From Passion to Profession: How Nick Sakatis Turned an Interest for Technology into a Business

At a large computer screen filled with lines of code, Nick Sakatis is in his element. What began as a simple interest in technology years ago has since developed into his longtime dream: a company of his own. 

Long before Nick began his journey into the professional world of technology, he was already learning what it took to understand both technology and business. Growing up, he always had a knack for the tech world and was drawn to understanding the behind-the-scenes details of how things worked. 

His curiosity went beyond simply learning how to use computers and other devices—he was passionate about discovering the depths of technology and understanding how it could be used to help people in everyday scenarios. That curiosity was further fueled by his father, who ran his own technology company, giving Nick an early look into the realities of entrepreneurship.

At around 10 years old, Nick began paying close attention to the work his father was doing and quickly became intrigued. Growing up alongside rapidly evolving technology, he was always interested in learning what was new and exciting.

Nick describes himself as someone who “was always online, always playing video games, always trying to learn what’s next.” 

Although he was still just a child, Nick had a natural skill for technology and learned rather quickly. Eventually, his knowledge reached a point where his father, despite having years of experience under his belt, would sometimes turn to him for help. 

“If he needed help on a project or needed to figure something out for work, I was always the first he would ask.”

A bit unusual? Yes. A young child being consulted on tech questions that most children his age would not have answers to was certainly uncommon, but for Nick, it was simply what came easily to him—it was second nature. That same curiosity even followed him into something as ordinary as playing video games.

While playing the well-known video game “Call of Duty,” Nick details how he “always tried to hack something or break something” in order to get the upper hand on more experienced players.

There were even times when the internet would go out at his house, cutting his gaming sessions short. Rather than simply waiting for it to come back on or asking his father for assistance, Nick took it upon himself to solve the problem. He recalls one instance where he decided to jailbreak his old DSI and change the settings until he somehow managed to get the internet working again. To this day, he admits that he still cannot fully explain how he did it. 

By the time Nick reached his teenage years, technology had become a consistent part of his life.  Despite it piquing his interest for years, he continued to view it as a mere hobby and did not see himself establishing a career in technology. At this point, it was just something he did for fun. 

What he did not realize was that this hobby was already turning into something bigger. Unexpectedly, the help of scam callers led him to discover his specific niche. 

Whenever one would call him, Nick would use a program on his laptop to connect to the scammer’s computer and delete the data they had collected from other people they had previously called. For Nick, this became a way to use his technological abilities for good. 

One may wonder how someone this young knew how to run these kinds of operations, but most of what Nick knew was self-taught, with help from countless YouTube videos and Reddit posts. 

“It became fun because it wasn't something that I went to; these people were calling me,” Nick said. “If I can stop this person from scamming at least one other person for the rest of the day, it meant someone else was not possibly being taken advantage of.” 

Although technology was becoming an increasingly larger part of his life, Nick still did not see himself making a career out of it. With both of his parents working in technology and law, respectively, he initially wanted to avoid either path and “be in my own sphere.” More than anything, he wanted the opportunity to pave his own way and discover his own interests that truly impassioned him. 

However, as college approached in the fall of 2020, Nick had to decide what his professional path would look like. At the time, careers in finance or law were both in consideration. Finance specifically appealed to him because, as he puts it, he was always a “numbers guy.” Law, however, was still not completely off the table either. Despite initially wanting to steer clear of the same profession as his mother, Nick had taken a pre-law class in high school and discovered that he was quite good at it, which prompted him to consider a career in the field.

After giving it a lot of thought, however, Nick began to realize that he simply may not be happy in either career due to the arduous demands of finance and his lack of skill in public speaking that would be necessary for a career in law. He therefore began thinking about what else would satisfy his interests. 

“Okay, I’m good with computers, I know a little bit about legal proceedings and how the law works, what's the middle ground there? Cybersecurity,” he recalled thinking. 

To Nick, cybersecurity was a fine line between law and technology, and rather than completely distancing himself from the careers that his parents had chosen, he found a way to embrace both, combining elements of their careers and going in a direction of his own. 

And that is where it all began. 

That realization eventually led Nick to attend St. John’s University, where he chose to major in cybersecurity. The program held ABET accreditation and an NSA designation. These industry-recognized credentials helped set the program apart from other schools Nick was considering and ultimately helped solidify his decision to attend.

Although he was excited to dive into his field of study, Nick’s introduction to college was very different from what he had imagined. Since his first year fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire academic year was held remotely, something that Nick certainly did not prefer.  

Sitting at his desk at home, Nick would often, as he put it, “go ahead of my curriculum. I would do all the test labs that my professors had picked out.” 

By his second year, classes were once again held in person, finally giving Nick the chance to use the cybersecurity facilities at school—something he was eagerly looking forward to. 

 “Everything took off and became real,” he reflects.  

However, once he became fully immersed in college-level courses, Nick soon realized there was so much more to learn than he had previously thought.

“Everything was new. Whatever I had thought I knew just went out the door,” he says. 

Coding, in particular, was a challenge since Nick had never done it before, although he explains that he was “very good in other classes and had no trouble.” While maintaining a 3.8 GPA, Nick was often his own resource when it came to mastering unfamiliar material by watching YouTube videos. Even outside of the classroom, Nick looked for ways to share his knowledge while also continuing to learn. 

Ironically, that opportunity came from teaching the subject he initially struggled with: coding. Nick began working remotely with children ages 8 to 14, teaching them how to code. Since coding was not initially his strong point, teaching others while continuing to learn definitely helped strengthen his abilities. As a result, teaching ultimately sparked a genuine interest in coding—one that Nick had not anticipated.

“What a lot of people don't know is when you're teaching, you're actually learning a lot as well,” he explains. 

Before introducing new material to his students, Nick would find curriculum online and work through it himself—ultimately becoming proficient in coding. In fact, when it came to hacking websites and operating systems in general, he shares how he “actually ended up getting pretty good at coding to the point where I was actually passionate about it.” 

Despite becoming well-versed in numerous aspects of the field, Nick still does not consider himself an expert in all things cybersecurity. In the technology world, things are always evolving and advancing, and there are always new concepts to keep learning. 

In December of 2023, Nick graduated college a semester early. He did, however, still struggle with what came next. He began interviewing for cybersecurity engineer and analyst positions, and even received a few offers, but most required him to move out of state—something he was not ready for, especially since he did not want to move far from his family. No offers seemed like a genuine fit. 

Instead, another opportunity much closer to home presented itself: working alongside his father. There was very little time in between graduating and working since the day after finishing college Nick was “already tucked in a ceiling dealing with an access point issue.” As fast-paced as everything was, Nick finally had the chance to put his skills to the test, and could not waste any time. 

While Nick was appreciative of the new opportunity to jump-start his career, part of him still felt uneasy. He did not want to hold his position in the company simply because he was the boss’s son, but instead “wanted to earn something myself.” 

Still, the opportunity gave Nick the chance to learn and prove himself each day, especially with no two days looking the same.

“One day I'll be sitting at my desk calling people about printer issues,” Nick explains. “Other days, I will be on a ladder hanging off a seven-story building trying to put up cameras.” 

While it is safe to say that Nick prefers the former, he sees benefits in both working styles. Working from home allows him to receive a more personalized experience, while going out into the field gives him the opportunity to interact with clients face-to-face, get his hands dirty, and familiarize himself with the construction aspect of technology, which is entirely different from anything he has done before. 

Still, the desire to build something completely on his own remained. That desire would soon turn into a reality when, after just under a year of working for his father, Nick created Vici Tech Solutions in October 2024. 

The name “Vici” stems from the Italian word “vicini,” meaning “close” or “nearby,” and given Nick’s Italian heritage, the name felt fitting. The original concept for Vici was a mobile app designed for everyday people who often connected to free Wi-Fi. The idea was to help users identify whether the public Wi-Fi they were connecting to was secure and safe to use.  

However, after conducting further research and doing some minor programming, Nick ultimately decided to pause the project due to ethical concerns, which he chose not to disclose. The name, Vici, however, stuck. 

Although the initial idea behind Vici may have changed, the passion did not. Soon after, Vici took on an entirely new shape: a software development and cybersecurity firm. This time, Nick wanted to focus on helping businesses through security consulting. 

Once the idea came to life, the next step was turning it into an actual company. That meant creating business cards, forming an LLC, marketing the company on social media, and, of course, finding clients. 

To begin searching for work, Nick turned to Fiverr, an online marketplace that allows freelancers to connect with people in need of specific services, but things did not pick up for quite some time. 

Despite starting the company in late 2024, Nick did not land his first gig until May of 2025. In the meantime, he continued focusing on his full-time job while also conducting more research into what it took to run a successful business. That patience would eventually pay off. 

“Once I got that first sale, it never stopped.” 

That first sale, which jumpstarted Vici, involved software development for a client who continues to work with Nick today. 

Nick shares that soon after, his clientele tripled in size and continued growing by the month. Slowly but surely, Vici began turning into something larger than the small side business it had started as. It took Nick some time to recognize just how far the company had come. Despite already generating some income, Nick states that 2026 was the year that “it became real.”

“It wasn’t just Fiverr,” Nick adds. “I had outreach coming in from side channels, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.” 

Vici’s growth may have taken some time, but Nick’s passion never wavered. He describes how since day one, he knew Vici was going to be more than just an idea. Even when he had only one client, Nick was determined to build something successful from the ground up. 

As the success of Vici continues to climb, so do the demands that come with running the company. Nick’s life has completely changed as he navigates working his full-time job while running his own company. 

When asked how he finds time for both, he laughed and pointed to his desk. 

“I have 3 monitors on my desktop where I can really put one thing on each and divide my attention between all of them.” 

Throughout typical workdays, Nick will balance his time between his father’s company and Vici. Essentially, he will wake up at 7:00 A.M. and head right to his desk, where he will take support tickets while also attending virtual meetings for Vici. 

Nick’s life now consists of a lot of early mornings and late nights. He often finds himself working through lunch and not eating dinner due to a heavy workload and strict deadlines. While his clients understand that he is essentially running the company on his own, the work ultimately must get done in a timely manner, which definitely adds to the pressure. 

When asked how he handles the stress of adhering to due dates, Nick simply states that everything is tackled through “time management and effective calendar management.” 

Although Nick would describe himself as being fairly good at multitasking, he admits that he “just doesn’t do it.” Instead, he notes that the balance comes from remembering he has his 9-5 and his 5-9, both of which he routinely sticks to in order to keep his full-time job and Vici hours separate.

He also says that owning a company has taught him how to better manage his time while also allowing him to learn how to speak to people across multiple industries in simple terms. Since it is very easy to get lost in technical jargon, Nick aims to ensure his clients understand each detail every step of the way. 

“I’m working with regular people that just have ideas, I bring those ideas to life.” 

Ultimately, owning Vici has been extremely rewarding for Nick. As eager as he is to grow Vici into a well-established company, he admits that “growing and growing too fast, not allowing myself to scale in staff appropriately” is what scares him the most. At the same time, it is the same exact thing that excites him. 

As the obstacles continue to mount, Nick welcomes the challenge and embraces the process—with all of its highs and lows.

This mindset also shapes how Nick looks toward the future. When asked about his goals for the company, the answer came easily to him: “I hope to one day take a step back and grow the company for others to work for me.” 

That is a future Nick can certainly envision, though not anytime soon.  

“Vici is still a toddler,” Nick adds. While noting that the company is only two years old, Nick emphasizes that although he is excited to see what the future holds, he cannot tell what it will look like quite yet. But for now, his goals remain consistent. He hopes to one day afford a home of his own, start life, and be financially independent. 

For Nick, reaching the point where he can “be the boss, not the company” will allow him to “know everything was 100% worth it. That’s the dream.”