How to Think Like an Entrepreneur is a guest blog post by Daniel Hayes, PE, PMP
When I started my engineering career, I worked hard to understand and apply engineering principles and processes required to prepare deliverables in a technically correct and efficient manner.
I consider myself a good engineer. There was a time I believed the work should speak for itself. Being an introvert by nature, I don’t like to sell and don’t want to come off as salesy. I spoke of what I could do for the client. Yet, clients and prospects always wanted something more.
Why does this happen? Because as engineers, we are not selling construction plans. We are not selling the latest in engineering technology. We are not selling deliverables. Instead, we are selling solutions to problems. Real world problems that our clients need to be solved.
If a real estate developer retains a civil engineering firm to prepare a set of construction documents or to acquire the necessary permits and approvals for development, what the client wants is neither the construction documents nor the permit. What he wants is a completed development, ready for resale or rent. Engineering is just one of many means to this end and that is why you should start to think like an entrepreneur.
Following the unprecedented increase in the number of people turning to entrepreneurship, there’s no denying that owning a business is unusually appealing. It’s easy to understand what creates this feeling. Everyone wants some measure of freedom to be able to make their own independent decisions and run their own show, however, do you know a large number of small businesses close every day? To avoid failure, you must mitigate the potential for failure. Below you’ll find five tips that can help you to start your own business and achieve business success.
Through providing career-coaching services to engineers, I know that the most common problem that developing engineers are trying to solve is how to become a successful engineering manager. After spending the early part of their engineering career becoming confident in their technical skills, many engineers are ready to take the steps required to become an engineering manager. The problem is that there are no specific steps to become a successful engineering manager; the path is different for everyone.
