In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews entrepreneur Vedran Rešić, who shares his life story, product strategy insights, and advice on building high‑performing teams. Vedran recounts his Eastern‑European wartime upbringing, emphasizing the importance of focusing on what one can control. He describes his current work in sales automation with the AutoClose platform, highlighting the power of persistent, personalized follow‑up cadences and the Pareto effect where a small fraction of users generate most results. He offers entrepreneurial guidance: pursue problems you find compelling, stay persistent, and let outcomes unfold. When asked about happiness, he advises navigating extremes to find balance. Vedran recommends Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, explaining its two‑system model of cognition and how aligning them improves decision‑making. He shares a favorite adage about accepting what cannot be changed, changing what can, and knowing the difference. Finally, he points listeners to his personal site (vedran.xyz) and LinkedIn for contact.
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Thank you for listening to the Business Blast podcast. So for all my listeners out there that have been wanting to do your own podcast, I'd like to introduce to you Anchor. Anchor is a one-stop shop for recording, hosting, distributing, and monetizing your podcast. So before I found Anchor, I had never actually done a podcast because all the research that I had gathered made it seem very complex. Then I found Anchor, and Anchor makes podcasting extremely simple. So if you want to do your own podcast, go to anchor.fm/start. I can't wait to hear your podcast. Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode. Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Vedran Rešić with us. He's an entrepreneur with extensive experience in delivering successful product strategies and building high-performing teams. He's managed a sales force of over 100 people, and his clients that he's worked with include Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Samsung, and BCG. So, welcome to the show, man.
Hey, it's great to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Of course, man. Grateful to have you here. We'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Got it. I'd say the best story that started really badly is, you know, kind of, I was born in Eastern Europe during the wartime, so things didn't start well. But, you know, there are some things in life that you can influence, the other things you just can't. So, you know, my family and I, we managed to, you know, accumulate a couple of good decisions that we made. And, you know, throughout the course of my life, we basically, you know, managed to do one thing really well at a time that we could actually influence, right? And then at the end of the day, you know, here I am in North America, like doing business here, you know, like every other person born here, away from problems, right? So I believe that is a, that is a, you know, fact. Just, just work on things you can influence yourself.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Got it. So, so I'm currently working in the sales automation space. We built this great software called AutoClose that helps people send emails at scale that are very personalized. And so it's incredible how many times you can actually get no, but then weeks or months later, with you being kind and persistent, kind of, you know, and aligned to your kind of value system, you can turn that no into yes. So, you know, we experienced the Pareto within our software where 20% of our customers Being able to execute on the sales cadence of like, you know, 10 or more follow-ups have 80% of the results on the whole platforms. Basically, they hold 80% of the results by just, you know, being kind, persistent with the proper messaging.
So, uh, and what is your best piece of overall business advice?
Hmm. Um, so I'd say definitely, I mean, you know, working on a problem that you find interesting and worth solving. Or just keep searching and also important, working until you find something worth your time. Because people end up just being in between of whether should I start something or not. Just start and be persistent and then things will slowly pan out. So kind of more entrepreneurial than exact business advice.
I agree. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
You know, thing that comes to mind is kind of, you know, be bolder, but then probably I won't be who I am today. So kind of also no thanks, right? I'm fine with my past decisions. So I guess we all should be, you know, it's our best kind of, you know, abilities at that time. We made decisions that we could. So that's, you know, kind of philosophical, but it is what it is, right?
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Right. When you're basically young, whatever that means to you, go for the extremes. Then I guess slowly, you know, start finding your balance, and that's where the magic would happen. I actually experienced that with my own life. And, you know, so I'm not sure whether to actually be chasing— whether people should be chasing happiness. Because this is just yet another extreme of not being happy. So not super healthy to live in constantly between the two extremes, right? So, um, bumping from one another.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Yeah, I got it. So, so I'd say, uh, the one that really comes to mind is just Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner. I don't know, have you heard of that book?
I have heard of it. I have not read it yet though.
Oh, I definitely recommend it. Basically, it tells us about our reasoning and our two minds that we have, our two operating systems if you want. So the one is one that acts instinctively, basically requires little effort, and the other part of the brain or operating system that is more kind of deliberate, requires much more of our attention, etc., kind of, you know, the thinking brain. And so the book teaches you how to sync between the two and actually gives you some hands-on data to support the reasoning behind the whole book and the system. So it's very, very useful. I'd recommend it.
Yeah, very interesting. And what is your favorite quote and why?
This is a good one, right? There is not a single good quote, I'd say. It really depends on where you're at in your life. But I really like one old, you know, adage that goes something like, you know, accept what you cannot change, have the courage to change what you can, and have the wisdom to know the difference. Okay, so I like that one because it just, it helps elevating the general truth. No hype, no like, you know, motivation, no speech or anything like that. Just write it down somewhere and come back to it because, um, you know, you can study it your whole life and kind of never master it. So it's a fun project to have, wouldn't you agree?
Yes, I love that, man. Thank you so much for coming on, dude. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where is the best place for people to find you online?
Got it. So, you know, when I had time, I kind of started playing around with some articles on Vedran.xyz, which is V-E-D-R-A-N.xyz. But then probably the best way to get in touch with me is my LinkedIn. So it's just my first name and my last name. I think I come up with a search. There are not too many people with that name.
So perfect, brother. Thanks again for joining us.
Perfect. Yeah, this was really good and short, brief and short but sweet. Thank you.
