Hi everyone,

I don't even know the intent of this post. Maybe someone to read who I am or someone to mentor me.

ABOUT ME

AGE

I am exactly in my mid-30s.

EDUCATION

The highest level of education I received is a high school diploma. I also attended Lincoln Tech to study automotive mechanics.

CAREER

JOB 1: I worked for a Toyota dealer for some time but didn't find a career in mechanics to be fulfilling. I started at 18 years old with a wage of $15.00/hr in the year 2006.

JOB 2: Around that time, one of my customers who built industrial machinery offered me a job as an assembler of packaging machines. I started at 20 years old with a wage of $18.00/hr in the year 2008. After a year and a half, they closed their doors due to a major contract cancellation.

JOB 3: I started working as a factory line technician for a large corporation, where I was employee number 105. Long story short, I hated that place. I was fired for not calling out when my wife had a car accident. I was unemployed for more than 6 months and couldn't find a job. I started at 21 years old with a wage of $21/hr in 2010. I also got married at that time (I know, that is very young).

Side Business 1: I started fixing computers on the side to supplement my loss of income while I searched for a job. I was earning about $500-$1000 per month.

JOB 5: I found a job on Craigslist as an assembler for a small industrial automation company that specializes in a niche product line. I started at 23 years old with a wage of $22/hr in 2012.

Three months later, we bought our first home from a foreclosure for $200k at a 3.5% FHA loan.

CAREER ADVANCEMENT 1: I would work as an assembler for 10 to 12-hour shifts every day and most weekends to help get the orders out. I was offered the opportunity to learn designing on CAD and a chance to be moved into engineering for some basic designs. I was 25 years old with a wage of $24/hr in 2016.

CAREER ADVANCEMENT 2: I took on complex projects with a lot at stake. It was stressful as hell, but I overcame my fears and got it done. I also learned electrical and programming as a side project. I earned $36/hr in 2017.

CAREER ADVANCEMENT 3: After learning programming and electrical skills, I started building custom machines to make the factory more efficient. I earned $46/hr from 2019 to 2021.

Business Idea:

I developed a controller to make something that was very expensive significantly less expensive. To validate my controller, I started using it in the factory machines. I would like to sell this controller in the market but don't know how to go about it.

Side Hustle:

I work as a contractor for 2 days for my previous employer at $75/hr to supplement my income.

Current Financial Situation:

The house is paid off. I have no student debt. I have a car loan with a $26k balance at 0.90% interest. My wife makes $130k per year. We have enough emergency funds to get us by for 2 years.

I would like some direction on how to get this business off the ground. There are only 2 competitors in this space, each with an annual revenue of 10 million plus.