148: Why Your Manufacturing Business Should Be Boring with Marc Bowers, Executive Director of St. Louis Makes

We know what you’re thinking…this episode title is against everything we stand for! But hear us out… 

“Manufacturing should be boring” may sound like the antithesis of this podcast but, as you listen, you’ll understand what this guest means. 

On this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we are joined by St. Louis Makes Executive Director, Marc Bowers. St. Louis Makes is a non-profit helping emerging and mid-sized regional manufacturers drive sales expansion through product innovation and new marketing opportunities. 

Marc joins the show to discuss the main how-tos of running a manufacturing business, why old-school entrepreneurship is making a comeback and the advantages of thinking outside the box. 

Plus, an explanation for our title!  

In this episode, find out: 

• The infrastructure of St. Louis 
• The return of old-school manufacturing entrepreneurship 
• The customers manufacturing leaders should focus on 
• What to do before seeking out adjacent business opportunities 
• Why you need to know the business inside out 
• The benefits of taking alternative career paths 
• Leveraging the importance of education 
• Steps to buying a manufacturing company 
• Important how-tos when running a manufacturing business 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Everything that I've learned, I've learned from somebody else. It’s not like the knowledge spontaneously popped into my head. The way I've done that is by taking calls where other people maybe wouldn't have.” 
• “So many people made the jump into high tech. They failed to realize that there was nothing but tech in manufacturing and it wasn't cool. I like doing the contrarian and at the time that was manufacturing.” 
• “The smaller the company, the bigger the opportunity…until you get too small.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Connect with Marc on LinkedIn 
• MarcBowers.com, helping companies drive up revenue through data-driven solutions for sales growth 
• St. Louis Makes, a St. Louis, Missouri-based 501c3 nonprofit and the only community peer group that serves emerging and mid-size regional manufacturers to help them drive sales expansion through product innovation and identification of new market opportunities 
• Cortex Center for Emerging Technologies (CET), an affiliate of St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation Community since 2012, the CET provides the infrastructure and resources needed for early-stage, high-growth companies in the fields of information technology, bioscience and consumer/manufactures products to innovate and thrive 
• O’Connell’s Pub, an old Irish bar serving up some of the best burgers in St. Louis 

Make sure to visit manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.