Machine Shop Growth
The Machine Shop Growth Podcast gives a fresh perspective to help you grow your shop by focusing on 3 key factors - Sales, Marketing and Efficiency. For decades the machine shop industry was build on a “good-ol-boys” mentality and was full of great machinists and engineers that made great parts. What has been discovered is many of those amazing shops have plateaued or are starting to decline - because they didn’t put enough emphasis on getting more work and making more money with the work they had.
On this podcast you will hear first hand advice from machine owners and mangers how they are getting more work and how they are making more money. Now let’s Grow Your Shop!
Machine Shop Growth
Episode #31: From Machine Operator to Shop Leader: Manufacturing Career Advice for Young Machinists
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From Machine Operator to Shop Leader: Manufacturing Career Advice for Young Machinists | MSG Episode 31
Most machinists start in the same place:
Standing at a machine.
Pushing a green button.
Doing exactly what they're told.
But what separates the people who stay there from the people who become programmers, supervisors, leaders, and shop owners?
In this episode, Kirk Phelps shares the lessons that transformed his own career—from sweeping floors and running manual machines to leading manufacturing operations and helping companies grow.
You'll learn:
✅ Why initiative is the fastest way to earn opportunity
✅ The difference between confidence and arrogance
✅ How fear silently limits career growth
✅ Why humility makes you more valuable than technical skills alone
✅ The mindset that helped Kirk progress from operator to leader
Most people spend their careers waiting for opportunities.
The people who grow create them.
If you're a young machinist wondering what's next—or a shop owner trying to develop future leaders—this episode is for you.
Subscribe to our weekly format:
📈 Sales & Marketing (1st & 3rd Tuesdays)
⚙️ Operations & Engineering (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
🎙️ Bonus episodes when opportunity strikes
If this episode helps, please leave a review and share it with someone starting their manufacturing journey.