An organizational chart isn’t just a frill or an extra; it can help a manufacturing business owner define and delegate, and it gives everyone a good sense of duties and career paths.

Sales reps tend to get a bad rap, but fabrication shop owners might want to consider the growing complexity of their many duties and whether an outside rep makes sense.

Learning opportunities and networking can really help a career, especially one in sales. Columnist Lisa Wertzbaugher discusses two metals industry conferences that she considers must-do events for in 2022.

A comprehensive annual plan is essential for a business in an industry as dynamic as metal fabrication. Columnist Lisa Wertzbaugher outlines some of the most necessary components of an annual plan, including the most important one: flexibility.

The pandemic is on the run and industry is recovering—well, some industries have been in a state of recovery for quite a while now—but for some companies, it’s not business as usual. Those entrepreneurs who had been thinking about selling their companies should know that merger and acquisition activity is going full tilt right now, so this might be a good time to sell.

Manufacturers seem to talk about millennials and Gen Z all the time, but do you see many in manufacturing settings? Columnist Lisa Wertzbaugher’s observation is that the talk overwhelms the reality. That said, her husband’s (very small) company has a millennial on staff, and Wertzbaugher shares some insights.

Webinars aren’t just for the big companies to show off their products; small companies—like metal fabrication shops—can and should consider them for drawing the attention of new customers.

Manufacturing business owners and managers, similar to boat owners, make a significant investment when hiring an employee, considering wages, benefits, onboarding, and ongoing training. Leaving a foundering employee to sink is like watching money go down the drain.

Running a family-owned business isn’t easy. Certainly many small manufacturing companies share roots with a family tree. Columnist Lisa Wertzbaugher, who has worked in both family-owned and non-family metalworking companies, has some insights based on her experiences.

Causes of turmoil—such as a global pandemic, political upheaval, social unrest, economic calamity, and natural disasters—often come in ones or twos, but 2020 has seen them all. More than a few business leaders are interested in a way out, at least temporarily. Columnist Lisa Wertzbaugher discusses some of the dimensions of succession planning.

It’s common that old-school manufacturers rely on old-school, word-of-mouth advertising, but these days a digital strategy tailored to reach a large audience is increasingly important.

Nearly every small fabricating or manufacturing company gets caught up relying too much on a single customer or single industry. Getting out of it for good is a matter of planning and putting forth consistent efforts to stay out of it. Columnist and former fabrication company executive Lisa Wertzbaugher shares a few insights.