Machine Shop Growth

Your shop isn’t struggling because you’re too expensive.
It might be struggling because you’re still pricing like you’re afraid.

In this episode of the Machine Shop Growth Podcast, Mike Fritz breaks down one of the most dangerous habits in manufacturing:

USING PRICE AS YOUR MAIN SALES STRATEGY.

A lot of shops think lowering prices wins more work.
But in reality, it often wins the wrong work.

Mike shares why shops without a niche are forced to compete on price, how underpriced jobs quietly destroy your margins, and why “cheap work” can end up being the most expensive work you ever take on.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why a shop without a niche is always left arguing on price
• How bad pricing creates chaos, burnout, and cash flow pressure
• Why quality and delivery matter more than being the cheapest
• How to find your differentiator and attract better-fit customers
• Why profitable growth starts with disciplined quoting

And here’s the twist:

One of Mike’s shops increased the price on a part by nearly 80%…
 and got the PO back almost immediately.

That moment says a lot about what customers are really buying.

If your shop is constantly busy but still feels squeezed, this episode will help you rethink pricing, quoting, and what it really takes to grow.

Subscribe to our weekly format:
Sales & Marketing — 1st & 3rd Tuesdays
Operations & Engineering — 2nd & 4th Tuesdays
Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a review—it helps more shop owners find the show.

The skilled labor shortage didn’t happen by accident.

We built it.

In this episode of the Machine Shop Growth Podcast, Kirk Phelps sits down with Andrew Skoog of Machinist X to unpack one of the hardest questions in manufacturing:

How did we let the skilled machinist pipeline get this thin — and what do we do now?

They dig into the real causes behind the shortage:

• offshoring and trade shifts
• generational gaps in the shop
• gatekeeping of tribal knowledge
• negative industry messaging
• poor mentorship and broken career paths

But this conversation doesn’t stop at the problem.

It goes into what actually needs to change if manufacturing wants to win the next decade — from how we train and promote people, to how we talk about the trade, to why AI still won’t replace real machinists.

You’ll also hear:

• why the “dying trade” narrative is dead wrong
• what separates operators from skilled machinists
• why effort and initiative still matter more than ever
• how collaboration may be the missing piece in rebuilding the workforce

And here’s the twist:

The shortage may actually create one of the best long-term opportunities this industry has seen in years… but only for the shops and people willing to adapt.

If you care about the future of manufacturing, this is an episode you need to hear.

The Truth About Aerospace Work for Machine Shops

Aerospace manufacturing is often seen as the ultimate growth opportunity for machine shops. Higher margins, better customers, and long-term contracts.

But here’s the reality:

Aerospace isn’t just another industry. It’s a completely different way of running your shop.

In this episode of the Machine Shop Growth Podcast, Mike Fritz sits down with Dan Echternkamp of AeroGrowth to break down how machine shops can actually get into aerospace and defense work without overcomplicating the process or making costly mistakes.

We cover:

• How to get aerospace work for your machine shop
• Whether you really need AS9100 certification to start
• Why can many shops enter aerospace industry without 5-axis machining
• The difference between aerospace vs OEM margins
• How to build relationships with aerospace companies
• The importance of GD&T, inspection, and documentation
• Why cash flow (not capability) is the biggest risk
• How to grow into aerospace without overbuilding your business

If you’re a machine shop owner, operator, or manufacturing leader looking to grow your business, increase margins, and break into aerospace machining or defense manufacturing, this episode gives you a clear and practical starting point.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to position your shop for higher-value work.

Young people aren’t avoiding manufacturing because they hate it.

Most of them simply don’t know it exists as a career path.

In this episode of the Machine Shop Growth Podcast, Kirk Phelps sits down with Mike Franz of Shop Floor Coffee to explore why fewer young people are entering the manufacturing industry — and what shop owners can do to change that.

They discuss the real reasons behind the talent gap and how awareness, community engagement, and leadership inside the shop all play a role in attracting the next generation of workers.

You’ll learn:

• Why manufacturing still struggles with outdated perceptions
• How robotics competitions and STEM programs are feeding the future workforce
• Why parents and teachers influence career decisions more than most people realize
• How shop culture impacts whether young employees stay or leave
• Why machine shops need to market to future workers — not just customers

Manufacturing offers incredible career opportunities.

But if the next generation doesn’t see it, they’ll never choose it.

Subscribe to our weekly format:

Sales & Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
Operations & Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a review — it helps more shop owners discover the show.

You don’t need more leads.
You need the right customers.

In this episode, Mike Fritz breaks down one of the most important strategic decisions you’ll ever make for your machine shop: defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

Most shops call themselves “job shops” and try to serve everyone. The result?
Price pressure.
Clogged capacity.
Inconsistent margins.

Your ICP changes that.

We cover how to:

• Identify your most profitable work using your last 50–100 jobs
• Stop saying “we make stuff” and start positioning your shop strategically
• Use ICP to filter RFQs and protect your capacity
• Align your marketing, hiring, quoting, and equipment decisions around the right customers

And one of the biggest takeaways:
Your biggest customer is not always your ideal customer.

If you want clearer messaging, stronger margins, and a shop that grows intentionally instead of reactively — this episode is for you.

Subscribe to our weekly format:
Sales & Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
Operations & Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a review — it helps more shop owners find the show.

Are you losing money on jobs in your machine shop without realizing it?

In this episode of the Machine Shop Growth Podcast, Mike Fritz and Kirk Phelps break down how to identify and fix the 20% of machine shop jobs that quietly destroy your profit margin. From legacy pricing and inaccurate burden rates to poor payment terms and customer concentration risk, we unpack the real reasons job shops struggle with profitability.

You’ll learn how to:

• Calculate your true machine shop burden rate
• Identify unprofitable jobs using simple time studies
• Decide when to blend margin vs. renegotiate pricing
• Protect cash flow from long payment terms
• Stay the solution for your customer — even if you don’t machine the part

Many manufacturing businesses think they have a sales problem.
 Often, they have a margin visibility problem.

If you run a machine shop, job shop, or manufacturing business and want to improve profitability without sacrificing customer relationships, this episode gives you a clear, practical framework to follow.

Because being busy isn’t the goal.
Being profitable is.

You don’t have an OEE problem.
You have a perfection problem.

In this episode, Kirk Phelps breaks down Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and challenges one of the most ingrained beliefs in machining: that zero scrap equals a high-performing shop.

We unpack Availability, Performance, and Quality—and explain how fear of scrap quietly kills throughput, adds downtime, and limits growth. This isn’t about being careless. It’s about understanding risk, planning for reality, and operating your shop like a system.

You’ll learn how to:

• Rethink scrap as a byproduct of manufacturing—not a failure
•  Identify how perfection erodes availability and throughput
•  Use OEE to see where capacity is really being lost
•  Apply standardization to reduce setup time and improve performance
•  Balance quality with risk management instead of fear

If your shop is busy, clean, and still stuck, this episode will change how you think about OEE—and what “good” really looks like.

Subscribe to our new 2026 weekly format:
Sales & Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
Operations & Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a review—it helps more shop owners find the show.

You don’t need more RFQs.
You need a better sales system.

In this episode, Mike Fritz sits down with Nick Goellner to break down what sales actually look like in manufacturing—and why most machine shops stall at the same revenue ceilings.

We cover the real difference between marketing and sales, why prospecting is always important (but rarely urgent), and how to grow without hiring a sales team or chasing bad-fit customers.

You’ll learn how to:

• Build a simple Top 10 target list
• Prospect consistently without sounding salesy
• Reduce customer concentration risk
• Sell like a partner, not a job shop

If your shop is busy but not breaking through, this episode gives you a practical, repeatable approach to growth.

Subscribe to our 2026 weekly format:
Sales & Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
Operations & Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a review—it helps more shop owners find the show.

You don’t need more machines.
You need to stop wasting capacity.

In this episode, Kirk Phelps breaks down why most shops misdiagnose growth problems and how operations—not sales—ultimately decide profitability. We dive deep into OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and explain how availability, performance, and quality reveal hidden capacity, wasted margin, and smarter paths to growth.

Learn how to:

• See where capacity is leaking inside your shop
• Stop defaulting to “more people, more machines”
• Use OEE to guide smarter planning, budgeting, and reinvestment
• Grow your bottom line before chasing top-line revenue

If you’re tired of being busy without getting ahead—and want a shop that’s profitable, disciplined, and intentional—this episode is for you.

Subscribe to our new 2026 format:
✅ Sales & Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
✅ Operations & Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
✅ Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a quick review—it helps more shop owners find the show.

2026 isn’t about staying busy—it’s about winning on purpose.

In this episode, Mike Fritz breaks down a simple, proven framework to grow your shop using Top Line, Bottom Line, and People. Learn how to clarify who your shop really is, cut loser parts, focus on winner work, and pull the lowest-effort, highest-impact levers for growth.

If you want to break through plateaus like the $2M ceiling and build a shop that’s profitable, scalable, and intentional—this episode is for you.

Subscribe to our new 2026 format:
✅ Sales/Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
✅ Operations/Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
✅ Bonus joint episodes on 5th Tuesdays

If this episode helps, please leave a quick review—it helps more shop owners find the show.