How to Develop an Idea for an Engineering Firm

An engineering firm needs a niche. The first thing an entrepreneur needs to identify is how the firm will meet a need that no one else is currently meeting in a specific market, Developing an idea for a firm that meets an existing market need will increase the likelihood of future success for the firm.

Instructions

Look at Your Resources

1. Determine what skills you have to offer. If you have a specialization within engineering--such as chemical or structural--this will affect the market gap you should decide to fill.

2. Take a look at what you have in terms of human resources. Pick out individuals from your contacts that you could see yourself starting a firm with and note what skills and specializations they bring to the table.

Look at the Market

1. Focus on a particular market, ideally in the place you plan to live or in a market not far from there.

2. Consult the local business bureau, which will have stats on the kind of industries that thrive in the area.

3. Browse through classified ads to get a feel for what industries are doing a lot of hiring at the present.

4. Identify industries in the area that are experiencing a demand for engineers.

5. Fashion an idea for an engineering firm that can help satisfy the unique and current demand for engineers in the industries located within your market.

Generate Ideas

1. Consider forming a firm that specializes in a particular kind of engineering and develop a brand based on your specialization, whether it be chemical, structural, electrical or mechanical engineering.

2. Consider specializing in a particular industry but develop a firm with engineers from the various specializations. For example, you could choose to market your firm as a petroleum engineering firm that has a mixture of chemical, mechanical, structural and electric engineers, all working in concert. This could give your firm a competitive advantage, especially in a crowded market.

3. Develop ideas about how to run an engineering firm that could give you an advantage over the competition, such as utilizing a new software that can increase productivity.

Refine Ideas

1. Take your top ideas and share them with a few people who knows the business side of engineering. Gather their feedback.

2. Select the idea with the most promising potential and begin to write a business plan around this particular idea for an engineering firm.

Tips & Warnings

• Speak to engineering firms outside of your market as part of your own market research. Firms within your market have little incentive to help you.