The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast

Stepping up your CAD Design Business – Scott Hoffman - Ep 27

Stepping up your CAD Design Business – Scott Hoffman - Ep 27 Scott Hoffman is the founder of PepperNickelDesigns, a CAD design and 3D printing service. Scott’s background is in electrical and computer engineering. He works full time as an insurance adjuster but he started PepperNickelDesigns as a side hustle that he wants to bring to a full-time job in 2017. We connected on the Facebook page for the Side Hustle Show (http://www.sidehustlenation.com/). He posted on the Facebook page that he had issues with either too much design/print work coming in at once or not enough. This is an issue I am very familiar with, as I have been running my business full time for 2 years now. I replied to his post and offered him to come on the podcast so that I could help him with the strategies of how to solve some of these issues. (Side note: I was a guest on the Side Hustle Show in June 2016. If you want to hear that interview, click here: http://www.sidehustlenation.com/listener-success-story-took-side-hustle-full-time/)   Key Takeaways The secret to starting a side hustle is to take a skill you have and find a way to monetize it My advice to Scott was to use contractors to handle overloads of work And when work is slow, there are a few strategies Make cold calls for new business. Even better is to follow up with past clients to see if they have any new projects Look for other revenue streams. One of my favorite ways when incoming work is slow is to work on new inventions. I have so many ideas but only so much time to work on them, so I use my downtime to create new products of my own. Sometimes the products sell and sometimes they don’t. Even when they don’t, I usually learn some valuable design skills in the process   To Contact Scott Email: Peppernickeldesigns@gmail.com Tumblr: Peppernickeldesigns Facebook: Peppernickeldesigns The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

The Big Bear Shelving Invention – Jeff Funderburk - Ep 26

Jeff Funderburk is the inventor of the Big Bear Shelf (bigbearshelving.com). Jeff was cleaning his garage one day and realized he didn’t have enough storage space. He went to Lowe’s to find a solution but all the products out there were very costly. Jeff’s solution was to create a “holder” piece that holds 3 two by four pieces of lumber. We discuss how he made some initial prototypes, came up with funding, found a CAD designer to help him create a plastic version for mass production and how the product is selling to date. Key Takeaways The key to any successful invention is to find a problem that the market doesn’t already have. While there were shelving solutions, many were too costly for the average homeowner. In addition, often the best inventions are the ones that solve a problem you have yourself. It was smart of Jeff to test the product. He wanted to make claims it could hold a certain amount of weight for a set period of time.   To Contact Jeff Email: jeff@bigbearshelving.com Phone: 704-340-4262   The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

CADdesignhelp.com Business Update – Scott Tarcy (solo episode) - Ep 25

CADdesignhelp.com Business Update – Scott Tarcy (solo episode) - Ep 25 I thought it was time to do a solo episode and talk about random stuff I have going on in my business. Some of the highlights include: Projects Brush butler - https://brushbutler.com/ Engineering challenges 3D printing – 4 or 5 different materials used for the prototype Nearing completion! Microphone handle 2 piece product Threads and clearances, had to print a few times to get it to fit right. Check out images on my website: http://caddesignhelp.com/podcast/   Inventions Selfie-glove - http://caddesignhelp.com/products-and-inventions/   Business stuff Thumbtack overload in January. Bid on 10 jobs, got all of them Time management Looking for more help Local employee going away for 5 weeks Challenge of managing 4-5 people   3D printing Fusion3 F400 Lots more maintenance but better for big ABS parts Faster as well   Ultimaker 2+ Works great, but challenges with big ABS parts Led Zeppelin object print   TV show – 3D print the future

3D Printing Q&A – Trey Sullivan - Ep 24

UPDATE 3/15/2017: There was a problem with the original post (the track got looped I think). Anyways, I apologize and the new, corrected podcast is now posted. Trey Sullivan is from Louisiana and grew up on a farm. He learned a lot of hands on practical knowledge from fixing farm equipment. He started college after high school, but ultimately dropped out and worked most of his career as an insurance adjuster. He has now decided to go back to college (at 39) and this time is pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree (which is what my degree is in). Trey reached out to me as he has a lot of questions and wanted some advice about engineering and 3D printing. He asks a lot of great questions and I think that if you ever wanted know the basics of how 3D printing works, this is the podcast for you.   Key Takeaways First, hats off to Trey for going back at 39 years old to get his college degree. It’s never too late We talk SLA versus FDM. FDM printing is generally what you will see in colleges, makerspaces, etc. SLA is different and uses a liquid resin that is cured by light. 3D printing versus 2D printing. My opinion is that 3D printing will never take off like paper printing (in the sense that everyone will have one at home). We discuss why I think that.   To Contact Trey Facebook – Trey Sullivan Email Hershelsullivan@gmail.com   3D Print the Future TV show We are still looking for more guests but spots are filling up. Please contact me soon if you have interest in being featured on the show. You can email info@caddesignhelp.com Please see details here: 3D Print the Future TV Show   ------------------------------------------------------- The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast is produced by Scott Tarcy, President of CADdesignhelp.com. You can reach me at info@caddesignhelp.com

From Chief Rail Engineer to Engineering Leader– Pat Sweet - Ep 23

Pat Sweet has worked most of his career as an engineer in the rail industry. After reading the 4 hour workweek and some other entrepreneurship books, he got the inspiration to start some side hustles. He taught himself how to build websites and still creates websites as a side business. Another action he took was to create his own website: Engineeringandleadership.com. At first he created it because he enjoyed writing about engineering and leadership, but the site rank has grown and he has been able to monetize it. We talk about his journey, how to validate a product, and where he sees his future: as a product consultant. You might just want to hire Pat as a consultant on your product! He knows his stuff. Key Takeaways Portfolio career- you don’t need to work your whole career for one employer How to validate a product – doesn’t always have to be the final product to test an idea   To Contact Pat Engineeringandleadership.com Twitter @engileader   3D Print the Future TV show We are still looking for more guests but spots are filling up. Please contact me soon if you have interest in being featured on the show. You can email info@caddesignhelp.com Please see details here: 3D Print the Future TV Show

The KING of 3D Printing (in Michigan) - Jonah Dorman - Ep 22

I can’t give him the title of “King of 3D Printing in the World”, but I will give him the title for Michigan. And for good reason….read more below Jonah Dorman is the owner of SOC3D, which is a 3D printing company based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. His company has the most reviews on 3D Hubs (think of AirBnB for 3D printers) in the entire state of Michigan. They have 35 3D printers in use, which is truly amazing. I learn a lot myself on this call about 3D printer filament formulation, how they actually make printer filament, how to run parts fast, and we discuss all my headaches with my 3D printer I’ve had lately! Key Takeaways ASA is going to be the replacement material for ABS. ABS was never created for 3D printing, it was made for injection molding. Jonah is probably the first person I have seen that has so many different printers (and types of printers) that he can fully optimize for any type of part. For example, tall but skinny objects are perfect for a delta printer.   To Contact Jonah info@soc3D.us His 3D hub Call him 727-386-6825   Since we talked about 3D hubs, I figured I might as well share my 3D Hub in the show notes (honestly don’t know what I never thought of that before) Caddesignhelp 3D hub

Talking 3D printing with Walt3D – Brian Walt - Ep 21

Brian Walt is only 22 years old but already is a business owner and entrepreneur. He started Walt3D, a 3D printing and manufacturing services company based out of King of Prussia, PA. We connected over Instagram, as we both often use the #3D printing (you can follow me on Instagram @caddesignhelp). We talk about his story on how he got into 3D printing. We talk about the Pro Putt, a golf training product he helped design and prototype. Then we discuss the 3D printers he uses and the ones I use. We talk a lot about 3D printing, so be sure to check this one out if 3D printing interests you.   Key Takeaways I was impressed Brian started this company before even finishing college. If you find a passion, no matter your age, you can turn that into a business Brian gave a great piece of advice about 3D printing, which is that there are so many ways you can use it. If you want to get started yourself, pick a market you like. Then if you want to get a machine to make parts, make sure the machine can make the parts you need. Some of the less expensive machines may not necessarily get the job done. You can always reach out to me at info@caddesignhelp.com and I can help you out.     To Contact Brian Email Walt3Dprinting@gmail.com Website Walt3D.com Instagram @Walt3D   Links discussed: http://www.proputtusa.com/

The Perky Collar Invention- David Frankel - Ep 20

The Perky Collar Invention- David Frankel - Ep 20 David Frankel is inventor whose background is in sales and marketing. He found a need himself to keep a dress shirt collar upright when he is not wearing a tie. After finding a makeshift solution (his daughter’s headband) for the sales meeting he was about to have, he knew he was onto something. He took the idea from that initial handmade prototype to a final product that he is selling online and in many retail stores. We go into depth about all the stages of getting the product from his initial idea to the final product with packaging. Key Takeaways David knew he had to go “all in” if he wanted his product to be a success. While he did some market research, in the end he had to go with his gut feeling that the product would succeed and invest quite a bit of money to get it fully developed Don’t underestimate the value of a well-designed package. In my opinion, I do not think David could command a $20 price point for his product if he did not have a well-presented package to portray the value of the product.   To Contact David   Email: info@perkyllc.com Website: perkycollar.com Phone: 704-839 - 1169

Designing on Stage Machinery for Lady Gaga Performances and CES 2017 Discussion– Emanuel Moshouris - Ep 19

Designing on Stage Machinery for Lady Gaga Performances and CES 2017 Discussion– Emanuel Moshouris - Ep 18 Emanuel Moshouris is a Mechanical Engineer working for Black and Decker. His background includes working as an engineer in both the automotive and entertainment sectors. If you ever wondered how the big-name artists create their elaborate on stage performances, you will want to listen to this episode. Really interesting stuff! Emanuel and myself met at CES 2017 a few weeks ago, so the 2nd half of our discussion is about what we both liked the most at the show and where we see the future in technology. We talk a good amount about 3D printing and Virtual Reality (VR). Key Takeaways Emanuel has a goal in mind of where he wants his career to go. By looking at how others have achieved it, he has a game plan to follow I like his tip about “list of stupid decisions”. It is ok to fail, but it should always be your goal to not fail the same way twice   To Contact Emanuel Linkedin Email: emoshouris@gmail.com

The Eggmazing Invention – Scott Houdashell - Ep 18

Scott Houdashell is an insurance salesman by day but an inventor at his core. One day he was decorating a hardboiled egg with his family and thought there must be an easier way. After some testing and trials, the Eggmazing was born. I first connected with Scott when he needed his Sketchup drawings converted into Solidworks drawings. He has since already gone to tooling with his product and he had a successful Kickstarter campaign. He is on the verge of a big breakthrough and our conversation will show you how he went from an idea to a final product. Key Takeaways It was evident in my call with Scott that he has a support team of family and friends behind him. This can be key because of the substantial capital required to launch a product Scott had a successful Kickstarter campaign by getting the word out about the product in advance Scott wasn’t afraid to do quite a bit of the design and testing himself before finally reaching out to me. That makes my job easier. So do as much design upfront as you can before reaching out to a pro To contact Scott   website http://www.eggmazing.com/ Phone 806-584-5440   Links discussed: http://www.sourcentra.com/   To contact me: info@caddesignhelp.com