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Mario Frančešević
Episode · #582

POSLOVNI ĐIR Mario Frančešević

Guest Mario FrančeševićHosted by Bojana KoharevićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

Mario Frančešević didn't get his big break by networking or pitching, but by buying ads against his target audience: Facebook's own employees. After nearly a year of trying to gain access to their core APIs for his fledgling digital marketing agency, he and his three co-founders launched a small ad campaign targeting Facebook's Palo Alto and Dublin offices. The message was simple: "We are four guys, we want to build this tool, all we need is access." Two days later, Facebook called. This ingenuity, born of necessity, is characteristic of how Frančešević built SeekandHit from a student room into a 70-person firm, recently recognized with Croatia's prestigious Zlatna bilanca award. He explains how a company from a small market like Croatia can compete and thrive globally.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
When Mario Frančešević and his co-founders couldn't get API access from Facebook, they bought ads *targeting Facebook employees* in Palo Alto and Dublin, asking for access directly. Two days later, Facebook called. The most effective pitch often isn't to the gatekeeper, but to the people who can bypass them — and sometimes, the only way to reach them is through their own platforms.
02
The Zlatna bilanca award SeekandHit received isn't from a subjective jury, but an analysis of 140,000 companies' financial data. "Self-effacing and persistent" is how Frančešević describes the company's 15-year history, and the award's arrival as a surprise validates that the most meaningful recognition often comes unasked, based purely on performance.
03
SeekandHit began not from a market analysis, but from Mario Frančešević's genuine "interests and enthusiasm for the industry." He wasn't thinking about profit initially, only about doing interesting work. The most resilient businesses are often those born from a founder's inherent curiosity, where the work itself is the primary reward.
04
Working with a foreign client on a project, Frančešević notes, requires an entire team — marketing, development, analytics, project management — unlike local projects which might involve just one person. A small domestic market inherently limits the scale and complexity of work, forcing companies to look globally if they want to build full, specialized teams.
05
Frančešević states, "We learn from our clients," not just about technical skills but also about their business processes, team structures, and sales approaches. The most valuable long-term client relationships are those where the exchange of value is reciprocal, and the client's operations become a blueprint for your own internal development.
06
High taxes on salaries in Croatia make it difficult for tech companies to compete for talent, leading Frančešević to state, "Just let me work. Don't help me." For high-tech industries, the most effective government support often comes not from intervention, but from creating an environment free of unnecessary burdens and allowing businesses to operate unhindered.
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