April 5, 2022 – With just over a month to go before innovative work. Location. Culture. remote work conference in Dubrovnik, TCN continues its review of the list of high profile international speakers who will share their wisdom in the pearl of the Adriatic. Below, a familiar face and recognized as one of the 2022 United States LinkedIn Top Voices, Mandy Fransz returns to share about remote work, LinkedIn and entrepreneurship.

A busy season for the history of digital nomads in Croatia is about to begin. Highlights from last year included the introduction of the Digital Nomad Permit on January 1, 2021, and destinations such as Zagreb and Dubrovnik sparked global interest with award-winning events such as Zagreb Digital Nomad Week and the Dubrovnik Nomads-in-Residence project.

Zagreb and Dubrovnik will continue their efforts to position themselves in the market in 2022, with the Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2022 due to take place in June, and a press conference before that in Dubrovnik, as previously reported on TCN:Work. Location. Culture.

Total Croatia News continues to present the elite range for work. Location. Culture., this time with Mandy Fransz. A former LinkedIn™ employee, Mandy has seen the world’s largest professional network currently reach nearly 800 million members in over 200 countries while generating $320,000+ in revenue in less than 12 months. She founded Make the Leap Digital from a tropical coworking space in Bali and since then has worked, lived and traveled the world while helping clients around the world through digital courses, advice, lectures and interactive workshops. In 2019 she was nominated as one of the most inspiring and ambitious female entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and she has been featured in top (inter)national publications such as Thrive Global, VIVA400 and LINDA.

Another digital nomad event in Croatia, another Mandy Fransz appearance. First, tell us about your relationship with Croatia.

Thanks for having me again! Nice to be back in Croatia – last year I was invited as one of the keynote speakers at Digital Nomads Week Zagreb and since then it’s been one of my work destinations in favorite distance in the world. From food, culture and friendly cafes and workspaces in Zagreb to working remotely from the beautiful coast of Split while exploring islands with cobbled streets and emerald green waters such as Brač and the island of Hvar. I can’t wait to see what this new remote work adventure will bring!

Photo: Jose Alfonso Cussianovich

You were one of the keynote speakers at Zagreb Digital Nomad Week. How was it for you, and how do you see Croatia’s progress in the DN sector since then?

It was an honor to be one of the keynote speakers at Zagreb Digital Nomads Week last year, a well-deserved award-winning event! I delivered a workshop on “How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn” and a “The Rise of Remote Work” talk sharing my key insights and lessons learned since leaving my corporate job to work remotely in 2018 while building an online community of 25,000+ social media followers and 75,000+ group members inside the Remote workers on the LinkedIn group. The entire city was transformed into an event venue, which was a perfect way to attend a wide range of activities, speeches and workshops while exploring the city. nights! (be sure to join the Ghosts and Dragons Tour by Secret Zagreb while you’re there!).

I think Croatia has done a fantastic job of taking the digital nomad lifestyle and remote working to the next level with ambassadors and initiators such as Digital Nomad Association, Total Croatia News and Saltwater Nomads – I’m thrilled to see the momentum grow with the exciting events and conferences planned for 2022.

Photo: Jose Alfonso Cussianovich

The Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador program has been a successful postscript for ZDNW, and now you will be working as a similar ambassador for Dubrovnik in May. Why did you take the role and what do you expect it to entail?

I heard about the Ambassador program while attending ZDNW last year and knew right away that I would apply if given the chance. I think it’s a great initiative to explore a new destination while bringing the digital nomad community together by organizing events and collaborating with different stakeholders to positively impact the remote work lifestyle in Croatia. Furthermore, I hope to experience the cafes and friendly workspaces, discover the gastronomy and culture and explore the beautiful Dalmatian coast in the evenings and on weekends.

To work. Location. Culture. will take place from May 5 to 7. Tell us about that, why people should come, and your role in it.

Tanja Polegubic from Saltwater Nomads asked me if I would like to return to Croatia this year for another exciting event focusing on remote working and digital nomads. Since my last visit, Dubrovnik was high on my list as I heard many interesting stories from fellow digital nomads and expats – so when I heard about the job. Location. Culture Conference from May 5 to 7 I immediately said yes!

Looking at the program for the event, I am confident that this will be another world-class event filled with activities, workshops and keynote speeches in beautiful “netwalking” locations from the walls of the fortress, a Game of Thrones tour and a sunset cruise. dinner on a “Karaka”. I’m honored (and a bit nervous haha!) to open the conference with my keynote and am excited to meet some of my industry peers in person, like the ones I had the honor of presenting in the United States in 2022 LinkedIn Top Voices: Remote Work, and reconnecting with speakers and attendees from last year, many of whom have become friends.

You built your business on LinkedIn, where you used to work, and there are 5 speakers from the Top 10 2022 LinkedIn Top Voices: Remote Work speaking in Dubrovnik. Tell us about the relationship between LinkedIn and the remote work revolution.

I worked for LinkedIn’s EMEA headquarters in Dublin, Ireland as my first full-time job after graduation. However, I’ve always had an interest in the digital nomad lifestyle, which is why in 2018 I decided to quit my comfortable corporate 9 to 5 job to “explore the world of remote work”. . As I worked in the world’s largest professional network with currently over 810 million members worldwide, I realized that the demand for the global workforce was changing – extensive research and studies have shown that (especially Millennials and Generation Z) more and more people were craving the freedom and flexibility to work where they feel happiest and most productive.

I decided to share my remote work journey on LinkedIn, and was asked to manage a small community on LinkedIn focused on digital nomads and remote workers. Over the past three years, we’ve grown from around 2,000 members to over 75,000 engaged members, clearly illustrating the remote working revolution! Many of our members have been forced to “work from home” due to the pandemic, and now want to work remotely forever.

What are you looking forward to most from your stay in Dubrovnik, and what do you hope to gain from the conference and the post of ambassador?

As mentioned earlier, I’m excited to (finally!) meet some of my industry peers in person and reconnect with last year’s event attendees-turned-friends – and, of course, I look forward to the exciting line-up of talks, workshops and activities (in case you don’t know what a Karaka is, google it now, please!). Finally, I am excited to explore Dubrovnik and the Dalmatia region and look forward to contributing to the lifestyle and community of digital nomads in Dubrovnik as an ambassador.

Photo: Jose Alfonso Cussianovich

And finally, what’s next for Mandy Fransz?

I am currently working remotely from beautiful Portugal while launching my signature, online group program for first-time entrepreneurs who are ready to launch and grow their personal brand and online business so they too can enjoy the freedom and flexibility they deserve before I travel to Croatia for the events and the ambassador program. After that, I can’t wait to see what fortuitous opportunities will cross my path!

Be sure to visit Mandy’s website or contact her by e-mail at This email address is protected from spam. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any inquiries or follow her on Instagram or LinkedIn for valuable advice and inspiration on LinkedIn, remote work and (online) entrepreneurship.

You can download the complete program of the Work.Place.Culture conference in Dubrovnik here.

To work. Location. Culture. is a collaboration between the City of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads and TCN, with the support of Digital Nomad Association Croatia and Dubrovacka Bastina. Zagreb Digital Nomad Week is a partnership between Zagreb Tourist Board, Saltwater Nomads and TCN.

To learn more about beautiful Dubrovnik, check out the Total Croatia Dubrovnik in a Guide Pagein partnership with Dubrovnik Sun Gardens.

For more news and reports on digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.