***NEW DATE: 7 NOVEMBER***

Handcrafted in Croatia, the Break Time nautical bracelet brand was born in Split and has made waves around the world. For our next SplitBiz meetup, we welcome proud Split resident and co-owner of BreakTime, Mirela Rus, to share their business success story.

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Mirela’s BIO:
Mirela Rus (45) is the co-owner of the Croatian brand Break Time and runs the marketing and sales part of the business. In less than 3 years, the business has grown to include 4 brick-and-mortar stores in Croatia and an online shop selling the bracelets worldwide.

A journalist for 14 years, Mirela reinvented herself when the BBC World Service Romanian section closed. She took on the role of communications manager for the largest NGO in Romania, The Soros Foundation, and then as chief-of-staff for a prominent Romanian member of the European Parliament, Renate Weber.

She fell in love with Croatia while working on a journalistic assignment some 15 years ago, and dreamed of living on the Adriatic Coast ever since.

In the autumn of 2015, Mirela and her partner Leonard Copoiu left behind their successful careers and business in Romania and moved to Split. The initial plan of building villas (using Leonard’s expertise in real estate development in Bucharest) fell through, so the couple decided to try and make a business out of Leonard’s hobby of handcrafting nautical-inspired bracelets.

Besides her love for the sea, Mirela loves cats and her ultimate goal is to be successful enough in business to be able to open a cat sanctuary in Dalmatia.

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About SPLITBIZ:
SplitBiz is an informal meetup held monthly (we’ve been on Summer break!). The talks alternate between two coworking space hosts, Amosfera and Saltwater. We bring you the people behind Split-based businesses, who come to our spaces to discuss a different theme each month. It is a relaxed environment where you can meet other Split locals and expats. There will be time for questions and networking after the presentation. All are welcome. Registrations essential as seats are limited.

This talk will be held in English.

See you at SplitBiz 006!