Delegation, Drama, and Data: The Growing Pains of Scaling Manufacturing

Matt and Michael dive into the real-world challenges of scaling a manufacturing company—from letting go of control to navigating tough customers and trade show ROI. Michael reflects on learning to delegate, setting boundaries with unreasonable clients, and choosing which orders to take as demand grows. Matt, fresh off the MD&M trade show, shares how live events pressure-test both product and people—and how one broken AI sales tool turned into a valuable workflow lesson.

Together, they explore the balance between sales velocity and buyer confidence, why faster isn’t always better, and how to decide when a trade show is worth the investment. The conversation expands into marketing automation, Shopify strategy, and 3D model integration, revealing how small process improvements compound into massive leverage.

The episode closes with a candid look at leadership transitions, hiring discipline, and rediscovering excitement in “boring” systems—because in manufacturing, scaling isn’t just about building better machines; it’s about building better companies.