Have you ever wondered what makes us who we are? Why do we think, feel, and behave the way we do? The enigmatic questions of why we think, feel, and behave the way we do have fascinated thinkers and scholars for centuries. As the world increasingly embraces technology, be it for self-driving robots, enabling remote working, or the presence of artificial intelligence (AI), the importance of soft skills, and what it means to be human, has come to the forefront. Emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, and critical thinking are gaining prominence as indispensable attributes for succes ..read more

This post was originally written for Tenacious Ventures, where I am the COO & Operating Partner, and published on the ,Tenacious Ventures website in May 2023. As an impact investment manager, impact is central to our operating ethos, both in how we manage our firm and our funds. But how can we ensure that our investments are actually creating the desired impact? One tool that we’ve found helpful to stay true to our vision is a theory of change. There are many definitions, but for us, it’s a framework outlining the steps and assumptions involved in achieving our specific impact investment g ..read more

In 2016, I founded HardworX to help growth-stage startups and SMEs scale their operations successfully and sustainably. HardworX provided hands-on execution support across business operations, supply chain, and manufacturing. HardworX also developed and delivered immersive innovation programmes for hardware innovators focused on unlocking the power of hardware by demystifying manufacturing and hardware supply chain. Through a process of discovery, I realised that my background and skills as an experienced operations and supply chain leader, and my formal background in engineering and computer ..read more

In early 2020, at the behest of my doctor, I purchased a cheap stationary bike. There were rumours that Melbourne was about to enter its first hard COVID lockdown, and she was keen for me to continue with my knee rehab. The success of the latest medical procedure was dependent on my being able to rehabilitate properly. When I bought my stationary bike, my rehab exercise program was to build up to cycling for 20min without pain. Fast-forward 21 months, I ride my stationary bike daily for 60-90 min without a break, occasionally longer. I have cycled 14,600 kilometres! To put that in context, to ..read more

A short essay about life skills learned the hard way I never thought asking "what?" would land me in trouble. When I first arrived in Australia, I didn't speak much English. Whenever I didn't understand what people were telling me in those first few weeks, I would say, "what?". That was the extent of my English vocabulary. A heated exchange. My second-grade teacher didn't have much patience for a child who kept saying, "what?". On the third day of my being in her class, when I responded to her directions to do something with "what?", my teacher looked at me sternly and said, "I beg your pardon ..read more

"To have another language is to possess a second soul." - Charlemagne The Secret to a Richer Life, is a homage to my mother tongue, Macedonian, written in Macedonian as part of my Ship30for30 writing streak. The essay can be translated into English using Google translate. https://translate.google.com Happy reading! Тајна за побогат живот Се запишав на курсот ship30for30 за да научам како подобро да пишувам кратки состави и да ги објавувам во дигитален формат. Правилата се дека секој ден додека трae ship30for30 ..read more

VC is a serious business. That doesn’t mean we can’t bring a sense of humor to the table. At Tenacious Ventures, we think of investing as a partnership founded on trust, honesty, mutual respect, and a dash of humor. So, not surprising that this happened… You see, I’m learning how to sketchnote. Sometimes I doodle meeting notes to capture ideas visually. When we partnered with Nowadays, a plant-based meat company, the words chicken nugget came up a lot in meetings. But my first attempt at a chicken nugget flopped... Let's just say, it was hard not to make the nuggets look like chicken poop! So ..read more

In January 2022, I signed up for Ship30for30, a cohort-based course teaching the fundamentals of digital writing. The goal is to develop a consistent writing habit, experiment with ideas, and ship 30 pieces of content in 30 days. Why a digital writing course? I find writing a struggle. It’s tough to put thoughts on paper, let alone adapt my writing for various audiences and mediums. Yet, we live in the digital age where short attention spans are common, information overload is the norm, and undivided attention is scarce. Now more than ever, being an efficient and effective communicator is esse ..read more

Dickie Bush believes asking good questions is an underrated skill. I agree. Fortunately, asking good questions can be learned. What, however, is a good question? Good questions, in my opinion: Elicit critical thinking and new thoughts, ideas, and insights. Connect you with others and yourself. Assess your own and others’ understanding and knowledge gaps. Reveal a person’s character and surface beliefs and biases. Inspire growth. Ultimately, good questions are about the thinking and action they stimulate, not the complexity of the question itself. Two simple questions: ‘What went well?' & ..read more

Curiosity is malleable. A skill that can be honed and developed over time. With a little bit of intentionality in how and when you seek out new information, you can supercharge your curiosity. To cultivate a curiosity mindset I use a simple hack, leveraging two fundamental principles: Randomness Timing In a nutshell, I let serendipity guide the development of my curiosity by listening to a random TED talk in the morning. 1. Why a random TED talk? Firstly. the talks are fascinating; engaging content delivered well. Storytelling at its best. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it’s the exp ..read more