A Journey from Engineer to Entrepreneur
Here, I’ll share my experience and discuss the various challenges of starting and running a business. I hope this presentation will be beneficial to those who want to start their own business, are in the early stages of their venture, or are simply looking for advice.
Technology is continuously changing, as many know. It has become a massive part of our lives, so it’s hard to imagine a time when we lived without it. As a young student, I had a passion for science and always wondered how technology could impact the way research is done one day, but more importantly, how I could be a part of it. But, of course, science has always had and continues to impact my life significantly. My journey began when I was just a high school student and continues to be an aspiring entrepreneur.
What exactly is an entrepreneur? It is a person who organizes, runs, and operates a business or business, taking on greater than normal financial risks in the process. So what exactly is an engineer? Engineer designs, build, or maintains engines, machines, or public works.
As an engineer, I needed to solve specific problems. My first job involved developing an electronic prototype current cut-out device, modifying the design, and fabricating parts. One of the pitfalls of being an engineer is that becoming overly focused on product design is all too easy. As a business owner, you’ll be dealing with more minor technical issues and more with new challenges in finance, management, advertising and promotion, and so on. Being an entrepreneur necessitates knowledge of marketing, sales, production, and a financial plan, in addition to engineering excellence. Starting, running, and growing your own business, on the other hand, is fraught with unforeseen circumstances and problems that one must address. The better one understands these roles, the more equipped one will be to transition from engineer to entrepreneur.
Before I began my journey as an entrepreneur, I had a passion for science and technology from my school days in Nepal. My academic journey started from school in Myagdi district, west Nepal, and moved to Shri Ram Gorkha High School in Kapilvastu to complete my high school. I did my college studies at Amrit Science College in Kathmandu, Nepal, an undergraduate degree from Bangladesh through a Nepal-Bangladesh fellowship. Then, I got a fellowship from the Japanese government to conduct advanced research on nano-materials. When my fellowship was over, I migrated to Canada to complete my post-graduate degree in engineering at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
My professional career began when I got a job at the University of Victoria. I worked on magneto-plasmonics and developed a series of magnetic nano-particles, alloys, and periodic arrays of nano-holes. I continued my career at the University of California San Diego at the Centre for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR), which allowed me to work with a fantastic team of researchers. It allowed me to work with state-of-the-art equipment. I also had a great experience working at the Baylor Research and Innovative Collaborative Centre (BRIC) in Waco, Texas as a visiting researcher with the nano-optics (plasmonics and metamaterials) group. In 2016, I returned to Canada after receiving a fellowship from MITACS. In addition, I worked on a joint industry-academia research project sponsored by York University in Toronto and GEM Systems Inc in Markham.
Over my 24 years of experience working, I have worked in big and small companies and have learned the differences in the work environment. You have many learning opportunities at small companies (1-50 employees) at you have many learning opportunities. You will get to know the owner or CEO & you can grow with the team that appreciates the employee taking the initiative in having a greater interest in the company beyond the job title. A good company will want to support your growth and allow you to try on different hats for size as you grow with them. In large companies (50 or more employees), companies treat you more like a number or statistic; they want less creative thinking, and getting ahead becomes difficult.
The strategic objective of my company is to grow, become profitable, create more job opportunities in Canada, and most importantly, develop new technologies so new generations can benefit from them. I can achieve my strategic objective if I form the right partnerships and collaborate with people with similar interests. These are driven by my genuine interest and ambition to make a difference in the community in the way things are done now and in the future. One common goal I always had from when I was just a high school student to now as an entrepreneur is to make a difference in people’s lives worldwide. Hopefully, with the right amount of dedication and effort, my company will positively impact many lives.
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