Robby Burton, 30, co-owns AG Drives, a drive shaft company in Green Bay. Blake Schultz, 23, is its director of business development. Robby’s grandfather started the company, and Blake’s dad worked for him. Both families have been in the business for decades.
When Robby took over, he was in his mid-twenties and brought in his friends from high school. None of them had formal business training. His garage was so full of parts he couldn’t park his car. He had a newborn at home. Some of the machining happened on a lathe in a friend’s backyard.
Now they have their own shop. This past year the business grew more than 300 percent.
*************
Link to Graff-Pinkert’s <a href="https://graffpinkert.com/Acquisitions-and-Sales">Acquisitions and Sales promotion!</a>
*************
Listen on your favorite podcast app using <a href="https://pod.link/1405366897/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly90b2RheXNtYWNoaW5pbmd3b3JsZC5jb20vP3A9NDYxMjA">pod.link.</a>
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<h2></h2>
<h1>Interview Highlights</h1>
<h2 id="learning-on-the-job">Learning on the Job</h2>
Robby’s path ran through engineering. He earned a two-year degree in mechanical design and spent five years as a drafter, designing rolls for the paper industry. When a big project fell apart during COVID, he lost his job.
His grandfather, 75 at the time, was still running AG Drives. Robby asked if they could work on it together. For a while he lived two lives: training as a machinist at another shop during the day, and learning the business from his grandfather at night. Nobody taught him how to run a company. He learned by doing it.
The machinist who trained him saw his engineering background as an advantage. Robby already knew the language and had nothing to unlearn.
<h2 id="running-a-business-with-your-friends">Running a Business With Your Friends</h2>
Five of AG Drives’ six employees were at the same high school at the same time. Blake went there too, a few years behind them. Robby and his co-owner, Zach, started out in a single bay, with Zach welding behind him while Robby ran a lathe. Today Zach runs assembly and Robby runs the machine shop. When I asked Robby how they divide roles he said that everyone else just does whatever needs doing.
I asked Robby whether it’s strange to be the boss of guys from his class. He doesn’t think so. It sounds like they have a lot of fun working together. When their building manager offered them furniture left behind by former tenants, the crew found old family photos in the pile and started hiding them in each other’s lockers.
<h2 id="the-one-with-the-degree">The One With the Degree</h2>
Blake has a business marketing degree from the University of Minnesota. The first thing he did at AG Drives was build the company’s website, and the phone started ringing almost immediately.
Even so, Blake told me he doesn’t think college is necessary to succeed today, except for careers like engineering, law and medicine. What he valued most from college was the network. When he built the AG Drives website, he sent it to former classmates for feedback, and one of his professors invited him back as a guest lecturer.
He always wanted to be an entrepreneur but never knew what to invent. “Sometimes you don’t have to invent anything,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to make a drive shaft.”
<h2 id="office-or-shop-floor">Office or Shop Floor</h2>
Robby still splits his time between the machines and the office. I asked if he’d ever step off the floor for good. His answer was that whatever he isn’t doing is what he wants to be doing. After weeks in the office, he wants to work with his hands. After weeks of cranking out parts, he’s happy to do CAD work and call customers.
Question: What do you do to make your business fun?
The post <a href="https://todaysmachiningworld.com/business-school-vs-learning-on-the-job-with-robby-burton-and-blake-schultz/">Business School vs. Learning on the Job, with Robby Burton and Blake Schultz-EP 276</a> appeared first on <a href="https://todaysmachiningworld.com">Today’s Machining World</a>.

Robby Burton, 30, co-owns AG Drives, a drive shaft company in Green Bay. Blake Schultz, 23, is its director of business development. Robby’s grandfather started the company, and Blake’s dad worked for him. Both families have been in the business for decades. When Robby took over, he was in his mid-twenties and brought in his friends from high school. None of them had formal business training. His garage was so full of parts he couldn’t park his car. He had a newborn at home. Some of the machining happened on a lathe in a friend’s backyard. Now they have their own shop. This past year the business grew more than 300 percent. ************* Link to Graff-Pinkert’s Acquisitions and Sales promotion! ************* Listen on your favorite podcast app using pod.link. . View the podcast at the bottom of this post or on our YouTube Channel. Follow us on Social and never miss an update! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swarfcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swarfcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/todays-machining-world Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmwswarfblog ************* Interview Highlights Learning on the Job Robby’s path ran through engineering. He earned a two-year degree in mechanical design and spent five years as a drafter, designing rolls for the paper industry. When a big project fell apart during COVID, he lost his job. His grandfather, 75 at the time, was still running AG Drives. Robby asked if they could work on it together. For a while he lived two lives: training as a machinist at another shop during the day, and learning the business from his grandfather at night. Nobody taught him how to run a company. He learned by doing it. The machinist who trained him saw his engineering background as an advantage. Robby already knew the language and had nothing to unlearn. Running a Business With Your Friends Five of AG Drives’ six employees were at the same high school at the same time. Blake went there too, a few years behind them. Robby and his co-owner, Zach, started out in a single bay, with Zach welding behind him while Robby ran a lathe. Today Zach runs assembly and Robby runs the machine shop. When I asked Robby how they divide roles he said that everyone else just does whatever needs doing. I asked Robby whether it’s strange to be the boss of guys from his class. He doesn’t think so. It sounds like they have a lot of fun working together. When their building manager offered them furniture left behind by former tenants, the crew found old family photos in the pile and started hiding them in each other’s lockers. The One With the Degree Blake has a business marketing degree from the University of Minnesota. The first thing he did at AG Drives was build the company’s website, and the phone started ringing almost immediately. Even so, Blake told me he doesn’t think college is necessary to succeed today, except for careers like engineering, law and medicine. What he valued most from college was the network. When he built the AG Drives website, he sent it to former classmates for feedback, and one of his professors invited him back as a guest lecturer. He always wanted to be an entrepreneur but never knew what to invent. “Sometimes you don’t have to invent anything,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to make a drive shaft.” Office or Shop Floor Robby still splits his time between the machines and the office. I asked if he’d ever step off the floor for good. His answer was that whatever he isn’t doing is what he wants to be doing. After weeks in the office, he wants to work with his hands. After weeks of cranking out parts, he’s happy to do CAD work and call customers. Question: What do you do to make your business fun? The post Business School vs. Learning on the Job, with Robby Burton and Blake Schultz-EP 276 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

Robby Burton, 30, co-owns AG Drives, a drive shaft company in Green Bay. Blake Schultz, 23, is its director of business development. Robby’s grandfather started the company, and Blake’s dad worked for him. Both families have been in the business for decades.
When Robby took over, he was in his mid-twenties and brought in his friends from high school. None of them had formal business training. His garage was so full of parts he couldn’t park his car. He had a newborn at home. Some of the machining happened on a lathe in a friend’s backyard.
Now they have their own shop. This past year the business grew more than 300 percent.
*************
Link to Graff-Pinkert’s&nbsp;<a href="https://graffpinkert.com/Acquisitions-and-Sales" rel="noopener noreferrer">Acquisitions and Sales promotion!</a>
*************
Listen on your favorite podcast app using <a href="https://pod.link/1405366897/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly90b2RheXNtYWNoaW5pbmd3b3JsZC5jb20vP3A9NDYxMjA" rel="noopener noreferrer">pod.link.</a>


<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-school-vs-learning-on-the-job-with-robby/id1405366897?i=1000797243233" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/48E8JJwnOKHOVKZdeK5ri5" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>.
&nbsp;
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*************




Interview Highlights
Learning on the Job
Robby’s path ran through engineering. He earned a two-year degree in mechanical design and spent five years as a drafter, designing rolls for the paper industry. When a big project fell apart during COVID, he lost his job.
His grandfather, 75 at the time, was still running AG Drives. Robby asked if they could work on it together. For a while he lived two lives: training as a machinist at another shop during the day, and learning the business from his grandfather at night. Nobody taught him how to run a company. He learned by doing it.
The machinist who trained him saw his engineering background as an advantage. Robby already knew the language and had nothing to unlearn.
Running a Business With Your Friends
Five of AG Drives’ six employees were at the same high school at the same time. Blake went there too, a few years behind them. Robby and his co-owner, Zach, started out in a single bay, with Zach welding behind him while Robby ran a lathe. Today Zach runs assembly and Robby runs the machine shop. When I asked Robby how they divide roles he said that everyone else just does whatever needs doing.
I asked Robby whether it’s strange to be the boss of guys from his class. He doesn’t think so. It sounds like they have a lot of fun working together. When their building manager offered them furniture left behind by former tenants, the crew found old family photos in the pile and started hiding them in each other’s lockers.
The One With the Degree
Blake has a business marketing degree from the University of Minnesota. The first thing he did at AG Drives was build the company’s website, and the phone started ringing almost immediately.
Even so, Blake told me he doesn’t think college is necessary to succeed today, except for careers like engineering, law and medicine. What he valued most from college was the network. When he built the AG Drives website, he sent it to former classmates for feedback, and one of his professors invited him back as a guest lecturer.
He always wanted to be an entrepreneur but never knew what to invent. “Sometimes you don’t have to invent anything,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to make a drive shaft.”
Office or Shop Floor
Robby still splits his time between the machines and the office. I asked if he’d ever step off the floor for good. His answer was that whatever he isn’t doing is what he wants to be doing. After weeks in the office, he wants to work with his hands. After weeks of cranking out parts, he’s happy to do CAD work and call customers.
Question: What do you do to make your business fun?
The post <a href="https://todaysmachiningworld.com/business-school-vs-learning-on-the-job-with-robby-burton-and-blake-schultz/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business School vs. Learning on the Job, with Robby Burton and Blake Schultz-EP 276</a> appeared first on <a href="https://todaysmachiningworld.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Today’s Machining World</a>.

Business School vs. Learning on the Job, with Robby  Burton and Blake Schultz-EP 276

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-25323 alignright" src="https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-580x580.jpg" width="165" height="165" srcset="https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-580x580.jpg 580w, https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-150x150.jpg 150w, https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-123x123.jpg 123w, https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-768x768.jpg 768w, https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-624x624.jpg 624w, https://todaysmachiningworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo3-lighter-w-shadow-copy-600x600.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 165px) 100vw, 165px" />Listen to Swarfcast in the player below. 
At long last, Swarfcast, Today’s Machining World’s podcast, is up!
Swarfcast centers around similar topics that readers have enjoyed in Today’s Machining World during its first 18 years. Wow, that’s awhile.
Each week, Lloyd and Noah Graff will interview colorful people who will give their take on the machining business and a whole array of topics that we think our readers (and now listeners) may find interesting.
In the first episode, Noah interviews Lloyd (his dad). Lloyd reflects on the last 60-some years of his life—as a 12-year-old kid submitting articles to Readers Digest, to trying out for the Chicago Cubs, to owning a used machine tool company and a magazine.

Listen to Swarfcast in the player below. At long last, Swarfcast, Today’s Machining World’s podcast, is up! Swarfcast centers around similar topics that readers have enjoyed in Today’s Machining World during its first 18 years. Wow, that’s awhile. Each week, Lloyd and Noah Graff will interview colorful people who will give their take on the machining business and a whole array of topics that we think our readers (and now listeners) may find interesting. In the first episode, Noah interviews Lloyd (his dad). Lloyd reflects on the last 60-some years of his life—as a 12-year-old kid submitting articles to Readers Digest, to trying out for the Chicago Cubs, to owning a used machine tool company and a magazine.

Listen to Swarfcast in the player below. 
At long last, Swarfcast, Today’s Machining World’s podcast, is up!
Swarfcast centers around similar topics that readers have enjoyed in Today’s Machining World during its first 18 years. Wow, that’s awhile.
Each week, Lloyd and Noah Graff will interview colorful people who will give their take on the machining business and a whole array of topics that we think our readers (and now listeners) may find interesting.
In the first episode, Noah interviews Lloyd (his dad). Lloyd reflects on the last 60-some years of his life—as a 12-year-old kid submitting articles to Readers Digest, to trying out for the Chicago Cubs, to owning a used machine tool company and a magazine.

Ep. 1 – TMW Launches Swarfcast

Noah Graff, used machine tool dealer and editor of Today’s Machining World, interviews machining company owners, equipment gurus, and experts with insight to help and entertain people working in the machining field. We discuss topics such as how to find quality employees, customer acquisition, negotiation, and the best CNC equipment options for specific jobs.

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