Can a custom engineering business scale to fastlane, or is it just another job?

[RydenK11]

I’m 23, working full-time as a mechanical engineer, and have been trying to start a business since I started working basically. I’m still very early in the process for this one, but I’d love to hear from people who have experience scaling service businesses.

The business is called FixtureSprint. Essentially, I design and manufacture custom jigs, fixtures, and tooling for other manufacturers to help improve their production processes. For example, reducing the hands on time of an assembly from 142 seconds to 77 seconds per unit.

So far, I’ve built a website, started testing cold emails and Google Ads, and have a potential customer I’m currently talking with. No paying customers yet.

My plan is to start with custom projects, build up some case studies, and eventually hire engineers to handle the design work.

Here’s where I’m struggling.

I feel like every manufacturer will have different problems, meaning almost every project will require a custom solution. I’m starting to wonder how scalable this really is.

I can see myself building a small engineering firm, but I’m worried about eventually hitting a ceiling where growing revenue just means hiring more engineers and taking on more projects.

My long-term goal is to build something that can operate without me and eventually be sold, not just replace my 9-5 with another job.

A few things I’m curious about:

1. Has anyone here scaled a business where nearly every customer requires a custom solution? How did you do it?
2. Would it make sense to use these custom projects to identify common problems and eventually develop more standardized products?
3. How would you approach getting your first customers in an industry where trust and experience matter so much?
4. Am I worrying about scalability too early when I haven’t even validated the business yet?

I’m still learning a lot about entrepreneurship, so I’d appreciate any criticism or advice, especially from people who’ve built similar businesses.

I’m open to answering any questions you guys have.

Thanks!

 

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