Former electrician, now working in the design sector — exploring whether to build a service business or a tool for sparkies

[Dec1815]

Hi everyone — my name’s Dec. I was an electrician by trade, but I’ve since transitioned into the engineering sector doing EC&I, distribution, and building services design.


I'm now at a point where I want to build something of my own — and I’m torn between two ideas:

1. A flexible, service-based business providing fast, affordable cable sizing, circuit design, and documentation for electricians, small firms, or contractors who don’t want to do the calcs themselves.
2. A micro SaaS app — basically a simple, mobile-friendly alternative to Trimble ProDesign, aimed at sparkies who just need quick BS7671-compliant answers for volt drop, cable size, Zs, etc., without paying a fortune or dealing with full design suites.

I’ve spoken to a few sparkies already and got some good early feedback, but I’d love to hear from people here who’ve worked in either role — whether you’re an electrician, QS, designer, or engineer.


Would you personally find value in a done-for-you design service? Or would you rather use a tool and keep control in-house?


I’m not here to sell anything — just trying to figure out where I can create real value before committing to one path.


Thanks for any thoughts, and I’m always open to chat or take advice from people who’ve gone independent.


– Dec