A passion for bicycling led California computer engineer Jim Finlayson to the Midwest several years ago for the legendary Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). In turn, that ride led to the creation of a company far removed from his engineering training, but it ultimately forged a better engineer.

"There were enthusiastic people with lots of energy, ideas, and dreams on the great ride across Iowa," Finlayson recalls. The week-long journey covers nearly 500 miles and attracts over 10,000 riders each year. "It was a moveable party and a complete escape from the corporate world. It was a time to fantasize about what you could do."

One of the dynamic dreamers on that ride was a young New York fashion designer, and when she and Finlayson met, they shared a dream. Soon afterwards, that dream became a new company, SheBeest, which designs and markets high-performance women's cycling clothing. The impetus to turn that dream into reality, he says, came simply because they could. "It seemed like a good idea. We live in the land of opportunity. We have possibilities," he relates. They also had a friend "who lived the sport. In a naïve way, we thought, Œlet's get into the business.'"

Finlayson, 48, wasn't willing to give up his career in computer engineering, however, or the financial stability it afforded. Consequently, he split his energy between his profession and shepherding SheBeest into a national brand. "The concept of a standard work day goes away. There are never enough days, and the day never stops," Finlayson comments.

Professionally, Finlayson works as a member of the senior technical staff in the high-volume printing systems division of Xerox in El Segundo, California. "We build software to create and manage production and transaction printing for clients that include banks, utilities, and insurance companies," he states.

Computer engineering and fashion design could hardly differ more, yet a delightful synergy emerged that benefited the engineer as well as the growing company. The logical thought processes engineers bring to their work proved invaluable in shaping SheBeest into a viable company. Creativity and industry knowledge are vital, but so is business sense, as any venture capitalist will attest. The fashion designer brought the creativity and knowledge of the fashion industry to the company. "I provided the logical thought to balance artistic ideas, along with the technical skills that allowed the business to take advantage of computers early on. In those days we had a computer network of two PCs, and some of our competitors were impressed," Finlayson says.

The lessons learned from that endeavor have spilled over into Finlayson's engineering life. "Suddenly, it became clear that management had a purpose other than making demands on engineers," he says. "I decided I like being on the technical side of the business."

Finlayson's business experience had benefits beyond that personal revelation, however. "I think differently," he explains. "Having been in business and engineering, I have a better understanding of the difference between good ideas and sellable ideas," adding that some of his favorite Xerox projects never made it to market, possibly because they weren't sellable. Additionally, "My view of the printing business is much broader now, and I see opportunities I never would have paid attention to before."

At the heart of this change lies the insight that what may seem a logical approach to a software problem for an engineer may not work from the user's perspective. That frustration with software engineers, in fact, initially led Finlayson to the field of computer engineering. As he tells it, "I used to work for a major oil company and couldn't find decent software to manage hazardous material data sheets." He changed careers and earned a master's degree in computer engineering from California State University at Long Beach, with the goal of designing a better materials safety data sheet management system. He never actually designed that software. Instead, he joined Xerox and began to learn the intricacies of the high-speed printing market.

Then, "When I tried my own business, I once again had to use others' software and had unkind thoughts about the people who wrote it," Finlayson remembers. "Now, I sit at my desk and wonder whether what we create will cause a user to have unkind thoughts about us. I realize that what we call a minor bug and will be fixed in the next release may actually cause a major headache for a user."

If given the chance to do it all over again, would Finlayson plunge into the business? The jury is still out. He describes guiding the startup of SheBeest as "an act of passion. It was an opportunity to do something not related" to his daily routine. But, in hindsight, "It's not always good to turn a hobby into a business," he says recalling an 18-month period where he only rode his bike twice. Sometimes, he says, turning a hobby in to a business "can take the fun out of the hobby."

Progressive Engineer
Editor: Tom Gibson
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©2006 Progressive Engineer