You’ve probably read or heard more stories about small firms and startups being taken over by large corporations than those of individuals starting their own engineering consultancy firms. And this is probably why the thought of launching a new structural engineering firm feels like an intimidating prospect.
The truth is that starting a business in any industry is a momentous decision and often comes with challenges. However, once you overcome the fear, or at least learn how to deal with it, you quickly realize it’s a risk worth taking.
The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that demand for civil engineering professionals, including structural engineers, will grow by 11 percent from 2016 to 2026. And with a renewed national focus on rebuilding, rehabilitating, and overhauling America’s aging and obsolete infrastructure, there’s certainly no shortage of construction and structural projects waiting to be done in the next several years. There’s a massive opportunity for structural engineering firms to not only establish the design criteria and concepts for new infrastructures, but also ensure construction and structural projects meet health and safety standards, environmental requirements, and regulatory guidelines.
By launching your own consultancy firm, you have a uniquely significant responsibility for protecting the lives of others. Not only do you gain a sense of personal fulfillment being your own boss, but also have complete autonomy over your time, your clients, and your projects. Here’s how to successfully start your own structural engineering firm from scratch.
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Get Formal Training
There’s no way you’re going to participate in the structural engineering profession without getting formal training with a structural engineering course or similar coursework. Structural engineering is traditionally a specialty field and subset of civil engineering. And to lay a foundation for your career in this field, you’ll need to first enroll for a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. After your civil engineering undergraduate program, you’ll be required to pursue structural engineering as a focus discipline at the master’s level.
Keep in mind that the requirements for licensure and regulatory framework for structural engineering firms vary from one state to another. So you want to check with your state for the specific guidelines and requirements you should meet before you can start working on projects.
Get a Relevant Internship
Getting formal training isn’t good enough for you to start your own engineering consulting firm. You need to get a real-world connection to the things you covered in class, observe how full-time structural engineers solve technical problems, and gain practical industrial experience. Remember clients will be looking for real work experience. And this is why you need to get a relevant internship.
An internship gives you a chance to not only apply your knowledge practically in real work situations but also work under a mentor, refine your skills, and build a professional network. Structural engineering interns work closely with the engineering team to inspect site foundations, perform detailed design calculations, draft layouts, create structural detail, supervise support personnel, and identify cost-reduction techniques.
Gaining this experience will go a long way to impress clients as you start off. Furthermore, the connections you make during the internship could be useful for the advancement of your career as a structural engineer and the growth of your firm. It’s also through an internship that you’ll learn crucial skills such as teamwork, punctuality, critical thinking, communication, leadership, working under pressure, and time management.
Choose a Niche
The field of structural engineering is pretty wide and diverse, with several specialty sub-fields. Don’t give in to the idea that your engineering firm needs to be broad so you can serve more clients. You might end up having no one to serve due to high competition.
Clients prefer working with firms that offer highly specialized services to solve their specific problems. This is because they view these firms as experts in that particular field. So, don’t spread too wide. Choose a specific specialty sub-field in structural engineering and focus all your attention, efforts, and resources on becoming an expert in it.
Some of the specialties within this field include specializing in transport infrastructure, water, and wastewater, piers and wharves, bridges, dams and spillways, building design, etc. You can also focus on soil-structure interaction projects such as tunnels, foundations, and retaining walls. Whatever the niche you select, make sure there’s a market need for your company’s services.
Create a Business Plan
Every company, regardless of the industry or its size, needs a business plan. The business planning process might seem like a waste of time but it’s certainly important, especially when it comes to streamlining your projects and aligning your goals and ensuring the success of your firm.
Keep in mind that a business plan isn’t just another document you have to come up with for the sake of it. It’s a crucial document that not only outlines what your structural engineering firm does but also identifies your company goals and pinpoints your specialty. Essentially, it maps out your company’s journey from day one to two, six, fifteen years into the future.
You want to be realistic about the market need for your services, the level of competition in the market, your financial information, and your marketing strategy. Don’t worry so much about the big names already in the market. Instead, focus your efforts on smaller projects so you can gradually build your portfolio and reputation.
Focus on Lead Generation
Due to the technically complex nature of structural engineering processes and projects, you may find yourself focusing most (if not all) of your attention on operations. However, you shouldn’t forget that you’re running a business and you need to create a structured sales strategy that reliably communicates the value of your services to prospective clients.
First, you need to research the market and understand your targeted prospects on a more personal level. You want to make sure you’ve identified your prospects’ specific needs and demonstrate to them that you understand the issues they’re facing. Then, you can develop an effective marketing strategy and start generating leads for your firm.
Start by investing in your website portfolio. Your website is a powerful tool that you can use to tell your firm’s story and build your brand. Including high-quality images in your website portfolio might generate leads for your business. Sending your prospects a weekly, biweekly, or monthly newsletter is a great way to keep them engaged and keep your firm at the top of their mind.
Additionally, social media is a great tool that you can use to not only drive traffic to your site but also gain an edge over your competitors. So, go ahead and develop a social media marketing strategy and start running social media campaigns.
You can build a reputation for yourself and your firm by simply attending and speaking at trade shows, conferences, and other relevant public events. So, get out there and start networking with people. Also, consider joining relevant groups on LinkedIn and other professional platforms.
