Turning experience into impact

/ Contributed By Rodney Koch Today at 7:00 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article Community contributions Community contributions Unpaid content from readers. Lightly edited. The Trust Project What is this? After more than 30 years in engineering, product development, manufacturing, and operations leadership, I reached a point many experienced professionals eventually face: How can I put decades of knowledge and experience to work where they can make the greatest impact? For me, the answer was entrepreneurship. However, I struggled to find an easy guide on how to start my own business. Starting a business can feel overwhelming, but the process becomes manageable when broken down into practical steps: ADVERTISEMENT 1. Define the purpose and customer. Be clear about the problems you solve, who needs the solution and why your experience is valuable. 2. Choose and protect the name. Check name availability, select a professional domain and secure it through a registrar such as GoDaddy. 3. Select the business structure. Decide whether a sole proprietorship, LLC or corporation best fits the business, with guidance from legal and tax professionals when needed. 4. Register the company. File with your respective Secretary of State and obtain required federal and state tax identification numbers. 5. Build a credible presence. Create a clear website, professional email, LinkedIn presence and basic marketing materials that explain services and establish trust. Use your network! 6. Protect the business. Obtain appropriate general liability, professional liability and other insurance based on the services provided. 7. Establish sound business systems. Set up banking, accounting, contracts, recordkeeping, pricing and a process for managing expenses and taxes. ADVERTISEMENT 8. Build relationships and begin serving! Reconnect with professional contacts, listen to unmet needs and earn growth by delivering measurable value and referrals. Manufacturers in the region face nationwide pressures: workforce shortages, retiring technical talent, rising costs, safety and quality demands, and the need to increase throughput without sacrificing people or performance. I founded Koch Engineering & Consulting, LLC to create greater impact by helping multiple organizations rather than applying my experience within one company. My career has taken me from hourly production work to mechanical engineering, product design patents and executive leadership in multi-site manufacturing. I learned that sustainable improvement requires aligning people, processes and equipment. Consulting lets me bring that practical perspective to organizations needing focused expertise, independent assessment or experienced leadership for critical initiatives. Early in engineering college, an instructor told our class that the mark of a good engineer is using the tools available. That lesson has stayed with me. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is the newest tool in my toolbox. After becoming certified in AI as an emerging technology, I incorporated it into my work every day. I use AI to accelerate research, organize information, develop first drafts, analyze alternatives and improve communication. It does not replace engineering judgment, leadership experience or accountability. Used responsibly, AI saves time and enhances skills. Business leaders who ignore it risk surrendering a meaningful productivity advantage. Entrepreneurship after a long corporate career is not starting over. It is an exciting opportunity to build on everything I have learned—from technical expertise and leadership lessons to difficult decisions, successes, and failures — and put that experience to work for organizations in a broader and more meaningful way. If that work can benefit companies across North Dakota, throughout the country and around the world, then starting this business is the correct next chapter. Rodney Koch, PE, is president and principal consultant of Koch Engineering & Consulting, LLC. Drawing on more than 30 years of engineering and manufacturing leadership, he helps organizations improve safety, quality and throughput through practical plant assessments, operational excellence strategies, and hands-on implementation. Comments Share Share this article Community contributions Community contributions Unpaid content from readers. Lightly edited. The Trust Project What is this? 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