Andrej Šolinc, CEED Slovenia
20 November 2025
"The biggest untapped opportunity for meaningful impact lies with the overlooked majority: everyday entrepreneurs who struggle quietly but keep our economies alive. Early Warning Europe is the perfect idea and organisation to support them, and I would be honoured to contribute to its mission - whether as a regular member or a board member, wherever the organisation feels I can add the most value."
My areas of interest
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Working with SME founders and successors, helping them grow and solve problems
As a founder myself, I understand the pains entrepreneurs go through. I believe those who deserve special focus are everyday entrepreneurs — unlike startups or fast-scaling companies, they don’t get enough attention or support from the ecosystem, yet they carry most of the burden of sustaining our economies and living standards. They are often overlooked but need the most support.
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Communities
Mentorship and peer-to-peer support are key in today’s world, where knowledge is cheap, easily available, and abundant (books, podcasts, online courses…). All that is helpful, but it’s only part of the solution. The real value comes from the transfer of applicable know-how, the mental health benefits of not feeling alone, and the safety net of peers and like-minded organisations.
I’ve been fascinated by communities for a long time — as a leader and member in business (Director of CEED Slovenia, President of the largest BNI group in Slovenia) and social environments (Rotary president, church member) — and I’ve even started a few of my own.
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Business succession
This has been one of the main focuses of my work with CEED Slovenia in recent years and will remain a key pillar going forward. Succession is a real and growing challenge — the “silver tsunami” is coming to Slovenia and across Europe, with major consequences. Again, my interest is not in the top 1% of companies that already have resources and attention, but in the majority that often don’t even realise what kind of challenge they’re facing.
The solutions are not uniform — they range from family succession to hiring professional management, selling the business, or even liquidation — and we need tailored approaches and awareness to support this transformation.
Personal
I have my share of shortcomings, but networking, public speaking, and connecting people and organisations are my strong points, and something I genuinely enjoy. For reference, here’s a map of the Slovenian business ecosystem I created and continue to develop systematically.
My motivation
I want to be part of organisations that create real impact - a rule of thumb is "if I have to think hard to describe mission/vison, I do not belong there". Through my experience, I’ve seen that my personal contribution can make the biggest difference in the business world - especially by supporting SMEs, the true cornerstone of our society.
There’s already enough focus on creating new companies and mythical unicorns. The biggest untapped opportunity for meaningful impact lies with the overlooked majority: everyday entrepreneurs who struggle quietly but keep our economies alive.
Early Warning Europe is the perfect idea and organisation to support them, and I would be honoured to contribute to its mission - whether as a regular member or a board member, wherever the organisation feels I can add the most value.