Sometimes, the most significant change occurs when you intentionally position yourself in places where decisions are made. This is why I find myself in Belgium, participating in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme and now entering my second week, hosted by Out of the Box International.
My name is Ivan Tominac. I own a small marketing and communications business and serve as the president of a small Croatian association called AYES. My work intersects entrepreneurship, communication, and social impact. I joined the EYE programme with a clear goal: to step outside my usual professional setting and learn through hands-on experience.
Belgium was a strategic choice. As the hub of European institutions, it is a place where policies, priorities, and long-term societal directions are crafted.
Marko Paunović, my host entrepreneur, fosters a working environment that encourages challenging existing models rather than simply replicating them. The emphasis is on understanding systems, exploring unconventional methods, and turning ideas into tangible actions. This approach resonates with my own work, where entrepreneurship is intertwined with responsibility and innovation is closely linked to genuine social needs.
The experience so far has been primarily observational and reflective. This period has been about understanding how different systems function in practice, how organisations position themselves within the European context, and how decision-making environments shape priorities and outcomes.
My participation in the EYE programme will span a three-month period. During this period, my main goal is to critically reassess and redefine my business plan. But I also expect this time to help me clarify strategic priorities, test existing assumptions and better understand how my work can realistically develop.
Rather than focusing on quick results, these three months are intended as a period of structured reflection and adjustment. The aim is to return with a clearer direction, more grounded plans and a stronger alignment between my business activities and my engagement in civil society.
The time spent in Belgium is already influencing how I think about my future work through my business and AYES. Being part of OTB allows me to observe alternative approaches to entrepreneurship and social responsibility, with the intention of translating these insights into more grounded and realistic actions once I return.