When Michael Jones launched Jones Structural Engineering, he had no client base and no safety net — just a clear sense of how he wanted to build: on genuine relationships, quality work, and a value-first mindset he held to even when cash was tight.

In this episode, Michael unpacks why so many engineering firms struggle to scale. Early success built on individual effort becomes a bottleneck without systems, structure, and clear accountability. He talks about transitioning from engineer to business leader, building teams that can operate independently, and what it really takes to move from solving technical problems to enabling others to do the same.

Growth, Michael argues, is not just about winning more work. It is about building a business that delivers consistently, supports its people, and maintains quality over time — and this episode is a practical look at what that demands from the person at the top.

Starting a business at 26 with no formal business training is daunting. Doing it during a global pandemic, as a female immigrant in a male dominated industry, takes a special kind of courage.

Jocelyn Do is the director of JOCES, Jo Civil Engineering Services, a civil engineering consultancy based in New South Wales that specialises in stormwater, flooding and development consent for local government clients. She arrived in Australia from Vietnam at 16 with limited English, no family and a fierce determination to build a future for herself.

Jocelyn opens up about learning to delegate, managing the uncertainty of fluctuating workloads, and leading a team that includes engineers with decades more experience than she has. If you are an engineer considering starting your own firm, this episode offers practical insights and genuine inspiration.

Most civil engineers solve the technical problem. Few also think about who has to pay for it, deliver it, and make money from it.

Kym Wilkinson is the principal engineer at Wilkinson Shaw and Associates, a Brisbane-based civil engineering consultancy specialising in residential subdivision projects. With more than two decades of experience, she's built a reputation for balancing engineering rigour with commercial reality — because in her world, time, cost certainty, and practical decision-making matter just as much as technical compliance.

In this episode, Kym shares how thinking like a developer changes every engineering decision on a project, and why the most successful engineers understand not just the technical requirements, but the commercial pressures their clients are actually facing.

What does it really take to grow an engineering business without losing control of quality, culture, and accountability?

Shannon Neyland has built his career at the intersection of engineering delivery and executive leadership, starting on the tools and working his way through project performance, financial accountability, and team development, ultimately to become a senior leader. His focus has always been the same: building structured systems that support sustainable growth, not reactive expansion.

In this conversation, Shannon gets into the realities of scaling in a competitive market, why growth without structure strains people and performance, and why discipline has to underpin every expansion decision. He also reflects candidly on the transition from hands-on sparky to a business leader; the shift from solving engineering problems to leading people, managing financial performance, and building real accountability into an organisation.

If you're an engineering leader navigating growth or making the move into senior leadership, there's a lot here for you.

What does it take to keep a mine operating safely when the ground is unpredictable, and getting it wrong can shut down the entire operation?

Tim Cartledge is the founder of Cartledge Mining and Geotechnics, a principal geotechnical engineer with decades of experience solving the mining industry's toughest stability challenges. After working with major consultancies including Coffey Geotechnics and GHD, he established his own specialist consultancy in 2015, supporting some of Queensland's most challenging coal mines.

In this conversation, Tim explains how mining geotechnical work differs from civil engineering, shifting from rigid standards to a focus on geology, behaviour, and uncertainty. He discusses looking for opportunities alongside risks, pushing limits responsibly without compromising safety, and making critical decisions under intense pressure. Tim also shares the transition from technical expert to business owner, why integrity matters when advising clients, and how relationships and trust drive long-term consulting success.

For engineering and industrial leaders navigating complex risk and difficult decisions, this episode offers an honest look at leading with confidence, integrity, and experience in high-stakes environments.

What happens when an engineer gets fed up watching projects fail because no one coordinates properly? Moussa Youssef started BMY Engineering in 2018 after years of witnessing costly mistakes that could have been prevented. Six years later, he made a bold move—merging with Prime Engineering to create Vanguard Consulting Engineers, a 24-person multidisciplinary firm with a reputation for never missing deadlines.

In this conversation, Moussa shares the reality behind that merger: the first six months of chaos when communication broke down, how three partners learned to run decisions through one funnel instead of three, and why writing down roles and responsibilities saved the business. He talks about the systems that allow any team member to pick up where another left off, the weekly coordination meetings that keep projects on track, and the balance between over-committing to impress clients and burning out trying to deliver.

You'll also hear why Moussa believes scaling culture is harder than scaling capacity, how early engagement with clients shifts the relationship from consultant to partner, and the long-term vision for building a firm where engineers want to stay for their entire careers. This is an honest look at the messiness of growth, the importance of having hard conversations early, and what it takes to build systems that actually work when the unexpected inevitably happens.

What does it take to start a business at 20, in the middle of a pandemic, and turn it into one of Australia’s leading fire compliance companies?

Aleks Culic is the founder of Projects Fire, a passive fire compliance company he launched in 2020 while most of his peers were still at university. By spotting a gap in the market and backing himself, Aleks built a business that now employs over 20 people and delivers complex fire safety solutions across the country. Known for his strong technical capability and commitment to doing things right, he has earned a reputation for integrity and innovation in one of construction’s most safety-critical fields.

In this conversation, Aleks shares how an early focus on emotional intelligence helped shape his leadership and decision-making from day one. He discusses what it means to build credibility at a young age, the lessons learned from rapid growth, and how he transitioned from working solo to leading a joint-venture team of 23. Aleks also opens up about the challenges of scaling systems, managing older teams, and maintaining quality as Projex Fire continues to grow.

If you have ever wondered whether you are too young or too uncertain to start your own business, Aleks’s story is proof that belief, integrity, and a relentless work ethic can overcome any doubt. This episode is for every entrepreneur determined to do things the right way, even when no one is watching.

Episode Highlights

(00:00) Meet Aleks Culic: Founder of Projects Fire

(10:00) Lessons from Mentorship and Emotional Coaching

(12:00) Scaling Through Partnership and Trust

(15:00) Managing Rapid Growth and Systems Under Pressure

(25:00) Developing Processes for Quality and Compliance

(28:00) Leading Older Teams with Confidence and Respect

(33:00) Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

Connect with Aleks Culic https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleks-culic-bb0756138/

Connect with Rick Merten https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickmerten

Subscribe to the Newsletter https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-out-with-rick-6956089421838307328/

Andrew Gall walked away from a secure engineering career to challenge the industry’s biggest perception problem: that engineers are box-ticking cost centres rather than creative partners in design.

Andrew is the founding director of ARGALL, a structural and civil consultancy based in Melbourne, with over 15 years of technical expertise and an entrepreneurial mindset. He has positioned ARGALL as the partner of choice for progressive architects, developers, and councils across Australia. The firm is recognised for its next-generation thinking, combining sustainability, creativity, and operational maturity to deliver award-winning projects.

If you’re an engineering leader looking to grow without losing your values, this conversation is a blueprint for scaling smart, building a team that thinks differently, and proving that structural engineering can deliver both creativity and commercial success.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Meet Andrew Gall: Founder of ARGALL (05:25) Next Generation Thinking in Practice (13:48) Scaling Argall Without Compromising Values (17:42) Transitioning from Technical Expert to Business Leader (33:10) Building a Strong Team with DISC Profiling (37:21) Future Vision and Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Connect with Andrew Gall

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrgall/

Connect with Rick Merten

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickmerten

Subscribe to the Newsletter

https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-out-with-rick-6956089421838307328/

Engineering Success is an InsideOut Group production.

--------------------------------

Get our latest insights on marketing wisdom and SME success tips.

Subscribe: https://insideoutgroup.com.au/#letstalk

Our thinking: https://insideoutgroup.com.au/blog/

Our work: https://insideoutgroup.com.au/case-studies/

Join the conversation: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insideout-group/

#b2bmarketing #sme #smallbusinessmarketingtips #businesstips #businesspodcast