From Engineer to Entrepreneur: Building a Consulting Firm with a Newborn on My Hip

Me and my sidekick

I started Brindle Innovations in December 2024, and every day since has been a mix of learning and uncertainty. As someone who’s spent years in engineering, I thought I’d have a lot of my work figured out by now. But turning an idea into a consulting firm has shown me that engineering skills are just one part of the puzzle.

I'm still on the hunt for clients, and the reality is that sales and marketing are completely new territories for me. I've always been more comfortable solving technical problems than figuring out how to pitch my services, and that’s a steep learning curve when you're building a business from almost nothing. Every conversation with a potential client feels like a test of my newfound skills, and I’m constantly adapting to find what works.

On top of that, balancing this professional challenge with personal life has been tough. With a newborn at home, the time and energy I can devote to the business are limited. I'm learning every day what it means to lead a family and keep the business afloat. It’s a juggling act, and I won’t say I have it all figured out yet.

The journey is full of small victories and hard lessons. Some days, progress feels slow, and I question if I'm cut out for entrepreneurship. But I also see moments where my engineering background helps me think critically about problems, giving me a unique edge in a field that’s as much about innovation as it is about business.

I’m still in the early days, and while I haven’t mastered the art of selling or marketing yet, I’m taking each setback as a chance to learn. This experience is humbling, but it’s also exciting to push myself out of my comfort zone. The challenges are real, but so is the possibility of building something that truly makes a difference.