From Industrial To Marketing Data: The Story of Focalytics

Why I Left a Career in Engineering to Build a Business

My curiosity about how systems work has always driven my path. From the logic of a computer to the mechanics of a car's engine, I have always wanted to know how things work. This led me to a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, where I focused on fluid dynamics and factory management using data science.

During an internship at Mercedes-Benz, I gained hands-on experience with lean production. These principles aim to maximize value for the customer while minimizing waste. I noticed that software was becoming the most valuable part of the system, and high-quality data was increasingly more important than hardware. This insight led me to focus on building skills in data science and software engineering.

Through this work, I discovered a passion for building production-grade, reliable software. I taught myself algorithms and data structures, then became a software engineer, learning from senior engineers in my first full-time role.

Outside of work, I built increasingly complex side projects. But I learned an uncomfortable lesson: building a great product is not enough. The real bottleneck is distribution and finding the people who find your product valuable. I realized that a successful business requires much more than engineering excellence. It requires a deep understanding of marketing—identifying, attracting, and retaining customers.

The Pivot to a New Problem

This curiosity led me to my next challenge. I realized that building a business was the ultimate systems problem. It was an opportunity to apply everything I had learned about robust design and complex systems to a new domain. I began reading marketing books, listening to business podcasts, and, crucially, talking to marketing professionals about their challenges.

I found that the same systems mindset I had used in engineering could be applied to business. A recurring, high-stakes problem emerged in my conversations with marketing managers and CMOs: proving the ROI of their marketing spend.

They had dozens of tools and mountains of data, but connecting that data to revenue was a chaotic, manual process. They struggled to answer the most critical question from their CFO: "What are we actually getting for our money?"

That insight became the starting point for Focalytics.

The goal is not to build another tool, but to provide a clear path to financial clarity. We do this through the GTM & ROI Diagnostic, a fixed-scope service that creates an auditable system connecting marketing spend to sales outcomes. By applying a rigorous, systems-based approach, Focalytics provides the bridge between marketing activities and financial results, giving leaders the confidence to justify their budgets and drive real growth.

References

[1] Jeffrey K. Liker. 2004. The Toyota Way: 14 Managment Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer

[2] American Marketing Organization. 2022. The Four Ps of Marketing. https://www.ama.org/marketing-news/the-four-ps-of-marketing/