

Lean Made Simple: Transform Your Business & Life One Step At A Time!
Lean Made Simple
Welcome to Lean Made Simple: a podcast for people who want to change their business and their lives one step at a time. I’m Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters, a manufacturing company from Limavady, Northern Ireland. Eight years ago I came across this thing called lean and it transformed my life and now I want to share this message with as many people as possible.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 3, 2025 • 25min
How TOYOTA transformed my SME | Let’s Talk Lean Podcast
In this episode Ryan Tierney (Lean Made Simple) and Paul Blahyj (Toyota Lean Management Centre) sit down with Oliver Conger from British Rototherm.Find out:- What its like working with Toyota to teansform an SME- How to be auccess in apllied AI to lean manufacturing- What is the best investment Oliver ever made?➡️ Work with TOYOTA LEAN MANAGEMENT CENTRE: https://tlmc.toyotauk.com➡️ Order the book, LEAN MADE SIMPLE: 12 PROVEN STEPS FOR CREATING A VIBRANT LEAN CULTURE: https://www.leanmadesimple.com/store➡️ Book a Lean Made Simple tour: https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour

Sep 16, 2024 • 14min
No More Podcasting: The REAL Reason I’m Stopping…
Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time.
In this very special episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters announces his final podcast.
Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about:
- What lean principle inspired him to take a step back from podcasting.
- What Ryan’s new focus will be.
- How you can continue to follow Ryan.
- How you can support Lean Made Simple in the future
Check it out!
Links:
- Order Ryan’s new book, Lean Made Simple: 12 Proven Principles for Creating a Vibrant Lean Culture - https://www.leanmadesimple.com/store
- Book a Lean Made Simple Tour - https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour
- Send a voice message/question to the show - https://www.speakpipe.com/LeanMadeSimple

Sep 2, 2024 • 34min
OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH: 12 Proven Principles for Creating a VIBRANT Lean Culture
Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time.
In this very special episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters officially launches his new book Lean Made Simple: 12 Proven Principles for Creating a Vibrant Lean Culture.
Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about:
- What inspired Ryan decide to write this one of a kind book?
- Why is a vibrant Lean culture so important?
- Can Lean succeed without a vibrant Lean culture?
- How a vibrant Lean culture can apply to ANY business.
Check it out!
Links:
- Order Ryan’s new book, Lean Made Simple: 12 Proven Principles for Creating a Vibrant Lean Culture - https://www.leanmadesimple.com/store
- Book a Lean Made Simple Tour - https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour
- Send a voice message/question to the show - https://www.speakpipe.com/LeanMadeSimple

Aug 26, 2024 • 28min
Warning! ⚠️ LEAN WILL FAIL without this MISSING piece!!
Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time.
In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters speaks about the simple concept that changed his life and business and become the building blocks of a vibrant lean culture - thinking of the next person.
Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about:
- What does it mean to think of the next person in an organisation?
- Who is the 'next person' or customer in a process?
- Why this is the foundation of a vibrant lean culture
- The impact this simple change can have on your business
Check it out!
Links:
- Book a Lean Made Simple Tour: https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour
- Send a voice message/question to the show: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeanMadeSimple

Aug 11, 2024 • 28min
This POSTMAN will change the way you think about lean forever | Matt Sims
Matt Sims, a renowned leadership and lean coach, shares his fascinating journey from postal worker to lean expert. He discusses his transformative roles at Amazon and how he implemented lean principles to streamline operations. A highlight is his passion for teaching kids as young as 8 about efficiency and problem-solving. Matt emphasizes the importance of engaging resistant employees and fostering collaborative processes, advocating for mentorship and innovative learning to create a more dynamic work environment.

10 snips
Jul 28, 2024 • 27min
Be more like MCDONALD'S | Standard Work Q&A Episode
Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters dives into the importance of standard work and lean manufacturing. He draws parallels between effective operations and McDonald's operational strategies. The discussion includes how to engage team members in creating standards and the role leadership plays in this process. They debate the level of detail needed in standard work and the best places to develop these documents. Ryan also highlights the significance of flexibility in evolving standards to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Jul 15, 2024 • 32min
How STANDARD WORK can revolutionise your business
Ryan Tierney, a professional from Seating Matters, shares his expertise on standard work and its transformative power in factory processes. He discusses the essential definition of standard work and highlights key insights from world-class lean leaders, including what Toyota has to say about it. Ryan emphasizes the importance of documenting processes and creating dynamic SOPs that enhance efficiency and reduce waste. He also talks about balancing innovation with adherence to standards and the role of technology in supporting continuous improvement.

Jul 1, 2024 • 25min
Straight talking LEAN | Q&A Episode Part 2
Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time.In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters continues to answer your lean manufacturing questions.
Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about:
- Is Ryan's factory as good as it looks on YouTube?
- Being open to criticism and feedback.
- How leaders should let their people find the answers.
- Should the owner work ON the business or IN the business?
- Serving internal and external customers.
- How Ryan recruits into his world class lean business.
- Should lean companies incentivise improvements?
- "This is the worst it will ever be"
- The one thing Ryan would do differently from his lean journey.Check it out!
Links:
- Book a Lean Made Simple Tour: https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour- Send a voice message/question to the show: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeanMadeSimple

Jun 17, 2024 • 28min
Why you're STRUGGLING with LEAN | Q&A Episode
Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time.
In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters answers your lean manufacturing questions.
Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about:
- How much work goes into being a lean company
- How to get your people to buy into lean
- Ryan's lean recruitment process
- How to coach people to follow a standard
- Developing a morning meeting that works for your business
Check it out!
Links:
- Book a Lean Made Simple Tour: https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour
- Send a voice message/question to the show: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeanMadeSimple

Jun 2, 2024 • 25min
How to BE THE CUSTOMER
Welcome to Lean Made Simple, a podcast about transforming your business — and life — one step at a time.
In this episode, Ryan Tierney from Seating Matters unpacks what it means to “be the customer.”
Along the way, he and Producer Matt talk about:
Why Elon Musk drives a Tesla
The powerful alternative to customer surveys
A method for generating unlimited improvement ideas for your product
How becoming an undercover boss revealed his selfishness as a leader
And one action you can take right now to start eliminating blind spots from your business today
Check it out!
Links:
Book a Lean Made Simple Tour: https://www.leanmadesimple.com/book-a-tour
Send a voice message/question to the show: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeanMadeSimple


