, no shortcuts — and kept the rewards with the people who did the work.
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