In this episode, Michael Dargie sits down with Sandra Kokotovic, immigrant entrepreneur and co-founder of Snap Advantage, a boutique marketing agency helping health and wellness brands scale to seven figures and beyond.

This episode is sponsored by my new book BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world.

Sandra shares her journey from moving to Canada as a teenager—struggling with language, culture shock, and fitting in—to building Shopify stores from scratch and eventually launching her own successful agency. Along the way, she’s learned that success isn’t handed to you. It’s earned through trial, error, and a willingness to fail fast and often.

This is a story of hustle without entitlement. Sandra opens up about the early days of cold calls, getting laughed out of rooms, and learning to pitch herself with confidence. She also shares what makes a successful online business today, how to market without wasting money, and why understanding your audience always comes first.

We also learn about Sandra’s guilty pleasures (Harvey’s poutine and pool hall hustles), her love for Croatia, the magic of quiet Sundays, and her personal wish for the world.

Whether you’re building a brand, launching a business, or just tired of Instagram fluff, Sandra’s no-nonsense approach to marketing and life is exactly what you need to hear.

Quotable Quotes

“You’re not worth a million dollars unless you solve a million-dollar problem.” – Sandra Kokotovic

“You have no idea how smart I am in my own language.” – Sandra Kokotovic

“Take whatever opportunities you can so you can fail as fast as you can.” – Sandra Kokotovic

“You don’t have to follow the regular path in life. You can be a rebel. A rebel rebel.” – Sandra Kokotovic

“That’s kick ass. Thank you so much.” – Michael Dargie

Episode Highlights

Calgary Clients | Sandra visits Abria Labs for content creation

Snap Advantage | Building a boutique agency with her husband

Marketing Origin Story | From HR to Bali beach epiphany

Online Store Truths | Shopify success isn’t what influencers promise

Cold Plunge Sundays | Biohacking and rest in her Zen “Bolly Room”

Poutine & Pool | Harvey’s and hustling guys at the bar

Immigrant Experience | The struggle and strength of starting over at 14

Language & Identity | “You have no idea how smart I am”

Love for Croatia | A blend of East and West she calls perfect

Rebels in Waiting | Why failure is your best teacher

Real Talk | Success takes humility, hustle, and heart

LINKS FROM EPISODE

Snap Advantage ( https://snapadvantage.com)

Sandra Kokotovic On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrakokotovic?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app)

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