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[View LinkedIn.com profile of company owner, Larry Bloom] |
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Early in
1997, at the suggestion of his employer, Kodak Processing Labs
(KPL), Larry Bloom established ATI Graphics to provide outlab
graphic services to KPL commercial photo labs throughout the
country.
It soon became apparent that there was great potential in the
new business, and with that in mind, along with an entrepreneurial
spirit, just enough cash in the bank to get through the start-up
period, and a copy of the entire client database he had built
while with KPL, Larry began working full-time as the sole proprietor
of ATI Graphics.
Mr. Bloom had cultivated countless professional relationships
by that point in his career, primarily due to his focus on customer
service, and several of his past clients quickly became ATI
Graphics customers.
"During those first couple of years, I would randomly bump
into an old customer on the train or at the bank, we'd talk
for a few minutes, I'd give them my card and within a couple
of days, we'd be working together again," explains Bloom.
At first, Mr. Bloom continued to provide professional photo
finishing services along with digital photo retouching, graphic
design services and specialty items such as photo business cards.
In 1999, a customer requested that ATI Graphics develop its
website. That first website project led to a steady stream of
word-of-mouth referrals, and soon enough, ATI Graphics had found
a niche as the web developer for many high-end photo studios
and event planners.
While niches are comfortable, they can be a little too comfortable,
and after 2001, when economic confidence really took a hit,
it became clear that in order to stay in business, the client-base
would have to include a variety of customers and industries.
"It was definitely a 'sh%t or get off the pot' moment,"
Larry says. "In 2002, I increased my business line of credit
and traded in both of my cars for a single car and a quick influx
of cash to help me through 2003, which was a tough year. In
the fall of '03, I even had a job offer to consider, but I took
a gamble on ATI Graphics and turned it down," he adds.
The gamble paid off, in January of 2004, just 3 months after
declining the job offer, ATI had it's best single month since
its inception. Since then, business has steadily increased and
Bloom was able to reinvest in the company, upgrading hardware
and software, hiring programmers and designers, and seeking and winning bigger,
more complex projects.
The business that started out 10 years ago creating graphic
film overlays for Kodak and doing small photo retouching projects
is today a thriving, full service graphic design, web development
and consulting company.
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IS YOUR OFFICE PHONE A "LUXURY?"
Today, we hear a lot about how people are foregoing "luxury items," like vacations and the daily stop at Starbucks, because of high energy and gasoline prices and the tightening economy. The slow down of the economy will undoubtedly force you to rethink where you spend your company's budget...
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