Entrepreneurial Engineer Explained

How engineers can significantly increase what they earn when they learn business skills on top of their technical skills.

• Entrepreneurial Engineer Explained
• The Gap Nobody Told You About
• Stack Business on Top of Technical
• The Entrepreneurial Engineer
• What Changes When You Do This
• How to Start

Most technical professionals are underpaid and overlooked. Mainly because they only speak one language: technical.

In 2019 I moved from The Netherlands to New Zealand. In the Netherlands I led projects for a 120-person greenhouse supplier. In New Zealand I joined an 8-person irrigation installer as a project engineer.

That move hit me hard. Not technically. I could handle the work. But suddenly I had to quote jobs, talk to clients, manage budgets and sell ideas. Nobody had taught me any of that.

In a large company, you have dedicated roles for various areas of the business like a dedicated:

• Planner
• Engineer
• Estimator
• Draftsman
• Sales person
• Project manager
• Financial controller
• Operations manager

And the list goes on. Each role will have its own set of tasks with little overlap with other areas.

In a smaller business, you don't have that. All these roles are spread across fewer people. Individuals often need to wear many hats and handle diverse responsibilities.

The Gap Nobody Told You About

I studied mechanical engineering. My classes focused mostly on hands-on technical skills like welding, drilling and using design software.

A technical school teaches you to solve problems. It does not teach you how to sell solutions, run a profitable project or grow a business.

So when you end up in a smaller company where you have to wear multiple hats you encounter terms like:

• Closing (finalising a sale)
• Net profit (money left after all expenses)
• Margins (profit as a percentage of revenue)
• Accounts receivable (money owed to a business)
• Cash flow (money moving in and out of a business)
• Markup (amount added to cost to determine selling price)
• Return on investment (ROI) (profit compared to cost of an investment)

These are not complicated once you know them. But if nobody ever taught you, they slow you down and cost you money.

And the damage goes deeper than just not knowing the words:

• Limited business skills slows down career growth
• Good technical ideas die because you cannot explain why they are worth the investment
• You lose quotes because your presentation is weak, not your solution
• You waste project budget because nobody taught you to look for cost-saving opportunities

This was me. Losing quotes. Getting frustrated. Knowing my technical work was solid but not knowing why it was not landing.

Stack Business on Top of Technical

When I realised I was missing key business skills, I took action. My action was fuelled by losing quotes I presented. Likely due to poor sales and presentation skills.

I did not go back to school.

I started reading business books and watching videos. Then I started a side hustle to put what I learned into practice.

Learning plus implementing. That combination changed everything.

You do not need to walk away from your technical skills. You just add to them. When you stack business knowledge on top of technical ability, you become someone companies and clients genuinely need and will pay well for.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

• Problem-solving + Sales: Use your technical brain to identify customer pain points and create tailored solutions. Then, apply sales skills to communicate these solutions to potential clients.
• Analytical thinking + Business economics: Use your analytical thinking to understand financial reports and make informed business decisions. This combination helps in budgeting, quoting and optimising resource allocation.
• Technical expertise + Marketing: Use your technical knowledge to create content that educates and attracts potential clients. AutoCAD features are similar to Canva features for example. You can learn content creation quickly, build trust and position yourself as an industry expert.

The Entrepreneurial Engineer

This is what I call the Entrepreneurial Engineer: someone with great technical skills who also understands how business works.

You do not have to be an engineer for this to apply. Slot in your own role:

• The Entrepreneurial Designer
• The Entrepreneurial Technician
• The Entrepreneurial Builder

The traits you already have: analytical thinking, attention to detail and problem-solving are exactly what businesses need. Most people in business do not have them. You do. You just need to add sales, marketing, and basic economics to the mix.

Those three skills are what most technical professionals are missing. Start there.

What Changes When You Do This

You might think by now, this is all nice for the business. But what about me?

Here is what shifts when you commit to this:

• You earn more because you can spot and create more value.
• You get better opportunities because you are useful beyond your technical skills.
• You feel less stuck because you understand the game being played around you.
• You stop losing quotes for the wrong reasons.
• You start building a strong, reliable reputation in the industry.

I am now self-employed, doing work I enjoy, for clients I choose. That happened because I stopped being only technical and you can do the same.

How to Start

You do not need a business degree, so don’t go back to school. There are other, better, cheaper and faster ways to learn business skills:

1. Read and watch. Buy business books, watch YouTube videos and enrol in online courses.
2. Start a side-hustle to earn extra money. Build a course, coach others or sell a product.
3. Put your hand up at work. Ask to help with quoting, client presentations or budget reviews.
4. Practice explaining your work in simple language. So a non-technical person understands you.
5. Network outside your technical circle. Talk to entrepreneurs, salespeople and business owners.

Becoming an entrepreneurial engineer is a journey. It will be overwhelming at the start. But if you stick with it, you can expect big rewards for your hard work.

I've been through that journey. I learned business skills through self-education and starting a side hustle. Learning + implementing is the key, not one or the other. It taught me so much. And I've now been a self-employed engineer for four years.

Start learning. Start implementing what you learn. Adjust if needed. Set yourself apart from the rest. Earn more.

If you need help, reach out! I love this topic.