Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bruno Ribarić, Freelance Web Developer at Ribarich, located in Bakar, Croatia.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm a freelance software developer specializing in developing custom software for WordPress and WooCommerce. My main customers are digital agencies who need expert help to build high-quality, performant, and cost-effective websites. There are a lot of WordPress developers, but many of them only know how to use plugins and page builders, and their PHP, HTML, CSS, and other web skills are lackluster. I get hired to solve complex programming problems, streamline the developer workflow, and manage and educate other developers when the agencies need to build custom themes and plugins. Sometimes I also work with clients who own websites directly instead of working for agencies that build websites for clients, but this is a very minor source of revenue for me since clients who own websites usually need a designer, developer, and project manager, and I can only provide the developer part.

Tell us about yourself

When I was 19, I sat down and decided to figure out the meaning of my life and which trajectory I wanted to take. I've decided that the ultimate meaning of life is to understand the nature of reality. The best way to do this would be to create a computer that can think - to build Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). However, AGI is still far away, and I still have a lot to learn (I am 23 at the time of writing this), so I decided to focus on web development to fund myself and learn about computer science. I chose web development because I find it exciting that I can build things that can be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world, and I think it will be an important skill to have throughout my life. After web development, I will focus more intensely on Artificial Intelligence and hopefully contribute significantly to AGI development. I was still in college, and when I made this decision. Quickly after deciding on it, however, I found college to be more of a distraction than help since I was not being taught computer science for the sake of deep understanding but rather for the sake of good exam results. I got a job at Photomath as a Web Developer while still in college, but the "impurity" of college education became too much to bear. Because of this, I quit college and Photomath and continued studying on my own while developing my business as an independent software developer. This independent study over three years turned into a deep understanding of the field I work in, which allows me to solve complex problems, deliver high-quality solutions, and be independent. Currently, I am working on various web development projects as an independent contractor while learning statistics, business, marketing, and artificial intelligence on the side, preparing myself for the next stage of my life, which will be to work on AGI.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There is not one single achievement that I can define as the biggest accomplishment. Developing my business has been a series of small wins and lots of failures that I used as learning experiences. But if I was to highlight one interesting achievement, it was my landing of the web developer job at Photomath. Getting this experience granted me some credibility to land my first clients when I ventured out on my own as an independent contractor rather than an employee. The way I got the job is quite interesting, in my opinion. There was not actually an opening for a web developer job at Photomath when I got it. I first joined Photomath as a "content creator," solving math problems and writing solutions to the problems for users of the app. But at the time I joined, I had already decided that I wanted to become a web developer, and Photomath had a web development team, so I wanted to figure out a way to get myself in there. There was no opening, so just asking wouldn't work. But while doing my content creation work, I saw an opportunity to develop a Chrome Extension which would convert LaTeX syntax used by content creators into "Photomath calculator syntax." Content creators had to do this manually, and it was an error-prone process. So I started working on this project called "LaTeX transpiler" without telling anyone. I stayed awake for many nights, teaching myself compiler design, JavaScript, Chrome Extension development, etc., and after about two months of very hard work, the project was complete. I showed my project to the web development team lead. He was impressed with what I had done and assigned me the task of integrating the LaTeX transpiler into the Photomath platform. I successfully did this, and I got accepted into the web development team.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is being entirely responsible for all uncertainty. What if you lose all your clients? What if the currency you hold gets hit by record-high inflation? You need to constantly educate yourself and be responsible for everything. With great freedom comes great responsibility.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Here are my top 3 tips for starting, running, and growing any kind of business:

  1. Clearly define your life purpose. Figure it out and write it down. It's not easy. Keep refining it over time. Align your business with that.
  2. Do not neglect other aspects of your life: Health, relationships, spirituality.
  3. Keep other humans and other beings in mind. Don't be selfish. Develop a business that will lift all boats, not just your boat

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://ribarich.me/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RibaricB
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-r-811430123/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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