In this special MakingChips Machine Shop MBA episode, we sit down with Peter Doyle—CEO of Hirsh Precision—to unpack what it takes to grow and transform a machine shop with purpose. From his roots as an Air Force officer to leading a former Top Shops award winner, Peter has blended strategy, structure, and heart into a roadmap any shop leader can learn from.

Peter shares why strategic vision is more than a slogan on a wall. He explains how his team at Hirsh Precision focuses on high-mix, low-volume work, invests heavily in sales and marketing, and positions themselves as partners to engineers—not just parts suppliers. This shift has generated a steady stream of new business opportunities while maintaining the discipline required for regulated industries like aerospace and medical.

Throughout the conversation, Peter emphasizes the importance of deliberate decisions: building customer-centric processes, developing leaders, hiring wisely, and implementing technology and certifications that align with their mission to “improve quality of life through precision manufacturing solutions.”

For machine shop owners, managers, and future leaders, this episode is a blueprint for balancing risk with reward—how to create a strategic growth vision, win the right customers, and build a resilient team ready for the next decade of manufacturing innovation.

Segments

(2:42) Peter’s career journey from Air Force officer to Deloitte consultant to manufacturing leader
(4:32) Lessons from Top Shops benchmarking—how to interpret the data and use it to guide strategy
(5:53) Defining strategic growth: vision, customer focus, structure, agility, and leadership development
(9:04) Building a sales and marketing engine—brand refresh, website upgrade, CRM adoption, and content strategy
(10:57) Join us at Top Shops 2025 in Charlotte, NC!
(11:53) Deciding to purchase and expand the business—risk appetite, growth targets, and new facility
(14:15) Aligning the team with a growth vision (overcoming skepticism and making decisive calls)
(15:32) Hiring experienced business development talent and shifting from craft focus to customer experience
(19:30) Implementing HubSpot CRM, learning to be externally focused, and building scalable marketing systems
(23:00) The difference between doing sales and managing sales—lessons in leadership at the customer interface
(27:00) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen
(27:40) Moving beyond the buyer—how Peter built relationships with engineers and C-suite leaders
(30:00) Choosing industries and customers that inspire—medical devices, surgical robotics, aerospace, and more
(36:20) Translating customer-centric thinking into technology investments and equipment decisions
(39:46) Balancing machine tool brand standardization with flexibility and innovation
(42:40) Leadership evolution—learning to delegate, empower, and coach for high performance
(45:31) SMART goals and performance management—aligning individual metrics with company-wide strategy
(47:56) Closing reflections on creating a strategic growth vision and inspiring the next generation of shop leaders
(49:19) Why you need to join us at MTForecast

Resources mentioned on this episode

Hirsh Precision
Peter’s episode on Machine Shop Mastery
Join us at Top Shops 2025 in Charlotte, NC! Discount code: MAK20
Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)
Why you need to join us at MTForecast

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