Breaking the Sine Wave: Hiring Smart, Scaling Sanely, and Staying Sane

Matt and Michael open up about the hardest phase of growth yet—scaling while exhausted. From sorting through 500+ job applicants to navigating burnout, trade show fatigue, and the fine line between serving customers and setting boundaries, this episode gets real about what it takes to run a growing manufacturing business.

They cover trial-day hiring tests, customer scope creep, and the chaos of being your own head of engineering, sales, and ops all at once. Matt shares lessons from three back-to-back trade shows, and Michael reflects on how to rebuild systems, protect margins, and stop living in the “urgent and important” quadrant.

Along the way, they debate lifestyle business vs. growth company, what makes a good hire, and how to know when to pull back—or push forward. It’s a grounded, honest look at the messy middle of manufacturing entrepreneurship and the discipline required to build something sustainable.