We speak with so many brilliant folks across dozens of industries and when those folks happen to be working for someone else, sometimes we can’t help but wonder why they aren’t working for themselves. How do folks decide between joining a firm or starting their own? We posed the question to the community and have shared some of their responses below.

Sean Garland

When I first started out in the engineering industry, I gained experience working with different size firms. I began my career working for a state DOT, then transitioned to a large international design firm, and eventually worked as a consultant with a respected small design firm. I struggled to find the right cultural fit so I decided to create it. After working 16 years in our industry, I started Pont Engineering, Inc. from scratch in 2010 as the only full-time employee. Read more>>

Alain Lemaire

Before we started our catering company, me and my business partner both worked for different institutions in the hospitality, food and beverage industry. Once the desire to venture on own came, the ideal goal was to further our knowledge by working with companies that were doing exactly what we wanted to do. The decision was simple: if we were to be successful, we need hands on training and experience. Looking back, I still feel that joining the other firms were the best decisions we could’ve made because we gained the adequate knowledge and lots of experience before we went in deep on our own. Read more>>

Malory Atkinson

I started my firm with two partners. I feel like having business partners who have the same skin in the game as you can be an invaluable resource. Having two people to bounce ideas off of; elevate your strengths; and balance out your weaknesses. We had worked together previously and realized that we wanted to try something new and bold in our industry so we came together to become the first all women-owned and women-led structural engineering company in the state of Georgia (and one of only a few in the nation). Read more>>