Making Chips and Modern Machine Shop are teaming up for a new series called Machine Shop MBA—designed to help manufacturers measure their success against the industry’s best. Through the lens of the Top Shops benchmarking program, the series explores the KPIs that set high-performing shops apart, from machine utilization and first-pass yield to employee engagement and revenue per employee. If you’re ready to optimize operations, build a stronger team, and boost profitability, this series is for you. Don’t miss out—tune in and take the first step toward becoming a Top Shop.
MakingChips Episodes
Machine Shop MBA: How to Become a Top Shop with Brent Donaldson, 456
What if you could measure your shop’s success against the industry’s best—and discover exactly where you can improve? In this episode, we’re launching a groundbreaking new series with Modern Machine Shop to help you do just that. We’re joined by Brent Donaldson, who walks us through the powerful Top Shops program—a game-changing benchmarking tool that reveals everything from machine utilization to employee engagement.
Breaking Boundaries: Building the Entrepreneurial Mindset, 457
In this episode of MakingChips, we dive into the entrepreneurial mindset, drawing inspiration from three of the most influential figures in modern business: Titan Gilroy, Elon Musk, and Steve Jobs.
Shop Formation 101: Entity Types, Tax Traps, and Long-Term Strategy, 458
In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, we go beyond vision boards and get into the meat and potatoes of launching your shop legally—with the right entity type and structure to support your short and long-term goals.
The Legal + Financial Stuff No One Warns You About When Starting a Machine Shop, 459
In this episode of MakingChips, we pick up where part one left off and get granular with the real-life process of starting your shop the right way.
Funding Your Dream Shop: Creative Ownership Strategies You Haven’t Heard Yet, 460
Dreaming of owning your own machine shop but hitting a wall when it comes to the money? You’re not alone—and you’re definitely not out of options. In this episode of MakingChips’ Machine Shop MBA series, host Mike Payne sits down with Jon Hughes, Principal and CFO Consultant at CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), to unpack what it really takes to fund a manufacturing business in today’s economy.
Machines Are Just the Start (How to Build a Shop That Lasts), 461
If you’re in the trenches of manufacturing like we are—running a shop, growing a business, or even dreaming of starting your own—this episode is going to hit home. We’re diving deep into the real challenges and choices that come with equipping a machine shop. It’s not just about what machine to buy; it’s about how to make smart, future-proof decisions that keep your business agile and competitive.
The Tech Stack Advantage: Turning Software into a Sales Tool for Machine Shops, 465
In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, we are joined by returning guest and digital strategy expert Bryce Barnes to unpack why your software decisions might matter more than your next CNC machine purchase. They explore how an intentional, integrated digital backbone isn’t just for managing data—it’s about accelerating sales, boosting throughput, and future-proofing your shop.
The Sales Mindset Shift: How to Grow Current, Dormant, and New Accounts, 466
This might be one of the most important conversations we’ve had in the Machine Shop MBA series—because we’re unpacking a mindset that quietly limits the growth potential of so many shops: the “cashier model.”
From Invisible to Irresistible: Marketing That Actually Attracts Work, 467
In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, Nick, Mike, and Paul sit down with Joe Sullivan, co-founder of Gorilla 76 and host of The Manufacturing Executive podcast, to break down the strategy behind smart marketing for job shops.
Profit Starts with the Quote: Estimating Smarter for a Stronger Shop, 468
If your quotes are based on outdated spreadsheets, rough guesses, or a “that’s what we’ve always charged” mindset, you might be setting your shop up to fail—before the first chip falls. In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, we tackle one of the most common (and costly) problems in manufacturing: bad quoting.
Managing Orders From Setup to Shipment—Without Losing Control, #470
Planning a job is one thing—getting it through the shop without chaos is something else entirely. In part two of our Managing Orders series, we move beyond quoting and scheduling to the messy reality of production: where kitting falls short, setups go long, expectations don’t match reality, and quality gets squeezed when time runs out.
Shop Floor Greatness Starts at the Top: Inside the Top Shops Culture at Major Tool, 471
What does it take to run one of the top-performing machine shops in the country? In this episode of MakingChips, we sit down with Kevin Bowling, COO of Major Tool & Machine, to find out exactly what drives their success—and why it all starts with people.
SWIT the Details: How Top Shops Nail Quality Control, 476
Let’s be real—every shop says they make quality parts. But doing it consistently? That’s a whole different game. In this episode of the MakingChips Machine Shop MBA series, we break down what it actually takes to build—and sustain—excellence in quality control.
Audit-Ready Always: Building a World-Class QMS That Actually Works, 477
If you think quality management is just about passing audits, think again. In this episode of MakingChips, we’re joined by Jess Teasdale—a true QMS expert and certified lead auditor in both AS9100 and ISO 13485—to break down what it really takes to build a world-class quality system. Whether you’re running a two-person job shop or leading a growing operation aiming for medical or aerospace work, we consider this your QMS MBA.
Audit-Ready Always: Building a World-Class QMS That Actually Works (Part II), 478
In Part 2 of our conversation with certified lead auditor Jess Teasdale, we dig deeper into what it really takes to build an efficient, audit-ready quality management system (QMS). If you caught Part 1, you heard us talk through the big picture: certifications, audits, and what separates a good QMS from a bad one. This time, we’re getting tactical.
What’s the Secret to Happy Customers?, 480
At the heart of every successful machine shop isn’t just the parts it produces—it’s the experience it delivers to its clients. In this episode of MakingChips (part of our Machine Shop MBA series), we sit down with Andy Reinwald, President of Ripley Machine, to unpack what it really takes to deliver an excellent client experience in manufacturing.
The Gold Standard of Shop Finance: Cash Flow, Profit, and Growth, 481
Running a machine shop isn’t just about cutting chips—it’s about managing the numbers that make the whole operation possible. In this Machine Shop MBA episode of MakingChips, the team sits down with Jon Hughes of CLA to tackle one of the most overlooked yet critical parts of shop ownership: financial strategy.
Building a Winning Team: Matt Wardle’s Blueprint for Machine Shop Success, 483
Every machine shop leader knows you can buy the best equipment, implement cutting-edge automation, and have bulletproof processes—but without the right team and culture, growth will stall. In this episode of MakingChips Machine Shop MBA, we talk with Matt Wardle, President of JD Machine, about how he transformed a small Utah shop into a 210-person powerhouse by prioritizing people and culture over everything else.
Strategic Growth & Vision: Building a High-Performing Machine Shop with Peter Doyle, 485
In this special MakingChips Machine Shop MBA episode, we sit down with Peter Doyle—CEO of Hirsh Precision—to unpack what it takes to grow and transform a machine shop with purpose. From his roots as an Air Force officer to leading a former Top Shops award winner, Peter has blended strategy, structure, and heart into a roadmap any shop leader can learn from.
Leadership at the Core: Building Trust, Systems, and People with Kyra Tillman, 486
In this episode of MakingChips—Machine Shop MBA, hosts Paul Van Metre and Jen Dubose sit down with Kyra Tillman, owner of BTM Industries, to explore what real leadership looks like on the shop floor and in the front office.
Winning the Talent War: Recruitment, Retention, and Culture with Mike Tamasi, 487
In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, we are joined by guest co-host Jon Franko and special guest Mike Tamasi, CEO of AccuRounds, a former Top Shops award winner for Human Resources.
Maximizing Profitability with Advanced Financial Tools (The Financial Playbook Every Machine Shop Needs), 489
In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, we sit down with Jon Hughes, Erik Skie, and Mike Estes from CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) to unpack the financial principles that separate high-performing shops from those that just get by. Together, they dig into how manufacturers can transform their accounting systems from mere compliance tools into strategic assets that fuel growth.