Meet Vitaly Golomb, Biznik’s 2000th member
Biznik passed a membership milestone on Dec. 23 when Vitaly Golomb of San Francisco, become Biznik’s 2000th member. And as a big fan of -nik names, I was delighted to learn the name of his business: Sputnik. So let’s meet him, shall we?
Q: Tell me a bit about how you started Sputnik.
SputnikSF (aka Sputnik Designs Group) was founded by myself and childhood friend Alex Pachikov to answer the requests for web and general marketing design in 1999. At the time we were both in college. We organized several of our friends and acquaintances in the industry and formed “Sputnik Designs Group” as a Colorado company. Our early customers came by referral from our friends, family, and associates. Several of them are still with Sputnik six years later. Out of our web design business came our web hosting service “Tinball Networks” and to supplement our print design business (and my background in print production) came our digital and offset printing service “SharkPrint.com”. A couple of years ago Alex decided to pursue another opportunity and I took Sputnik to the next level. In 2005, Sputnik Design Group became SputnikSF and moved its offices from Sunnyvale (close to San Jose California) to San Francisco’s famous “Multimedia Gulch”, home to many of the world-class ad and interactive firms. Here Sputnik grew 200% in 2005 and 250% in 2006. Also, in 2006, SputnikSF took six design awards as well as world-class clients such as Namco Networks.
Q: How’d you choose the name Sputnik for your businesses?
Sputnik was of course the name of the Russian space program that on October 4th, 1957 successfully launched the first satellite in to space. The word “sputnik” in Russian means “fellow traveler” or “companion”. We have always paralleled the astonishing and complicated task of launching a spacecraft to launching a new business. “Concept – Launch – Support” is our slogan and our approach to client-relations. Hence why our very first client is still with us. So as our clients go into the unknown, we are their trusty “fellow travelers”. The name came from both Alex’s and mine shared birth place of the former Soviet Union and Alex’s fascination with space and subsequent degree in Astro Physics.
Q: How many employees do you have today? And what challenges did you face growing from just a couple of guys doing freelance work to being a small firm?
SputnikSF is currently 6 (with 100% planned growth in 2007) states-side and about the same in our Eastern-European development operations. As they say, “good help is hard to find”. SputnikSF, being at the cusp of technology, has had to compete for the same technical talent as the likes of Google and every Web 2.0 firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Also, as any entrepreneur will agree, it is hard to find people that “care” as much as you do about anything beyond a paycheck. So growing sales is one thing… but growing the production capacity while maintaining the same level of service quality is probably the biggest challenge we’ve had to overcome.
Q: You’ve worked for both large and small clients. What’s your ideal project/client?
Although SputnikSF’s services address the needs of even small self-funded startups, we find it ideal to work with growing and established companies on specialty projects that allow us to flex our muscles in all of our strong areas. We begin every engagement with a thorough analysis of the client’s differentiating factors, goals, and competition to structure a precise strategy. Our approach demystifies seemingly complicated tasks and the inherent information architecture involved. Our creative team stays current with the times and makes sure that the designs and color schemes are appropriate for the given industry and application. Our development team utilizes ever-evolving coding best practices to create dynamic interaction and clean SEO compliant layouts. So to sum it up, we are happy to work with clients of any size, but shine while working with clients that are willing to commit the type of resources necessary to gain the “unfair” advantage in their respective marketplaces through our expert application of all currently available technologies and the most advanced techniques. Our experience with a multitude of industries and business models gives us the context to assure effective ROIs.
Q: What sets you apart from other firms of your type in the Bay area?
Besides the consultative approach described above, SputnikSF is unique (at least amongst the firms of similar size) for being expert in such a wide range of services. We approach each engagement holistically and make sure that the desired effect is achieved via opportunities both through online and offline marketing. First and foremost we understand business and that makes us aligned with our clients’ needs, rather than simply “interpreters” on the creative side. We’ve also been called upon by several large clients for specialty projects utilizing our expertise in the bleeding-edge web technologies. No client too small, no project too big.
Q: How important is business networking to the continued growth of your business? What organizations or online tools have you used to network? What trends do you see in that space in the coming few years?
Any service business (especially professional services) depends heavily on referrals and credibility. SputnikSF has taken a proactive approach to networking by working through conventional business networking events, online services (such as LinkedIn), and by encouraging referrals within our customer and associate base. I see a big surge in 2007 towards maintaining business relationships through business social networking sites. You look at sites like MySpace.com that allow young people to keep in touch and stay up to speed with their former classmates with minimal effort… and it’s not difficult to see a huge growth in business adapting the same model to keep in touch peripherally with their associates and customers between engagements.
Vitaly’s website is www.sputniksf.com.