looking to start an engineering consulting firm. However got some important questions 2

[silvamat]

Hello All,

I am new in this forum.
I have just post-graduated in mechanical engineering. I already did an MSc. in Materials engineering. I am thinking of starting my own engineering consulting firm, however, when I think about that, some questions arise:

-What are the best places to acquire new clients? We all know internet is an awesome place to create contacts, but specifically, what are the best websites to contact potential clients? And are there other ways to contact potential clients, apart from the internet?

-I had specialize in the FEM since 2009 (first year MSc.). This is also my field of specialization on my post-graduation. Although I never worked professionally doing FEM calculations, would it be wise to be a sole practicioner without professional experience on the field, although I have been working with FEM software, and doing design optimization, and materials selection academically for the past 5 years. I also have several scientific papers in these fields.

-How do I start? I know I must start with my first client, he/she tells me what do they need, or what problems they have, and propose me tasks or projects to solve the problems, or to improve some existing product, or even advice on how to manufacture or determine load capacity for a new product. Is this the way things work???

I would like to thank in advance to all that might reply to this thread.

thanks to all,
Miguel Silva,MSc

 

[SNORGY]

I think without a PE (United States) or a P.Eng. plus a Permit (Canada) - plus 1bout $10K per year in O&M and Liability Insurance premiums - your idea of starting a consulting engineering business are probably dead in the water for now. A point of compromise might be that you could offer your services as a contractor to someone else who already has that infrastructure in place, or as an hourly-paid hired gun directly to a Client.

 

[IRstuff]

That caveat depends on the state and its exceptions to their PE Act. So long as you avoid "engineer" or "engineering," that's something that can be readily done in California.

TTFN
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[glass99]

silvamat - If you want to do FEA, the easy answer is go get a job with a company that will pay you do to FEA. If you really want to go solo, here's the process:

What kind of FEA are you talking about? If its just shell/solid linear analysis, its a bit of a commodity, but you may find a market in old timer engineers, contractors and manufacturers who have no in house capabilities. It is a very spotty market for that kind of thing though. Straightforward FEA is now something that regular engineers do. If you have something more exotic like CFD, there are a greater number of potential clients and sustainable business model. You will of course need the software for your exotic FEA, which can be pricey.

LinkedIn is the answer to all electronic networking needs. More to the point, you need personal relationships with strategically useful folks. One good and supportive client is all you need to get rolling, which means you need to know a couple of hundred people in the industry to be able to filter it down to that one gem. Conferences are useful. Referrals from respected colleagues are the best. Every day you need to meet new people, and deepen relationships with people you already know. Its just like dating, but you are not expected to be monogamous. But your clients will get jealous of each other, so its really like a dysfunctional polygamous relationship. This is difficult to do right out of school, but nothing is impossible.

 

[spongebob007]

If I were looking to hire a consultant to do FEA work, why would I pay the kind of money consultants charge to someone who was right out of school and had no practical work experience?

Also having studied FEA in graduate school myself, there is a big disconnect between solving simple FEA models by hand to learn the theory and using an FEA code to make a model of a complicated structure or assembly. Much of the black art of finite element modeling I learned through practical work experience, and after doing this for 20 years, I am still learning.

Although it may sound harsh, I would put the dream of being a consultant on the back burner for now. You really have nothing of value to offer a potential client. For what it's worth, consultants I have dealt with have at least a decade of experience, and more commonly, two decades or more experience. If FEA is what you want to do, find a job doing FEA and spend some years growing your skills on the job. A job will also give access to more contacts. I have done two FEA consulting jobs that I got through former co-workers of mine. I left my last company on good terms and they have brought me back as a consultant a few times to do analysis and also to do FEA training for their engineers.