From 3D Printed Dive Masks to Business Development Lead at Formlabs – Ryan Turk – Ep52

Ryan Turk and I first met about 3 years ago on Upwork.com. He was looking for an engineer to assist in his new business venture. His idea was to create custom dive masks using 3D scanning and 3D printing.

He ended up hiring another engineer, but he did successfully make custom masks. We talk about how he accomplished that, through 3D scanning, using Geomagic software to process the scans, and 3D printing the molds for the masks.

Even though he could create the masks, the business opportunity is not quite there now. The costs are too high given the price point he can get for the product. So, for the time being, Ryan has changed paths by taking a job at Formlabs. He is working as the business development lead on mass customization. His new role is the find opportunities in the market to use 3d printing to make end use parts, not just prototypes.

You can contact Ryan at turk@formlabs.com

Artificial Intelligence – Peter Voss – Ep 112

Joining us today is Peter Voss, a pioneer in AI who coined the term ‘Artificial General Intelligence’ and the CEO and Chief Scientist at Aigo.ai. For the past 15 years, Voss and his team at Aigo have been perfecting an industry disruptive, highly intelligent, and hyper-personalized Chatbot, with a brain, for large enterprise customers.

Peter started as an electronics engineer. He quit that and didn’t even finish high school. He taught himself programming and started a company selling accounting software. He grew that company to 400 people and then sold that business.

After this company he got into artificial intelligence and a lot of our talk was focused on this subject. We covered areas like chat bots, teaching employees, and an artificial intelligence personal assistant.

His number one tip: The thing he regrets the most is he waited to 25 to start his first company. He wishes he started sooner.

Contact info:

http://www.aigo.ai/

peter@aigo.ai

Trademarks, Everything You Need to Know – Suzi Hixon – Ep72

Suzi Hixon has been a trademark attorney and trademark creation strategist for 15 years. She has managed the trademark portfolio of a Fortune 100 company, as well as numerous small businesses and startups. She focuses on strong brand name creation ~ from both the legal and marketing perspective.

Suzi now runs her own company, helping individuals with their trademarks and branding. We discuss trademark protection in other countries, private labeling, and how NOT to pick a trademark.

Many people pick bad trademarks, based on a name that describes the product. Suzi says that if you have a new type of product, you want to pick a generic name and a brand name. For example, Band-Aid Bandages. Band-Aid is the brand name, and bandage is the generic name.

Suzi’s top tips:

Nothing stays the same, you want to pick trademarks that registers with customers

And you want names that are pronounceable

Contact info:

Suzi’s web course: trademarkquickstart.com

website: https://www.theprivatelabellawyer.com/

The Dadsak Invention and the Startup Bus – Jeremy Losaw – Ep54

Jeremy is the engineering director for Enventys Partners. He just got back from Startup Bus where his team, Sak Labs placed 2nd in the competition with the Dadsak, the world’s first fully integrated infant carrier and backpack diaper bag.

I have worked with Jeremy on quite a few other projects.

In this podcast, we talk about the Dadsak invention and the Startup Bus. We cover many topics that will be of interest to inventors, including initial concepts, prototyping, provisional patents, and pitching investors.

You can contact Jeremy at:

Jeremy.losaw@enventyspartners.com

Jeremylosaw.com

www.dadsak.com

Other links mentioned:

Startup Bus

Innovation Freak Podcast – Nathan Kemmerer – Ep55

It’s not often the title of my podcast is about another podcast, but that is the case this week.

Nathan Kemmerer (also a mechanical engineer like me) runs the Innovation Freak Podcast, which is a podcast that covers new innovation/technology around the world that has a positive impact.

Some of his episodes cover topics such as:

1. Trash collection machine in the Baltimore bay
2. Open sourced 3D printed prosthetic hands
3. Airwolf 3D printers

Nathan also has some 3D printers of his own that we discuss, including the CR-10 and Tevo Tarantula.

You can contact Nathan at:

natek@innovationfreak.com

http://innovationfreak.com/

Aaron Moncur is the founder of Pipeline Design & Engineering. aron has a similar background to me where he worked as a design engineer first before starting his company. He worked designing medical devices.

His company specializes in making custom manufacturing equipment.

He’s learned (like me) that trading time for money has limited scalability so he has gotten into creating products. His first one is a threaded detail installer.

Aaron also has a podcast. Check it out, it’s called “Being an Engineer”

Number one tip: be nice to people. Everything we do, its all about relationships

Contact:

Linkedin

Today’s Episode is Sponsored by MFG.com 

Are you an engineer or designer looking for reliable and skilled manufacturers to bring your designs to life?

MFG.com, the world’s largest online manufacturing marketplace, connects you with over 10,000 suppliers across the globe. Browse the directory, or submit a Request for Quote and receive an average of 4 quotes from US suppliers.

MFG provides access to a wide range of manufacturing capabilities, including precision machining, injection molding, and 3D printing, so you can find the right supplier for your specific project needs.

Signing up for MFG.com is quick and free, and gives you the ability to manufacture your engineering designs efficiently and effectively.

So why wait? Sign up for MFG.com today and take your engineering and design projects to the next level. Again, Visit MFG.com to sign up today.

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Itunes link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/engineering-entrepreneur-podcast/id1141757951?mt=2

website link

http://caddesignhelp.com/podcast/

The Patent Process Explained – James Wilson – Ep56

This episode is one that you inventors out there should definitely listen to. Most people know what a patent is but not many understand the process it takes to get one.

In this episode I talked with James Wilson from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). James is the Assistant Regional Director of the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional Office in Detroit.

We talk about the entire patent process, from idea creation to provisional patent, to non-provisional application and the review process. We uncover all the details inventors want to know, like costs, time frames, and the process.

There are some links from the podcast I will add once I get them from James. But those will be for the resources he described including how to get assistance on patent applications.

James’ parting advice is that the UPSTO strives to be one of the best government entities and that they are looking to hire more examiners. So if you are a professional with a technical degree, there might be an opportunity for you at the USPTO.

You can contact James at:

J.D. Houvener is the founder of Bold Patents, a law firm for startups and inventors to get their patents.

He also has his own podcast, The Bold Patents Show, which is in its second season.

He has a background working for Boeing as an engineer before starting his law firm.

We talked about how important it is to write your provisional patent the right way, which is talking about the novel aspects of your invention.

We talked about an example of how JD’s company helped an inventor with a fish lure product.

Don’t be afraid of infringement on your patent. If people are trying to copy you then you have a great product.

Number one tip:

Make sure to get an experienced patent lawyer on your side from the beginning of your invention process.

Contact info:

www.BOLDIP.com

Today’s Episode is Sponsored by MFG.com

The Average Joe Tech Startup Founder – Shawn Livermore – Ep 99

Big episode this week! Last one before reaching triple digits. I’ll put together a special episode for 100.

Shawn Livermore is a tech startup founder, entrepreneur, and technology consultant for over 20 years. He the author of the best-selling amazon book “The Average Joe”.

He didn’t go the traditional path many think of when they think of tech founder. He taught himself while working full time and became Microsoft certified. He then raised capital for 2 different business, both in the tech industry.

Shawn learned many lessons that he shares but many focus in determination and learning to deal with failure as an entrepreneur. Take it from me, it’s going to happen!

Number one tip: Proximity is a great replacement for talent. Be around with great people.

Contact info:

Shawn runs Product Perfect, a software consultancy, in Southern California.

Follow Shawn on twitter @shawnypants https://twitter.com/shawnypants

The book website is www.averagejoetechgenius.com

The Slow Create Framework is at www.slowcreate.com

Hire Shawn for your next software project at www.productperfect.com 

Latest Technology News – David Mantey – Ep 140

David is the Editorial Director of Digital Media at Industrial Media, a publishing company that owns some of the most recognized websites in the manufacturing industry. These include Industrial Equipment News, Manufacturing Business Technology, Manufacturing.net, and Food Manufacturing.  

David has an interesting job, and we talk about how he got started, how he finds out about the latest news, and some good stories he’s written.

Top Tip:

Focus on constant improvement

Contact Information:

David Mantey   

Editorial Director, Digital Media

Today in Manufacturing podcast: https://www.ien.com/podcast 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mantey/ 

Design & Development Today: https://www.designdevelopmenttoday.com/ 

Twitter: @djamesmanny

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

Advice from an Experienced Entrepreneur – Cory Lee– Ep86

Cory is an entrepreneur, business builder, and leadership developer who is passionate about helping entrepreneurs navigate business growth without sacrificing their faith, family, and fitness. He and his wife have built and sold multiple businesses in the healthcare and fitness industries.

We cover a lot of topics about entrepreneurship in general. For example, do you need experience in an area to start a business in it? Or just a passion for it?

Another important topic is commitment. If you want to start a business, you first need to have that commitment.

Cory gives a lot of great advice for inventors and entrepreneurs and his number one tip is to invest in yourself.

Contact info:

https://www.coryleeleadership.com/engineering

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

Life Science Inventions and Patent Law– Kevin Buckley and Neil Thompson – Ep 119

Kevin Buckley is the founders of Torrey Pines Law Group and Neil Thompson is a patent agent with the firm.

The firm focuses on life science inventions that often have an AI component.

We discuss the differences between patent agents and patent attorneys. We also discuss the typical costs of getting a product patented.

We also discussed the steps involved in getting a patent. If you are a new inventor, this is one episode that you do not want to miss!

Number one tip: Get a provisional at least, even if it’s cheap and dirty.

Contact info:
www.Torreypineslaw.com

Particle41 – Ben Johnson – Ep 139

Ben is the CEO & Founder of Particle41, a development firm providing businesses with integral support on application development, data science, and DevOps projects. 

I learned some new things in this episode. Devops is platform engineering. For example, his team created a training program on the Oculus headset. The training program was for safety training for operating a forklift. 

We discussed raising capital. Start with angel investors in your community. 

Lastly, we discussed personal productivity and AI.

Top Tip:

Just get up and do it.

Contact info:

Ben@particle41.com

Ava Naeini is the Founder and Data Architect of Pulse Operations, which is an intelligent engine that uses machine learning and statistical processing with various heuristics to determine the healthiness and performance of distributed systems.

Many software engineers must constantly manually monitor their systems to see if there is a pattern developing that could lead to issues. Ava’s tool allows engineers to work on bigger issues while the system is monitored automatically.

We talk about all the challenges with starting a company after creating the product, including the challenges of getting a patent.

Number one tip: Creating a company was a challenge, for example setting up the platform, Corporation and LLC. Some tools she suggests:
Gust – used to create a company.
Patent process – have a lawyer.
Legal zoom - Cost was very reasonable.

Contact info:
mailto:ava@pulseops.ai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/avanaeini/
www.Pulseops.ai

3D Printing Advice from a Formlabs Engineer - Andrew Edman – Ep68

Andrew Edman is an Industry Manager for product design, engineering, and manufacturing at Formlabs.

He previously owned his own design company where he met the founders of Formlabs early on.

Andrew looks for use cases for 3D printing. One such example is at Ashley Home Furniture. He found uses such as using a 3D printed fixture that weighs much less and is faster to change over compared to their traditional machined fixture.

If you own a Formlabs machine, this podcast would also give you some inside info on some of the materials. We discuss specific use cases for the various materials.

Another part of our discussion was how to make silicone parts. Andrew used to work at Reynolds Advanced Materials., which is a company that makes silicone material. Typically, I will 3D print a mold and use that to form the silicone part.

Contact info:

Email edman@formlabs.com

Linked profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-edman-5434a621/

Making a More Efficient Hot Water Heater – Tiago Bandeira – Ep 116

Tiago Bandeira is the founder of Klugit Company.

His first product is an electric hot water heater. The problem is that a regular hot water heater does a constant on off cycle due to heat loss. This cycling wastes a lot of energy.

We talk about how he started this company while working at Bosch, which is ironically a company I used to work for. Bosch sponsored this project and didn’t take any equity. A very strange thing to hear but great for Tiago.

Tiago also ran a kickstarter campaign to prove the concept and that went very well.

Number one tip: Go for it. It is normal to feel that you are not good enough.

Contact info:
https://klugitenergy.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiagosbandeira/

How to Patent an Invention – Alex Hobson – Ep70

Alex Hobson is founder and president of Invention To Patent Services.  He is also an inventor being listed on more than 20 U.S. patents.  He has more than 20 years of experience.

I’ve had other patent agents on the show before, but Alex is a little different. Alex was first a mechanical engineer and actually worked at a same company that I worked at before (WLGore.com, the Goretex company).

He started writing his own patents while at Gore and learned enough to change careers and go on his own writing patents.

We cover all topics of patents including allowance rate, priority date, difference between a patent agent and patent attorney, provisional patents, and more. If you are new or even experienced inventor, this is the show for you.

Contact info:

Email: ahobson@invention-to-patent.com

800-634-0605

Invention-to-patent.com

Ravi Kurani is the CEO and founder of Sutro, which is a water chemistry monitor company.

He grew up working for his dad who owned pool supply stores. He went to college for a mechanical engineering degree and after school worked for NASA. 

He left NASA to start his company Sutro. We discuss the entire series of steps he took to bring his company to life. From idea validation, to prototyping, to manufacturing and funding.

Number one tip:

Lessons learned: as a founder your number one focus is managing risk.

Across employees, investors, across customers.

2nd thing: your most important resource is people.

Contact info:

Email: hello@mysutro.com

The Wheelchair Mountain Bike – Bowhead Corp (Chris Bagg and Will Gill) – Ep67

23 years ago, Chris Bagg broke his back snow boarding. Chris was very into outdoor sports and wanted to continue his activities as a parapalegic.

Chris built his own custom wheelchair first. He needed this because all the stock chairs were too small for his 6 foot 8 inch size.

Next, he started working on his off-road wheelchair bike. He “modeled” the bike first using paper and foam, just to work on the concept. Then he started getting prototypes made from using Solidworks and creating waterjet cut parts.

Chris later brought in a Solidworks expert and engineer Will Gill. This is when their company Bowhead Corp was born. They now have a few products such as the Bowhead Reach and the Bowhead Traveler. You should go to their website and check out their pictures and videos in action.

You can reach them at:

https://bowheadcorp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bowheadcorp/

Greg’s background is in medicine, but he has been passionate about wine since his first sip of a vintage wine in Napa at age 16. He received his Master of Science in Medical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

I’m not a wine guy, but the history of why wine is bottled in glass and the size of the bottle is interesting. We discuss all of that and why Coravin solves many of the problems of storing wine after it has been opened.

Number One Tip:

The best inventions come from meeting an unmet need. And you need to know whether you want to be an inventor or an entrepreneur. 

Contact Information:

DM him on X and Instagram: Gregatcoravin


The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

Automatic Ocean Cleaning Device, The Seabin Project – Pete Ceglinski – Ep77

Peter Ceglinski  is the CEO and Co-founder of the Seabin product and company. The Seabin is a floating trash can that skims the surface of the water.

Peter’s background is he is trained as a product designer with experience in injection molding.

The inspiration for his invention came from the thought: If we have trash cans on land, why not put them in water

The device works but skimming plastic pollution and marine liter in the water from the surface, pulling it into the bin.

We discuss many aspects of the project, from technical to funding to intellectual property (they are patent pending in 7 countries including the United States).

If you are interested, they are taking on investors now. For a low amount of money ($250 minimum), you can be an equity holder in the company.

Number one tip: if you got an idea, and you want to do it. Go for it, but make a plan and save your money

Contact info:

1. Email : contact@seabinproject.com
2. https://seabinproject.com/

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) – John Laslavic– Ep64

If you are an engineer at a mid to large company, you are well aware what PLM is. But if not, hopefully this episode will teach you a few things.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is how companies organize the process of creating and modifying products. Traditionally this applied to just the CAD data itself. This is important because if multiple engineers are working on a file, the system will keep the data organized so that everyone knows what the latest revision is and the status of the project (is the CAD in process, under review, or ready for tooling, and so on).

John is the CEO and founder of Upchain.com. Upchain is changing PLM by organizing the entire supply chain, not just the CAD data. This makes the entire product management smoother. After the CAD is done, other departments still have work to do like getting quotes for tooling. Upchain organizes this process.

Contact info

http://www.upchain.com

CADdesignhelp.com Top 5 Projects 2019 – Scott Tarcy – ep 76

Changing things up this week, no guest. Instead, I reviewed my 2019 and picked my top 5 most interesting and unique projects I worked on. In summary they are:

1. Candle Project
   1. 3D printed a mold to then make a silicone mold. A mold for a mold if you will
   2. Wax is poured into silicone mold
   3. Key lesson: make alignment keys too small
2. Exercise Device
   1. Ab roller, foam roller and pushup bar all rolled into one
   2. Ability to lock rotation
   3. Used expanding foam
   4. Key lesson: use silicone mold for making foam parts. Getting foal off PLA plastic is a major pain
3. Hood Exhaust
   1. Air filtration fire trucks
   2. Need to test removing and reinstalling the air filter tube 100,000 times
   3. 2 tables from 8020 Aluminum extrusions
   4. Designed in solidworks
   5. Built and tested
   6. Key lesson: used 3D printing to create some missing parts on the install day
4. Gnome Head
   1. Xmas gift. A woman wanted her friends head on the body of a gnome
   2. Use photos to create head in 3D (used Maya). Scanning not an option due to her being too far from me
   3. Used Grabcad.com to find existing gnome 3D model
   4. Combined the head STL and gnome STL in blender
   5. Created breats on the gnome to make female version
   6. Key lesson: 3D printing this: SLA print much better result than FDM print
5. Squash Racquet attachment
   1. Created 3D model of squash handle by measuring physical part
   2. Used client images to create cad file
   3. Device is a training aid to learn correct grip
   4. 3D printed a mold to make the prototypes
   5. Key lesson: to get a silicone part to hold onto something (like a grip) you want to design for about a 10-20% interference fit

Sean, CEO, and Co-Founder of Helios are on a mission to empower stakeholders with comprehensive and actionable information around tonal analytics. 

Helios is pioneering speech analytics for Wall Street.

They have saved investors MILLIONS by eliminating tone deafness to increase confidence in trading decisions.

They are the first and only company doing this in finance.

We discuss how tonal nuances, emotional analytics, and insights can lead to hidden issues that may not be clear.

Number one tip:

You can make a lot of progress with a small budget. Very lean to get prototypes out there and talk to people.

If you have a small budget, go talk to hedge funds

Contact info:

sean@helioslife.enterprises

Do you want to quit your job and be an entrepreneur? Click here:

http://eepurl.com/iiWiAH

Need help with your product design? Click here:

Caddesignehelp.com

Polish Entrepreneur and Investor in Africa – Marek Zmysłowski – Ep82

Marek is from Poland and started his career as an entrepreneur in Africa.

He co-founded Jumia Travel – Africa’s Biggest Hotel Booking Portal listed on NYSE as part of Jumia Group and HotelOnline.co – a Travel Technology Company.

After this he started his own travel company and got int some trouble with competitors when they made false claims to Interpol. He wrote a book all about this crazy experience. Check it out: Chasingblackunicorns.com

After he got through that mess, he started working with a Swedish company making solar powered roofs for homes. These are not just solar panels, but the actual roof itself is one big solar panel. That company is sunroof.se. These roofs can power the entire home, completely removing one’s need to rely on the grid for power.

Number one tip:

Marek’s biggest problem is lack of technical knowledge. Even if you have dreams of becoming entrepreneur, finish your studies. Work as engineer for some time, it will give you an amazing advantage; he went in entrepreneurship too fast

Contact info:

Twitter: @marekchinedu

Instagram: @marekchinedu

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Follow me on Twitter/Instagram @caddesignhelp

Exponential Theory – Aaron Bare – Ep 132

Aaron Bare is a bestselling author and speaker on the topic of exponential theory.

He helps businesses grow at an exponential rate instead of a linear rate.

 Large companies tend to think that 10% annual growth is good.

 But Aaron argues that this mentality limits you and prevents exponential growth.

We talked in depth about how emerging technologies are changing the world.

We talked in depth about Artificial Intelligence.

Number one tip 

The biggest opportunity is to think bigger about the problem you are solving.

Contact info

Aaronbare.com

XMBA.io

Today’s Episode is Sponsored by MFG.com and Shapeways

Are you an engineer or designer looking for reliable and skilled manufacturers to bring your designs to life?

MFG.com, the world’s largest online manufacturing marketplace, connects you with over 10,000 suppliers across the globe. 

Browse the directory, or submit a Request for Quote and receive an average of 4 quotes from US suppliers.

MFG provides access to a wide range of manufacturing capabilities, including precision machining, injection molding, and 3D printing, so you can find the right supplier for your specific project needs.

Signing up for MFG.com is quick and free, and gives you the ability to manufacture your engineering designs efficiently and effectively.

So why wait? Sign up for MFG.com today and take your engineering and design projects to the next level. Again, Visit MFG.com to sign up today.

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Itunes link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/engineering-entrepreneur-podcast/id1141757951?mt=2

website link

http://caddesignhelp.com/podcast/

Freeeup Your Time – Nathan Hirsch – Ep50

We have hit 50 episodes of the podcast!

Nathan Hirsch is a serial entrepreneur, hiring expert, and the CEO of FreeeUp.com. He has hired hundreds of freelancers to build his companies and has been featured on over 100 business podcasts sharing his knowledge on hiring and entrepreneurship.

We talk about entrepreneurship strategies and marketing. Nathan has grown Freeeup.com with hardly any marketing dollars. Instead he has used word of mouth by being a guest on various podcast, including Entrepreneur On Fire.

He started Freeeup.com because he saw the importance of outsourcing tasks that are not his main skillset, and instead focusing on what he is best at. I often do this myself, as I outsource podcast editing, website work, and other tasks that are not related to engineering.

To contact Nathan:

FREEEup.com

Asset protection for entrepreneurs – Scott Smith – Ep61

This episode focuses on some important business aspects of being an engineering entrepreneur: things like asset protection, insurance, and tax strategies.

Scott is the founder of Royal legal solutions. His company specializes in asset protection for entrepreneurs. This includes what insurance to get, how to best structure your business for tax savings, and what to do when you get sued.

Scott and I discuss these 3 topics. Starting with liability, a good option for entrepreneurs is to set up 2 companies:

1. Asset holding company – separate LLC that holds everything
2. Shell company –runs operations of the business

Then we discuss retirement savings, specifically the details of a Solo 401k

Finally, we talk about lawsuits and what to do if you get sued.

Scott’s top tips are:

1. Use a 2-company structure
2. Set up a solo 401k
3. wrap up everything in estate plan (living trust and will)

You can contact Scott at:

Dan Simpkins is the Chief Executive Officer and one of the two founding partners of Dwellwell Analytics, Inc. The company has developed an IoT SaaS product that helps protect residential real estate assets by identifying maintenance issues before they become costly and disruptive 

Dan’s company Hillcrest created the original 3D mouse for smart TV’s. He went from there to his new company Dwellwell which makes diagnostic sensors for homes.  

Number One Tip: 

Don’t let convention wisdom get you down, like “that’s a crazy idea”.

The 10 laws of the entrepreneur. You have to go over the line to see the line.

Early on, an entrepreneur should seek mentors.

Contact Info: 

Linkedin: Dan Simpkins 

https://dwellwell.ai/ 

...

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

You can download it here on iTunes:
Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast

Or directly on my site at CADdesignhelp.com

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @caddesignhelp

Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Thanks,
Scott Tarcy

Serial Inventor, Entrepreneur and Daymond John Business Partner – Mike Watts– Ep65

Mike Watts is a serial entrepreneur who has started 6 product-based companies totaling over $50million in total sales. Mike is currently serving as Founder and CEO of LoveHandle, who manufactures patented custom-printed smartphone accessories and is a partner of Daymond John from Shark Tank.

Many listeners of this show are inventors and Mike took a slightly different approach than many inventors. Mike started out by partnering with an inventor of a lawn/garden product and manufacturing that inventor’s product, in return for giving the inventor a royalty.

After that product, Mike has created a smart phone accessory that makes it easier to hold your phone. The brand name is called Lovehandle (www.lovehandle.com). Daymond John (from Shark Tank) discovered his product and was so impressed with it that he contacted Mike and they have since partnered up to do business together.

Mike’s number one tip:

Seek out wisdom from those that have done it before

You can contact Mike at:

Mike@lovehandle.com

Instagram: @mikewattsceo

The Edboard Invention –Cody Candler – Ep87

Cory is an engineer from CU Boulder Colorado. He invented the Edboard, which a magnetic circuit-building kit made for kids. He has a Kickstarter campaign in progress as of the time of this recording to fund the first units.

The invention is like a big breadboard that is magnetic so young kids can learn electronics.

We discuss the process of how Cody and his team created it.

One of the things that helped him was the accelerator program at his school, Catalyze CU.

Cody’s number one tip:

Be honest with yourself where your weaknesses are.

Cody wasn’t ready for pitching at competitions and had to be told to do so.

Contact:

Kickstarter campaign

www.edboardtechnologies.com

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

Follow me on Twitter/Instagram @caddesignhelp.

Jessie is the co-founder and CEO of KittyCAD.

KittyCAD is a new CAD software that will have both your normal graphical interface but also the ability to code directly. 

This solves a common problem in CAD of both slow workflow and having to fix failed features, like fillets. I have been there many times! 

Make sure to check out this episode. I can wait for Jessie and her team to finish the product.

Number One Tip:

Do what you love.

Contact Information:

https://twitter.com/jessfraz

Kittycad.io

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Creating Software Products – Jay Gibb – Ep57

Jay Gibb is a software engineer, but he is also an entrepreneur. He has started 2 companies, Arizona Bay and Cloudsponge (links are at the end).

Arizona Bay is a consulting firm that builds custom software. Cloudsponge is a digital asset (a product) that makes it easy for people to recommend your website to a friend. The easiest way to explain it is, imagine you just booked a place on Airbnb and want to recommend it to friend (or all your friends). Most websites have a place where you can type in each and every name, but good luck remembering all your friend’s email addresses. Cloudsponge solves this by integrating with your address book and you can simply click next to each name you want to send the Airbnb listing to.

Jay and I discuss how each business operates and how he came up with the idea for Cloudsponge. His advice: the best products come from solving your problems first and finding out many other people have the same problem.

We also touch on machine learning, which I didn’t know a lot about previously. Cool stuff!

You can contact Jay at:

Arizonabay.com

Cloudsponge.com

Jay Gibb LinkedIn

Engineer to Financial Planner – Ryan Sullivan– ep 148

Starting his career as a mechanical engineer, Ryan built an engineering department from the ground up. In just five years, he built the department into a formidable team of 11 professionals, generating an annual revenue exceeding $1 million. This journey uncovered Ryan's true passion for finance and investing, which led him to starting his financial planning firm.

Number one tip:

Put your finances on autopilot.

Contact info:

Obpfinancial.com

Linkedin

https://www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.com/engineeringentrepreneur

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

David Rose is an MIT lecturer, inventor, and five-time entrepreneur, who draws on culture, design, travel, and music to envision future products and businesses sparked by the next generation of technology.

His last book, Enchanted Objects, is the definitive book on designing the Internet of Things.

David wrote the seminal patent on photo sharing, founded an AI company focused on computer vision, and was VP of Vision Technology at Warby Parker.

 He is known for translating complex technologies into delightfully intuitive new products and consulting with businesses on how to thrive during digital disruption.

We had an in-depth conversation about how augmented reality can be implemented, especially in boat navigation.

Number one tip:

Try to be a lead user

Contact info:

https://www.supersight.world/

David.rose@supersight.world

Finance your Inventions – Matt King– Ep58

One of the most important things to take care of in the invention process is figuring out how to pay for all the steps needed to get your product to market. Unless you have a trust fund or a high paying job, you will likely need help getting your product to market.

It will take thousands (if not more) dollars to go from idea to final product. Costs will include CAD design, prototyping, market testing, advertising, production and so on.

Matt King is an expert in helping entrepreneurs get the funding needed to start their business. He runs Titan Consulting, located in my home city of Charlotte, NC.

In this week’s podcast, Matt and I talk about the right way to go about getting funding. To put simply, you should not go from your napkin sketch to trying to raise $20M. There are many steps before that and we discuss how to do it with practical examples.

You can contact Matt at:

The Business of Bioscience – Susan Goebel – Ep63

Susan is what I call a Bioscience Entrepreneur. She went to college for Biology and her first job out of school involved creating displays in museums, but these aren’t your average displays. One display she worked on was the structure of the human heart, using an actual heart!

She then worked for a while in the animal health industry.

But this type of work was not for her, so she moved onto entrepreneurship.  Using her experience in animal health, she started her own company for animal health. Some advice from me hearing this story is that if you want to start your own business, one of the best ways is to get a job/apprenticeship and learn while working for someone else, as she did. My story is the same, I worked for 10 years for large corporations before starting my own business as a design engineer.

One of her top products she helped make was a vaccine for cattle for Ecoli, but the purpose of the vaccine was to prevent Ecoli from affecting humans further down the food chain. This is a fascinating series of cause and effect that makes you really appreciate how everything is so connected.

Susan’s company also has worked on immunotheraputics for cancer, specifically bladder cancer.

Her company also works with companies as a strategic partner to get government funding, get VC capital, and help with the regulatory (FDA) process.

Susan’s top tips are:

1. Check your assumptions. Make sure you know what your assumptions are and make sure they are correct
2. Business planning – don’t dismiss it

You can contact Susan by email at s.goebel@bell.net 

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Twelve way to make a Prototype with Xometry – Greg Paulsen– Ep71

Greg Paulsen is the Director of Application Engineering at Xometry. He is an expert in helping determine the best-fit manufacturing process for customer projects and discussing design-for-manufacturing for over 12 different manufacturing technologies from precision machining to 3D printing

Xometry is a manufacturing marketplace that provides instant pricing, lead times, and manufacturability feedback for custom parts in real-time through its website.

In our discussion, we go into the specifics of many of these processes, like Direct Laser Metal Sintering (DLMS), 3D printing SLA elastomers, FDM printing, Carbon 3D printing, HP Multijet fusion, and urethane casting.

We also discuss the business side of Xometry and how they use the same concept as Uber: utilize capacity of people and business who have the machines to make prototypes.

Greg’s number one tip: If a manufacturer does provide feedback, it’s not a critique of the part. They just want to make the best part they can for you.

Contact info:

www.Xometry.com

support@xometry.com

Email: gpaulsen@xometry.com

Follow me on Twitter/Instagram @caddesignhelp

This week’s show is sponsored by Gusto

Everyone loves payday, especially engineers. But loving a payroll provider? That’s a little weird. Still, small businesses across the country love running payroll with Gusto. Gusto automatically files and pays your taxes, it’s super easy to use, and you can add benefits and HR support to help take care of your engineering team and keep your business safe. It’s loyal, it’s modern — you might fall in love yourself.  Listeners get three months free when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and test it out at gusto.com/ee. That’s gusto.com/ee

This week’s show is Sponsored by:

Average Joe’s Financial Coaching. Leading small business owners and employees to financial success! 

Average Joe’s Financial Independence teaches people how to correctly manage their money. Over 80% of people live paycheck to paycheck and Average Joe’s can help change that. People who have their finances under control are more productive at work and at home! Whether you are struggling to pay of debt or just trying to control your income , contact Average Joe’s today! They also work with Small Business owners to increase profit margins by assessing their expenses.

Their  coaching is virtual and can be done right from the comfort of your home! Please contact them today at 805-419-9777 for a FREE consultation. That’s Average Joe’s Financial Independence @ 805-419-9777

Helping you take control of your money!!

Today’s show is sponsored by BricsCAD

Attention computer aided design software users! – are you tired of expensive subscriptions and constantly increasing prices?
There is an alternative to high subscription pricing. It’s called BricsCAD.
It’s innovative, fast and native DWG. It’s totally compatible with what you know, and it’s available in a permanent, lifetime license.
If you know AutoCAD, you know BricsCAD. Try it for free for 30 days at bricsys.com, then buy a lifetime license for less.

Lean Manufacturing and Lean Startups – Jason Burt – Ep60

Jason Burt is the owner of Evolve Holdings, which is a consultancy that focuses on teaching and applying the principles of Lean Manufacturing.

Youngest Person to Fly a Rocket to Space – Jordan Noone – Ep 118

Jordan Noone is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Embedded Ventures. He has had a lifelong interest in aerospace, including designing and building spaceflight hardware at age 18 while at the University of Southern California. He is also the first student and youngest individual in the world to get Federal Aviation Administration clearance to fly a rocket to space (150 km altitude) while leading USC’s Rocket Propulsion Lab.

He also created a brandnew CAD program called Kitty CAD. It is a totally different type of CAD that is programmable, not click based.

His main business, Embedded Ventures, is a next generation venture capital firm investing in dual-use space startups beyond launch.

Number one tip:

Find the top 3 areas of your life and do something where those areas intersect.

Contact info:

Twitter: @thejordannoone

Email: jordan@embedded.ventures

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Check out my new online course:

https://info9704710.wixsite.com/engineeringpreneur

From Aerospace Engineer to Entrepreneur– Amy Simpkins – Ep62

Amy Simpkins is a speaker, author, and thought leader in innovation and the CEO of renewable energy startup, muGrid Analytics. She's an MIT-trained aerospace engineer who caught the entrepreneurship bug and loves facilitating massive leaps forward for individuals and organizations.  She's recently published her book, Spiral: A Catalyst for Innovation and Expansion and believes that innovation is for everyone and holds the key to both personal fulfillment and lasting global change.

We discuss Amy’s journey from her days as an engineer with Lockheed Martin to her current role as CEO of muGrid.

At Lockheed, Amy worked on projects like low earth orbit satellites and acoustic vibration issues in astronauts’ ears.

Amy wanted to move into entrepreneurship, so she left Lockheed. She had a few failures, as most entrepreneurs do when they first get started. But now she has a book published and is successfully running muGrid Analytics.

MuGrid is a renewable energy business that creates custom energy storage solutions for private companies and municipalities.

You can contact Amy at:

www.Amysimpkins.com

www.mugrid.com

TheSpiralBook.com

This week’s show is sponsored by Gusto

Everyone loves payday, especially engineers. But loving a payroll provider? That’s a little weird. Still, small businesses across the country love running payroll with Gusto. Gusto automatically files and pays your taxes, it’s super easy to use, and you can add benefits and HR support to help take care of your engineering team and keep your business safe. It’s loyal, it’s modern — you might fall in love yourself.  Listeners get three months free when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and test it out at gusto.com/ee. That’s gusto.com/ee

Michael Bogue is the brand manager of Benro Tripods in the US. He has a wide-ranging background from his current role managing tripods and lighting in the US, to his start in the photo business with DJI and drones.

We talked about Benro’s newest product, Theta. It is a smart, modular travel tripod with auto-leveling, an auto-lock QR ring, and more. They launched a Kickstarter and it has already raised 2.5 million dollars. 

Number one tip:

He does photography for his job, get out there and take as many photos as you can

Contact info

BenroUSA.com

Reach out on Kickstarter

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

How Does 3D Scanning Really Work? – Matt Holling – Ep53

Matt Holling is the engineering manager at Dezignworks. His company specializes in reverse engineering using both laser scanning and bridge CMM. If you don’t know what that is, listen to the podcast, we go over it.

Matt and I have done a lot of work together. While there are many ways to reverse engineer a part, laser scanning is becoming one of the most popular ways and I am often having him do this for me. Once I have the model, I can make edits to the model (add holes, threads, mirror the part, etc).

One major misconception about 3D scanning is that you simply scan a part and instantly have a usable CAD file. The reality is far from this, as the scanner itself only creates a point cloud file. We go over ALL the steps needed to go from the scan, to an STL file, and finally to a fully defined Solidworks file. His company has created a proprietary Solidworks add in to do this work, and the software is impressive (the software also works on Autodesk products).

You can contact Matt at:

sales@dezignworks.com

website: Dezignworks

Don’t Wait too Long to Apply for your Patent– Devin Miller – Ep78

Devin is a patent attorney and the founder of Miller IP Law that focuses on startups and small businesses.

He found a gap in the startup/small business area for a need in intellectual property (IP).

When you work with Devin, he generally has 2 scenario’s his customer is in:

Scenario 1: have an invention before you get to investors

Scenario 2: more of a lifestyle product; branding is more important than patent

Some other areas we discuss:

• What the Patent office looks at:

1. Novelty -
2. Obviousness - take 2 or more things and combine in an obvious way

• Software patents

Example: 2+2=4

If all you did was putting this on a computer, it is not patentable

• What to do If you get a rejection
• PTAB and what they do

Devin’s number one tip: Decide how does your IP fit into the business? Maybe it is better to focus on branding over IP. Sometimes you need a patent and sometimes you don’t

Contact info (He offers free 30 minute strategy session)

1. Phone: 801-82-8446
2. Email : devin@millerIPL.com
3. millerIPL.com

Incredible invention: Control Your Stuff Just by Thinking About it– Ian Rowan– Ep75

Ian is the inventor of one of the world’s smallest EEG wearable devices, Nurio. Ian has deep interest in all thing’s technology, especially Artificial Intelligence and its implications for the future of health. 

Nurio is a tiny electroencephalogram (EEG), a tracker that can record brain waves. It’s no bigger than an earpiece, all you need to do is think about a command to make it work.

You can use this device to control any internet connected device, like your TV, your Amazon Alexa and so on.

We get into discussing exactly how this works and how Ian was able to create such an incredible product, as well as his background and how he learned everything he needed to create this on his own.

Ian’s number one tip: Anything that you find yourself learning – take it all the way to its core.

Contact info:

Linkedin: Ian Rowan

Email: ian@mindbuilderai.com

Website: http://www.nurio.info/

Engineering Career Coach – Jeff Perry – Ep 121

Jeff is a leadership/career coach for engineers and tech professionals and the founder of More than Engineering.

He is also a host on the engineering career coach podcast.

He helps engineers by working with them on their mindset. 

Number one tip: to be intentional in what you are trying to become, whether an employee or entrepreneur.

Contact info:

https://www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.com/engineeringentrepreneur

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry/

Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Fusion 360 Engineer – Bryce Heventhal – Ep69

Bryce Heventhal is the Sr. Technical Marketing Manager for Fusion 360. He has 9+ years of CAD, FEA, and generative design experience, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. When he is not designing, he is out rock climbing.

Bryce started his career as an Applications engineer for a Solidworks reseller. He said that 80% of cases were installation issues and boring stuff.

CAD has come a long way over the years and we discuss how we both worked with old drawings to make 3D models. It amazes me that anyone could build a product at all before the modern CAD we have today.

Now Bryce works at Autodesk, specifically in the Fusion 360 technical marketing area, making tutorial videos on YouTube.

Fusion is a very interesting platform because it integrates with all the various Autodesk products. Solidworks only performs BREP forms. For example, if I receive a mesh file from a client, I typically must use a program like Blender first to get the polygon count to a manageable amount. In Fusion, you can work directly on mesh files and then go right back into traditional modeling.

Contact info:

Email: bryce.heventhal@autodesk.com

Twitter:  @BHeavyy

Pam Hurley is founder and president of Hurley Write, Inc. She helps corporations fix the writing problems that are costing them time & money.

Everyone must write papers in high school and college (write 10 pages on subject X) but in the real world this is not how it works.

In the business world, the importance of writing is clear communication. For example, I write SOP’s (standard operating procedures) for most processes in my business. This makes it easy to train a new employee. 

Number one tip:

Plan for good writing.

Contact info:

Pam Hurley, PhD

President

910-233-7670

Hurley Write, Inc.

www.hurleywrite.com

https://www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.com/engineeringentrepreneur

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

The Instafloss Invention – Eli Packouz – Ep 128

Eli is the inventor of Instafloss, the world's first 10 second floss. 

I love invention episodes because we cover topics from engineering to marketing. 

We talked in detail about how Eli came up with the idea, how he validated it was something people wanted, and how he engineered it. 

Eli worked with experts like dentists to create the ideal design. The product had a successful Kickstarter campaign. You can pre order it here: https://instafloss.com/products/the-10-second-instafloss

Number one tip:

You have to partner with people who know the stuff you don’t. For Eli that was dentists.

You can pay consultants or give equity. 

Clause – Make sure they do what they need to do or they don’t get the equity. Want to be very careful with equity partners.

How do you convince someone to work for equity – if its truly a good idea they will be on board

Contact info:

https://instafloss.com/

This week’s episode is Sponsored by  Onshape .

Onshape is the only cloud-native product development platform featuring professional-grade CAD and data management. With Onshape you no longer need an expensive workstation - all of the heavy lifting is done in the cloud - things like rendering and creating large assemblies can be done on inexpensive devices

Onshape is a professional tool like Solidworks. It was actually created by the same founders as Solidworks. 

I have used Onshape and if feels just like Solidworks, with all the same commands. So if you are a current Solidworks user, it’s a very easy transition. 

I highly recommend the engineers and product developers listening to consider using Onshape for their business

You can try it for free at Onshape.pro/EngineeringEntrepreneurPodcast or click the link in the description

ThingLogix Company – Rob Rastovich- Ep 120

Rob Rastovich is the CTO of ThingLogix, a company that provides a low-code platform built on AWS, Google, and Azure to accelerate innovation and system development by a factor of 50 or more. 

We talk about examples of how his company provides value. The refrigerator example of how the software monitors the temperature of a refrigerator explains it well.

Robs top tips: Business models that could not exist without technology.

Amazon could not have existed without the internet.

Take the blinders off. Imagine the things you can do in a subscription.

Contact info:

www.Thinglogix.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-rastovich-1560532/

Brian Kobus is the southeast Business Development Manager for Universal Robots based out of Charlotte, NC.

I personally met Brian during a demonstration he was running with a robot. He showed us a simple pick and place example of the robot moving a block from one area to another

The UR robot is easy to program. No code is needed.

When it comes to repetitive tasks, getting a robot can pay for itself very quickly. In addition to labor savings, robots do not need bathroom breaks, time off and do not make mistakes.

Number one tip

Don’t be intimidated by robotics, once you learn it the next project will be a lot easier

Contact:

bko@universal-robots.com

https://www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.com/engineeringentrepreneur

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Fulcrum, a SAAS ERP, MRP and MES Platform – Sunny Han – Ep 115

Sunny is the CEO and Founder of Fulcrum.

We talked mostly about ERP systems (which stands for enterprise resource planning). Most companies these days have ERP systems but many of them are not good. For example, many are not connected to the internet and therefore you would need to be at the factory to have access to the data.

One of the advantages of his company is his software will work for many different types of manufacturers. A lot of the software right now is only good for specialized manufacturing.

Number one tip: Start a lot earlier than you think. Start right away The doing of it teaches you what you need to know

Contact info:

sunny@fulcrumpro.com

Launch Cart Ecommerce Platform – Greg Writer – Ep 124 

Greg is the CEO of Launch Cart, an ecommerce platform. He got his start by working as an investor. He invested in inventors and startups.  

Greg is an inventor. One of his early inventions was a kid’s safe browser in the 1990’s.  

We go into details about how to raise money for your startup. For example, Greg went and befriended the mayor of the city to get the connections he needed. 

You need to get an attractive offer and show the risk reducers to help your odds to get an investment. 

Number one tip: 
Get a coach or mentor.

Contact info: 
Launchcart.com 
Gregwriter.com 

This week’s episode is Sponsored by Onshape . 

Onshape is the only cloud-native product development platform featuring professional-grade CAD and data management. With Onshape, you no longer need an expensive workstation - all of the heavy lifting is done in the cloud - things like rendering and creating large assemblies can be done on inexpensive devices. 

Onshape is a professional tool like Solidworks. It was actually created by the same founders as Solidworks.  

I have used Onshape and if feels just like Solidworks, with all the same commands. So, if you are a current Solidworks user, it’s a very easy transition.  

I highly recommend the engineers and product developers listening to consider using Onshape for their businesses. 

You can try it for free at Onshape.pro/EngineeringEntrepreneurPodcast or click the link in the description. 

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

Draft.Dev – Karl Hughes – Ep 117

Karl Hughes studied mechanical engineering in college but in his last year got into coding.

His first job was building a blog for his college campus. From that, he worked in programming and managing writers.

During the pandemic, he started his business, Draft.dev. His company writes technical posts for software companies. Blog posts are important for SEO but most companies don’t specialize in writing blog articles, So there is where Draft.dev comes in.

We talked about how he develops new business. He realized that he needed to hire help once he was not able to handle all the incoming requests.

Number one tip: Niching down and knowing your market really well.

Contact info:

karl@draft.dev

Simulation Software – David Heiny – Ep73

David is Co-Founder and CEO of SimScale. SimScale is a web-based simulation platform bringing together CAE (computer aided engineering) functionality, content and people.

Simulation is an engineering technique where a computer will approximate a situation, like the airflow through a heat exchanger or the load bearing ability of a bridge. These softwares are very powerful and can accurately predict many situations but up till now, owning the software and hardware required to run simulations was very expensive.

Simscale solves this issue by bringing simulation to the cloud. Much like Onshape has done with CAD software, Simscale is doing with simulation. Essentially you would be renting their computers/software to run your simulation. Additionally, Simscale has many great engineers to help you set up your simulation correctly.

Lastly, David and I discuss the technical side of how simulation works.

If you want to learn more, please go to:

Simscale.com

The Million Dollar Collar Invention – Rob Kessler – Ep51

Five years ago (2013) Rob was getting married in Jamaica. Everything went well except when Rob saw his wedding photos, he was shocked. His shirt collar was a sloppy, droopy mess. He does not like wearing ties, so he started looking for another solution.

He searched online but every existing product was a collar stay and that just didn’t work. He set out to make his own solution. His first prototype was made from a cardboard box.

He spent years developing the design, especially the material. One major challenge was he needed to find a plastic that could withstand dry cleaning machine temperatures (up to 700F).

We discuss his journey. He had a failed Kickstarter, he tried different marketing methods, and we talk about the patent process for him. If you are an inventor, this is an invaluable episode for you to check out, as Rob went through EVERYTHING to get his product to market.

You can contact Rob at rob@milliondollarcollar.com

Website: https://milliondollarcollar.com/

Barry Coziahr is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Freetime.Solutions, a virtual personnel agency that helps small businesses, one-man-band entrepreneurs and professionals build a powerhouse team of virtual assistants.

I personally have a lot of experience with virtual assistants. I have been using them for years now to free up my time and scale my business.

Number one tip 

Take the time to train people, get some help so you can expand your business.

Contact info:

https://www.freetime.solutions/downloads

barry@teambuilders.agency

Today’s Episode is Sponsored by MFG.com 

Are you an engineer or designer looking for reliable and skilled manufacturers to bring your designs to life? MFG.com, the world’s largest online manufacturing marketplace, connects you with over 10,000 suppliers across the globe. Browse the directory, or submit a Request for Quote and receive an average of 4 quotes from US suppliers. MFG provides access to a wide range of manufacturing capabilities, including precision machining, injection molding, and 3D printing, so you can find the right supplier for your specific project needs.

Signing up for MFG.com is quick and free, and gives you the ability to manufacture your engineering designs efficiently and effectively. So why wait? Sign up for MFG.com today and take your engineering and design projects to the next level. Again, Visit MFG.com to sign up today.

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Innovative Insoles and Shoe Inserts – Tom Smoot, Jr. – Ep 143

Tom founded Lift and Shift Foundation and most recently Project Biotech that aim to improve the lives of others. He's also a graduate student and a former army veteran with a personal story of resilience.

The Lift and Shift foundation is a non-profit who help veterans shift from military to civilian life through science and technology. 

Project Biotech is a business that makes custom Orthotics and targeted nutrition plans to fight foot pain and diabetic symptoms.

Number One Tip:

You can’t do everything yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Contact Information:

https://www.weliftandshift.org

https://projectbiotech.co

..

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com.

You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

Sheet Metal Expert - Andrea Dallan - Ep 111

Andrea Dallan is an engineer, an entrepreneur and CEO of Dallan Spa, an Italian family business that has been producing systems for the processing of thin sheet metal since 1978. They have 160 employees that include engineers, technicians and operations. He is the author of the books “The Revolution of Efficiency” (2020) and “Think Thin”.

Most mechanical engineers like myself are familiar with sheet metal and how it is processed. However, if you are not, it is pretty fascinating how you can take a thin flat piece of metal and turn it into say a car door or dishwasher housing (my actual experience).

Andrea talks about all the problems he has seen and solved in his years of experience in sheet metal processing and wrote 2 books about it.

Number one tip: “To write a book, you must have some interesting to say.”

Contact info:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreadallan/

How Inventors can Succeed with Ecommerce – Rick Watson – Ep74

Rick Watson is an eCommerce entrepreneur and operator based in New York City who, after spending the last 20 years in the industry, recently founded his own business , RMW Commerce Consulting ,where he helps companies launch new initiatives with strategic business advice. 

In particular, he spends a lot of time focused on companies in the supply chain and marketplace-related areas of eCommerce.

Rick and I discuss how inventors can succeed in selling online. As an inventor myself with over 20 products on Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy, I can attest to the challenges, but I also understand the benefits.

Rick’s number one tip

1. Follow the pain. If you are in online commerce, search reviews for consistent feedback and look for areas to improve
2. Listen on twitter for info on your category

Contact info:

1. 1. Website: Rickwatson.io
   2. Email: rick@rickwatson.io

From Gear Head to Group Head – Paresh Shaw– Ep59

Paresh is a mechanical engineer who founded Enginpreneur Academy, which is a course to transform engineers into innovators, entrepreneurs, and inspiring leaders.

He also runs the nonobviouscompany.com, which is a training company that addresses the 6 biggest challenges companies face today, like disruption and innovation, believability crisis, and passive loyalty.

Our talk focuses mainly on how engineers can improve their people skills to move up in their jobs. Most engineers have pretty good technical skills, but often lack in their ability to lead others and communicate effectively. You could throw me into that group up until a few years ago when I started my own company and had to learn how to manage people.

We joke that before I was simply a “grunt” (my words, not Paresh). But it was true, I simply did whatever job my boss told me to do. I didn’t act as a leader or show much initiative.

We talk about many ways to improve these skills. Paresh says there are “7 deadly blind spots” that engineers have that become career limiters. We discuss these and ways to overcome them.

To learn more and contact Paresh, please see links below:

The Wonder Wallet Invention – Alan Beckley– Ep66

Alan Beckley is an entrepreneur, inventor, and podcaster.

His degree is in aerospace engineering but worked a lot of his career in project management.

In 2012, he hit it big with an invention of his, the Wonder Wallet.

Today he continues to invent but also but also focuses on helping other inventors to succeed with his website alanbeckley.com, which has webinars for inventors, online courses, and his podcast, called Inventors Helping Inventors. 

Alan and I discussed in detail exactly how he went about inventing his product, from initial idea to the final licensing deals with As Seen on TV and Direct TV and retail sales.

Alan’s number one tip:

Do you due diligence. Inventors often don’t do enough patent searching and Google searching to see if their product already exists

You can contact Alan at:

Alanbeckley.com

972-989-1002

Alan-beckley@msn.com

---------------------------------

This week’s show is sponsored by Gusto

Everyone loves payday, especially engineers. But loving a payroll provider? That’s a little weird. Still, small businesses across the country love running payroll with Gusto. Gusto automatically files and pays your taxes, it’s super easy to use, and you can add benefits and HR support to help take care of your engineering team and keep your business safe. It’s loyal, it’s modern — you might fall in love yourself.  Listeners get three months free when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and test it out at gusto.com/ee. That’s gusto.com/ee

TangoTeams Software Development – Alex Murrey– Ep 113

Alex is the Head of North American Operations for TangoTeams, a startup that’s redefining the software development outsourcing industry.

His career started at a law firm where he helped the firm implement their own software for tracking cases. Later he worked for a digital agency.

At TangoTeams, they spend a lot of time upfront to truly understand the clients’ needs so that the right product is built. A big problem as a service provider (like me) doing this is that you can waste a lot of time doing research that you never get paid for.

TangoTeams works as a subscription service for software development.

Number one tip:

If you’re going to think about building software, is outsourcing the right thing for you?

Contact info:

www.Tangoteams.com

Linkedin: Alex Murrey

How to be a Great Leader – Darby Vannier – Ep 146

Darby Vannier has over 20 years of experience as a seasoned leader adept at building and growing organizations. As a president & CEO of an indispensable leadership group, he excels as an executive coach, consultant,  and speaker.

Number one tip:

As you start to lead people, don't underestimate the impact you're having. Because you may be having the impact that you have no idea that's actually happening. 

Contact info:

Beindispensible.com

LinkedIn

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The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, president of CADdesignhelp.com. 

You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com.

You can download it here on iTunes: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engineering-entrepreneur-podcast/id1141757951

Or directly on my site at CADdesignhelp.com

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @caddesignhelp

Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@caddesignhelp

Thanks,  

Scott Tarcy 

Jim worked his career in Public Relations. His company was out of Singapore, and he sold that business a few years ago. 

How he runs the Unnoticed Entrepreneur Podcast. 

We talked about how you can increase brand awareness for your company. The main ways you can do this are to create engaging social media posts that educate the viewer and the other way is to make sure you are authentic.

Your posts need to inform, educate or inspire.

Number one tip:

Make yourself available. 

Contact info:

https://www.jimajames.com/

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The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com