bensand495
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Hi, I’m a mechanical engineer and small business owner in Mesa, Arizona.
Created an abridged version because, good grief! Apparently, I had a lot to say. This was the sentenced I typed at the end of my “F*ck you” moment:
Through it all, I’ve realized that I am my #1 opponent. That’s why I am here. To seek the wisdom of those of you who have made it through the gauntlet, and those of you who are still in it.
What brought me here was the books – I’m currently on Chapter 19 in Fastlane and Chapter 26 in Unscripted . I am enjoying them and should finish them up in the next few weeks, but I wanted to get an early start! This is the first real community that I’ve joined that I feel I want to grow with, learn from, and contribute to. Just this introduction ‘exercise’ was valuable to me, because – as mentioned – apparently there are a lot of things I needed to put in writing, if only just for my own sanity.
The truth is, I’m still recovering from 12 hour days at the med device company and my swift demise at the EVSE company (described in unabridged version) but I put it farther behind me every day. I’m excited for the next chapters in the books and in life – looking forward in the index, I’ll call these “Own Yourself First” and “Ignite Your Purpose, Invigorate Your Soul.”
Background summary AKA M.O.D.E.L. Citizenry? [and still lost my head]
I got my feet wet with some ‘sort-of-legal’ email marketing back in high school. Made some money, but as new laws came out, it became harder to legitimately make a profit, so the system was not replicable. Graduated 2014 from ASU with BSE, Mechanical Engineering. 2015-2018 New product development: Builders Hardware and Key Cutters. 2018-2022 Product development for medical device manufacturers – fast paced - Custom equipment and software control systems design, development, validation – designed 200-300 parts per year - Developed and deployed 2-3 custom software PLCs per year. Picked up 3D printing in 2020ish and I’ve built 2x industrial machines now, and sold 3D printed parts to various parties to pay off the equipment (but not the sweat equity LOL.) Nov 2022 – Mar 2023 Sr. ME at EVSE co and my head rolled.” Picked myself up and immediately got the bones of an Engineering service business up and running. Also, setup some framework for online ecom (Amazon.) I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I’m disappointed in my ability to get traction, and I am struggling with things like marketing, advertising, and self-promotion.
Unabridged Version
I think I've needed to write this for a long time - if only for myself...
Following the Script
After graduating in 2014, I began work at the Hillman Group developing new products – I was exposed to the world of product development, mass manufacturing, and distribution. I was fortunate enough to bring products from ideas to stocked items in big box stores. Some of the original ideas came straight from my ‘noggin’ and I was listed as an inventor on the patent (unfortunately, the rights of which were mandatorily sold to Hillman for “$1” – and I never actually saw that dollar…)
Engineering my involuntary slavery
From there I was recruited by the owner of a small company [the company] designing devices, fixtures, and tooling for medical device manufacturers. I hate to say, ‘there were warning signs’ because overall, the experience gained was/is very valuable, but it was work from home and I had to use my own computer and equipment – I spent thousands upfront to ‘get started,’ but I was getting paid, so no serious concerns. Here I was exposed to many fast-paced medical device projects on a yearly basis – I was able to improve my mechanical engineering/design skills as well as my software development skills in LabView, python, C++ - Invaluable; however, no benefits, no retirement. The ‘entrepreneurial’ calling strengthen here as well. Early on, there was always a ‘sour taste’ in my mouth, I was risking/sacrificing a lot – one particular period, projects were very slow, and I did not bill hours for ‘doing nothing,’ (despite being at my desk, ready for work) so my pay decreased – after that I renegotiated for salary. I pushed that roundabout experience deep down and still gave 100% in everything.
By the fourth year at this company, we had grown from three guys + the owner all working at home to ~15-20 employees working in two commercial warehouse buildings taking on advanced projects for multiple ‘largest med device mfgs in the world.’ Unfortunately, that sour taste never really subsided, and grew stronger through what appeared as targeted unfairness (I don’t feel sorry for myself, if anything it gave me a bit of drive and opportunity, despite becoming more noticeable). Long story short, I was assigned multiple full mechanical/software suite development projects as a sole mechanical engineer and software developer and left off the ‘high profile’ exciting projects that had multi-disciplined teams dedicated to them. I was reliable and always delivered yoy, once at the forefront of every project, now dedicated to sideline projects that pay the bills; although, my 10-12 hour days/week count was gradually increasing with these solo projects. The distaste really grew when a director of engineering was brought in (a real micro-manager), the new office had massage chairs, and the boss rolls up in a new electric truck. I was just barely scratching six figures, and had no equity or reward to show for sticking through and hitting years of early projects out of the park – except for massage chairs…? I never sat in or used one, purely out of principle. Call me proud or stubborn but investing my own money in home equipment and having periods of low billable hours impacting my take home only to see frivolous spending once we ‘made it’ was too much. I was ready to leave and when recruiters came calling, I evaluated my options and jumped at the most convenient offer – a Sr. Mechanical engineering position at an EVSE manufacturer, 40% raise, fully paid benefits.
My “Gamble of Hope”
The day before thanksgiving was my last day at that company, and the following Monday was my first day at the EVSE company. It was odd, it happened so fast – I showed up when my new boss told me to be there, but no one was there to greet me. I texted my boss. I knocked on the door, rang the doorbell, thinking ‘shoot, was I a few minutes late!?’ finally the plant manager meets me at the door, gives me a tour, and shows me my desk. He mentioned that my boss (Directory of Product Development) works remotely in another state and wasn’t there – a few hours later my boss texted me saying, sorry – I’m not actually there; reach out to person X. That was but a taste of things to come. Turns out the engineering department was a mess – there were multiple empty desks and two ‘abandoned’ desks – whoever was there left in a hurry... Not a good sign. First impressions – the work was light, the environment was casual (too casual?), and in many ways I was counting my blessings. Summarizing the next few months – it was slow – I never saw my boss and despite scheduling meetings (which he often cancelled) it was hard to get ahold of him. When we did speak, he was a MAJOR minute-detail-micro-manager and despite my best efforts, it somehow turned it into a pissing contest – ironically because he was uninformed or inept (turns out his family invested in the company and he was there on money, not merit.) He also pulled a few ‘bully’ moves that I was unfamiliar with, like EOD deadlines at 3PM without prior notice (and I always finished my work ahead of schedule) and rose to those challenges with a good spirit. I sought a lot of counsel on how to approach this – I really softened my approach, took good notes, and tried to deliver on everything he asked and document ‘why’ some things were impractical or would violate standards (such as Electrical or Fire Code.) Sort of shot myself in the foot again here – my project trackers showed he bounced around a lot and changed requirements on a whim, and my code lookups showed some things that he was adamant about were in fact illegal or unsafe (I really avoided trying to be ‘right’ by this point or proving him ‘wrong,’ but sometimes it was inevitable.) After almost two months of working there, he finally came to visit the AZ office, and I initiated a heart to heart. Taking insight straight from pages of ‘conflict resolution’ books, I explained that my goal is to work well together and opened a discussion of how we can best do that. Somewhere he asked if I planned to stay – I replied something like, “the projects where much simpler and smaller than anticipated, I don’t see myself working here past the year” <<Later found out that was a death sentence.
My “F*ck This” Moment:
2.75 Months in, I’m working on a design project that I ‘ground-up’ rehashed over about 2.5 weeks that they had swirling around for over a year prior to my arrival. It was a ~30 part small assembly, but I was excited. I was effectively navigating the ‘minefield’ of my boss and using tools to help our meetings move effectively with minimal backlash – I was addressing all of his concerns or requests exceptionally and quickly and I was always ready to implement feedback, I steered clear and did not engage when he took cheap shots. Thursday afternoon email from boss, “Hey I need you to finish those designs and drawings by Friday.” Response, “Do you mean this Friday (tomorrow) or next Friday?” 30 drawings and an assembly usually takes a few days no-matter where you are at. No response. Truly, ‘in-SPITE’ of him, I used some of my more ‘valuable skills’ and applied macros, software automation, and raw HP and cranked as fast as possible all Thursday night – finishing a ‘prelim package.’ Came in early on Friday and continued to crank. While it wasn’t up to my standards, it was up to industry standards, and I emailed him the completed CAD package and drawings Friday afternoon – he still had not clarified when it was ‘actually due.’ The rest is a bit of a blur, but I received a Teams call and HR asked me to go somewhere private. They then explained that I was terminated effective immediately, my boss was on the call as well and said, “sorry, but you knew this was coming, right? HAHA” I took the news calmly and collected myself and asked for feedback and why it was so sudden with no notice. They basically said that I wasn’t a good fit and I was still within the 90 day probation period. Turns out my recruiter has to deliver another candidate If I didn’t go past 90 days and I was one of many that went through the ‘revolving door.’ My recruiter eventually cancelled their contract with that company.
I slowly gathered my things and walked to my car. I slowly drove home. What am I going to tell my wife? What am I going to do?
Beginning my “Unscripted Life”
Next Monday, began filing my LLC, building my website, hiring graphic designers, and calling potential customers. A vendor that I was working for at the EVSE company (who incidentally told me that “My current boss was an a**hole and to be careful) awarded me my first design contract for a kiosk. I did it for next to nothing, but it gave me a kickstart and the ability to ‘small business’ a few more months. I’ve now operated for nearly 8 months. I’ve had multiple small customers, and one repeat customer who has literally ‘kept my doors open’ by hiring me to do 3D Print manufacturing and design work in multiple industries. I have also successfully opened an amazon store, sourced and shipped bulk product from overseas to an amazon warehouse, and actually sold a few. I’m at about 40% of my target for this period regarding the contract engineering side. I’m at ‘less than 0%’ on the Ecom side. I’m trying to find a groove and push my business through the gauntlet. It’s tough, but I’m ready!!
Created an abridged version because, good grief! Apparently, I had a lot to say. This was the sentenced I typed at the end of my “F*ck you” moment:
Through it all, I’ve realized that I am my #1 opponent. That’s why I am here. To seek the wisdom of those of you who have made it through the gauntlet, and those of you who are still in it.
What brought me here was the books – I’m currently on Chapter 19 in Fastlane and Chapter 26 in Unscripted . I am enjoying them and should finish them up in the next few weeks, but I wanted to get an early start! This is the first real community that I’ve joined that I feel I want to grow with, learn from, and contribute to. Just this introduction ‘exercise’ was valuable to me, because – as mentioned – apparently there are a lot of things I needed to put in writing, if only just for my own sanity.
The truth is, I’m still recovering from 12 hour days at the med device company and my swift demise at the EVSE company (described in unabridged version) but I put it farther behind me every day. I’m excited for the next chapters in the books and in life – looking forward in the index, I’ll call these “Own Yourself First” and “Ignite Your Purpose, Invigorate Your Soul.”
Background summary AKA M.O.D.E.L. Citizenry? [and still lost my head]
I got my feet wet with some ‘sort-of-legal’ email marketing back in high school. Made some money, but as new laws came out, it became harder to legitimately make a profit, so the system was not replicable. Graduated 2014 from ASU with BSE, Mechanical Engineering. 2015-2018 New product development: Builders Hardware and Key Cutters. 2018-2022 Product development for medical device manufacturers – fast paced - Custom equipment and software control systems design, development, validation – designed 200-300 parts per year - Developed and deployed 2-3 custom software PLCs per year. Picked up 3D printing in 2020ish and I’ve built 2x industrial machines now, and sold 3D printed parts to various parties to pay off the equipment (but not the sweat equity LOL.) Nov 2022 – Mar 2023 Sr. ME at EVSE co and my head rolled.” Picked myself up and immediately got the bones of an Engineering service business up and running. Also, setup some framework for online ecom (Amazon.) I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I’m disappointed in my ability to get traction, and I am struggling with things like marketing, advertising, and self-promotion.
Unabridged Version
I think I've needed to write this for a long time - if only for myself...
Following the Script
After graduating in 2014, I began work at the Hillman Group developing new products – I was exposed to the world of product development, mass manufacturing, and distribution. I was fortunate enough to bring products from ideas to stocked items in big box stores. Some of the original ideas came straight from my ‘noggin’ and I was listed as an inventor on the patent (unfortunately, the rights of which were mandatorily sold to Hillman for “$1” – and I never actually saw that dollar…)
Engineering my involuntary slavery
From there I was recruited by the owner of a small company [the company] designing devices, fixtures, and tooling for medical device manufacturers. I hate to say, ‘there were warning signs’ because overall, the experience gained was/is very valuable, but it was work from home and I had to use my own computer and equipment – I spent thousands upfront to ‘get started,’ but I was getting paid, so no serious concerns. Here I was exposed to many fast-paced medical device projects on a yearly basis – I was able to improve my mechanical engineering/design skills as well as my software development skills in LabView, python, C++ - Invaluable; however, no benefits, no retirement. The ‘entrepreneurial’ calling strengthen here as well. Early on, there was always a ‘sour taste’ in my mouth, I was risking/sacrificing a lot – one particular period, projects were very slow, and I did not bill hours for ‘doing nothing,’ (despite being at my desk, ready for work) so my pay decreased – after that I renegotiated for salary. I pushed that roundabout experience deep down and still gave 100% in everything.
By the fourth year at this company, we had grown from three guys + the owner all working at home to ~15-20 employees working in two commercial warehouse buildings taking on advanced projects for multiple ‘largest med device mfgs in the world.’ Unfortunately, that sour taste never really subsided, and grew stronger through what appeared as targeted unfairness (I don’t feel sorry for myself, if anything it gave me a bit of drive and opportunity, despite becoming more noticeable). Long story short, I was assigned multiple full mechanical/software suite development projects as a sole mechanical engineer and software developer and left off the ‘high profile’ exciting projects that had multi-disciplined teams dedicated to them. I was reliable and always delivered yoy, once at the forefront of every project, now dedicated to sideline projects that pay the bills; although, my 10-12 hour days/week count was gradually increasing with these solo projects. The distaste really grew when a director of engineering was brought in (a real micro-manager), the new office had massage chairs, and the boss rolls up in a new electric truck. I was just barely scratching six figures, and had no equity or reward to show for sticking through and hitting years of early projects out of the park – except for massage chairs…? I never sat in or used one, purely out of principle. Call me proud or stubborn but investing my own money in home equipment and having periods of low billable hours impacting my take home only to see frivolous spending once we ‘made it’ was too much. I was ready to leave and when recruiters came calling, I evaluated my options and jumped at the most convenient offer – a Sr. Mechanical engineering position at an EVSE manufacturer, 40% raise, fully paid benefits.
My “Gamble of Hope”
The day before thanksgiving was my last day at that company, and the following Monday was my first day at the EVSE company. It was odd, it happened so fast – I showed up when my new boss told me to be there, but no one was there to greet me. I texted my boss. I knocked on the door, rang the doorbell, thinking ‘shoot, was I a few minutes late!?’ finally the plant manager meets me at the door, gives me a tour, and shows me my desk. He mentioned that my boss (Directory of Product Development) works remotely in another state and wasn’t there – a few hours later my boss texted me saying, sorry – I’m not actually there; reach out to person X. That was but a taste of things to come. Turns out the engineering department was a mess – there were multiple empty desks and two ‘abandoned’ desks – whoever was there left in a hurry... Not a good sign. First impressions – the work was light, the environment was casual (too casual?), and in many ways I was counting my blessings. Summarizing the next few months – it was slow – I never saw my boss and despite scheduling meetings (which he often cancelled) it was hard to get ahold of him. When we did speak, he was a MAJOR minute-detail-micro-manager and despite my best efforts, it somehow turned it into a pissing contest – ironically because he was uninformed or inept (turns out his family invested in the company and he was there on money, not merit.) He also pulled a few ‘bully’ moves that I was unfamiliar with, like EOD deadlines at 3PM without prior notice (and I always finished my work ahead of schedule) and rose to those challenges with a good spirit. I sought a lot of counsel on how to approach this – I really softened my approach, took good notes, and tried to deliver on everything he asked and document ‘why’ some things were impractical or would violate standards (such as Electrical or Fire Code.) Sort of shot myself in the foot again here – my project trackers showed he bounced around a lot and changed requirements on a whim, and my code lookups showed some things that he was adamant about were in fact illegal or unsafe (I really avoided trying to be ‘right’ by this point or proving him ‘wrong,’ but sometimes it was inevitable.) After almost two months of working there, he finally came to visit the AZ office, and I initiated a heart to heart. Taking insight straight from pages of ‘conflict resolution’ books, I explained that my goal is to work well together and opened a discussion of how we can best do that. Somewhere he asked if I planned to stay – I replied something like, “the projects where much simpler and smaller than anticipated, I don’t see myself working here past the year” <<Later found out that was a death sentence.
My “F*ck This” Moment:
2.75 Months in, I’m working on a design project that I ‘ground-up’ rehashed over about 2.5 weeks that they had swirling around for over a year prior to my arrival. It was a ~30 part small assembly, but I was excited. I was effectively navigating the ‘minefield’ of my boss and using tools to help our meetings move effectively with minimal backlash – I was addressing all of his concerns or requests exceptionally and quickly and I was always ready to implement feedback, I steered clear and did not engage when he took cheap shots. Thursday afternoon email from boss, “Hey I need you to finish those designs and drawings by Friday.” Response, “Do you mean this Friday (tomorrow) or next Friday?” 30 drawings and an assembly usually takes a few days no-matter where you are at. No response. Truly, ‘in-SPITE’ of him, I used some of my more ‘valuable skills’ and applied macros, software automation, and raw HP and cranked as fast as possible all Thursday night – finishing a ‘prelim package.’ Came in early on Friday and continued to crank. While it wasn’t up to my standards, it was up to industry standards, and I emailed him the completed CAD package and drawings Friday afternoon – he still had not clarified when it was ‘actually due.’ The rest is a bit of a blur, but I received a Teams call and HR asked me to go somewhere private. They then explained that I was terminated effective immediately, my boss was on the call as well and said, “sorry, but you knew this was coming, right? HAHA” I took the news calmly and collected myself and asked for feedback and why it was so sudden with no notice. They basically said that I wasn’t a good fit and I was still within the 90 day probation period. Turns out my recruiter has to deliver another candidate If I didn’t go past 90 days and I was one of many that went through the ‘revolving door.’ My recruiter eventually cancelled their contract with that company.
I slowly gathered my things and walked to my car. I slowly drove home. What am I going to tell my wife? What am I going to do?
Beginning my “Unscripted Life”
Next Monday, began filing my LLC, building my website, hiring graphic designers, and calling potential customers. A vendor that I was working for at the EVSE company (who incidentally told me that “My current boss was an a**hole and to be careful) awarded me my first design contract for a kiosk. I did it for next to nothing, but it gave me a kickstart and the ability to ‘small business’ a few more months. I’ve now operated for nearly 8 months. I’ve had multiple small customers, and one repeat customer who has literally ‘kept my doors open’ by hiring me to do 3D Print manufacturing and design work in multiple industries. I have also successfully opened an amazon store, sourced and shipped bulk product from overseas to an amazon warehouse, and actually sold a few. I’m at about 40% of my target for this period regarding the contract engineering side. I’m at ‘less than 0%’ on the Ecom side. I’m trying to find a groove and push my business through the gauntlet. It’s tough, but I’m ready!!
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