Most machine shops are built by people who are excellent at making parts. Far fewer are built to run, grow, or sell without the owner.

In this episode of the Manufacturing M&A Podcast, host Mike Fritz talks with Paul Van Metre, former machinist and shop owner, builder of the ProShop ERP system, and author of the new book Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business. Paul shares what he learned from his own exit and from hundreds of conversations with shop owners. Mike adds what he sees from the M&A side, including a shop he recently watched being taken apart because the systems were never put in place.

You'll hear:

- Why technical skill and business skill are two different things
- The revenue ceilings owners hit when they stay in the weeds
- Why getting paper out of the shop and office comes first
- Systems for sales, quoting, contract review, rev control, procurement, and planning
- Delivering invoices that get paid, not just good parts
- Capturing tribal knowledge before experienced people retire
- Putting the right people in the right roles, including the owner
- Where to learn: books, podcasts, other shop owners, and vetted outside experts

The big idea: the systems that make a shop worth buying are the same ones that make it more profitable and a better place to work today.

Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. New episodes publish on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Connect with Paul Van Metre

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvanmetre/

Grab Paul’s new book Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business (available on Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH3NCD41

Follow the Machine Shop Mastery podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/machine-shop-mastery/home/

Follow the MakingChips podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingchips/posts/

Follow the ProShop ERP System on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/proshoperp/home/

Connect with Mike Fritz
Email: mike.fritz@americanprecisionpartners.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefritzinvestor/

Follow the Manufacturing M&A Podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mma-podcast/

A profitable manufacturing company isn't automatically a valuable one.

Buyers want to know what happens when the owner steps away.

Recorded live at IMTS in Chicago, Mike Fritz sits down with Dave from EBITDA Growth Systems to unpack the factors that can strengthen — or quietly destroy — the value of a manufacturing business.

Dave started welding and machining train car wheels at just 13 years old before going on to build, operate, and sell businesses of his own. Today, he works with manufacturing owners to improve performance and build companies that are less dependent on the person at the top.

In this episode, Mike and Dave dig into:

• Why owner dependency creates risk for buyers
• How to decouple yourself from day-to-day operations
• The "vacation question" Mike asks acquisition targets
• Why customer concentration can dramatically reduce valuation
• How ERP systems, standardized processes, and clean financials strengthen a business
• Why revenue alone doesn't determine what a company is worth
• How leadership depth and company culture show up during due diligence
• What owners can start doing now to make their businesses more transferable
• Dave's approach to helping owners increase the value of their companies
• The philosophy behind Mike's new book, Built for Exit, launching this November

The goal isn't simply to make your company sellable.

It's to build a company that runs better, creates more value, and gives you options when the time eventually comes to step away.

As Mike puts it:

"Run your company like you're gonna sell it even if you never do."

🎧 Listen now on the Manufacturing M&A Podcast.

#Manufacturing #ManufacturingMA #MachineShop #BusinessValuation #ExitPlanning #EBITDA #MergersAndAcquisitions #IMTS2026

The value in manufacturing M&A is made on the purchase. Not the exit.

In Episode 02, Mike Fritz, who's bought shops at multiples as low as 1.56x, lays out the full buying framework: how to know what to look for, how to avoid the landmines, and how to make sure every deal moves you toward your actual goal.

Key topics covered:

• Why jumping multiple brackets beats growing revenue every time
• How to start with the end in mind before you ever open a financial statement
• First acquisition vs. bolt-on- why the rules are completely different
• What a growth play looks like (good capabilities, solid customers, low capacity)
• The key man trap and how one seller's relationships can torpedo your deal post-close
• Vertical integration- why it's brilliant in theory and dangerous without the right operational team

"I have never hit a target I did not know was there. And a lot of times in acquisitions, we don't think about it like that."

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Connect with Mike Fritz
Email: mike.fritz@americanprecisionpartners.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefritzinvestor/

Follow the Manufacturing M&A Podcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-ma-podcast/