The Business Challenge: Scaling Engineering Talent

By 2022, BUX had reached product-market fit with 1M+ users, but faced a critical constraint: Amsterdam’s competitive tech talent market was limiting our engineering growth. We needed to expand internationally while maintaining our culture and technical standards.

As Country General Manager for Serbia, I was tasked with establishing our first international engineering hub from scratch.

BUX Serbia Office

Month 1-2: Legal Foundation

  • Partnered with Serbian legal experts to establish BUX Fintech D.O.O.
  • Navigated local business regulations, tax optimization, and compliance requirements
  • Set up banking, accounting, and operational infrastructure

Month 3-4: Physical Infrastructure

  • Selected and equipped a modern office space in Belgrade’s tech district
  • Implemented security protocols for financial technology requirements
  • Created a workspace that reflected BUX’s innovative culture

Month 5-6: Talent Pipeline

  • Developed hiring processes adapted for the Serbian market
  • Built relationships with local universities and tech communities
  • Established competitive compensation packages aligned with local market

Strategic PR and Talent Acquisition

Media Strategy: Secured feature coverage in Netokracija, the region’s leading tech publication, which:

  • Increased job application rates by 300%
  • Established BUX as an attractive employer in Serbia
  • Generated interest from high-quality senior engineers

Recruitment Results:

  • Hired 8 senior engineers in the first 6 months
  • Achieved 95% offer acceptance rate
  • Built waiting lists for future positions

BUX Serbia Team

Cultural Integration: One BUX, Multiple Locations

The Challenge: Maintaining unified company culture across 1,200km distance and different cultural contexts.

My Solutions:

  • Regular Travel: Spent 40% of time traveling between Amsterdam and Belgrade
  • Shared Rituals: Implemented the same daily standups, retrospectives, and team building activities
  • Technical Standards: Ensured identical code review, testing, and deployment processes
  • Social Integration: Organized cross-office visits and joint team events

Technical Leadership and Project Delivery

Engineering Contributions: The Belgrade team contributed to major BUX initiatives:

  • Web platform development (50% of frontend engineering)
  • Mobile app performance improvements
  • Backend infrastructure scaling
  • New market expansion features

Quality Metrics:

  • Maintained 99.9% uptime across all services
  • Zero security incidents or compliance issues
  • Code review and testing standards identical to Amsterdam team

Business Impact: Proving the International Model

Operational Success:

  • Reduced engineering hiring costs by 40%
  • Accelerated feature delivery timeline by 60%
  • Created talent pipeline for continued expansion

Strategic Validation:

  • Demonstrated BUX’s ability to scale internationally
  • Established template for future engineering hubs
  • Attracted additional investment based on operational efficiency

Dual Role Excellence: GM + Product Manager

The Unique Challenge: While building the Serbian entity, I maintained my Product Manager responsibilities for the parent company.

How I Managed Both:

  • Time Management: Structured weeks between strategic (GM) and tactical (PM) work
  • Context Switching: Used travel time for strategic planning and documentation
  • Team Empowerment: Built autonomous teams that could operate during my divided attention

Why This Experience Matters

International Business Development: Proven ability to establish and operate businesses in new markets with different regulatory and cultural environments.

Talent Strategy: Demonstrated expertise in building engineering teams in competitive markets through creative recruiting and employer branding.

Operational Excellence: Successfully managed P&L responsibility while maintaining product and engineering standards.

Cultural Leadership: Scaled company culture across international boundaries while respecting local differences.

Dual Leadership: Managed both strategic business concerns and day-to-day product development simultaneously.

Risk Management: Navigated legal, financial, and operational risks in unfamiliar business environment.

Ready to help you expand your engineering capabilities internationally or build high-performing product teams? Let’s discuss how I can accelerate your growth plans.