Mechanical Engineers Turn Ideas into Businesses
Mechanical Engineers Turn Ideas into Businesses
Mechanical engineers have the problem-solving mindset entrepreneurship demands, but turning an idea into a business also requires persistence and a willingness to learn new skills.
Whether in your 20s or headed for retirement, if you’re thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, rest assured you’re uniquely suited for the job.
Mechanical engineers are trained to solve problems, and “entrepreneurship requires you to identify a problem that somebody is willing to pay you to solve,” said Mike Zimmerman, CEO and founder of Z-Polymers, based in Massachusetts.
Zimmerman has, in fact, started four materials science companies. His first piece of advice for hopeful entrepreneurs? Learn to listen.
“Engineers naturally want to talk about their technology,” he said. “But the skill is in not just saying how great that technology is, but understanding whether it can solve a problem that a customer has—not just make things a little bit better.”
MEs aren’t scared to learn new things, which is perfect given that entrepreneurs are successful only after asking countless questions, according to Kevin McNeil, president of Techreo. He started the Ohio-based company after a 41-year career at Procter & Gamble.
Some of those questions: What’s your vision and the strategy to make it happen? Who is going to help you—and how are you going to convince them to help you? And then on to more of the nitty-gritty stuff, such as understanding lengthy operating agreements and what kind of receipts to keep and what type of legal team to build. (McNeil works with both a patent attorney and a business attorney.)
“Engineers never have to take care of this stuff at a company, and it can be annoying,” McNeil said. “But you don’t know what you don’t know, so ask around.”
McNeil suggests networking locally and online, and researching organizations dedicated to supporting start-ups.
This is where good communication skills come into play. While they typically take a backseat to technical skills for MEs, “one of the most important things you can do is learn how to share the importance of what you do and why it matters,” said mechanical engineer Erin Winick Anthony, founder of STEAM Power Media based in Texas. “So much of being an entrepreneur is advocating for yourself and the value of your work.”
This means learning to pitch ideas, write LinkedIn posts, speak confidently to a camera, and prepare for media interviews if needed. Anthony, who has more than 300,000 social media followers, shares research from the field, including from her time undergoing parabolic flight training during a two-month scientific ocean expedition.
Anthony began building her business in the last four months of full-time employment at NASA, which meant she didn’t take a “complete leap” and instead strategized methodically as she built her brand.
For Zimmerman, the best communication boils down to explaining complicated technology in two or three sentences.
Because MEs are inherently curious and driven to improve situations, it makes sense that so many want to launch ventures of their own.
And 2026 is a pivotal year for innovation in energy, domestic manufacturing, supply chain, defense, and so many other “critical, physical real-world” areas that need attention, said Zimmerman.
That innovation can happen more inexpensively and with a smaller team because of AI and advanced manufacturing technologies, Zimmerman noted.
“Whenever you’re on the cutting edge of technology—that’s where there’s a lot of opportunity,” Anthony said.
MEs don’t necessarily let retirement get in the way of opportunity. McNeil describes how his current company designed and started manufacturing a product new to the market. “We had to design our own manufacturing equipment to make a totally new product in an area I’d never worked in before in my life,” he said. “Some would say that’s masochistic.”
McNeil acknowledges that this is an “extreme example,” but the point is that passion wins over comfort or convention when MEs take on ambitious challenges.
Just don’t expect to make money right away, warns Anthony. She earned half as much in the first year as in the second, and brought in between 20 and 30 percent more the year after that.
“You’ll learn how much to charge for your products and services over time and dial things up,” she said. “Think about your risk tolerance—but this could be the perfect path for you.”
Entrepreneurship “is really a series of experiments,” Zimmerman said. “You might fail, but you’ve got to persevere and surround yourself with people who know more than you do. Just get back up and don’t quit.”
Robin L. Flanigan is an independent writer in Rochester, N.Y.
Mechanical engineers are trained to solve problems, and “entrepreneurship requires you to identify a problem that somebody is willing to pay you to solve,” said Mike Zimmerman, CEO and founder of Z-Polymers, based in Massachusetts.
Start with the problem
Zimmerman has, in fact, started four materials science companies. His first piece of advice for hopeful entrepreneurs? Learn to listen.
“Engineers naturally want to talk about their technology,” he said. “But the skill is in not just saying how great that technology is, but understanding whether it can solve a problem that a customer has—not just make things a little bit better.”
MEs aren’t scared to learn new things, which is perfect given that entrepreneurs are successful only after asking countless questions, according to Kevin McNeil, president of Techreo. He started the Ohio-based company after a 41-year career at Procter & Gamble.
Some of those questions: What’s your vision and the strategy to make it happen? Who is going to help you—and how are you going to convince them to help you? And then on to more of the nitty-gritty stuff, such as understanding lengthy operating agreements and what kind of receipts to keep and what type of legal team to build. (McNeil works with both a patent attorney and a business attorney.)
“Engineers never have to take care of this stuff at a company, and it can be annoying,” McNeil said. “But you don’t know what you don’t know, so ask around.”
McNeil suggests networking locally and online, and researching organizations dedicated to supporting start-ups.
Turn ideas into opportunity
This is where good communication skills come into play. While they typically take a backseat to technical skills for MEs, “one of the most important things you can do is learn how to share the importance of what you do and why it matters,” said mechanical engineer Erin Winick Anthony, founder of STEAM Power Media based in Texas. “So much of being an entrepreneur is advocating for yourself and the value of your work.”
This means learning to pitch ideas, write LinkedIn posts, speak confidently to a camera, and prepare for media interviews if needed. Anthony, who has more than 300,000 social media followers, shares research from the field, including from her time undergoing parabolic flight training during a two-month scientific ocean expedition.
Anthony began building her business in the last four months of full-time employment at NASA, which meant she didn’t take a “complete leap” and instead strategized methodically as she built her brand.
For Zimmerman, the best communication boils down to explaining complicated technology in two or three sentences.
Because MEs are inherently curious and driven to improve situations, it makes sense that so many want to launch ventures of their own.
And 2026 is a pivotal year for innovation in energy, domestic manufacturing, supply chain, defense, and so many other “critical, physical real-world” areas that need attention, said Zimmerman.
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“Whenever you’re on the cutting edge of technology—that’s where there’s a lot of opportunity,” Anthony said.
MEs don’t necessarily let retirement get in the way of opportunity. McNeil describes how his current company designed and started manufacturing a product new to the market. “We had to design our own manufacturing equipment to make a totally new product in an area I’d never worked in before in my life,” he said. “Some would say that’s masochistic.”
McNeil acknowledges that this is an “extreme example,” but the point is that passion wins over comfort or convention when MEs take on ambitious challenges.
Just don’t expect to make money right away, warns Anthony. She earned half as much in the first year as in the second, and brought in between 20 and 30 percent more the year after that.
“You’ll learn how much to charge for your products and services over time and dial things up,” she said. “Think about your risk tolerance—but this could be the perfect path for you.”
Entrepreneurship “is really a series of experiments,” Zimmerman said. “You might fail, but you’ve got to persevere and surround yourself with people who know more than you do. Just get back up and don’t quit.”
Robin L. Flanigan is an independent writer in Rochester, N.Y.
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