Titu Botos, Co-founder & VP Engineering at NeuronicWorks Inc.
Ph.D. in Mobile Robots Guidance
Master of Science in Instrumentation and Control
Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering.
Down Memory Lane...
In January 2009, Simona Botos and Titu Botos, co-founders of NeuronicWorks Inc. decided to start their journey as entrepreneurs by helping other companies bring their products to life. Today, 10 years later, they have grown the company into a powerful design and engineering house with more than 150 successfully completed projects across multiple industries. The decade has come with rewarding experiences, lessons and challenges. We have interviewed Titu Botos to learn more about this journey and share it with you.
Tell us about NeuronicWorks and how it all started.
It started with a simple idea -- to design a product, mass produce the resulting system and basically start a new company in the process. However, it did not go as planned… does it ever? Having only the engineering side, and no marketing or selling experience, we soon ran out of steam. We were left with a functional prototype of a product far too advanced for the times, but we proved that we could build things out of nothing. That and the love for design prompted us with the inspiration to start our own design and engineering consultancy.
What inspired you to start you own company?
The desire to do better, and the assurance that we can do better. As in better designs, better performance, more reliable products.
What has been the main challenge you have faced as an entrepreneur?
To match my dreams with my means. It is easy to dream big. It is another thing altogether to envision, plan and execute.
When did you know you had achieved success?
Have we? Most of the time, the day-to-day struggle is contradicting that. However, let me define what success means to us. Success is a working design or product. Success is a smiling customer, it is a returning customer. It is retaining customers for 4, 5, even 6 years. It is a good referral from a customer, sometimes even without asking for it. Success is paying salaries every month for the last 120 months without exception. It is having our designers and engineers coming to work every day. It is having them working with us for years in spite of head-hunters’ pings ;-). It is having our people shaking my hand every day before they leave for home. Success is learning together. It is the small social events we have internally. It is the ping-pong table, although I hardly ever win a match! It is the laughs we have together. It is planning the future together. Success is all these little things combined!
Which has been the most rewarding experience during these 10 years?
Our constant growth. The constant positive delta that we have every year. That and the small successes we have every day are the most rewarding experiences.
Which has been your biggest lesson?
To respect people, family, colleagues at work, customers. In that order. I am still learning to interact with people. Far more challenging and in the end far more rewarding than any of my hardware designs!
What is your vision for the next years?
To grow NeuronicWorks into a world class engineering and design house.
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who are starting their business?
Run slow. However, never give up. Say “yes” and smile all the time. Always build bridges. Respect and help others.