Civil Engineering September 2021 | Vol 29 No 8

Civil Engineering September 2021 53 However, I do believe that for both large and small companies to be sustain- able, the fee issue needs to be addressed. Regardless of the size of the organisation, working at extremely low rates means that you often find two people doing the job of five people to stay within budget. In addition, there is no room for innovation and mentorship. SMEs then find it very difficult to build up a reserve of funds for when work is low. I think government and the engi- neering industry need to be made fully aware of the importance of innovation and of having properly skilled engineers working on projects. This would in turn drive the change to ensure proper fees are offered on engineering projects. What is your advice to new business owners and hopeful entrepreneurs? NN Entrepreneurship is amazing, but it comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. You have the ability to structure your life and business to your own needs and goals and your earning potential is uncapped, but also uncertain. Starting a business can be stressful, time consuming and lonely if you don’t have a good support structure, and you will need to develop a thick skin. It is therefore important that you fully understand why you want to pursue this path because that is what will keep you motivated. There will be hard times and you need to stay focused to get to the reward at the end. As a small start-up, it can be difficult to find work without a proven track record and you have to be innovative in how you try to build up your experience profile until such a time that you can tender for your own work. They key is to create relationships with larger companies so that they can bring you onboard when there is an overflow of work. It is also important to have a specialised skill that you can market to these companies. Relationships are critical in business, and you cannot become successful on your strength alone. I am immensely grateful for the opportunities given to me by others because we are dependent on others in the industry to help us to grow. I believe there are three things that are critical not only to entrepreneurs, but anyone working in the industry: 1. Maintain good quality work because this is what represents you and your ability in the industry 2. Maintain good industry networks because relationships are the key to future work possibilities and also to providing an industry support struc- ture for your career and business 3. Maintain a good attitude because that’s what keeps you motivated (and no one wants to work with someone who has a bad attitude). These are the steppingstones to suc- cess, but the most important thing is to never lose yourself or compromise your integrity. I think government and the engineering industry need to be made fully aware of the importance of innovation and of having properly skilled engineers working on projects