Self Employment in Electronics ? 3

[sugarshot]

I hope to get tips about how to learn quickly how to market my skills (services or products) in Electronics.
References to online resources would be appreciated too.

I've got a bachelors degree in computer systems engineering, which is closer to electrical engineering than computer science, etc, and background in electronics besides so I'm good with technical things. So with a nice scope, plenty of basic tools and materials, PLD and PIC programmers, and a stereo microscope, and fair programming talent... I have planty of questions.

How do consultants normally market themselves ?
My areas would generally be hardware development, systems analysis, circuit design, project management, and a dash of rocket science.

What about marketing products and services ?

I look forward to your comments.

Thank you,

Geoff

 

[IRstuff]

You need to read the postings in the Professional Ethics forum regarding the possibility of needing a PE license to sell your services. Custom products may or may not fall under the industrial exemptions of your state's PE laws.

TTFN

 

[zappedagain]

You didn't mention how much experience you have. Networking is very important because you need to find out who has the work. If you haven't established a network yet I suggest getting a full-time job and start learning the business.

You can always get a job with a big company. When they lay you off they'll probably hire you back as a contractor!

Sad...

 

[Warpspeed]

I agree with Zapped.

You need skills in two quite different areas, the usual technical and engineering skills, but also business and entrepreneurial skills too. You absolutely must excel at both.

Networking is vital, as is experience, and a REPUTATION. Probably your best bet is to first seek employment somewhere, and gain knowledge and contacts within the industry. Perhaps a sales job somewhere ? where you meet and get to know plenty of clients. You will hear the horror stories, and in time an opportunity to fly solo may present itself.

Do not be in too much of a hurry. A failed business is a shattering experience.

 

[sugarshot]

Thank you all for your comments!

In my state, I think the majority of PE licensing pertains to buildings and building systems. I have no interest in building system infrastructure. If I did, for example, consult to do some modification to a boiler system, I'd include the price of the PE in the bid... if I could find one who doesn't mind looking over my shoulder and wielding his stamp for a nominal inflated fee. I will look in the Ethics forum, and thank you.

Experience is hard to capture in a page or two, and I didn't want to go on about it. Polymorphic comes to mind; I've worked in a few different areas; Supporting scientific research instrumentation (analysis and circuits.. interesting but I'm not a PhD, and 'they' only let those guys in the deep end of the pool). Now that I think of it, every job I've had since graduating 6 years ago have been scientific. I'm 45 (is that epxerience?). Right now I'm volunteering to help with the electronics (and some general issues) for the first sugar-powered rocket to reach space (talk about permits!). 240 earned college credits, mostly in electronics and computer systems engineering (75% of the core program is EE), and I studied electronics in high school for four years.. we had our own lab and were self taught for the next two years. It all started when I was twelve and someone handed me a radio and asked me to fix it, which I did (bad tube and fried resister). I've worked in a few repair shops, and fancy myself to be adept at figuring most things out. Though it may sound silly, having teacher/parents with advanced degrees in English is experience (remarkable people too). I made an 1/8 wave (peak to valley) 10'' telescope mirror and the tube to put it in, which is a feat of handiwork and an intro to optics... that's experience. Based on smaller working prototype, I can make a wand which 'prints' images "in the air" (example of fiddling). Fresh out of high school I entered community college electronics (a refresher course), the summer before I made an audio digital delay.. 12 bits, 3/4 seconds, 42 KHz, works. Interesting, but not rocket science. Going to France to do a presentation to a small group of medical research scientists, and attending a related conference (mostly over my head) ... trivial to some, but experience. Not so long after all. I didn't include everything. 6 years in 'rudimentary' thermal analyis of building energy systems (heating load, hvac sizing, conservation mostly). A summer stint in R&D
in sensing. I explained gravity to a physicist in a conversation, to some surprise I was largely correct... short, but experience ?

... whew, that's a fair survey.

'Networking' has always struck me in the same way as 'apparition'. Hard to describe, lacking substance, and bordering on religious fantasy? I'd love to be set wise on that, I just haven't heard a compelling description yet.

Business and entrepreneurial skills; Thank you. I do tend to be resourceful, and with that and no background in business I could open a lemonade stand this week, without hesitation.

It would be nice to hear Networking framed in story of some success through networking.

Presently I'll be trying to hash out a business plan following the guidelines offer by sba.gov, with a view to developing a model that I can believe in, and to carry concepts over to the rocket project as well. The rocket project is project management experience, especially if we do get it into the Smithsonian. I coordinate a team of 9 very talented men, manage our end of the project, and will be making some of the electronics. Made several 1000 degree F surface mounted motor sensors already, and watched them get blown to bits in two test videos :-|.

A prime motivation for wanting to be self employed is to fast track my experience.. I could take on anything I think I can do. A second motive is I'd sooner buy a lottery ticket than expect to find an employer who has enough talent to recognize it. Metaphorically speaking,
a bullet in the head sounds more appealing than working with some people I've met at jobs. I'm guessing that varies by region. Lastly, I had an employer once who truly respected his people. My hunch is the economy is could tank, fulfilling the words of a scraggly vet I know
"some day it's going to all come down like a roller coaster". So there is an element of wanting to jump off the proverbial sinking ship.

My GPA wasn't good enough for NASA, but we're going to space for around the price of a car. There is some glint of possibility in that (satellite deployment for cheap?)

Thanks very much for your good advice. I'll try to keep these things in mind over the long term.

Comments anyone?

Geoff

sugarshot.org

 

[VEBill]

"Comments anyone?"

That's a big white space at the bottom of your post...

;-)

 

[richs]

Hiya-

Good to hear that you went to the sba.gov site. That's
definitely a start. Check also with irs.gov mainly
setting up and maintaining tax records. You will have
to do them quarterly.

As to starting off with a sales job, well, errrrr, gee,
that kind of sets a stigma in my book. I would suggest
a good solid stint as a journeyman engineer rather than
going to sales. You can get a lot of vendor interaction
as a design engineer. Maybe it's my own hidden shame being
in technical marketing that's talking (God, am I glad that
I'm out of that area and back on the design bench).

Uh, we didn't touch upon insurance, both health and
professional. Many companies are now requireing contractor's
insurance, even if you are the only man in your shop.
Malpractice insurance might also be an issue for you.

Especially if you make things that might go boom! ;-)

While on the related subject, a working knowledge of the
regulatory and certification of products might also be in
order. I'm thinking FCC, UL, etc.

An interesting book from a civil soils engineer was titled:
"Engineering and the Art of Not Being Sued"

You mentioned:
"A second motive is I'd sooner buy a lottery ticket than expect to find an employer who has enough talent to recognize it. Metaphorically speaking,
a bullet in the head sounds more appealing than working with some people I've met at jobs. I'm guessing that varies by region."

Hah! That's a laugh. The Pointy Haired Bosses (PHBs) just
become your CUSTOMERS! Contracting implies you get the
shitty jobs. The best that you can hope for is that you
get a rep. for getting the job done. You have to fit
into the environment of the shop that you are working in.
Damnit. I too suffer from that. I'm a 'nix guy and
feel much more comfortable there than in Windoze. HOWEVER,
if I can't convice the customer/PHB the merits, well then
it's limping along in Windoze....... OTOH, one of the
last projects I worked on required my extensive Motorola
68K assembly language experience. So, all experience is
good experience.

While on that subject, your experience points to the
hardware side as you have mentioned. If find that although
my customer might hire me for a "hardware" job, I'm
appreciated/retained for my "software" expertise, or vice
versa. Many customers, although claiming only wanting
a portion of a design effort, usually want a turn key
solution. Might I suggest moving up the layers of the
application level. Hardware side, computer system
architecture, software side, higher level languages, and
source control as well as operating system APIs. I
threw in a good data base, web servers, dynamic HTML
languages (java and PHP), when I re-treaded myself back
in 2002. Spent many hours sucking down iced tea in
Carl's Jr. Hamburger joint with laptop in hand wacking
away at a list of topics that I wanted (including PICs
BTW). Got myself certified as a Linux guy (they even give
you a cute little plastic card that you can carry around
in your wallet)! But, YMMV. And your mileage should
vary.

Speed also helps. There is an old adage in the consulting
game:
"You want an expert? Give me the book and six hours, and
I'll be an expert."

As a contractor, you also have to have an intuitive
understanding of marketing. Face it, if you decide to go
down this path (as many of us have), you will become a
mental prostitute. Bottom line, you are selling your
mental efforts (sweat) for dollars. You have to do
dilligence to make the package (you) as attractive as
possible.

Finally, (and I'm sure that many of the readers of this
post are going "whew!")is the development of a *STONG*
work ethic. Driving a project through on budget and on
schedule. Yes, you mentioned your rocket. However, that
didn't mention how long you and your team have been working
at it, tombstone delivery dates, gating issues, Gant or
Pert charts, all the good old project management stuff.
EGAD! All of a sudden *YOU* are the pointy haired boss!

For example, since December, I've been working full time
on an open source project and I'm TWO months behind
schedule! You can bet that even though it's open source,
there are some real interesting discussions between
labor (me) and management (me) going on! I'm sure that
your project has taught you valuable lessons along this
line.

Best of luck. Abandon all hope!

Cheers,

Rich S.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Concentrate less on the 'services', and more on the 'black boxes', because they can do some of your networking.

By which I mean, get some nice sturdy _metal_ nameplates made up with your contact information, and _metal_stamp_ them with project numbers or codes, and _rivet_ them to the boxes. Photoengraved aluminum just won't do. Then the guy who pulls your box out of the trash after it's completed its mission, just because of the nice workmanship, will know whom to call when he needs a new and different black box.





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[itsmoked]

Networking...

I don't go out of my way to 'network' (hate the term personally) but you must make connections or forget it.

Just think about it, people need to get things done. The smarter ones recognize they shouldn't do it all themselves.
The first thing they do is go through their mind trying to think of someone they know. You need to be in their memory s o m e w h e r e or you aren't going to get the call. Better yet you want to apply a multiplier to this whole method. Get to know technical salesmen. Get into their minds. Why? Because daily they are asked by customers, because their customers have a relationship with them, "do you know where I can get 'X' done?" or "do you know of anyone who can ..".

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com