Bartender to Webflow Developer: Peek Into Djura’s Hustler Mentality

A beach bar at the Adriatic Sea. July. The Sun slowly fades beneath the horizon while a group of people enjoy themselves, sipping on Pina Coladas and savoring tasty sandwiches. Among them, a young man with a smile bigger than the Bay of Kotor celebrates the summer, making sure the group never runs out of fresh cocktails. 

When the duty calls, that man puts on his superhero suit. All of a sudden, he is not the heart and soul of the party anymore. He’s not serving cocktails. He’s making Webflow websites that put smiles on clients' faces. Smiles bigger than the whole Mediterranean Sea. Bigger than the Atlantic.

Andrija Djuric, known as Djura around here, is only 23 years old. Yet, he talks about his work experience as a 70-year-old retired person who has worked his entire life. Before becoming part of the Flow Ninja family, Djura had tried it all.

Some jobs he loved. Others, not so much. All of that shaped him into the hard-working and talented Webflow expert that he is. More importantly, he honed his soft skills through a vast portfolio in hospitality, earning him the Team Lead role at Flow Ninja.

“I wanted to be an architect. I was good at technical drawing, too. I entered a competition in elementary school and really enjoyed it. But my folks wanted me to focus on something related to computers,” Djura begins.

He listened to his parents, claiming it was the greatest decision of his life. He enrolled in a high school that focused on IT and computer science. 

There was just one issue: Djura never liked school — at least not the part where he had to sit down and study. He has always been more of an explorer than the sit-down type.

That’s why he started his bartending career during his high school years, which extended to his college years. He dropped out of college to pursue a professional career, switching roles and jobs in marketing, sales, and even copywriting. 

A pivotal moment in his career was winning the first prize for a website he made with his friend.

“There was an online competition. The task was to make a website and cover the entire customer journey. I used WordPress, and the site was simply horrible, so I couldn’t believe we won.”

There was something about making websites that he truly enjoyed. Thinking through the entire site, imagining how users would behave, and ensuring the site serves its purpose definitely resonated with Djura, making him completely switch to web development.

“Hospitality remains my first love. I would like to open a beach bar one day, with cool music, drinks, and people just chilling. However, several years ago, I reached a point in my life where I was sure I would focus on web dev.”

Djura and Flow Ninja: Started from the Bottom and Now They're Here

Djura started working as a web developer with his friends, claiming work opportunities on Upwork and similar sites. His story with Flow Ninja started when he heard from Marko, who was already working at Flow Ninja.

“I wanted to learn more about Webflow development, and Marko started sending me various tasks to practice. For two months, this was my main focus, as I practiced eight hours a day, every day.”

Djura immediately applied once a job opportunity at Flow Ninja appeared. He received a task which he completed and sent for the review.

“I was on tenterhooks for a week. Every single mail I received meant potential results for my application.”

He failed.

“I received a rejection email. They said I wasn’t qualified enough, and I was crushed. I heard from Marko, who suggested it would be a good idea to try and land several clients on my own to get more experience.”

Being a long-time member of a scouts organization, Djura decided to do what he loves the most: go to the Adriatic Sea with fellow scouts and relax during the summer.

But then, his summer break was interrupted. He was given a second chance, as he received another email from Flow Ninja with another test project.

His hustler mentality came to the spotlight: “I would help in my scouting camp during the day and work on the project during the sleepless nights.”

This time, the hard work paid off, and he was invited to a job interview.

“Come to think of it, that was my first official job interview. Despite working many jobs, I’ve never had a proper interview before. I was anxious and sweating!”

The rest is history.

How’s It Going at Flow Ninja, Djura?

Djura quickly became a true Webflow expert and became a Team Lead. He worked on various projects, some of which required unparalleled expertise.

“I really fell in love with this work when I discovered how my effort actually has a positive impact on someone’s business.”

Djura added he loved that Flow Ninja is from the same city as he is. “I really like how Flow Ninja is local-focused, yet global.”

He recalls his favorite memory was a company anniversary celebration. “A particular moment got engraved in my memory permanently. I was standing with Stefan, watching all team members having the time of their lives at the local kafana, and we reflected on how close we all had become. We were observing a family, really. At that moment, I thought how rare but precious those moments were: just to stand and watch a bunch of people you got really close with smile, eat, drink, and dance.”

Smiles bigger than the World Wide Web. 

A Round of Rapid-Fire Questions for Djura

Andrija was eager to answer a couple of questions.

Who is your favourite client, and why?

I have several. At the moment, I really enjoy working with Checkout, as their project is significant and impactful. On top of that, the people we work with are very pleasant and understanding.

What’s your favourite remote week location?

I love working from the office, especially during the remote weeks, as the office is not too crowded, so I can focus on work. If I had to choose, it would be a beach bar with a good Internet connection. It’s something I actually tried this summer, while staying at a scouting camp in Montenegro.

Can you recommend a book or a movie?

I can recommend Lord of the Rings. It’s a classic. As a true fan, I also enjoyed The Hobbit.

What’s your favorite travel destination?

I generally recommend traveling as such. I traveled a lot with my fellow scouts. Now, I realize it’s not only about the destination as much as it is about the people you’re traveling with.

Any activity to recommend?

Snowboarding, definitely. I didn’t like winter sports until I tried to snowboard. It’s really fun.

Can you recommend a video game?

Witcher 3 is definitely the best single-player game, and World of Warcraft is the best MMORPG.