Every company has an origin story. The story of the XFusion founders has two clocks: one measures the age of the community, the other measures how long they have known each other.
The first clock was approaching one year when Stanis Zichler and Zeljko Cikojevic spoke with WhatsWhat Prime in Dubai. The second clock reads nine years.
That second clock explains a lot about the first.
Who are the XFusion
founders?
Stanis Zichler and Zeljko Cikojevic are entrepreneurs who have worked in the industry for around ten years, building relationships in the UAE and many other countries. Together they co-founded XFusion, an international community focused on education, connection and in-person events.
Stanis is known for his energy on stage and his focus on education. Zeljko often speaks about mindset, authenticity and what makes relationships last. Their styles are different. Their values, they say, are the same.
“A crazy gut feeling”
Asked how they decided to build together, Zeljko does not describe a business plan. He describes recognition. “Sometimes you just click with people,” he says. “If you click with the people, it’s done.”
When the idea of XFusion came up, both had what he calls “a crazy gut feeling”. Doubt is normal in business, he admits, but this time the intuition was clear: do it. They did.
The ripe fruit principle
Many partnerships fail at the first real challenge. Zeljko explains why theirs has lasted with an image from an orchard: “You should not eat a fruit which is not ripe.”
For him, a good partnership needs both people to be ready at the same time, and to understand how far the other has come in their own thinking. “I understand how far he is in his mind, and he understands how far I am.” That mutual awareness gave the relationship the right footing from day one.
Four rules from the
XFusion founders
Their story can be turned into four practical rules for anyone choosing a business partner:
- Click first. Natural trust matters more than a perfect plan.
- Check the timing. Both people need to be ready for the same journey.
- Do not try to change your partner. “Let the other be who he is,” Zeljko says. Trying to change someone creates constant conflict.
- Pass the coffee test. If you cannot sit together, drink a coffee and be 100 percent yourself, Zeljko does not continue. “No relation. No business. Nothing.”
Sometimes you just click with people. If you click with the people, it’s done.ZELJKO CIKOJEVIC, CO-FOUNDER OF XFUSION
How the partnership
shaped the community
The values that hold the founders together became the culture of XFusion. They look for the same qualities in the key people who lead teams across the community: authenticity, awareness and trust. In their view, a community grows as strong as the relationships at its centre.
“This makes our relationship so powerful and so strong,” Zeljko says. In their first year, that strength showed in the speed at which the community grew.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW
Stanis Zichler & Zeljko Cikojevic in Dubai
Why this matters for
other founders
Founder conflict is one of the most common reasons young companies struggle. The XFusion founders do not claim to have a formula, but their experience points to something simple: a business partnership is first a human relationship. Build that well, and the business has something solid to stand on.
- Stanis Zichler
- Stage energy, a personal story of learning the hard way and a strong focus on education
- Zeljko Cikojevic
- A clear philosophy of mindset and authenticity, and a talent for building relationships that last
- Together
- Two complementary role models: one who shows how to act with courage, and one who shows how to stay true to yourself while doing it
A partnership the community can see
For members, the visible partnership between the XFusion founders is also a working example of the values the community teaches. Their two personal stories and XFusion’s own identity reinforce each other: the founders bring different experiences and strengths, and the community carries them forward. As XFusion enters its second year under the motto WE ARE THE CHANGE, that partnership remains its foundation. Watch the full WhatsWhat Prime interview to hear Stanis Zichler and Zeljko Cikojevic tell the story in their own words, and read the cover story in WhatsWhat Prime Magazine, Issue 17.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded XFusion?
XFusion was founded by Stanis Zichler and Zeljko Cikojevic, entrepreneurs with around ten years of experience in the industry.
How long have the XFusion founders known each other?
Stanis Zichler and Zeljko Cikojevic had known each other for nine years before building XFusion together.
What is the coffee test?
It is Zeljko Cikojevic’s rule for any relationship: if he cannot sit with someone, have a coffee and be fully himself, he does not do business with them.
What makes the XFusion partnership work?
According to the founders, mutual trust, good timing, and accepting each other as they are, without trying to change the other person.