Meet Katarina Radnic Zmazek | Jewelry designer & entrepreneur / ex lawyer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katarina Radnic Zmazek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katarina, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking is and was crucial for my personal life and career. Although, at first I wouldn’t say I’m the type of person that takes risks, when I look back, taking risks was how I got to where I am today. After I finished high school, smart choice for college seemed law school, my mom having a successful office in Zagreb, it was a sure thing, a job and an office waiting just for me. Deep inside me I knew I wanted something different, but not knowing what that was specifically, I didn’t have any arguments to what else I would be studying or doing so I thought, might as well try law school. I know it’s strange, who makes decisions for college like this, but there I was. Somewhere in the middle of my law school studies, I needed somewhere to vent, so I chose this creative outlet, a hobby, where I would make jewelry, smaller pieces and sell them online. Back then facebook was at its beginning, so you couldn’t open a business page, it was just a normal profile. It grew and went really well. Business slowly developed and three years later I had to open my own company. I still pursued my law career and finished college, even started working at my mom’s office, going to court every day and with the help of my friends kept my hobby business working. It was hectic but I still couldn’t believe that I could be living off of my jewelry hobby. In 2014. I passed the bar exam and that was my ticket out. That was the moment I knew I did everything for my law career but also accepted that it wasn’t something I would be doing my whole life. I also felt free because I would never have to feel like I have unfinished business. I closed that book and opened the book of Cloud&co. never take off jewelry. Today I have my production and offices in the same place my mom had her law office. I have 12 employees, two shops and a beautiful web shop we just finished. And we started a new brand of Croatian souvenirs called Islands&co.. I guess it was worth the risk.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business, although a small one, is powerful because it leaves that good feeling when you see our jewelry. The name Cloud&co. stands for all the elements we use in our jewelry like clouds, stars, planets, constellations, but also stands for the team of women behind it. Our most popular item is Invisible cloud necklace, so light alost invisible, but very eyecatching. I must say regarding developing this brand and business,  that I had time and gave myself time to develop it organically. I didn’t make rash decisions, even when I was overwhelmed with all the potential and possibilities. I decided to create and do everything by intuition. I truly think that this approach was key to opening a lot of doors. There were a lot of challenges and even negative situations, but I always saw them as an opportunity for learning, even if the lecture was ”be careful who you work with next time.” I found that I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to even if it seems like a really good opportunity at first. It takes a lot of openness and introspection as well as moral support to recognize and find best solutions. I am also very proud of the community we created, both in our clients as well as our work community. It is so important to be able to go to work every day and look forward to it. This is a completely natural, organic, truthful and honest brand that proves hard work and great people, a bit of luck and vision can come a long way. Being brave and choosing a different path for me was and still is very rewarding.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Zagreb is a wonderful city with much to offer from sightseeing to great food and shopping. My favorite activity in any city as well as Zagreb is to walk around and stop to shop or eat something or have a drink and do it all day. Usually there is always something going on in the city like festivals or fairs. First, in the morning I would take my friend for coffee which is the first and most important part of every day and a big part of any Croatian’s every day in general. We are big coffee lovers, so there are a lot of spots with great coffee like Cogito or Dezman bar and Velvet. From there we would go to the upper part of the city which is also the oldest part and have a walk around, enjoying beautiful views, maybe even visit the museum of broken relationships and have a drink there. If we’re up for lunch, there is a great restaurant with traditional croatian food, pure soulfood like our grandmothers made. Then I would take one of the paths to downtown, probably the one leading us right to the main square and from there I would take a stroll around the downtown in the pedestrian area where there are wonderful restaurants and bars as well as little shops. I would take her to my own Cloud&co. shop which is in that part of town. One of my favorite spots is the Lenuci’s horseshoe, made of three beautiful parks and squares. If it’s winter we would walk around the Christmas fair (awarded three years in a row) there, go skating and eat the most amazing food, plus enjoy music, the atmosphere of Christmas. For a week trip we would see museums, go to parks like Maksimir and the ZOO. Also if there is time, have a trip outside of the city where there are wonderful family restaurants to eat great homemade food and just relax. Basically it’s a lot of food and good vibes 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To all the people in my life, friends and family, but especially the ones that fell from the sky (what I like to call them) are the ones that helped me build this business and community. I had a vision and work ethic, but it takes a village, or more of a small city full of creative, hardworking, funny, open, intelligent people to help you achieve goals and build your business. Each one was here when I needed them and I try to give it back as much as possible.

Website: www.cloudandcojewelry.com

Instagram: cloudandcojewelry

Facebook: Cloud&co. jewelry

Image Credits
Photos by: Matkovic&Vild (Franjo Matković and Senja Vild) Models: Jelena Perčin (Blonde) Dalia Abdel Rahim (Curly) Senja Vild (Short hair) Me on the pink chair.