The Push Thru Podcast

In this episode, we’re continuing our Grow Past Your Thresholds series and talking about the $1M - $3M phase, which we’re calling ‘What Have I Done?’ As your shop reaches this phase, you’re likely to face issues with consistent sales, hiring quality employees, and getting administrative tasks off your plate. Listen for our tips about how to navigate through this phase quicker.

In this episode, we’re continuing our Grow Past Your Thresholds series and talking about The Good Old Days. In this phase, shops usually make $500k - $1m. We’re sharing some of the challenges that businesses often face in this phase, as well as strategies to help you push past the barriers in this phase quicker.

In our last episode, we outlined the various thresholds that cabinet shop owners go through. This week, we’re diving into the first threshold, The Honeymoon Phase. What’s a shop owner’s mindset like during this phase? What mistakes are they likely to make, and what are the key takeaways for anyone trying to grow past this stage? Listen to find out.

Capital, experience, and talent do make growth easier, but they’re not what actually gets you past your growth thresholds. Your WHY is what gives you the motivation to grow and push thru your thresholds. In this episode, we’re talking about five common phases that shop owners go thru. We’ll share some of the challenges you may face in each phase, plus strategies for getting thru them easier.

Lean has transformed Jeff’s business. In this episode, he’ll share how he got started with Lean, plus six ways that it adds value to his shop. You’ll even find out how to get started with Lean in your shop today.

We’re launching a new format of The Push Thru Podcast! Our goal is to create a community of business owners in the woodworking industry so we can share strategies for how to grow your business. There’s a time and place for talking tools, but that’s not our focus on The Push Thru. We want to focus on education so you can take the fear and mystery out of taking that next step to build your business. One of the things that was missing when Jeff Finney, owner of Ultimate Cabinet Components, was growing his business was a mentor to lean on for guidance and advice about how to grow. After over 16 years in the woodworking industry, Jeff is sharing his experience and the mistakes he made so other business owners can avoid doing the same. We’ll have three different episode formats: Deep Dives - Jeff and Khalil, owner of Benali, will dig into complex topics and share solutions and strategies for success. Interviews - We’ll invite guests from the woodworking industry to the show to learn from their experiences. Shorts - Jeff and Khalil will focus on one actionable step that you can take RIGHT NOW to improve your business. Our episodes will focus on everything from hiring to marketing to using your books to make strategic decisions, and so much more. We’re also excited to announce that we’re going to start building Mastermind groups. The goal is to create a community of business owners who are in a similar phase of growth. During a Mastermind meeting, you’ll put your heads together to discuss the challenges that you face. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from owners who’ve faced those same issues and lean on them for guidance. If you’re ready to upgrade your business, subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss an episode or update.

Mike Michalowicz is an entrepreneur turned author who, 11 years ago, realized that he didn’t know enough about entrepreneurship. He decided to fix his lack of knowledge and, in the process, decided to write about what he learned to try to help other entrepreneurs. Today, he’s a full-time small business author.

This week we talked to Whitney Pyle, the co-owner of three successful businesses about the lack of diversity in the woodworking industry, as well as reasons why diversity should be a priority for manufacturing businesses. Building a diverse workforce isn’t as tough as it may seem. One great hire can lead to organic changes in your workforce that can end up having a huge benefit on your company culture and bottom line.

Business owner and sustainability enthusiast Michael Dalle Molle shares his path to custom furniture and his passion for sustainability and community engagement. Learn more about building a business full of people who share your passion and vision.

Business owner and coaching enthusiast Dominic Rubino shares the benefits of working with a business coach. It’s not just struggling businesses that benefit from coaching. If you’re business is doing great, but you want to take it to the next level, it’s time to find yourself a coach.

We’re glad we got a chance to sit down with Bill Esler of the Woodworking Network to discuss the 2019 Executive Briefing Conference. The 15th annual conference is full of speakers that almost never leave the play and don't speak at the large Woodworking events. This being the first year EBC is hosted by Woodworking Network, they’ve gone above and beyond to make the conference the must attend event of 2019. Listen to the end of the episode for $200 discount to the conference!

As a continuation from our previous conversation, we talk with Khalil to build onto our marketing foundation and create a growth plan. In this episode, we go over the main steps to building a strong growth plan that will move your company forward with a purpose and a sense of direction. “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up somewhere else.”

Automation enthusiast and leader, Luke Elias of Muskoka Cabinet Company shares his radical automation journey and gives automation beginners key tips for getting started on their own automation. This loaded episode is a must for shop owners in any stage of business.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up somewhere else.” As a continuation from part one, we cover the main steps to building a strong growth plan that will move your company forward, with a purpose and a sense of direction.

Brad Cairns is the energetic face behind The Center for Lean Learning and Best Damn Doors. His unique outlook and experience with Lean is something we can all learn from not only as manufacturers, but more importantly as leaders.

Marketing as a small company can be one of the most challenging aspects of business. Marketing, when done right, has the potential to change and improve the trajectory of your business as a whole. In this three part series on How to Market on a Low Budget, Khalil walks us through the details of how to approach developing a marketing strategy for our companies that will grow our businesses without breaking the bank.

CEO of Lewis Cabinet Specialties, Bobby Lewis brings his unique perspective about how he motivates his work force and drives amazing growth to their business. He truly believes if you don’t put people first, ahead of profits, then you are going to have a hard time achieving success.

Our interview with Paul scrapes the surface on Lean Manufacturing, but every piece of advice from Paul is something you can start working on today to improve your business, your health, and your life. For The Elegant Solution by Matthew May: http://amzn.to/2DEFoJL For great articles on the Cabinet Industry: http://bit.ly/2lg7UpA To learn more about Ultimate Cabinet Components: http://bit.ly/2lwT5Qw To get in contact with Jeff Finney: http://bit.ly/2BZbzTZ

As business owners, we all have trouble when it comes to hiring the right people. Whether it's finding the right attitude or skill set, the perfect match often seems impossible. Our conversation with Randall Agee of AllShore Virtual Staffing digs into offshoring and how our pool of applicants for a job doesn't have to be limited to those in our city. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Push Thru Podcast!