Gosiger Blog

Typically owners of businesses like CNC machine shops put off thinking about the future of their company once they’re ready to retire, move on to a new challenge, or something unexpected happens. Let’s face it: few of us like to think about these things. We own our business because we like what we’re doing, we enjoy being our own boss, and we don’t want our success to depend on anyone else. We’d much rather focus on resolving today’s challenges, planning for growth and investing in new technology.

Video productions are one of the most powerful forms of communications and a proven sales tool. As a consumer you already know the power of video. And you’re not alone. In a 2011 survey, e-commerce consultants, The e-tailing Group, interviewed 1,039 participants about their video habits. Among their findings:

When a new employee comes on board you commit significant time and money to developing what you hope will be a team member who will make meaningful contributions to your business. Obviously you’ll do your best to check on a candidate’s background and work history, but many times it’s difficult or impossible to get a straight answer from previous employers, or a balanced appraisal from hand-picked references. That’s why the interview questions you ask and the prospective employee’s answers are so important.

Keeping any business open is challenging, and CNC machine shops of all sizes are no exception. According to the Small Business Administration 50% of businesses fail within the first five years, and two-thirds fail within 10 years.

Running a CNC shop, or any business for that matter, is usually more than a 40-hour-a-week job. In fact there never seem to be enough hours in the day. So how do you make time for family and for yourself?

Generational differences can have a profound impact on the workplace. The values, drives and personality differences between CNC shop owners/managers from previous generations and their Millennial employees (born between 1980 and 2000) are significant. This is not to say that Millennials are better or worse employees, just different. Which means their supervisors need to understand some basic Millennial characteristics so they can maximize their value to the company and to themselves.