How many times has something happened to you that really sucked but then eventually turned out to be a good thing or even a great thing that happened for you?
Today, I’m going to tell you a story about when a big machinery deal went to hell and then how its failure led to an amazing turn of events—a way better result than if things had gone the way they were supposed to go.
You know. Serendipity.
At Graff-Pinkert, I’ve sold a lot of machine tools to successful entrepreneurs, including my guest on today’s show, Roger Duffy, owner of F&F Machine Products. But, just a few people like him really have stood out for their outward ballsiness in business.
Roger says he loves being an entrepreneur because it allows him to take risks, to dive into the unknown, whether that means trying entirely new equipment or even starting new types of manufacturing businesses of which he has no previous experience.
Recently, we have seen a growing number of mergers and acquisitions in the manufacturing space.
After these deals are finalized there’s a lot of uncertainty for the employees caught in the middle of reorganization.
Our guest on the podcast today is Jennifer Fondrevay. Jennifer is a best selling author and the Founder of Day1 Ready, a consultancy that advises companies on how to prepare for challenges that result from changes in the workplace.
“I can’t hire a cam multi-spindle operator who knows what they’re doing! I’m throwing out my multi-spindles and going all CNC.”
“These old Acmes, Wickmans, or New Britains pay for themselves every three months. They’ve left a wide open field for me!”
Selling used screw machines at Graff-Pinkert, we hear both stories every week.
It is the story of change and fear. Today I will focus on the quandary and opportunity.
Have you ever dreamed about combining your expertise and passions to become an entrepreneur?
My guess on today’s podcast did just that. Erez Speiser is the creator of machiningdoctor.com, a site for professionals in the machining industry to get technical information to simplify their work. The site offers resources such as a sophisticated feeds and speeds calculator for six types of machining processes. It even contains a machining encyclopedia.
As the housing market has slowed recently in our current economy, alternative types of construction such as 3D printing with concrete have become more and more relevant. It brought me back to a classic podcast episode we did a while back.
The technology has advanced since we recorded this episode in 2019, but still you will be wowed.
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My guest on today’s podcast, Jerod Dailey, could have been a mechanical engineer or even a doctor if he wanted to, but instead, he followed his passion and became a journeyman machinist right out of high school.
Then he fell into a career 24 years ago, teaching precision machining to high schoolers at South Adams High School in Northeast Indiana, which happens to be the Number 1 machining region in the United States.
Happy New Year everybody!
On today’s podcast, Lloyd Graff and I reflect on the ups and downs of machining world in 2023 and give our thoughts about what we might see 2024. As you would expect, we discuss a number of topics in addition to precision machining, such as the US’s unpredictable economy, anti-semitism, and my intention to bite off more than I think I can chew and then figure out how to it chew later.
Listen on your favorite podcast app using pod.link, or:
Last night, I watched the film, It’s a Wonderful Life, with my wife, Risa, and my daughter’s family in California.
I wept profusely, as I always do watching my favorite movie, and my son-in-law, Scott, did too. My oldest granddaughter, Eliana, wanted to know why I was affected so emotionally.
Today I’m debuting a new episode series under the Swarfcast umbrella that I’m going to put out every so often.
From April 19, 2018, until April, 19, 2019, I spent an entire year meeting at least one stranger every day and documented everyone I met.
Some days I met 10 people, other days I was lucky to have a short conversation with one person.
After a few months, I decided I would write about the experience and create mini podcast episodes about the people I met.