The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast

Inventor Episode - Breast Pump Nipple Cushion – Tu-Hien Li - Ep 17

Tu-Hien is a mom who lives in Florida. She had her first child a few years ago, and found that using a breast pump was very uncomfortable. She went online and couldn’t find a product to solve her problem, so she set out to solve it herself. She created a Facebook group of moms to use as her focus group / testing group. She went through 41 iterations to come up with the perfect final product. Then she launched and completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the injection molding tool. We discuss all the steps she went through to bring her product to market. Key takeaways Solving your own problems is often the best way to invent something. The odds are that someone else has your problem Try and try again. It takes many iterations to get it right. It took Tu-Hien 41 iterations to perfect her project. Kickstarter is a great way to raise money for your project. But in order to be successful, you need to prepare in advance by building an audience for the campaign.   To contact Tu-Hien Website: https://www.beaugen.com/ Facebook/twitter/Instagram : @BeauGenMom Email: tuhien@beaugen.com    Other Links: Original Yeti Plug Blog Post Original Yeti Plug Ebay listing   Silicone Yeti Plug Blog Post Silicone Yeti Plug Ebay Page

Get Recognized for Your Expertise- Carl Friesen - Ep 16

Get Recognized for Your Expertise- Carl Friesen - Ep 16 This week we have Carl Friesen. He is from Toronoto, CA and his background is in Journalism. He currently helps people get recognized for their expertise and helps authors get published. Carl talks to me about how I can get more recognition in my field of CAD and Product Design. We talk about doing speaking engagements and writing articles on my field. While I already do both things, I can always do more and Carl gives me some great advice. Whether you are a mechanical engineer, civil engineer, industrial designer or even an inventor, this conversation will really help you in your career to establish you as a thought leader. That can make a real impact on your success! Key takeaways It is important to focus on the trade publications in your niche. While not a lot of people might read that magazine or blog, those that do read it are very interested in it. If you want to show that you can get results for your clients, generate articles and do presentations on your abilities to solve their problems   To contact Carl Thoughtleadershipresources.com ----- My website: CADdesignhelp.com

Everything you ever wanted to know about CAD – Will Gibbons - The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 15

Will Gibbons is a Training Specialist at Luxion, the makers of KeyShot rendering software. He's got a degree in Product Design and experience in marketing, product design and development and visualization. Will has experience in more CAD programs than anyone else I know. We discuss many of the different programs out there and give the pros and cons of each. I mainly use Solidworks so this conversation really opened up my eyes to the different options when it comes to CAD. If you currently use CAD software or are interested in it, you will find a lot of value in this conversation. Make sure you stick around to the special section at the very end, Will and I go into some extra discussions on Z-brush (a program used to create these masks). Key takeaways There are so many CAD programs out there, that you need to pick the one or ones that best suit what you need For beginners looking to get into CAD, start with Fusion 360 because of the cost and flexibility   To contact Will Website: Willgibbonsdesign.com Instragram: @Willgibbonsdesign Email: will@willgibbonsdesign.com

3D Scanning – Andrew Bougie- The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 14

Andrew Bougie has a background in general IT and has (until recently) worked for a ScanSource, a company that sells 3D scanners. During his time there, he learned a lot about 3D scanning by getting hands on with the scanners and answering customer calls about scanner issues. Andrew told me that he always wanted to own his own business and he had some side hustle jobs in the meantime. But he recently decided it was time to go full time with his knowledge of 3D scanning and start a business. With the help of a business partner, he started Digitizedesigns.com, which a service that provides 3D scanning services. During our talk, we start with his journey so far. Then we move into the nitty gritty of 3D scanning. If you ever had any interest in learning about 3D scanning, then you need to hear this conversation. Key takeaways We went into a lot of the details of 3D scanning, but the main takeaway is that it is great for reverse engineering complex shapes, and is not hard as you might think. You just need the right tools and we discussed many of them today Regarding starting a business, find a skilled business partner – you want some overlap so you understand each other but mainly you want to have a complimentary set of skills To contact Andrew Company website: Digitizedesigns.com Twitter, Instagram: @AndrewBougie , @DigitizeDesigns

Engineer Your Own Success - Anthony Fasano- The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 13

This week on the podcast we have Anthony Fasano. Anthony is civil engineer by background. He has shifted his career from practicing civil engineering to becoming an entrepreneur in a few different areas. He is the Executive Director for The New York State Society of Professional Engineers, he runs the Engineering Career Coach podcast, and he runs The Italian American Podcast. Anthony reached a high level of management at his engineering company at the age of 27 but he wasn’t satisfied with what he was doing anymore. We discuss how Anthony made his career change and how he found his true passion, which is helping engineers develop their career. Key takeaways The engineers that are successful have powerful core skills. Skills like effective communication and the ability to speak in front of people. If you are going to be an Engineering Entrepreneur, technical skills are not enough. You must be able to network and market yourself LinkedIn is a great tool to make connections. This is how Anthony got started with his coaching career   To contact Anthony If you are an engineer looking for career help, go to Engineering career coach website If you are an entrepreneur looking to grow a business, go to Engineered Content   Links Check out when Anthony interviewed me on his podcast

Helping Inventors Through Partnership - Louis Foreman- The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 12

This week on the podcast we have Louis Foreman. Louis is the CEO of Eventys and Edison Nation. His companies help inventors take their product to market. We discuss Louis’ background (he has 7 patents!), how he started his companies, and some tips. As with any entrepreneur, we discuss some successes and failures. There is a lot to learn in this podcast! Key takeaways Do a market feasibility of your product. You want to make sure you have the funds covered to get to the finish line. Lyman Bishop in episode 10 offered similar advice Inventing doesn’t have to be done on your own – Edison Nation offers an option to submit ideas for partnership. To contact Louis, Email: louis@enventys.com Twitter: @louisforeman

The Selfie-Glove - A Real Life Case Study of an Invention - The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 11

This week is a little different. This week I talk about my recent invention, The Selfie-Glove. I started this project in August and I have just made my first 2 sales. In this podcast, I talk about the lean startup philosophy and how I have applied it to this product. I discuss how I used validated learning to improve the product and find the right market. I discuss how I came up with the idea, how I filed a provisional patent, how I made my prototypes, how I got feedback on the product and how I made my first few sales. If you are at all interested in learning about how to invent something, you need to hear this podcast! Here are the links discussed and how to get in touch with me to learn more. my email Info@caddesignhelp.com blog to leave comments: Selfie-Glove blog Selfie-Glove Facebook Page Selfie-Glove Store Lean startup: theleanstartup  

Ski bikes, body armor, and manufacturing in China - Lyman Bishop- The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 10

This week we have Lyman Bishop on the podcast. Lyman is a mechanical engineering and entrepreneur. His background is mainly in weapons and defense (body armor). He runs both his own company for product design (www.star-labs.com) and he is in development of his own line of body armor after working for years in that space. We discuss a story of how he got started as an engineer at 8 years old, how body armor is built (I learned a lot here), and the pros and cons of manufacturing in China. There is a ton of value in this episode so you don’t want to miss it! Here are my key takeaways Count the costs – to see it all through. Both money and time costs to get your project completed Guide your clients through the process   To get in touch with Lyman,   Website: www.star-labs.com Email: lymanbishop@star-labs.com

From Business Major to Product Designer - Derek Timm - The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast 9

Derek Timm graduated college with a degree in business. After college, he took a job as a paper pusher (his words) and was able to transition into a product designer/CAD position. He found his passion in design and his experience and expertise has grown since. He even started his own side business. We discuss Derek’s path so far, some projects we have done together, and where he is headed with his new company. Key takeaways Don’t get caught up in your degree or what you are currently doing now. If there is another field or area of work you want to try, you need to go for it. You might just find it is exactly what you want to do Consider taking an equity stake in your project if you think it is a good idea. This makes it easier than hustling for jobs constantly   To get in touch with Derek, Derek’s site: Rapid3Ddesigns.com Full time job: Eventys and Edision Nation

The Engineering Entrepreneur Podcast -Joe Moya - Creating the Hilljak Brand (3D printed firearm magazine loaders). EEP podcast 8

Joe Moya is an industrial designer by degree and is now a business owner. He runs Studio Moya, which is a full service product design firm based out of Columbus Ohio. He also has created the Hilljak brand, which is a performance magazine loader. We discuss Joe’s journey to where he is today as well has how he invented the Hilljak line of products. Anyone who is interested to learn how to successfully launch a brand (which is more than just a product) needs to hear this podcast! I learned quite a bit in my discussion with Joe.   Key takeaways Before selling a product, it is a good idea to create a brand first. This is something I could do better. You need to create a logo and package to go with the product to create the brand. I like Joe’s tip to always stay hungry. Just looking at his story, you can see never gave up despite being laid off 3 different times Lastly, keep your eye open for opportunities. Joe has created a very successful “passive” income source by solving the problem of reloading firearm magazines. Solving your own problem can often lead to a successful business. To get in touch with Joe joe@studiomoyadesign.com joemoya@hilljak.com