Founder and CEO of Poe Wolf Partners, Renita Wolf, will tell you that exit planning isn’t just a final step before selling your business. It’s something smart owners build toward from the very beginning.

She’ll explain why building transferable value and reducing owner dependency are crucial from the start, setting the stage for higher valuations and a smoother sale when the time comes.

You’ll hear her insights on the most common gaps, deal killers and the practical actions business owners can take now to strengthen their companies.

She’ll also discuss why the hardest part of exiting is often personal, and how to prepare yourself for both the financial and emotional sides of what comes next.

Free resource:

7 Essentials Every Business Owner Must Have Before Exiting (preparing for a high-value, low-regret business transition):

https://www.poewolfpartners.com/seller/

With supply chain disruptions, shifting geopolitical risks and increasing pressure for efficiency, today’s manufacturing leaders face operational challenges that go far beyond simply making parts.

In today's conversation, President and CFO of Associated Metal Forming Technologies (AMFT), Todd Smith, explores the opportunities and complexities of weaving multiple specialized legacy brands into a unified platform to help address those challenges, without losing the trust and expertise that made those brands successful.

Why do so many continuous improvement and lean initiatives start with excitement, only to stall out or disappear entirely months later? What distinguishes organizations that truly embed these principles into their culture from those that just go through the motions?

In today’s episode, COO of Bespoke, Steve Riley, will share his firsthand perspective from decades in manufacturing leadership. Specifically, he'll tell you why visual systems matter, where most lean rollouts go off track and what it really takes to make progress stick.

In this conversation with Gorilla 76 Marketing Director, Peyton Warren, we'll dive deep into five things we believe b2b manufacturers should consider doing to move the needle through marketing in the new year. They are:

1. Events and in-person opportunities

2. Building an audience you own through community development

3. Distribution and reach

4. Streamlined content creation (repurposing and AI efficiency)

5. Clear vision of what success looks Like

What if every skilled worker in manufacturing suddenly became searchable? In today's episode, Founder and CEO of Laborup, Simba Jonga, shares his perspective on how the manufacturing labor gap might be less about a lack of people, and more about a lack of access to those individuals.

He'll talk about why millions of machinists, welders, and technicians remain hidden from traditional job boards, and how his team is working to make them visible and accessible for the first time.

How do you scale a family-owned manufacturing business to $100M in sales without losing the family feel?

From building a culture where employees feel seen and valued, to transforming the customer experience, to raising the bar for operational excellence, in this episode, President of Falcon Plastics, Jenn Barlund, shares what it means to focus on both people and profitability.

You’ll hear why choosing the right partners and sometimes saying no are critical, how transparency shapes trust and why innovation matters in an otherwise stale industry.

What happens when engineers have the space and freedom to actually solve problems their way?

And what does that mean for innovation on the factory floor?

In today's conversation, Chairman and Chief Innovator of Bravo Team, Josh Tarbutton, will get into the real challenges and rewards of giving engineering teams more agency, why trust matters and how even small changes can have a big impact on your culture.

Manufacturers often see government as a nuisance. Or, at best, a rescuer in times of trouble. But my guest today, Founder and Principal of TGS Advisory, Terry Szmagala, will argue that we need to instead think about government as a key stakeholder. Specifically, he'll share his perspective on three ways government can play a role in your business: 1) as a regulator 2) as a funder and 3) as a customer. He'll offer actionable tips for making government work for you, not against you, and explain why your voice matters more than you might realize. Let’s jump into it.

COO of Frontline.io, Gilad Tzori, has spent years inside of manufacturing organizations, witnessing firsthand how complexity, workforce shifts and rapid technological change have upended traditional service and training models.

In today’s conversation, he’ll explain why step-by-step PDFs and classroom lectures are no longer sufficient, and what a new era of immersive training looks like for the manufacturing sector.

He'll also share real-world examples of virtual and extended reality tools in action and discuss how AI and digital twins can transform the way teams learn, collaborate and solve problems on the shop floor.

As the manufacturing sector faces both a generational workforce shift and rapid advancements in AI and automation, today’s conversation reveals the “dirty little secret” behind digital manufacturing, and why human-centered thinking remains the heart of successful change.

My guest today, CEO of Fathom Digital Manufacturing, Rush LaSelle, will discuss the realities of labor shortages, explain what digital enablement really means and share what a future with humanoid robots on the factory floor might look like.