Don't Climb the Corporate Ladder. Build Your Own.

Heather Eason on Entrepreneurial Courage, Reinvention and Finding Opportunity in a Changing Industry

What would you do if you were fired because your employer believed you were starting a competing business—even though you weren't?

For Heather Eason, that experience planted a seed that eventually grew into Select Power Systems.

In this episode of Simply Business, John Jennings sits down with Heather, CEO of Select Power Systems, a woman-owned engineering and project management firm serving electrical utilities and infrastructure clients nationwide.

Heather shares her journey from engineering leadership at Siemens Energy to starting her own business in 2017. Along the way, she discovered that building a successful company requires more than technical expertise. It takes courage, adaptability, financial discipline and a willingness to recognize when it's time to change direction.

John and Heather explore:

• Entrepreneurial courage: How an unexpected career setback inspired Heather to consider building her own business.
• Adapting to opportunity: How Select Power Systems evolved its services as customer needs and market conditions changed.
• Cash flow and profitability: The financial realities of serving large corporate customers while running a small business.
• Finding your niche: Heather's plans to expand into battery energy storage and explore distributed computing infrastructure.
• Leadership and resilience: What it takes to navigate uncertainty and pursue new opportunities in a competitive industry.
• Creating opportunities for women: Heather's commitment to supporting women in engineering and mentoring the next generation.

One of the most powerful moments comes when Heather challenges the traditional approach to career development. Instead of thinking of your career as a ladder that only goes up, she encourages professionals to view it as a lattice, where moving sideways or diagonally can open new possibilities.

Heather's story is a reminder that the career you imagined isn't necessarily the career you have to pursue.

Whether you're a business owner navigating change, an engineer exploring entrepreneurship or a leader searching for your next opportunity, this conversation offers practical lessons and inspiration.

Listen to this episode of Simply Business, subscribe for more conversations with business owners and leaders, and share it with someone who's ready to create their own path.