# Scott Tarcy | The 4-Hour Workweek Mechanical Engineer

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2022-04-08
- Length: 47m
- Episode: 14
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/Scott-Tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek/

## Summary

Scott Tarcy, founder of CADdesignhelp.com, explains how he built a service business around CAD design and 3D printing while maintaining a 3-4 hour workday. He details his strategy of hiring a small team of international freelancers to handle volume, allowing him to focus on high-value tasks and avoid the trap of being a solopreneur. Tarcy also discusses his dual revenue streams: client design work and selling his own inventions via an Etsy store, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and NDAs to manage client expectations.

## Chapters

- [0:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=37) Introduction: Scott Tarcy and CADdesignhelp.com
- [2:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=173) Overcoming Analysis Paralysis and Taking Action
- [6:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=382) Scaling with Freelancers and Managing Teams
- [12:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=767) Balancing Work, Fitness, and In-House 3D Printing
- [17:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=1075) Diversifying Revenue with Etsy and Prototyping
- [22:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=1325) Handling Difficult Clients and Miscommunication
- [29:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=1755) Protecting Ideas with NDAs and Standardized Briefs
- [34:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer#t=2063) Managing Customer Dissatisfaction and Pricing Strategies

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- CADdesignhelp.com (company)
- SolidWorks (tool)
- Etsy (other)
- Upwork (other)
- Daimler Trucks (company)
- AutoCAD (tool)
- QuickBooks (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Design & Manufacturing Consulting with Scott Williams from Xentronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2023-03-19-design-manufacturing-consulting-with-scott-williams-from-xentronics) (The Amp Hour)
- [Making It #006 : How do I quit my job, and do what you do?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2015-01-02-making-it-006-how-do-i-quit-my-job-and-do-what-you-do) (Making It)
- [Episode 030: Productivity.geocities.com](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2015-07-31-episode-030-productivity-geocities-com) (Making It)
- [4: Are We Not Lawyers?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-06-06-4-are-we-not-lawyers) (Embedded.fm)
- [#016 - Developing with a hardware engineering company, with Karoly Molnar of ProDSP Technologies, Hungary](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-03-08-016-developing-with-a-hardware-engineering-company-with-karoly-molnar-of-prodsp) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-04-08-scott-tarcy-the-4-hour-workweek-mechanical-engineer. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.