OWNERS: Steve Gonzalez and Cutter Mitchell

ADDRESS: Aiken

PHONE NUMBER: (603) 496-3917

E-MAIL: Cutter@SpartX.com

WHEN YOU OPENED: SpartX.com went live with beta on March 11.

WHAT YOUR BUSINESS DOES: SpartX provides people with the tools to network professionally in the 21st century.

Traditionally, people exchange business cards face-to-face, but what if people were not limited by space on their business cards or during an in-person exchange? SpartX is an innovative solution that allows people to "virtually" exchange their cards through e-mail or on a Web page just as if they had reached through their computers and carefully placed their cards.

However, SpartX and the Virtual Business Cards do more than a business card does on its own: it has what is called "digital backing." When a person clicks on your virtual card, all of the personal information you have placed on your SpartX site will be displayed for the reader. This means your virtual card will have an entire site of your design, just a click away. The presentation as a business card is far more professional and eye-catching than a reference to a link to a resume site.

With all this information "backing" your cards, you are able to successfully network. For example, a sales representative "backing" the card with information about his or her product has a way of not only networking, but also increasing sales.

For an individual seeking employment, "backing" the card with his or her resume is networking in the hopes of finding that great job. Sometimes, network success comes by someone clicking on your SpartX Virtual Business Card and seeing what college you attended, what sports you enjoy or what jobs you've held.

Whether the connection is made in person and followed up digitally or is a digital connection followed up by a person-to-person or tangible connection, the SpartX Virtual Business Card allows people to network in the language of today's world.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: Five full-time employees and several advisers/consultants

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS BUSINESS? We came up with the idea while in college, recognizing the impact it could have on networking. There was one particular college professor who sparked the idea when he clued the class in on business and networking. He said, "I am going to teach you the two most important things in business. No. 1, learn to play golf, and No. 2, acquire a taste for scotch." What he was really saying was that more business takes place in professional social settings than it does in board rooms, so learn how to thrive and connect in social settings.

The two of us ended up discussing this point at great length. What we concluded was that while the business card allows people to professionally connect, it was missing something. There was a "light bulb" moment. We knew there was a way the business card could do more. That is how the idea for SpartX was born.

GOALS FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR: We want to help as many people as we can with our product. We hope to have 5,000 people networking better and more effectively with the Virtual Business Card at the end of our first year in operation.

WHERE YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS IN FIVE YEARS/10 YEARS: We see the virtual business card becoming a common part of the exchange that is going on today. That exchange will happen with both a SpartX tangible business card and a SpartX Virtual Business Card.

MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS PRINCIPLE: To help people better their lives through networking effectively. Today, this requires a healthy understanding of how to network both in-person and with the aid of technology.

ROLE MODELS/INSPIRATIONS:

Cutter Mitchell: My dad, John Mitchell. His knowledge of business, his integrity and compassion are traits I have tried to emulate, and his teachings have brought me to where I am today, personally and professionally.

Steve Gonzalez: "To laugh often and much. To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children. To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others. To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson