Interviews

The Internet, multimedia. Thomas Ziajka turned these passions into the business. The owner of NETTOM company is telling about the fact that own company can be an idea for developing the hobby.

- What does your company do?

We are a programming company in the Internet technology, we also form, create, implement and build an image in the Internet. We have actively worked in France for 5 years, only in January 2009 we have started working more on the market in Poland and Olsztyn.

- How and when was born your idea on the business?

I have been interested in computer science, ZX Spectrum computers, Amstrad since I was a child. When I was 15 I decided that I wanted to provide IT services for French customers, being an expert in this language I didn't have problem with it and the determination and the consequence helped to be here where I and my company are at this moment. I started my work programming myself and over the years I needed the support and now the NETTOM team is more than ten persons.

- When your were creating the company, did you base on anyone ?

No, but at the present I have some in common with Sir Allan Sugar, Richard Branson or even Bill Gates - and it isn't about total successes, but business and personality behaviours. It is the kind of the behavioral models worth the imitation. I recommend!

- What is your the biggest business achievement?

Creating my own team in the city, which is not famous for computer achievements, but there is loud about about her, and the position on European Market and recognition in our previous customers.
Of course I don't tell you everthing, an certain air of mystery is adding a piquancy to such a little enterprise with such huge possibilities - we can't extend the wings because of the short time of activity on the regional market.

- Were there any failures, obstructions accompanying of founding your company? What kind of problems do you have now?

THe failures  it certainly of walking away many people a few years ago when we didn't have own office, these people finishing studies want to have the stable job but then  we could not provide her.
Now the quality of graduates of the Olsztyn computer college is the most considerable problem, their complete unreadiness for the hard work. But this a topic to the literary position which perhaps I will have time to write it.

- It is known, that money is needed on the beginning of starting own business? How it was in your case?

The base foundation was so, that  the business progress is held exclusively from individual work out resources - it isn't an art of taking credit, if the business model isn't stable. 

- How do you get customers?  What king on tools do you use to promote your company?

In two ways:
In France we cooperate with agencies permanently, which send us projects which they get. We are competitive oh the price, communicative and the knowlende of the languages is helping the partnership. In Poland, the 99% is thank to grapevine that is through recommendations...And sometimes by tenders which we don't like.

- Before you start your own company it is necessary as a full-time worker get experience in the given industry?

To start own business it is necessary to have predispositions to do it. Model of a full-time worker and then of businessman, in the same industry, is colligating me with lack of the honesty on the part of the employee, with dishonest taking over customers of the previous employer. The best model is that when you are teen, we know what we are wanna do and on own mistakes we learning to reach at the target.

- What can you advise other young people wanting to found own company?

The own company is  a huge responsibility, not only financial, but mostly towars  the own family, customers and employees. The balance is difficult to hold, it should remember about everyone and mostly about the fact that the honesty and the solidity are most important.
However I think that the most important case to resolve by young businessmen is not to found own company but if the style of being the owner of the company will be siuting them, it isn't a type of the part-time job or the changes, it is heavy effort every day, from dawn to dusk, including weekends and holidays.

- How is it look like your every day?

Since the dawn I read my e-mails, which came in night/late evening.
At 8 a.m. I open the office, prepare work for the team, at 9 a.m. the employees arrive and there are new challenges, problems but also new satisfactions for which every effort is worth. We finish at 5 p.m.  but it is a pure theory...which the practice is correcting; -) 
Return home, a few moments with the family from 8 to 9, the rest of evening is related to work -  analyses, evaluations, preparing documentation.

- What is for you professional success?

The success for me will be achieving the full professional stability in the future, against which in today's, very primitive times, exquisitely it is hard.
Definitely the success for me is that I do what I love and what i always wanna do, there is no day that I don't have idea for developing myself and my small NETTOM. At the moment "I've got a lot of work to do"...

- Can you give 2-3 specific products created by the NETTOM team?

Up to now we closed over 300 Internet projects,  both for small and medium companies, and for such corporations like Lufthansa, Pfizer, L’Oreal, and local authorities as even the City Office of Olsztyn portal.

- What can I wish you?  How do you see your business in the future?

The peace. Programmers finishing studies would know, what they want in their life, so that customers want to learn what they are ordering. The Internet is only a medium and it's depend on us how we will use it.

Conversation  with Thomas Ziajka was held by Magdalena Ben - Rynkiewicz from the Centre of the Innovation and the Technology Transfer  in Olsztyn.