Entrepreneur stories: How do you balance creative work and running a business?
Danijela Bulaja, a chemical engineer, and her sister Maja Ivandić run a small craft business making hand-poured candles from concrete blends and natural soy wax. Their entrepreneurial story started spontaneously in the kitchen, out of a desire to use more natural ingredients. But very quickly, alongside the creative side, the less visible part arrived too: organization, planning, and admin.
More and more women entrepreneurs share similar challenges today, from time management to handling paperwork — something we have written about before in our piece on the real day-to-day of running a small business.
Today, alongside making products that bring warmth into people's homes, they balance daily between production, orders, and running the business — the part that often stays in the shadows but makes the difference between a hobby and a serious business.
Here is what Danijela has to say about her journey and how she handles the administrative side of her craft.
Q: Can you briefly describe your business and what you focus on most?
A: The business makes decorations and candles from concrete blends and natural soy wax. Our focus is on hand-made, personalized products that bring warmth and aesthetic to the home.
Q: What did your path into entrepreneurship look like, and what motivated you to start — on your own and with your sister?
A: I think it started completely spontaneously, like for most craft entrepreneurs, in the kitchen. We noticed that some ingredients didn't agree with me, both in cosmetics and in candles, so we decided to make our own products with the most natural ingredients possible and pleasant scents.
Q: What does a typical workday look like for you, from morning to evening?
A: Every day we try to find balance between private and work life, and our pace depends on the volume of orders. During the holiday season, the day usually starts with making concrete decorations and ends with pouring soy wax into the containers we prepared the day before.
Q: Are there administrative tasks that especially get in the way or pull your focus from the actual work?
A: Yes. We are not experts in business or finance, so we had to learn a lot ourselves about marketing, advertising, and admin — which often pulls focus away from the creative part of the work.
Q: How are you currently tracking your work?
A: Through different apps. One of them is Notion.
Q: Have you ever run into mismatched paperwork, or a moment where some piece of information was missing exactly when you needed it?
A: For sure. Probably most often around the administrative tasks.
Q: Which processes have you already digitized, and how much does that help in day-to-day work?
A: Our online shop is a big help, and in Notion we try to plan posts and the work schedule. We don't always pull it off perfectly every month, but when it works, it really makes the day easier.
Q: If you could solve one part of running the business with a single click, what would it be and why?
A: The paperwork — because I would love to have more time so we can focus on creating new products.
Q: How do you imagine the ideal day of an entrepreneur, when everything is organized, in order, and free of administrative stress?
A: Ideally, I would wake up around 6 in the morning, have coffee, and start the day with a clear plan. I would love the main part of the work to wrap up by 4 PM, so I can dedicate the rest of the day to myself and my family. On the business side, I picture a schedule where one day I record content, three days I make products, and the rest of the week I dedicate to growing and developing the brand.
In closing
Danijela and Maja's story is very similar to the stories of many women entrepreneurs — lots of creativity, lots of hands-on work, but also a pile of small obligations that stack up through the day. And while candles and decorations are made slowly and with care, running a business often demands speed, clarity, and good organization.
That is exactly where the need shows up to keep things tidy and clear, so more time is left for the reason it all started in the first place. Kloki fits into that story as a help with record-keeping and day-to-day operations — not as one more obligation on the pile.
Want to spend less time on admin and more on the work that actually matters? Try Kloki for free and see how much easier the day feels when records keep themselves.
