Meet the entrepreneur: Brendan McGrath

First published 3 December 2020

Brendan McGrath secured his first job in the automotive industry while studying a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Design at QUT. He now calls Los Angeles (California) home, where he runs a manufacturing start up in the high performance automotive and aerospace sector.

Recently named SEMA GEN III Innovator of the Year, Brendan joined us for our entrepreneurial alumni profile series.

In 10 words or less, describe your business: We use unique technology to manufacture hose and hydraulic prototypes.
How is it different to competitors? Dyme Performance Systems Inc. is a rapid hose and hydraulics manufacturer with patented technology to allow customers to order prototypes of an exact manufacturing part. After customers upload their specifications, we manufacture a tested replica of the part and express ship it worldwide.
How would you describe your target market? Our products are used in a diverse range of sectors and the technology is equally transferable. We started in the high performance automotive and aerospace sectors, and are also working with global hydraulics suppliers.

Brendan holding the Dyme Rattlesnake - a unique hose measuring toolkit for designing custom hose assembly parts
What are your biggest challenges? Securing startup capital in the US is not easy, and is even harder now with COVID-19. Until you are relatively established, banks won’t do very much for you aside from credit cards. So, I sold most of my assets to sustain us while we get going.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Offer your customers more value than they’d expect.
What’s the most difficult lesson you’ve learnt? While there is a lot that will be out of your control, there aren’t many insurmountable problems. Be humble and ask for help – most problems have been encountered before, and advice from a friend may be all you need to solve the issue.
What inspires and motivates you? I have great friends and family that have kept me on the right path all along. I am very appreciative for their support and encouragement at every step. I am also motivated to build a company that is focused on giving back, primarily through educational opportunities for those in our Los Angeles community. I am inspired to leave a legacy much bigger than my business.
What’s your greatest achievement? I think that it is I am welcome wherever I go and can talk to anyone, which is hugely important to me. In the start-up space, it's critical that my reputation precedes me. Everyone knows each other and talks, and a recommendation from a respected peer can be life changing. It's so important that people know you have integrity.
What impact would you like to have on the world? Education was the most impactful thing that happened to me. In my Industrial Design degree, I spent four years exchanging ideas and developing concepts with very talented and creative individuals. That experience shaped everything.. If I can foster opportunities like that for others, it will be a great personal achievement.
What’s one piece of advice that you would share with aspiring entrepreneurs? Just start. Try your ideas and learn what you need to so you can be successful. Time is precious, so the faster you can build and test your idea, or improve and start over, the better.