Mechanical Engineering graduate, Daniel Adonai, Class of 2014, gives advice on building a business, overcoming perfectionism, and creating opportunities.
Daniel Adonai completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Economics. Currently, he is a product manager at Google where he builds intelligence products. During his undergraduate studies, he was the President of NSBEMcMaster and the Academic Excellence Chair for NSBECanada.
He has founded two start-ups which he has successfully sold. He also ran his own product consulting business, where he helped multiple companies build new automation products and improve their online presence.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month is a month to be grateful for and to be reflective in, but I think there is more work to be done.
For Black people, every month is Black History Month. I would encourage everyone to be mindful of the contributions of Black people throughout the entire year.
How did you get to the role you are in today?
My journey is probably a unique case. I did my degree in Mechanical Engineering. Engineering is great—it equips you with the technical and analytical skills required to be successful. However, there were some gaps in my knowledge and I didn’t have much experience in other areas that make a business function as a whole (eg. sales, marketing, operations).
I started two e-commerce companies. These ventures allowed me to grasp a good understanding of many skills.
Whether you create an opportunity for yourself or work at a startup, there are always opportunities to gain experiences in any new field. Mine wasn’t a traditional path, but it’s definitely doable. Through it all, stay true to yourself and follow your interests.
What skills did you develop early in your career?
The biggest barrier to overcome is changing your mindset. It took me so long to start my first business because, in my mind, everything had to be perfect. I eventually realized a lot of the learning occurs after you start—you face problems, solve them, and iterate. That was the most efficient way to learn.
What makes a good business idea?
Make sure it’s something you’re interested in and has good margins. Find a niche; your idea should solve one problem and solve it well. This way you don’t need to invest too much upfront and you can expand as your market grows!
How do you market yourself?
Be genuine and show interest in learning. When you approach others, show interest in their work and develop a relationship. Be human, ask questions, and be friendly.
What do you think about some of the new equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives from McMaster Engineering including the new IBET Fellowship and the NSBE Scholarship?
I was part of NSBEMcMaster and I know the budget that NSBE had when I was there; it was not much at all. To see a scholarship come out of our prior work is huge and makes me very proud. I actually donated to the fund because it would have been able to help someone like me during school. My only critique is that it is only available for Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents, which does not apply to everyone. In fact, when I was applying to McMaster, I wouldn’t have qualified for the scholarship. It should be inclusive of all and hopefully these requirements can be dropped soon, so everyone can qualify and apply.
