Meet Ben, Managing Director and Principal Engineer at Epiphany Engineering | BizFaces

Meet Ben Hillard, Managing Director and Principal Engineer at Epiphany Engineering. As well as engineering design consultancy, Ben is passionate about surfing, martial arts and Salsa. Discover more about what makes Ben’s business buzz in the interview we had with him back in February at our Littlehampton centre. 

Can you tell us about your service?

My business is a mechanical engineering design consultancy, and we tackle engineering for pretty much everything except buildings. So anything made of metal, plastics or composites, we will design it for you.

At the moment there’s a total of six of us, but we work with a network of contractors. These are people I’ve worked with in the past, so when the work goes up, I know I can rely on their services and pull them in on a contractual basis. I try to give as much work to my friends as possible.

When did you start your business and why?

I started Epiphany Engineering in 2010 as a result of not being able to get any work on the permanent job market after the financial crash in 2009. Everybody was just hiring contractors, so a lot of those jobs were purely on a contract basis, not PAYE. 

I had no choice but to start my own company. I thought at the time, “why not start a consultancy?” So while I was taking on contract roles, I started building up my client base for the consultancy.

What sets your business apart from others?

Epiphany is different because of the approach we take. Everything I do boils down to completing the job in as simple a form as possible because engineering can become extremely complicated – it’s essentially intricate problem-solving.

What we try to do is separate all the complex parts and break them down into simple forms. From there, we take a holistic approach and fix the problem in one straightforward move.

What were some of your early challenges?

The main early challenge was finding new clients. As an engineer, you’re taught how to solve engineering problems. You’re not taught how to generate sales.

So that has been a very steep learning curve, I never had any training for it, so it’s something I’ve had to learn the hard way.

What’s a recent success or hurdle your business has overcome?

So, last year was the biggest year ever for my company. We successfully converted two diesel double-decker buses for Alexander Dennis to full-electric for driveline testing. Since the challenges were mostly time-based, we didn’t get to refine the design entirely.

It was a case of ‘this is our best guess, let’s run it through the stress analysis and find out if the answer comes back okay’ – which it did! As soon as that came back, we pushed the design through to production and installed it on-site. 

We put in all the hours under the sun to get the project across the line. Those buses are now in Toronto in field testing.

What’s next on the horizon for your business?

Next on the horizon is controlling our workflow to avoid fluctuating from being boom to bust. I would definitely like to chase some bigger projects, keeping my pipeline varied and exciting. 

How long have you been with BizSpace?

I have been at my local BizSpace for over a year now, just over 14 months.

Why did you choose BizSpace?

I chose BizSpace having worked for several green startups in London. BizSpace is like a little slice of what I experienced while working up there, with personality and quirk. Also, my house is two minutes and forty-three seconds in that direction [points].

What are your top 3 tips for people wanting to start their own business?

As Managing Director at his company, Ben can help others thinking of starting their own business. Here are his top three tips:

• Get a good accountant

• Book holidays
  If you don’t, you’ll just end up working all the time.
• Make the most of what you have

So even though it’s hard if you’re working long hours, appreciate that you’re not doing that for somebody else lining their pockets. 

Discover more about BizSpace

Ben’s office space is at BizSpace Littlehampton, a place he refers to as “a little slice of London” thanks to its personality.
BizSpace offers flexible, affordable workspaces in over 100 sites across the UK.
If you’re interested in joining our community of thinkers, makers, planners and doers at Bizspace, find a BizSpace location near you.