Biznik Blog

It’s pretty clear that Sonya Neblett likes to put her own twist on things. Take the name of her company: Truly Twisted Marketing. The Asheville, North Carolina based writer, designer and marketing strategist believes that “marketing should be about being honest, being transparent, building relationships and not pushing people.” Sounds refreshing, hey? Let’s find out more about her and her approach…

Q: Tell me about yourself and what gets you excited about what do for a living.

I love marketing. I’m one of those people that was built for it. So, it’s not really like work. I get to write, find creative solutions to problems, do research (I’m pretty nosy by nature you should go ask my family members
a lot of eyeball rolling goes on around our house because I’m always asking the “w” questions – who, what, where, when and the biggest one why). I started out in print publishing as a writer and editor. From there I moved online and started a little web design company to help local businesses create a web presence and it was just a natural progression into online marketing. I’m not a full indie at the moment as I’ve been contracted out and given a title by a pure play ecommerce company called SpecialtyLiving so I consider myself half indie.

I think what I love the most about marketing is the relationship building. Once you know the underlying motivation of people (customers), it’s pretty easy to come up with creative answers to their questions then, boom, you’ve got them — that’s when you can build up your relationship. If I had an interest in you as a customer, the first thing I’d want to know is what keeps you up at night? What’s the problem you are having that I can help you solve or, better yet, how can I create an experience that will make you feel better about it? It actually feels pretty good to help people out.

Q: How’d you come up with “Truly Twisted Marketing” as a company name?

Well, you’ve probably heard about push or pull marketing. My theory is you can push or pull people only so far. I mean, I don’t want to be pushed, told what to do or pulled into doing anything. I want the information but I want to make my own decisions. Truly Twisted Marketing is really about being honest, being transparent, building relationships and not pushing people into taking action which is a bit of a twist from traditional marketing. So, the name came about from a discussion I was having with a colleague about pushy marketers and the fact that marketers, especially those focusing on offline marketing, don’t really seem to get it. There is this big gap between online marketing and offline marketing and the two haven’t quite met up yet. The idea is to take both and twist them up together. One thing led to another and viola – TrulyTwistedMarketing.

Q: So, how would you characterize this gap? What is it that online marketing is doing right, and offline doing wrong?

I’m really using the term offline marketing to mean traditional forms of marketing which are typically not geared toward the web.

And, in all truth, I don’t think traditional (offline) marketing should be characterized as bad and online marketing as good. But because of technology, marketing, in its original state, is changing. For example, you might get a better response from a viral video on YouTube than from a television ad. Your podcast might have a better ROI (return on investment) than your radio spot. Press releases are sent not only to news media outlets but to bloggers and individuals who might be interested in spreading your news. And, in addition to all that, traditional forms of marketing tend to be more about businesses telling people what to do and less about creating a conversation with customer input and feedback. Online marketing, in its current state, is more about creating a relationship with customer interaction.

That’s the gap. Basically, it’s a different way of thinking about marketing and a grasp of how to use technology to enhance the conversation you are trying to create.

Q: One of your stated goals is to “empower people to free thinking in their professional lives.” How is that valuable? And why do you think so many otherwise free thinking people don’t to apply that same thinking in their professional lives?

Oh boy, you opened up a big can of worms. I threw that in because it’s ultimately what I want to do. It isn’t really about marketing so much as it is about opening up people’s minds to what can be. I think we all get stuck in the quest for more – climbing the corporate latter or in running our businesses and keeping an eye on the bottom line. It’s like a disease we American’s are afflicted with. You know, each and every one of us has unique talents and gifts and in the quest we tend to forget who we are and what we can bring to the table.

It’s interesting you asked about why, what you and I might consider a “free thinking person,” wouldn’t take that into work with them everyday. My gut feeling is that an average work place environment doesn’t support free thinking. Employees are supposed to be sheep more often than they are supposed to be radical and think creatively outside the box.

Q: Tell me a bit about eBooks. You’ve written one? Have you had success with it? Do you see it as a viable way to deliver information that can compete with traditional print books?

e-Commerce Unveiled is my first eBook. It just recently launched and came about because of a collaboration between myself and eCommerce technology provider ProjectThunder in CA.

So far, the success part has come from people who read the book and call me up to get marketing help or want to do a quick consultation. My personal goal was to pack the book so full of information, tips, tools, strategies and new technology that anyone could use it. The problem I ran into is that there is so much important information to cover I had to break it down into digestable tidbits. It took about 4 months to do all the research, interviews and compile the information and I still feel like there’s more to add!

The eBook format is really interesting. It provides instant, easy access and it’s not complicated to create. Updates and revisions are a snap. I actually do think it’s a viable way to deliver information and there’s no publishing house to deal with. The only real downside to an eBook is that it isn’t available to anyone without an internet connection, which is shrinking by the second, I think. The whole eBook phenomenon (if you can call it that) is really a reflection of the whole socialization of the web.

Sonya’s website is www.trulytwistedmarketing.com. If you’d like to purchase your own copy of Sonya’s e-commerce eBook, she’s offering a special discount to Biznik members – use coupon code “sonya” to purchase the book for $29 instead of the normal price of $87.30.

Grace Grymes Chapman will be hosting the first Biznik event in 2007 – a speed networking night on Tuesday, January 2. Grace is a nurse practitioner who sees patients of all ages, both with and without insurance, and offers a hugely reduced fee to patients without insurance, not because she has to, but because she wants to. Let’s find out why…

Q: You just opened the West Seattle Community Clinic last August. Can you tell me how you came to start that business?

I have worked in healthcare for sometime and after I received my Masters in Nursing I worked for a few places as a provider. I knew I wanted to open my own clinic but didn’t think it would happen so soon. I just got tired of the politics and B.S. that came from the organizations and managers. I want to practice my own way without being told how many patients I need to see or how long I can spend with patients. I want to provide quality service, not quantity service.

Q: What makes a community clinic different from, say, a doctor’s office?

They are both pretty much the same except one is private and one is for public health. A community clinic offers service to the disadvantaged and gets government funding for the services they provide. My clinic is not a “community clinic” on that level. I wanted the community to know we are there for anyone. No one is excluded, insured or non insured.

Q: That’s awesome, but how can you afford to stay in business if you accept patients without insurance?

It is not easy, but I am not in it to be rich, I do it because I love what I do and I also have been in the same place as some of my patients. They pay cash for their services at a steep discount from most clinics. I give cash-paying, non-insured patients a 50 percent discount on office visits, that does not include lab fees. I dont know of any other clinics that offer that, even public health and community clinics are stopping their sliding scale fees due to financial woes. Because I see patients w/o insurance means I have to step up the marketing for the clinic and referrals I receive so that I can balance my patient panel with insured and non insured. Hopefully it will all work out in the end.

Q: Are there any unique challenges that you’re facing with your business right now that you’d like help with?

I would really like to have a gazillion referrals and low cost/free effective marketing. My first month in business I spent my budget on advertising with little results. I talked with Dominic Canterbury a couple of Fridays ago and because of his advice and our brainstorming, I am hosting a children’s health fair in March and have partnered with the King County Health Department to help me put it all together.

Q: You’re hosting a speed networking event on Jan. 2. What can members who attend expect to experience at your event?

I hope they find it fun and informative while they meet new people. I attended my first event last week and it was fun and relaxing and I met some very nice people while I was there.

Q: How’d you hear about Biznik?

I was told about it by one of the massage therapists, Michael Mandell, in my building. I think he found it by searching the internet or by one the members. But after I joined and told him about the events I persuaded him to join, he even attended the event with me last week at Kallaloos. I think the members I have met have been very supportive and seem to be genuine. I also like the way Biznik is willing to help new businesses w/o charging you dollars for listening to the same old B.S. from one or two successful people who aren’t really trying help you get were they are.

Grace’s website is www.westseattlecommunityclinic.com.

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.

Biznik is a business network for people who are passionate about what they do for a living. And Krisha CatZen is definitely one of those people. She’s a pole dancing instructor and founder of Seattle’s first pole dancing school, Pole for the Soul. And to hear her describe it, pole dancing isn’t just a great way to stay in shape – it’s meditative, empowering, fun, and yes, sexy. So…let’s hear her describe it!

Q: A lot of people work out so they can feel sexy. With pole dancing, it seems you can achieve both at the same time. Is that the idea? 

Definitely!  I’ve tried other forms of working out, from walking and running to weight lifting.  You can certainly gain a lot of confidence from the improvements these activities eventually make to your body, but they aren’t always fun and not everyone feels sexy while lifting weights over and over again.  Everything about pole dancing is sexy, from the stretching and floor work we do in my classes to warm up, all the way through to the end where students learn to dance, spin and even a bit of striptease.

Q: How did you learn to pole dance? 

There is a dance club in Capitol Hill with a pole for it’s customers to play on (it’s just there for customers, there are no paid or professional dancers).  Before I could dance, I used to admire the men who pole danced there.  When men pole dance, it’s very Cirque de Soleil-ish; mesmerizing and beautiful.  One day I worked up the courage to walk up to one of these pole dancers and ask them to teach me a trick.  He did, and the first time I went spinning around that pole, I felt like I was flying!  I was hooked instantly and I kept coming back every weekend to ask the men who pole danced there to teach me a few of their tricks.  Eventually I wanted to learn more than they could teach me, but there were no pole schools here in Seattle.  So I took a month off work and drove down to Los Angeles and took an intensive pole dancing course at the famous S Factor studio there. 

Q: Your business name, Pole for the Soul, implies that it’s not just about physical fitness. How is pole dancing nourishing on a deeper level?  

I think pole dancing is a spiritual experience on more than one level.  In the classes, women often discover a part of themselves they never even knew existed.  And the more they learn in classes, the more opportunities they have to delve deeper into this undiscovered territory and fully embrace and express it.  They leave feeling more beautiful, expressive and free than they could have ever imagined before the class.  Learning to embrace and appreciate every aspect of yourself is incredibly empowering and nourishing to the soul.
 
Pole dancing also gives women an opportunity to push past what they thought were their own limitations.  At first they see women spinning and flying around the pole or hanging from the pole by one leg, and they think; only strippers or dancers can do that.  I teach them that preconceived limitations like that can be completely shattered and they can in fact do those amazing things.  Breaking their own barriers and accomplishing something they thought was impossible, gives women an sense of empowerment that goes far beyond just feeling sexy.  And this feeling of being unlimited and powerful changes us permanently, from psyche to soul.
 
There are also some similarities between pole dancing and meditation.  Mediation can be challenging because it often requires the mind to be perfectly still.  People study for years trying to learn to quiet the mind and be totally present in the moment.  But when you are spinning on a pole, you are completely present and free of thoughts.  It’s almost impossible to think while you are spinning.  So there is this magical feeling of flight combined with perfect calm and total stillness and presence of mind.  It’s very much like mediation.

Q: What are the origins of pole dancing? 

It probably originated with the Maypole dance, which was originally a Pagan fertility dance before later becoming a common folk dance in Western Europe.  Pole dancing was introduced to strip clubs in the 80′s.
 
Q: How do your classes work, where are they, and when is the next class starting? 
 
Intro classes are taught once per week for 6 weeks.  Each class is an hour and a half and starts with yoga inspired warm ups and floor work and progresses into pole moves and spins.  The purpose of the classes are not to learn to dance sexy for some one else or memorize a routine to perform.  Instead, they are about learning to slow down, move in an entirely new way and tap into our sensual sides, using the pole dancing and floor work as a way to free and express that inner beauty and sensuality.  My studio with 3 poles, mirrors and a surround sound stereo system is located inside my Queen Anne home.  I have outgrown my small home studio though and I’m shopping for a larger dance studio.  Classes are currently in session and the next 6-week session begins in January 2007.  I also offer 2-hour pole parties, which are different than the classes.  Women generally book pole parties with their friends for bachelorette parties, birthday parties, or just for a fun girls’ night out.

Q: Once you’ve learned the moves, are there any poles in Seattle where dancers can stretch their stuff? 

The Vogue in Capitol Hill has a pole, but they are moving and changing their name in January.  There is also a dance club in Capitol Hill called Sugar (not to be confused with “Sugars” which is a strip club) that has poles on the bar.  Z Bar in Renton has a pole and the Wild Palms in Pioneer Square used to have a pole (I don’t know if they still have one).  A Mexican restaurant in Lake Forrest Park called La Hacienda has a dance floor with a pole.

Krisha’s website, which lists her upcoming classes, is www.poleforthesoul.com
 

Looking for a way to stay warm and well connected as the snow piles up here in Seattle? Join glass artist Atom Kahn at his studio in West Seattle next Monday for a glass of wine, and an opportunity to watch him do what he does best: make spectacular erotic art out of molten glass. I got an opportunity to see some of his work first hand at an event recently, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s made. Not to mention he’ll be offering a 20 percent discount for purchases made during the event…

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you become a glass artist. 
 
I was raised in Southern California in the 70′s in a, shall we say “Liberal” family with both my mom and dad being into theatre and art, so I had the opportunity to take art classes at a very early age. My first form of erotic art was actually in 2nd grade with an assignment for a mobile made from magazine pictures. Well…..my dad half jokingly gave me one of his Playboy’s (something I never had to sneak to look at) and I proceeded to finish my project. So after the big “Critique” in the principal’s office the next day, with my parents…..erotica was my path! I have used many media in my art but working with molten glass is a unique experience. It works well for erotic forms because in its natural state, it will always have bulbous, curvy shapes!
 
Q: It feels just wrong to call your hand-crafted creations “sex toys.” I’d go with “art you can play with.”  Where did the inspiration to make these come from? 
 
Although its very hard and often associated with being cold and fragile, and upon breaking, can become quite sharp and scary. In the 13 years I have been working with hot glass, I have changed that whole perspective and seen its true state and felt the soft curves and strong forms that it can be. In my larger sculptural pieces, I create blown forms that have big, round areas often contouring to narrow rippling areas….much like the human body. With such a high gloss, oils and anything slippery have a wonderful, sensual feeling on the glass surface next to your skin. And with the ability to make these very organic, embracing shapes…it was just a natural progression! 
 
Q: How many hours of work goes into making each one?
 
Each toy takes an average of about 45 minutes to create and that is the reason that each one is so unique. I do make some of the designs as a regular shape because people really enjoy them, but each one will be a little bit different on the curvy details. Making glass objects in this manner is the oldest form of glassmaking known to man. Each toy starts as a molten ball of pure crystal clear glass that is drawn from a furnace that is like a small bathtub full of liquid glass, idling around 2150 degrees fahrenheit. The colors are applied at this point in various techniques, constantly returning the ball to the furnace to reheat it and keep it liquidity. This is why it is such a process: if the glass is allowed to cool too quickly, it will literally shatter to pieces in just a few minutes. Some of the forms, after a full day in the cooling chamber, go on to be worked for 30 mins to an hour on a polishing machine.
 
Q: You’re hosting a happy hour at your studio on Dec. 4. Will we be able to watch you creating some of these?
 
Yes! I will be demonstrating how the process happens and will be making toys for an upcoming show. Everyone is welcome to huddle around the fire and watch as this ball of fiery honey looking goo is transformed into a sensual piece of erotic art that just calls to you…”Pleeaase touch Me!!” Questions are always welcome too….I love to share this experience with people and even offer classes for people who want to try this amazing art form. 
 
Q: If I wanted to buy one of these beauties for someone special at your event, how much will it cost?
 
They start around $75.00 and get up to $300+ for the larger, more ornate designs and I can also do custom designs for people who like something very unique. I will be offering a 20% discount during this event and that applies to the price for a class as well. I really enjoy making these erotic pieces and its great to have people collect art they can use and enjoy.

Atom’s website is located at www.atom913.com.

I met Barry through a conversation in Biz Talk a few weeks ago, and that conversation led to us having coffee. Where we talked about something we’re both really excited about: social networks. Biznik is a social network for independent business people, and Barry works for a startup called Blogging Systems that provides turn-key community blog networks for the real estate industry. If that’s a topic that any of you are interested in, or if you’d just like to join us for a drink and talk about your business, Barry’s hosting a Biznik happy hour in Lake Forest Park on Thursday, November 30. But first, a bit more about Barry, from Barry.

Q: More than most people, you’ve spent a ton of time checking out social networks and trying to understand them. How’d you develop that interest?

Laughingly, I am a freak of nature. My father was a computer expert for the National Security Agency. I had a strange childhood. As a kid I played with computers under his guidance and tried to understand how they worked. That wasn’t really my niche, but as I grew up my education and skills put me in a corporate office working with online recruiting.

My computer knowledge eventually combined with my experiences in the social network of the recruiting world, and I soon discovered my love of connecting the dots between people. That led to the past ten years where I became an expert in online marketing and social networking; studying everything from banner ads to blogs- working on different projects ranging in complexity of things like my own personal journal to Monster.com.

Q: Where are you currently working, and what are you doing there?

I work with a team at BloggingSystems.com as the Director of Business Development. We have a bunch of smart minds that have created a community blogging platform that helps people form communities of almost any type. My focus is understanding our technical abilities and finding new markets that can benefit from our technology. I also help our team create new solutions for clients and build relationships with partners in other industries. It’s a great role for me; merging my personal interests as tech-geek and problem solver.

Q: How long have you been blogging yourself, and what do you blog about?

Good question. I’ve actually maintained different online journals since 1990 or so. I’ve used blogging for connecting with friends, making introductions with new people, handling projects within virtual teams, and building different communities with people around the world. Professionally I blog about industries that I see having huge benefits with the Blogging Systems platform- real estate, mortgage companies, credit unions, newspapers, and education. The list goes on and on. I’m constantly reading information on any group or industry that can benefit in nurturing an online community.

Personally I write about everything else. I am a tech geek by nature. Every now and then I find some gizmo or site that I think has an interesting feature. I also write creatively about my daily life (I’ve done list like top five things at Greenlake) and viewpoints to keep my friends up to speed on personal events. Believe it or not, I also tend to blog a lot of poetry (sometimes 2-3 pieces a day).

Q: What do you think are some interesting trends right now in the social networking space?

I think there is an amazing growth spike happening. The social networking space is at it’s infancy. We went through the 90s having commercial internet destroy a lot of the human connection we had. For lack of a better phrase, the web destabilized some of our real-world aspects of community. Technology has now developed the tools to help rebuild that lost sense of personal interaction and people are flocking to it like crazy.

In the big picture- the blog total is up to 55+ million, communities like Biznik are growing at amazing rates, and even major corporations are starting to discover how powerful virtual communities are becoming overnight. Things like cell phones and PDAs are helping to cross the barriers of web connectivity and offline geography. For me, the real exciting part of my daily effort is helping real world people and businesses merge the power of online communities into an actual geographic or professional area.

Q: You’re hosting an event on November 30th that will be about “friendly ideas for doing business online through blogging, search engine optimization, word of mouth, and buzz marketing.” What can members who attend your event expect to learn and experience?

I’m hoping that attendees will sit down and enjoy some in-depth conversation regarding how online trends are opening up really big opportunities for them. I like to share my experience and viewpoints with other people. I have a talent for what I do. I also hope that attendees bring some of their own personal energy to the conversation and help me understand what challenges they are facing. It would be great if a few talented people showed up and started other conversations regarding experiences they’ve had, and leave me with some amazing new train of thought at the end of the night.

My end goal of having discussion groups with creative professionals is this- I really hope that the Biznik attendees realize the best asset of any community is the talent of its members. I think there is a lot of information and intellect in the Biznik crowd- I can only hope that someone shares with me as much as I can share with them.

Barry’s personal blog is Technical Disaster.