Podcast · Business

Buy the Numbers

by Mike Payne · English · Business

A deep dive into the financials of running a Manufacturing business.

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 51 min
Latest: 1 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

1 Oct 2026 · 1 hr

Are You Leading Your Shop—or Getting in Its Way? | Ep. 56

Nobody outworks me . If that's part of how you see yourself, this episode is going to sting a little. Greg Harrod's spent 30 plus years in and around manufacturing, and he coaches leaders who feel like everything still runs through them. His point is that the grit that built your shop is the same grit that eventually caps it. We spent a good chunk of this one on a distinction I hadn't thought about carefully enough. What someone is good at and what someone enjoys are not the same thing. You get rewarded for what you're good at, so you get handed more of it, and you can be sliding toward…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E55 · 17 Sep 2026 · 50 min
What Tribal Knowledge Is Actually Costing Your Shop | Ep. 55
Replacing an employee can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000. But the real risk isn't just recruiting and training their replacement. It's everything that walks out the door with them. Jess Bird supports CAM software across the Midwest and hosts CNC Underground After Hours , giving her a firsthand look inside a lot of shops. Her test for whether a company has real systems is simple: Can it survive a vacation? If your best employee takes a week off and everything slows down, you don't have a system. You have a hero. We dig into the costs most shops never measure—not machine downtime, but…
E54 · 3 Sep 2026 · 48 min
Get Pre-Approved So You Can Buy That Machine at IMTS | Ep. 54
IMTS is about a week and a half out. Most people heading to Chicago are showing up with a shopping list, and the ones who aren't will still find something on the floor that makes them start one. Either way, there's a question worth answering before you get there. What can you actually pay for? We've been trained to do this everywhere else in our lives. You don't tour houses without a pre-approval. A lot of us call our banker before we buy a car. Then we walk into a hall full of quarter million dollar machines and figure out the money on the drive home. Ty has been my equipment finance guy…
E53 · 20 Aug 2026 · 38 min
The $3,500 Apprentice Incentive: How to Claim Your Share of a $35.8 Million Fund | Ep. 53
There's $35.8 million sitting in a federal fund built to pay manufacturers for hiring and training apprentices, and most shop owners have never heard of it. It pays $3,500 per apprentice. It's first come, first served. And when the money runs out, it's gone. That's the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund, or AMAIF, and it's what we dug into on this episode. Phil Hanke is back in the co-host seat and he brought Abby Mataya, who leads CLA's state and local business incentives team, to walk through exactly how it works. Here's the part I want you to hear. This is not a tax…
E52 · 6 Aug 2026 · 57 min
Why You're Never too Small for an ERP, Ep. 52
Almost every shop owner I talk to has told themselves the same story at some point: we are too small for a real ERP, so we will keep running the business on the old system and a pile of Excel spreadsheets. On this episode, I wanted to kill that myth, because the cost of believing it shows up in underpriced jobs, broken handoffs, and a value chain that quietly leaks money from quote to cash. To dig in, I brought in Jon Hughes, a CFO consultant and principal at CLA, and Brian Schoonover, corporate controller and acting CFO at Turfco, a third-generation manufacturer in Minneapolis. Brian is…
E51 · 23 Jul 2026 · 55 min
The 9 Numbers That Tell You If Your Marketing Is Working | Ep. 51
You spend money on a website, LinkedIn posts, maybe some email and a trade show booth, and then you ask the question every owner asks: is any of this actually working? For most of us the honest answer is a gut feel. The machines are cutting chips, so marketing must be doing its job. That is not data, and on this episode I wanted real, practical advice on how to know. So I brought in Brendon Forrest from Gorilla 76, cohost of The Manufacturing Marketer, to walk through it with me. Brendon's whole world is building and running marketing programs for manufacturers, and he came with a list of…
E50 · 9 Jul 2026 · 53 min
The Owner Bottleneck: How Getting Out of the Way Can Double Your Shop's Value, Ep #50
Most shop owners believe the number on their business is locked in by their earnings. It isn't. Two shops with identical profit can sell for wildly different prices, and the gap almost always comes back to one question a buyer is quietly working out in their head: does this thing run without you? For this one I brought back Phil Hanke from CLA and added Heather Parbst, who leads CLA's owner transition advisory team, to dig into the owner bottleneck. Not the operational kind everybody talks about, but the identity kind. The traits that built your shop—the grind, the "I'll just do it myself,"…
E49 · 25 Jun 2026 · 1 hr
Think Like a Buyer: How to Maximize Your Shop's Value Before You Sell
Most shop owners never sell a business before the day they actually sell theirs. You build something for thirty years, then one phone call later you're trying to figure out what it's worth, what the buyer is really paying for, and why the number in your head doesn't match the offer on the table. The fix is simple to say and hard to do: start thinking like a buyer long before you ever plan to sell. In this episode I sat down with the deal team from CLA (Phil Hanke, Erin Mickels, and Brady Paschke), to walk through what actually moves the value of a manufacturing business. We're in the middle…
E48 · 11 Jun 2026 · 44 min
Women, Purpose, and Pay: The Honest Conversation Manufacturing Needs to Have, Ep #48
Part two of a good conversation is where things usually get real. In this episode, I pick back up with Nush Ahmed and Brooke Laing from Sisterhood of Trades, and we get into the questions most shop owners quietly wonder about but rarely say out loud: why more women aren't walking through the door, what it actually looks like to attract them, and whether our instinct to "just hire good people" is actually enough. One of the things that struck me in this conversation is how simple some of the answers are. Women aren't applying to manufacturing jobs in large numbers not because they don't want…
E47 · 28 May 2026 · 45 min
No Cap: Manufacturing's Generational Communication Breakdown, Ep #47
In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sat down with Nush Ahmed and Brooke Laing for one of the more entertaining and eye-opening conversations I've had in a while. What started with jokes about generational slang and communication styles quickly turned into a serious discussion about leadership, workplace culture, and what younger generations are actually looking for in manufacturing careers. As someone who's spent decades building teams and leading manufacturing companies, I've seen firsthand how much the workforce has changed. Today, many companies have four or even five generations…
E46 · 14 May 2026 · 53 min
The Real ROI of Automation: CapEx, Capacity & the Cost of Doing Nothing, Ep #46
Recorded live from the DN Solutions open house near Chicago, this special crossover episode blends the worlds of Buy the Numbers and Lights Out into one conversation about manufacturing growth, automation, and the real numbers behind machine tool investments. Surrounded by machines making chips all around us, we dive into what actually drives smart capital expenditures in a modern machine shop. Throughout the episode, we unpack the balancing act between financial discipline and strategic growth. From twin-spindle turning centers to automated five-axis workflows, we discuss how manufacturers…
E45 · 30 Apr 2026 · 55 min
The PEO Playbook: How Small Shops Compete Like Big Employers, Ep #45
If you're like most shop owners, HR, payroll, and benefits are necessary evils—important, but far from the reason you got into manufacturing in the first place. Yet those "back-office" functions can quietly drain your time, introduce risk, and even limit your ability to attract and retain great people. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , Mike sits down with Jon from Thrive PEO to unpack one of the most misunderstood tools available to small and mid-sized manufacturers: the Professional Employer Organization (PEO). What starts as a conversation about payroll quickly expands into a broader…
E44 · 16 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
Breaking the Ceiling: Systems, Data, and the Truth About Scaling a Machine Shop, Ep #44
Breaking the Ceiling: Systems, Data, and the Truth About Scaling a Machine Shop, Ep #44 Manufacturing will humble you—no matter how good you get. I was talking with someone recently about how this might be the only industry where you can perform at a world-class level and still lose money on scrap. That's just the reality we operate in. So the question becomes: how do you build a business that can actually handle that kind of pressure? In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sit down with Scott Shortess—someone I've known and trusted for years—to talk through what it really takes to break…
E43 · 2 Apr 2026 · 56 min
Trust First, Numbers Second: The Leadership Playbook Manufacturing Shops Are Missing, Ep #43
What actually makes leadership work in a manufacturing environment? Is it KPIs, lean systems, and dashboards? Or is it something far more human? In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sit down with Jason Woodard, COO of Geislinger Corporation and author of Manufacturing Leadership That Works , to unpack the leadership principles that drive real operational performance. While the conversation touches on KPIs, accountability, and operating cadence, the foundation is surprisingly simple: trust. Jason argues that before you can improve numbers, you have to earn credibility with your team through…
E42 · 19 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 12 min
CMMC Is Coming — What It Means for Your Shop, Your Costs, and Your Customers, Ep #42
CMMC is no longer something manufacturers can afford to ignore. If you're doing work in the defense supply chain—or even thinking about it—this is quickly becoming a requirement, not a "nice to have." And what makes it challenging is that it's not just about passing an audit. It's about how your entire business handles data, systems, and security. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , we break down what CMMC actually means for manufacturers in practical terms. What does it require? What does it cost? And how do you even begin to approach something that touches everything from your ERP to who…
E41 · 5 Mar 2026 · 48 min
The Overlooked Expense: How Utility Assessments Can Unlock Hidden Savings, Ep #41
Most of the time on Buy the Numbers , we focus on revenue growth, margin improvement, cash flow strategy, or capital investments. But in this episode, we turn our attention to something many manufacturers rarely question: utility expenses. Electricity. Gas. Water. Sewer. Waste. For most of us, these bills show up, we pay them, and we move on. They're viewed as fixed costs of doing business. But what if they're not as fixed as we think? In this episode, I'm joined by Lori Demeyer and Leticia Lawson from CliftonLarsonAllen to talk about utility assessments — what they are, how they work, and…
E40 · 12 Feb 2026 · 46 min
Don't Just File the Return — How Smart Tax Planning Pays Off Over Time, Ep #40
Too many manufacturers treat taxes as a once-a-year compliance exercise. You gather the documents, sign the return, write the check, and move on. But the reality is that tax planning is one of the most powerful strategic tools available to business owners, especially in capital-intensive industries like manufacturing. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I'm joined by Dylan Valentyn and Julie Helms from CliftonLarsonAllen to walk through what manufacturers should actually be thinking about as they prepare their 2025 returns and look ahead to 2026. This conversation builds on recent tax law…
E39 · 29 Jan 2026 · 45 min
The Cost of Quality — Why Getting It Right Is the Fastest Way to Get Paid, Ep #39
Quality is often treated like a cost center in manufacturing. Something we have to do to satisfy customers, auditors, or certifications. But in my experience, quality is much more than that. It's one of the biggest drivers of cash flow, reputation, and long-term profitability in a shop. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sat down with Mehul from Ground Control to talk through the real, often hidden, cost of quality. Our conversation starts with a simple but critical idea: parts don't get paid for unless the paperwork is right. You can machine a perfect part, ship it on time, and still…
E38 · 15 Jan 2026 · 44 min
Owning the Problem: Why Accountability, Communication, and Culture Drive Throughput, Ep #38
One of the patterns I keep seeing in manufacturing has nothing to do with machines, software, or technology. It shows up in how teams respond when something goes wrong. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sat down again with Josh McKain from Throughput Mastery to talk about the habits that actually drive throughput, especially accountability, communication, and culture. Josh has now hosted more than a dozen live conversations with manufacturing owners and leaders, and what stood out to me is how often completely different topics circle back to the same root issue. Whether the discussion…
E37 · 1 Jan 2026 · 49 min
How a Fourth-Generation Manufacturer Measures Success, Ep #37
What changes when you're not building a business to sell, but building one to hand down? That's the question that kept coming up for me in this conversation. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sat down with Jack Watson of HFW Industries, a fourth-generation manufacturer whose family has been operating the same business for nearly 80 years. Jack's story starts with his great-grandfather in 1947, fresh out of World War II, taking a bet on an emerging technology that would eventually become the foundation of HFW's identity. What struck me wasn't just the history, but how that long lineage…
E36 · 19 Dec 2025 · 46 min
The Inventory Blind Spot: How LIFO Can Unlock Massive Tax Savings, Ep #36
Inventory is one of the most overlooked levers in manufacturing finance, yet it is often the single largest asset sitting on a company's balance sheet. In this bonus episode of Buy the Numbers , Mike Payne is joined by inventory accounting experts Erica Parra and Cindy Houser from CLA to unpack why inventory accounting methods deserve far more attention than they typically receive. Most manufacturers default to FIFO or weighted average simply because that is how their ERP is set up. But in periods of inflation, tariffs, and volatile raw material pricing, that default choice can quietly cost…
E35 · 18 Dec 2025 · 32 min
Innovation at the Speed of Trust: Why Real Progress Happens When People Connect, Ep #35
Innovation in manufacturing is often framed as a technology problem. Better machines, faster software, smarter automation. But in this episode of Buy the Numbers, the conversation takes a different turn, one that looks past tools and toward the human systems that actually make innovation stick. Mike Payne is joined once again by Al Whatmough, CEO of Toolpath, for a wide-ranging discussion on why innovation truly happens at the speed of communication and why trust, relationships, and shared experiences matter more than ever in an AI-driven world. From AI-powered productivity to the…
E34 · 4 Dec 2025 · 51 min
QDISC Explained: A 5-KPI System for Smarter, More Profitable Manufacturing, Ep #34
KPIs can feel like a buzzword—every manufacturer knows they should be tracking them, but few feel confident about where to start or what actually matters. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , Mike Payne sits down once again with Jon Hughes of CLA to unpack the real purpose of KPIs, why they're so misunderstood, and how data-driven decision-making can completely change the way a shop performs. Mike and Jon dive into the QDISC framework—Quality, Delivery, Inventory, Safety, and Cost—and explore how these five buckets give manufacturers a clear, stable foundation for visibility. But they don't…
E33 · 20 Nov 2025 · 51 min
Cash Flow Power Moves: Pricing, Terms & Tools That Protect Your Business, Ep #33
In this special crossover episode of Buy the Numbers , Mike Payne joins Josh McCain on The Throughput Show for a fully interactive, live conversation about one of the most misunderstood and mission-critical topics in manufacturing: cash flow . Unlike traditional episodes, this one unfolds in real time with audience questions, open dialogue, and the kind of raw, honest examples operators rarely get to hear outside of private masterminds. Josh kicks off the episode with his hallmark energy and levity—complete with an unexpected "musical" intro for guests Mike, Jon Hughes, and Phil Hanke of…
E32 · 6 Nov 2025 · 38 min
The Section 179 Trap: Why Tax Breaks Shouldn't Drive Your Equipment Purchases, Ep #32
When Section 179 and bonus depreciation come back into play, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement of "saving on taxes." Every year around this time, I start hearing from shop owners who are ready to buy a new machine before the end of Q4—sometimes for the right reasons, but often for the wrong ones. Don't get me wrong, I love a good deduction as much as anyone. But if you wouldn't buy that equipment without the tax break, you probably shouldn't buy it because of it. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sit down with my good friend Ty Willis from Verdant Commercial Capital to talk…
E31 · 23 Oct 2025 · 40 min
How Foreign Trade Zones Can Unlock Millions in Working Capital, Ep #31
When tariffs, trade policy, and cash flow collide, manufacturers are forced to think creatively—or risk being crushed by uncertainty. That's exactly where Mary Buchzeiger, CEO of Lucerne International and Lucerne Global Solutions, found herself. With skyrocketing tariffs on imported automotive components, Mary realized the solution wasn't to absorb the hit—it was to rewrite the playbook altogether. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, we dig into how Mary leveraged a little-known financial and logistical strategy: the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) . By turning Lucerne's Michigan facility into an…
E30 · 9 Oct 2025 · 56 min
Building a KPI Culture That Drives Real Improvement on the Shop Floor, Ep #30
In this episode of Buy the Numbers , host Mike Payne sits down with continuous improvement coach and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Brian Karp to dig into the metrics that matter most for manufacturing leaders. Together, they explore how data can be used not just to measure performance, but to transform culture, drive engagement, and spark meaningful improvement across every department. For more than a decade, Brian has helped manufacturers simplify their approach to measurement—turning overwhelming spreadsheets and endless KPIs into tools that actually guide better decisions. He and Mike…
E29 · 25 Sep 2025 · 32 min
Inside the Numbers: Roger Atkins' MTForecast 2025 Preview for Small Manufacturers, Ep #29
In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sit down with Roger Atkins, President of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), to talk about the real state of U.S. manufacturing as we close out 2025. Representing more than 1,000 small and medium manufacturers nationwide, Roger brings a boots-on-the-ground perspective to the headwinds, opportunities, and trends shaping the industry right now. The conversation goes well beyond statistics to explore the forces behind them. Roger shares his preview of the MTForecast conference and NTMA's ENGAGE event, pulling back the curtain on survey…
E28 · 11 Sep 2025 · 51 min
From First Questions to First Deals: Navigating Machine Shop Acquisitions, Ep #28
When you're buying a machine shop for the first time, it's easy to feel like you're lost in the dark. I've been through more than 150 transactions in my career, but I still remember what it was like sitting across from my first seller—wondering if I was asking the right questions or if I was missing something important. That's why I love conversations like this one. In this episode of Buy the Numbers , I sit down with Jeff Lee, Operations Manager at Hayer Engineering in Singapore. Jeff reached out after listening to some of our episodes on acquisitions, and the quality of his questions made…
E27 · 28 Aug 2025 · 53 min
Top Shops Benchmarking: The Numbers That Separate Leaders from the Rest, Ep #27
In this episode of Buy the Numbers , Mike Payne sits down with Dave Necessary , Executive Vice President of Products and Markets at Gardner Business Media, to dig into the power of benchmarking and the Top Shops program. For more than a decade, Top Shops has been the definitive survey that shows manufacturers where they stand—highlighting the practices, strategies, and investments that consistently separate the best from everyone else. Dave shares how the survey functions like a business health check-up, providing both an industry-wide benchmarking standards report and a personalized…

About Buy the Numbers

A deep dive into the financials of running a Manufacturing business.

Buy the Numbers is a English business podcast from Mike Payne. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Mike Payne
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 51 min
Latest episode: 1 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1774286946
Rights: 2024

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