Success in Small Engineering Businesses

The author always believed that businesses are either growing or shrinking. While you might have run across one that seems to be an anomaly to that statement, it is an exception. In the short run, even those constant size businesses have their ups and downs due to economic conditions. It is just easier to manage a firm for growth, and therefore be successful, than taking the other course. However, growth brings on new challenges, so the business owner must constantly be in a learning mode. Earlier in this article, the author mentioned the electrical testing organization known as NETA. Having been associated with NETA for almost 40 years, the author have met and talked with many dozens of business owners in this particular niche of the electrical industry. And having watched their performance in the business world, the author come to realize that these firms tend to be more statistically successful than the typical start-up firm in America. Why is this? It is because NETA helps them in those areas most desperately needed for success, such as quality of service, marketing, networking, and education. In today's world, engineering service firms have an advantage in the quest for success. The world is short on engineering people and the technical talents they possess. Entrepreneurs and business owners just need to combine the right business elements and characteristics along with their technical capability and success will follow. © 2012, IEEE