When I fell off the bridge, I thought it was over. And then everything changed.

I remember it exactly. It was night and I was driving on a highway in Croatia. Two cars collided right in front of me and I was the one who stopped to help them. There was broken glass, debris from cars, and people in shock everywhere. When I arrived at the accident, cars were still driving on the highway. I wanted to get off the road, so I thought of jumping over the guardrail. 

However, I forgot one crucial thing – I didn’t look behind them. I thought there would be a field. But I was on the bridge. In the shock of the accident in front of me and the whole situation, it didn’t even occur to me.

I jumped over, my hands resting on the railing, and there was only a 15-meter free fall into the void. In the dark.

Imagine the feeling when you are falling in a dream and can’t stop. A disgusting feeling.

The only thing that went through my mind was, “Is this how it ends?”

And the impact?

Those seconds were endless. I didn’t know what to expect until it arrived. Finally, I hit the gravel hard – and it held me up. Yes, you heard right. If I fall a meter further, I’ll break on the rocks. If I went the other way, I’d end up in the river.

I had eight broken ribs, four broken vertebrae, internal bleeding, and torn muscles. But I lived. And that was important to me.

Life is a limited edition

When you’re this close to the end, you start to think. Suddenly you realize that you are not immortal. That there is no guarantee of another day. You spend your whole life working, building, dealing with business, numbers, deadlines. And you don’t know if you’ll wake up tomorrow. This moment changed my life. Especially thoughts in the hospital. I began to value time in a completely different way. It wasn’t just about making money anymore. It wasn’t just about “what’s next for the company.” From then on, I wanted to live life to the fullest. To do what I love: to travel more, to see the world, to fly. But not just as a tourist, but as someone who wants to experience the reality of the real world. That’s why I started choosing countries like Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh – places you don’t normally go to.

That’s why I took the sale of Aluko with ease.

A few years ago, I would have felt that selling the company we had spent years building was out of the question. But ever since I fell off the bridge, I know that time is limited . It was a powerful moment for me that showed me one more thing – not to make hasty decisions, but to think more rationally . And this applies equally to travel and business offers. Because some things can’t be taken back. Hold on.

How one fine changed my perspective on business

Doing business internationally means many opportunities, but also many challenges. A person learns as they go, and sometimes they are given a lesson they will never forget. That’s exactly what happened to me.

We led the company Aluko, which operated in Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Austria and France. Everything was going relatively well, but one day an unexpected fine arrived – 38,000 euros for an administrative error in Sweden. My first reaction? “What?! You can make beautiful dreams come true for that kind of money, and we’re just supposed to throw them out for some bureaucratic mistake?”

At that moment, I realized that even a small inattention can have major financial consequences. But in the end I said to myself – it could have been worse . Some competitors received even larger fines. But for me, it was a clear message: You can’t do business without paperwork.

Since then, I have dug into the company’s processes, set up rigorous controls, and made sure every detail was under control. And I still do it today.

What did this experience teach me?

✅ You can have any good business model, but if your paperwork isn’t in order, sooner or later there will be a problem.
 ✅ Watch your cash flow and don’t waste money, even if you have a good income. If you learn how to manage small, it will work on a large scale.

Today I know that when I’m building a business, it’s not enough to just work hard and be the best at what I do. I also have to think about things that seem insignificant at first glance – because in business, a small thing can decide whether you grow or pay for expensive mistakes.

To this day, I thank the ladies at Aluk for always approaching these things responsibly. Thanks to this, we eventually built a successful company, which my team and I successfully sold.

Paperwork is not a pleasant thing. But sometimes you have to do what is not pleasant – but essential .

Why do I travel to countries where others wouldn’t go?

When people think of traveling, most people imagine a vacation in Italy, relaxing by the sea, or exploring famous metropolises. But I was always attracted by something else – to see the world as it really is .

After my accident in Croatia and the death of my father, I realized that life is too short to live it in a comfort zone. I wanted to see reality. What does the real world look like outside the European bubble? How do people live where they have no certainty about tomorrow?

And so I started traveling. Iraq, Eritrea, Sudan, Bangladesh…

Many people ask me: Why these countries?

Simple answer: I want to see the truth. I want to understand what it’s like to live in conditions that most of us can’t even imagine. Because only when you see the poverty in Bangladesh or the consequences of war in Iraq will you realize the luxury we live in in Slovakia.

One of the most powerful experiences was my trip to Iraq. I spent more than 10 days there and crossed the country from Basra, through Nasiriyah, Ur, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Samarra, and all the way to Mosul. Seeing Iraq with your own eyes is like experiencing two completely different realities.

🔹 Cities destroyed by war, hidden terrorist cells, but also fascinating historical sites and monuments.
🔹 From extreme heat of 56°C outside to icy rooms with air conditioning.
🔹 From places where people fight for food and water to neighborhoods where you overeat in restaurants, Iraq is not a country for tourists looking for comfort. It is a country for those who want to understand the world differently than the media shows it .

Each of these journeys taught me something. In Sudan, I understood what true hospitality means. In Iraq, I saw that people are the same everywhere in the world – we all want safety, family, and a chance at a better life. And in Bangladesh, I realized that happiness does not depend on wealth, but on how you can appreciate what you have.

If you are interested in traveling to less traditional destinations and want to see the world through different eyes, follow my other trips. You might be surprised to learn that sometimes the poorest places hide the richest stories.