TIETOJA TÄSTÄ JAKSOSTA
At 12 years old, Zoran Todorovic was forced to flee his home during the war in Yugoslavia.
A few years later, he arrived in America without speaking English, worked his way through high school and college, and eventually took a job pushing carts at Sam's Club.
That job became the beginning of a career that would take him into leadership at Walmart.
In this episode of The Operator's Code, Scott Bowman sits down with Zoran to unpack the experiences and principles that shaped that journey.
They talk about:
-losing everything and starting over
-why survival changed Zoran's definition of pressure
-learning English while working and going to school
-starting at Sam's Club as a cart pusher
-how doing good work when nobody was watching changed his career
-the role mentors played in opening doors
-why over-preparation became one of his greatest advantages
-faith, continuous learning, and refusing to quit
-choosing the right people to surround yourself with
-adapting to AI and the changing world of retail
Zoran's story is a reminder that careers are rarely built through one massive break.
They're often built through years of doing the next right thing well.
Chapters:
00:00 From war-torn Yugoslavia to Walmart
01:06 The war begins overnight
06:11 Given 24 hours to flee
11:06 Forced to leave everything again
13:11 Celebrating a birthday while escaping
14:46 The opportunity to come to America
16:21 Starting over without speaking English
22:36 Going from everything to nothing
24:41 Why Zoran wanted a job at 16
26:21 Starting at Sam's Club pushing carts
28:41 From cart pusher to Walmart director
32:41 What kept him from quitting
36:06 The character traits survival created
41:06 Why you need mentors
42:26 The introduction that changed his career
46:16 Doing the right thing when nobody's watching
48:31 You can make a million and still be poor
51:41 Choosing the right partner
54:46 Faith, AI and continuous learning
58:51 Never giving yourself the option to quit
1:00:21 How over-preparation became an advantage
The Operator's Code explores the principles, decisions, and experiences that shape exceptional operators.
The show is hosted by Scott Bowman and made possible by Strategic Alliances. https://sainc.biz/
Scott's firm SAI helps you build the operational spine that lets you keep the promise you made when you signed the contract.
