Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Engel
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started out in the automotive industry while I was in high school. My first job was car washer at a local BMW dealership. When choosing this role, I knew I had to go work for a company I was passionate about – I’ve always been a big car enthusiast and it was my grandfather that introduced me to the BMW brand.
Shortly thereafter I went to college – a small private school called Gustavus in southern Minnesota. I was ambitious with my goals of going pre-med with the hopes of being in neurosurgery. Two short semesters in and I was already dropping out (spring 2015).
Summer of 2015 meant I was back to the drawing board with figuring out what it is I wanted to do with my life. Something deep down pushed me back to BMW, albeit to a different BMW dealership.
I began my journey as a service greeter in late summer 2015, and by spring 2016, I was quickly promoted to ‘Genius’ (a product specialist role). While most of my colleagues remained in the same position for 2-3 years, I advanced faster due to my hard work and clear communication of my goals. During this time, I also took on responsibilities as a quasi-marketer, managing our social media accounts, creating content, and assisting with event planning—a role I thoroughly enjoyed. By winter 2016, I earned another promotion, this time to new car sales.
In my first few months, I was paired with their top salesman, Alex. Over several months, he taught me everything he knew about sales, from conducting needs analysis and active listening to making professional recommendations. I still credit Alex for many of the skills I continue to use today.
Not long after, I was approached by a high-end automotive repair shop to help them open a new location and take on a management role. I accepted, but soon realized the position wasn’t a good fit, both mentally and financially—I thrive with incentive-driven work.
Around this time, I connected with two other ambitious individuals. We spent a lot of time together, discussing the idea of leaving our jobs to start our own business. With each of us bringing different strengths to the table—my creative skills and their analytical and driven mindsets—we decided to go for it. We built the foundation of our marketing agency, quit our jobs on the same day, and ‘Venzo Group’ was born.
Our agency specialized in website development, SEO, and social media management, starting in a home office. Within 18 months, we moved into a shared workspace, grew our team from two to six, and took on clients from various industries (B2B, B2C, etc.). However, we noticed a pattern—our marketing style resonated most with businesses in the trades, such as remodelers, roofers, home builders, and landscapers.
By 2022, a major decision point arrived. My partner wanted to stay a generalist agency, while I saw the biggest opportunity in specializing in the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) sector. This difference in vision led to me buying him out and taking Vnzo (we had since dropped the ‘e’ and ‘Group’) in a more focused direction.
Vnzo AEC was born in spring of 2023.
In just 18 months, we’ve onboarded nearly 20 AEC firms as clients, marginally increased revenue while recovering from a challenging 2022, and assembled our most talented team yet—now 10 strong.
We’ve also expanded our services significantly, starting with brand strategy and offering full branding support before transitioning into ongoing marketing. This evolution has solidified our position as a trusted partner in the AEC industry, helping firms sharpen their brand and grow their business.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
1. Not specializing. When we were a generalist marketing agency, we were always pursuing clients in a myriad of different industries. This made it tough to build out a singular process with proven results, as each client type varied.
Once we specialized, we soon developed a codified methodology that works time and time again. This allowed us to build our portfolio more rapidly and make sales a lot easier.
2. Hiring too quickly. A lot of times we’d hire quick and end up firing quick. I soon learned to be careful with whom we brought on.
3. Financial woes. When I had a partner, he primarily handled the financial side of the business. My biggest regret was not paying closer attention to his responsibilities and learning more about that aspect. Looking back, I realize how valuable that knowledge would have been when I bought him out.
As you know, we’re big fans of Vnzo AEC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Vnzo AEC provides effective marketing solutions for architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
We specialize in brand strategy, identity development, and ongoing marketing initiatives that drive growth and increase visibility for the firms we work with.
What were you like growing up?
Personality
I’m a big believer in the Big 5 Personality Assessment – I strongly recommend any aspiring entrepreneur take it.
For those that don’t know, the Big 5 personality traits is a widely accepted model that measures five key dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (AKA “OCEAN”). It helps identify how individuals think, feel, and behave in various situations.
– Openness reflects creativity and curiosity.
– Conscientiousness measures organization and dependability.
– Extraversion gauges sociability and assertiveness.
– Agreeableness highlights compassion and cooperation.
– Neuroticism shows emotional stability or tendency towards stress.
Understanding myself better was critical in making the decision to either continue employment by someone else or to go out and start my own business.
My Big 5 personality traits reflect my drive and creativity: I rank in the 95th percentile for Openness and 98th for Extraversion, highlighting my love for new ideas and my ability to network / build awareness for my agency. I’m also highly conscientious (91st percentile), showing my commitment to hard work and organization. With low Neuroticism (3rd percentile), I can stomach the risk associated with entrepreneurship, while my Agreeableness (80th percentile) reflects my balance of compassion and collaboration.
Growing Up / Childhood
The one thing that stands out to me is my mom’s support and my dad’s objectiveness. My mom would tell me I could achieve anything as long as I worked at it, while my dad’s realism would bring things back down to earth a bit.
I played baseball my entire childhood and throughout high school. It taught me discipline, hard work, and how to be humble (my idol was Derek Jeter – I tried to emulate him as much as possible).
I always had a passion for cars and racing. My maternal grandfather was a huge car enthusiast and was also an entrepreneur. We were very close up until his passing when I was just 10. He is still the driving force in my life as I aspire to be the man he was.
Sense of Humor
I’ve been told I have a big personality… I love to make jokes. Whether it’s impressions, accents, or just funny voices – I always try to keep things light and refreshing. “We take our work seriously but never ourselves”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vnzoaec.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vnzoaec/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vnzoaec
