Meet Darrin:

Over the last 20 years, Darren grew a very successful manufacturing business. He developed a worldwide marketing system with partners on six continents. Patented intellectual property, a global supply chain, and had profits 10 times the industry average. That's pretty, pretty impressive. Most impressive. He did it from a small remote island in Canada, not adjacent to the customers or supply chain. He used social media innovation and resourcefulness to create a new model for business. Awesome. Today, Darren's team at Mitchell Industries has developed several digital learning platforms or organizations looking for industry best practices. Their first platform manufacturing masters has over 2500 global users and they just kicked it off this year. 

Kris: What why the love of manufacturing? What brings you into this space?

Darrin: So we started the process to patent our products. And only after I stumbled through it and hundreds of 1000s of dollars later, the government came to me and said, Could you teach us how to do this? To run a business and do you know how many mistakes I made along the way? So I'm very passionate about small to medium-sized manufacturers. So anywhere under the 200 million mark, usually the owners still have some sort of relationship with the company that hasn't become a corporate entity yet. And looking to find ways to give them access to the world's best information in bite-size form, so they can access it, where, when, and how they need it, meeting them where they're at. And I'm very, very passionate about that. And one thing I also realized when we started this process, is there are lots of people out there who have those answers, I shouldn't be one of them. So what we did is, much like yourself, Kris, who we've recruited to talk about aftermarket parts sales, we've also recruited so far 106 other manufacturing experts in everything from women in manufacturing, to employee engagement, to operations, how to get the best out of your engineering team, you know, 20, some years, somebody, you know, the guy we have who does this, who used to work for Boeing, who lives in Seattle, you know, he talks about how to get the last 10% out of your engineering team, and I was watching the videos going, never knew how to get the first 90% We want to make sure that, you know, right now we're over 500 videos, we want to make sure that we have a tool that is available to the leadership team of those small to medium businesses, that again, they have the right information, like we're usually talking five to 10-minute videos. And whenever they have that particular thing come up or they're about to experience something, maybe you're planning on implementing an ERP or maybe you haven't done that yet. Or maybe you're you have to fire your CFO, you know, there's a great video on that we have about what to look for in a CFO. So again, right now we have over 500, video libraries and growing, and the other one that we've added. So just pick your categories, all the way from sales and marketing to how to do trade shows to technical things, we don't get into things like programming, how to program a PLC, because there are other assets out there that do that. I'm obsessed with what manufacturing businesses today spend 85% of their time doing, and that's leading the business, not the technical person. And it's the thing that most of us who came up, I'm showing my hands right now because they're beaten up. Most of us who came through the ranks ended up in leadership positions. We did it because we had technical skills. Unfortunately, or fortunately, you foot now find yourself in a leadership position and you're going, we should go back and bend more steel. Now there's someone in your office crying, but I know how to.

Lori: Is there anything Darren that you can think of right now and in all your conversations with manufacturers that manufacturers are worried about right now? 

Darrin: I have two things that I would want your listeners to listen to carefully today. One you need to begin an employee health program, looking out for the health and wellness of your employees. So The reason that I say this is manyfold is you've been busy, you've been extremely stressed for the last three, or four years, maybe some of you have been stressed for 30 years, you've been extremely stressed, which you've got through it. Congratulations, if you miss something, you have a team of people who haven't recovered yet. And they're still under stress, they do not have hope, and they do not feel appreciated. And it's there's a flip side to this. So this is why you need to do this, you just have to do it. If you care about your people just start doing it, you don't if I have to explain why I'm just never gonna get the point across. I just want manufacturers to recognize that there are a ton of resources that are out there, you just have to recognize that just being busy and getting through things has taken a human toll. Now, here's the flip side, you have never had a greater gift in the current state of the economy, to poach the leaders, you need to grow your business. Because the same people you need those people who are loyal and committed and have great insights and who are part of those other teams are also feeling beaten up and unappreciated. So there were times in my career when I was, honestly, actively headhunting. Certain people and other companies realize that I want this person and will never get them. Just they're you know, they that you would, if you were to cut them, they would believe their company colors. And now is the time to go after those people. Because those people are very much feeling unappreciated, and distressed. 

And so much more… 

Connect with Darrin

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manufacturing-masters.com 

Connect with the broads!

Connect with Erin on LinkedIn and visit http://www.earthlinginteractive.com for web-based solutions to your complex business problems!

Connect with Lori on LinkedIn and visit www.keystoneclick.com for your strategic digital marketing needs!  

Connect with Kris on LinkedIn and visit www.genalpha.com for OEM and aftermarket digital solutions!

Lori Highby Chris Harrington and Aaron Courtney, three broads, bringing you stories and strategies exploring manufacturing topics that

I gotta say for all of our listeners out there, you're really missing something because every time this intro is happening, Eric is

To those it is I love it.

I can't help it.

Bring in the energy that show right from the get go. Yeah, yeah, maybe one time I'll snip the video clip and just share.

I think we should all be some outtakes. For sure.

It's definitely part of it.

Don't tell me ahead of time, I'll get stage fright.

Oh. I'll just put a hodgepodge of all of the intro.

Alright, I like it. That's good.

Yeah, any faces we've made overtime. After a year like we need a really fun episode that just feels Yeah. Oh, those

like the outtakes. I love outtakes. Man. I can watch bloopers, like for days. So I'm sure

it really shows personality. So yeah, get to know somebody better. Yeah. All right, are we ready to kick the show off today our show? Ready.

system with partners in six continents. Patented intellectual property, a global supply chain and had profits 10 times the industry average. That's

industry best practices. Their first platform manufacturing masters has over 2500 global users and they just kicked it off this year. So it's very,

Glad to be here.

Yeah,

yeah.

Yeah. It's a privilege to talk to you. I remember the first time that I had a chance to speak with you, Darren, he's like, Yeah, we're thinking

Thank you for the question. And thanks for the very kind introduction. So in 25 years, again, grew up global manufacturing business

products. And only after I stumbled through it and hundreds of 1000s of dollars later, the government actually came to me and said, Could you teach

world's best information in bite size form, so they can access it, where, when and how they need it, meeting them where they're at. And I'm very,

manufacturing, to employee engagement, to operations, how to get the best out of your engineering team, you know, 20, some years, somebody, you know,

available to the leadership team of those small to medium businesses, that again, they have the right information, like we're usually talking five to

career, and I was just getting frustrated going, why does this keep happening? And then I watched this one five minute video, Oh, holy hell, I

put the wrong person in the wrong position because I thought I was doing the right thing. So again, right now we have over 500, video library and

leading the business, not the technical person. And it's the thing that most of us who came up, I'm showing my hands right now, because they're

Oh, it's a big stressor and a great opportunity to add value again to that leadership team to those small to medium businesses. And I I'll be careful

that actually could have been the best solution for us. But I was not equipped to even ask the right questions because the person who is posing

that. Congratulations, going global.

I rant, but I'm, I'm very passionate about it. And I appreciate the question because I, you know, the flip side is that it isn't always

fair here staff. So yeah, I'm pretty passionate about getting the right experts in touch with the right businesses, so they can get real help

Darren, I, I have a sense that you tend towards the humbles, so you might deflect on my question, but I think you have been exposed to enough

So for all your listeners out there, I actually suppose sometimes I like to riff quite a bit. And then I have to be careful because I go off

So I travel around, you know, a lot of us associations and quite a bit in Canada as well. And I also have the luxury of sometimes people who are

Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.

Thank you the one that that hopefully makes me look smart is strategic, diversifying or like come on, man, like

those are big words.

The things that I said companies doing that are thinking about the future and where they're at. And again, I'm coming at this not from, you know, a

$600,000 in new equipment because they took on this massive nationwide customer and I've asked them one simple question as it made you any more

companies, some of the more strategic companies that who are thinking about, you know, not just get it out the door, get it out the door and get

starting to take a look at those low margin items and saying, you know, maybe we're just we shouldn't be doing that anymore. Good example, a

are thinking about those things because Again, you know, the ride that we're on, like anything may not last forever. So you don't want to look

we were this we manufacture this thing we are, but realistically, we went out to the marketplace and said, Is there anything else that you need? And

were actually supplying not only our competitors, customers, but our actual competitors. And we were making 48 to 52% margins.

Wow. Yeah, you can't argue with that. I mean, that's just gold are good, go fix

the problem.

For the customer and fix the problem,

listen to the customer fix the problem. I like

this, you're awesome. And I want everyone to go on to manufacturing masters and watch her videos, or just call you and ask you

of the day, that's what we all want as customers. Yeah. You know, we have some proof is that like I said, we're making 48 to 52% margin, and I had

Well, thank you for that. Darren, appreciate it.

That would be the first thing I would think about if I was a manufacturer today, which I still believe I am, is thinking about how do

things are happening. You need to prepare for that today. So that would be the first thing I would suggest that they start doing is you know what I'm

Yeah. That's great advice. It

really they call that true talk. Real talk, real talk. Yeah, yeah.

I don't know anybody today in manufacturing, who's not trying to increase their profitability. But sometimes it's a difficult choice to sit

Darren, use the word courage, have the courage to know what to stop doing. And I think that's the, that's almost trickier than the profit

Yeah. Is there anything Darren that you can think of right now and all your conversations with manufacturers that manufacturers are worried

So, people I don't want to repeat what you've probably heard 1000 times in the last week about people. I have two things that I would want

stressed, which you've got through it. Congratulations, what you miss something, you have a team of people who haven't recovered yet. And they're

of resources that are out there, you just have to recognize that just being busy and getting through things has taken a human toll. Now, here's the

honestly, actively headhunting. Certain people and other companies realize that I really want this person and will never ever get them. Just they're

company culture and really back it up, like not just the BS stuff, if you can really back it up, now is the time to head hunt those certain people

preach it. So I think there are a lot of people that needed to hear that. That's great.

That's sage, that is sage. Thank you.

That's a big words today.

It's vocabulary Friday.

All right. So Darren, I think what you're doing manufacturing Masters is just fantastic. And so many different levels I know is a lot of

down that path. So it's great that you've got these bite sized nuggets of amazing information to help them be the best that they can be. That being

So we continue to develop our depth of experts. So I think we have 15 new ones just coming out in the next few weeks. So everywhere from

that your customer calls and asks you for the first, you know the list of documentation. And I went, I'm sorry, I'm listening. Again, we want to keep

making sure that there's products and services available for that group of people as well. But where my heart is, again, is in that leadership team of

Yeah. And for those that are looking at Darren right now we can see all the Masters behind him up on the screen. So it's really awesome how

were you gonna say something? Go ahead,

I have a, I have one last thing. And I would be remiss if I didn't say it, and then we can just cut this off, and everybody can go.

Don't worry, you're not gonna have

to do we have to do what we learned. So

I'm thinking to all of our listeners right now, because you're always bombarded with information. And you're always wondering, who do I

it today, that's great. If you don't want to recognize it, it's still already happening. So you can take the attitude today of, hey, how do I

of our brain power. And they started building our products there. And we did the same with Australia and New Zealand and South Korea, and many other

conferences and all hear the keynote speaker saying you just need to be more efficient. Like, man, I'm going to throw a chair on stage and then

what you're awesome at, you're allowed to tell a lot of people. And again, doing some of the stuff we did you know, we're at $60 million in the middle

Again, well, it's an emotional moment. Alibaba, why can't you just flip it on its head and use that for your supply chain or your sales structure

that's not a fun company to work for.

Well, you heard it from the manufacturing master himself.

That's right.

That's great. Good advice. All right, we're gonna shift into our other segment of every episode. And that is finished the sentence. I just

Oh, yay.

Hi, just learned. So I had heard of this concept of Cobots. And I was like, well, that's neat, because then you need people and you have robots

they cage off the robot, keep the co worker away from them, and just use it as a robot. I think that's, that's something that is important for our

Interesting.

Oh, thanks for the lesson. All right, Laurie, what did you just learn so

my husband shared this with me. And I was really fascinated by it. But there was an eight year old girl that was able to chat with the

but I figured it's a fun tech communication. And I just found that fascinating and that people still even use ham radios. Apparently, there's

it is it's vibrant. They have their big towers. And that's on

the space station.

Cool. That's cool. Very cool.

Chris, what about you? What if What did you just learn?

Well, I just learned that mine is gonna be very different than your ladies. today. I just learned that Sue bird has 3234 assists. I don't know

that it is today. So I thought I would just announce that yeah, recording all of the she's in the playoffs right now with with her team, where I'm

that's what I learned.

Nobody wants a suicide pass. Sadly enough, it's very humbling for me, because every day is one of those aha learning experiences that are

like, I've never met someone so passionate about freight. And he's currently I think he has a list of 300 manufacturers he's working with, and

like you, we'll settle on eight. And I went, Oh, yeah, that sounds like you're good. We just weren't prepared to do it. And so that's something

Oh, I'm sure a lot of people want to hear that right now. Oh, what's his name again? Can you repeat it for us

now from North Carolina, and his company name? That's hover sack.

Is that one of your guests? Is that on online? Can we can we watch that episode?

Absolutely. He's experts. He gave us five short videos and he filmed them all on a loading dock. Because where I'm at home.

Wow. Fantastic. All right. So Darren, before we let you go today, how can people find you? Where would you like to guide people to?

anywhere they want? They can find us on the internet under Mitchell industries. They can find me on LinkedIn. They can find me on

Perfect. Well, thank you so much for being here with us. was a real pleasure to have you. And we'll, we'll take it from here. All right. Thank

this wraps up today's broadcast. If you're looking to shake up the status quo at your organization, or just want to connect with these broads,