S1E08 Getting laid off and starting an engineering company | Aaron Moncur

Being an Engineer · 20 May 2020 · 36m · Episode 8

What this episode covers

Aaron Moncur, founder of Pipeline Design & Engineering, explains how a 2008 layoff led him to start a firm providing turnkey test fixtures and automation equipment for the medical device industry. He details his organic growth from a solo freelancer to a team of nine, emphasizing his hiring philosophy of prioritizing 'kindergarten skills' and manufacturing-aware portfolios over degrees. Moncur also discusses the importance of aesthetics in functional equipment, the challenges of learning sales and marketing, and the specific software tools he uses to manage projects and operations.

Mentioned

Companies
Pipeline Design & Engineering, Menlo Innovations
Tools
Reich, Airtable, Dropbox
Also
testfixturedesign.com, Why We Sleep, Joy Inc

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Global Medical Device Podcast · 39m

    How Being Strategic During A Career Transition Can Yield The Best Opportunities

    Aaron Moncur, owner of Pipeline Design & Engineering, joins host John Spear to discuss his transition from employee to entrepreneur after being laid off in 2009. Moncur explains how he narrowed his firm's focus to custom test fixtures and automated equipment for medical device companies, citing a client's improvement in Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) first-pass success rates from 50% to nearly 100% as a key value proposition. The conversation covers the psychological aspects of career changes, the importance of mentorship through organizations like Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), and the technical challenges of delivering complex engineering projects on tight schedules.

  • How Soft Skills Drive High-Impact Engineering Teams w/ Aaron Moncur

    Aaron Moncur, founder of Pipeline Design & Engineering, discusses how soft skills like communication and psychological safety drive high-performing engineering teams. He shares specific management strategies, such as 'managing by invitation' and removing bureaucratic barriers to accelerate engineering speed, including the strategic use of 3D printing. Moncur also highlights the evolving landscape of engineering education, promoting his platform The Wave and the PDX expo as alternatives to traditional degree requirements.

  • Just Gonna Send It · 1h 12m

    Em Moshouris (Founder, WORC)

    Em Moshouris, founder of WORC, discusses his unconventional engineering career, ranging from designing custom rigging for Taylor Swift concerts and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to roles at Amazon Robotics and Apple's iPhone team. He explains his 'sheet metal first' philosophy, developed through mentors at Tate, and details his failure at Macy's due to a lack of humility, contrasting it with his current focus on building WORC's engineering analysis software to automate mundane tasks. The conversation highlights the importance of competence over career prestige, the need to leapfrog traditional manufacturing with automation, and the value of mentorship in building a 'pirate ship' culture at SendCutSend.

  • Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast · 1h 40m

    Ep. 8 - Ryan from V1 Engineering

    Ryan Zellers, founder of V1 Engineering, explains how his passion for making things led to the creation of the Mostly Printed CNC (MPCNC) and the growth of his company. He details his journey from working at Robo 3D and a medical device firm to bootstrapping V1 Engineering from a garage, leveraging the Thingiverse community for design feedback and sales. Zellers discusses his deliberate choice to remain a solo operator, using automation and contractors to handle logistics while he focuses on product design and community engagement.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 06m

    Design & Manufacturing Consulting with Scott Williams from Xentronics

    Scott Williams, founder of Zentronics in Melbourne, explains how he scaled a small electronics design and manufacturing consultancy from a solo freelancer to a six-person firm. He details the business challenges of avoiding fixed-price contracts for new product development due to unknowns like EMC compliance and integration risks, advocating instead for agile estimates and phased scoping. Williams also discusses hiring strategies, preferring 'V-shaped' engineers with deep specialties over generalists, and the importance of maintaining hands-on technical involvement while managing business growth.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Being an Engineer. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.