Engineer Your Freedom
The cover of Engineer Your Freedom by Michael Groselle, P.E.: the title in tall navy letters over a misty mountain with pines, and a navy band reading The manual for building a practice that fits your life.

Michael Groselle, P.E.

Engineer Your Freedom

The manual for building a practice that fits your life

This book shows you how to build an engineering practice from zero, without a business degree, a mentor, or a roadmap that applies to what we do.

Buy the paperback on Amazon · $17.19Read Chapter 1 free

Sold on Amazon. Prefer the Kindle edition? Buy it on Amazon ($9.99).

since
2017
revenue
$2M+ / yr
projects
300+
team
40+
states
9

The book at a glance

For
Licensed engineers thinking about their own practice, and owners of small firms that still run through them
Not for
Anyone looking for a get-rich plan or a startup playbook
Formats
Paperback $17.19 · Kindle $9.99, on Amazon
Author
Michael Groselle, P.E., founder of Modern Engineering Solutions

Contents

  1. Chapter 1: The Journey BeginsFree to readLeaving corporate engineering, and why traditional business advice fails professionals who are the product.
  2. Chapter 2: Are You Ready? When to Branch OutA readiness check: the signs you are ready, the warning signs you are not, and what must be in place before the leap.
  3. Chapter 3: The No-Shit FundamentalsThe personal systems that keep the owner running: your body and mind are the infrastructure under the whole business.
  4. Chapter 4: Building Your Foundation: Business KnowledgeThe financial literacy, accounting basics and key metrics that keep a new practice out of expensive mistakes.
  5. Chapter 5: Finding Your Focus: ICP and Niching DownHow to define your ideal clients, and why specialization is the fastest path to premium pricing.
  6. Chapter 6: Getting Started: First Revenue and ClientsHow to land your first projects and build credibility before you have a portfolio.
  7. Chapter 7: Systems and Processes: Working On vs. Working InThe five systems every practice needs (bookkeeping, file storage, collaboration, CRM, phone) and when to set up each.
  8. Chapter 8: AI and Modern ToolsReports, proposals and deliverables in hours instead of days, with your engineering judgment intact.
  9. Chapter 9: Protecting Your Time: The Zone vs. The ChaosSeparating proactive from reactive work, and protecting your focused engineering time.
  10. Chapter 10: The Two Critical First HiresWhy the executive assistant and the technician matter most, and which to hire first.

What readers say

  • Mike has distilled the essential elements required to build a successful engineering practice. Not a “this is how we’ve always done it” approach. Rather, Mike lets us in on mistakes and triumphs along his journey of building a cutting edge … practice from the ground up. A must read for any professional entrepreneur who wants to be relevant in today’s market.

    Seth Mize, P.E.Owner and civil engineer

    P.E. reviewer

  • As a PE and one of three partners running a small engineering firm, this book speaks directly to the realities of building a practice in its most critical stages. [It] clearly lays out common pitfalls, hard-earned lessons, and practical ideas that can propel a business beyond survival to true sustainability and success. A must-read for anyone pursuing the freedom of their own practice.

    Mike Brungardt, P.E.Partner and senior electrical engineer

    P.E. reviewer

  • I liked the personal stories Michael told about building his firm. His writing style is very relatable. Most books on building a business seem geared towards Silicon Valley startups and nothing like building an engineering firm. Michael’s book fills that gap. I took a lot of notes on how I can improve my business.

    Kindle Customer

  • Wow! This book was so insightful and helpful! As a young professional kick starting my career this book taught me so much more about the real world than school ever did. Highly recommend if you are looking to start a business or just wanting to learn more about how to be successful.

    Chandler Nelson

Read all 7 reviews

Read Chapter 1 free

A dirt field in Wyoming, a boss who said no, and a resignation letter sent the next morning. Chapter 1 tells that story, and why generic business advice never worked for licensed professionals.

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Michael Groselle smiling and holding a copy of Engineer Your Freedom.

About Mike

Michael Groselle, P.E., is the founder of Modern Engineering Solutions, a multi-state water and wastewater engineering firm. He left salaried engineering in 2017 and built the firm from one resignation letter and zero clients to more than $2M in annual revenue, with 40+ team members and 300+ completed projects.

More about Mike

  • Drone view of a new wastewater treatment plant under construction, a steel frame over concrete basins on a graded site, with a reservoir and a mountain behind.
    A new wastewater treatment plant under construction, Routt County, Colorado
  • A finished lift station enclosure on a concrete pad beside a standby generator and a rock-lined swale, with a highway beyond.
    Completed wastewater lift station, Brighton, Colorado
  • Overhead drone view of an excavator digging a pipeline trench along a fence line on red rangeland.
    Trenching for a relocated waterline, Sweetwater, Texas

Buying for your firm?

Ten or more copies for your team, a class or an event? Tell Mike how many and when you need them, and he will reply with options.

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