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my TRUE POSITION
Manufacturing Professionals will receive immediate and actionable insight into high-level issues of running a small to mid-sized manufacturing company. All communicated in an easy-to-digest 20 minutes by your expert podcaster and second-generation business owner, Jim Carr.
Episodes
- my TRUE POSITION
The Best Manufacturing Classroom Isn't a Classroom
IMTS 2026 is coming back to Chicago, and Jim Carr believes manufacturing leaders should do more than just attend. They should bring their teams. In this…
- my TRUE POSITION
Be Careful When Giving a Friend a Purchase Order
Doing business with friends can be rewarding — but it can also get complicated fast. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr shares personal lessons from…
- my TRUE POSITION
CMMC Is Paused: The Hackers AREN'T
Manufacturing has become the number-one industry targeted by cyberattackers, accounting for 27.7% of the incidents investigated by IBM X-Force in 2025…
- my TRUE POSITION
The Backlog Is REAL: So Is the Bottleneck
A big backlog feels great — until you realize backlog doesn't ship itself. In this episode, I break down the hard reality behind today's aerospace and defense…
- my TRUE POSITION
CMMC Hit the Brakes...Because the Arsenal Can't Wait!
The government just suspended CMMC Phase II—and the reason goes far beyond cybersecurity. With defense inventories under replenishment pressure, aerospace…
- my TRUE POSITION
No One Wants to Work Overtime: Now What?
Manufacturing owners love to say nobody wants to work overtime anymore. But maybe the better question is: why did we build businesses that depend on it? In…
- my TRUE POSITION
The Machines Are Here! The People Aren't.
Chicago has spent billions building the future of manufacturing and logistics — rail yards, airport cargo systems, automation, robotics, smart factories, and…
- my TRUE POSITION
The Family Business Survival Guide
Most family businesses don't fail because they run out of money. They fail because they run out of leadership, communication, trust, and a real succession…
- my TRUE POSITION
The Best Business Education I Never Paid For
What if the most valuable business lessons you'll ever learn don't come from a college classroom, a consultant, or an MBA program? Over the last ten years…
- my TRUE POSITION
The Defense Manufacturing Boom Is Coming: Are You Ready?
Defense spending is rising. Aerospace production is accelerating. Munitions demand is growing. And behind the scenes, manufacturers are preparing for what…
- my TRUE POSITION
A Young Engineer Asked Me for 3 Pieces of Advice: Here Are Ten!
A young mechanical engineering student named Jake Masters reached out to me on LinkedIn asking for advice before stepping into his family's 70-year-old CNC…
- my TRUE POSITION
MRP Is Broken: How Modern Shops Are Rebuilding Their Tech Stack
In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Lorin Shamos from First Resonance to break down why traditional ERP and MRP systems are falling behind—and what a…
- my TRUE POSITION
When Failure Isn't an Option: Inside High-Reliability Manufacturing
Not all manufacturing is created equal. Some parts can fail. Others can't. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Errick Egeland from The Lee Company to…
- my TRUE POSITION
Space Junk, Collisions, and Control: Who's Managing the Chaos in Orbit?
Space isn't just about launching satellites anymore—it's about maintaining them, inspecting them, and eventually removing them. In this episode, Jim Carr sits…
- my TRUE POSITION
Rework Is Killing Your Margin: Here's How Top Shops Are Fixing It
Most shops aren't losing money on bad machining—they're losing it on bad execution. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Patrick Diggins from Aligned…
- my TRUE POSITION
Who Packed Your Parachute? When the Supply Chain Breaks—But the Mission Doesn't
What happens when a critical aerospace part disappears—but the mission doesn't? In this episode, Jim sits down with Sam Thevanayagam, CEO of Parts Life and…
- my TRUE POSITION
Three Generations, One Exit: What It Really Takes to Sell a Machine Shop (Part Two)
In this continuation of Three Generations, One Exit, we move past the idea of selling and into the reality of doing it. The conversations get tougher, the…
- my TRUE POSITION
Three Generations, One Exit: What It Really Takes to Sell a Machine Shop (Part 1)
This episode hits home. I sat down with a close friend—a third-generation machine shop owner—who took his family business all the way through a private equity…
- my TRUE POSITION
Choosing the Wrong Automation Partner: A Shop Floor Story (Part 2)
Automation didn't fail us—the wrong partner did. In Part 2 of this two-part series, Jim Carr and Ryan Carr finish the story behind a CNC automation retrofit…
- my TRUE POSITION
Choosing the Wrong Automation Partner: A Shop Floor Story (Part 1)
Automation is supposed to make your shop faster, leaner, and more profitable. But what happens when the company you trust to retrofit your CNC turns out to be…
- my TRUE POSITION
The Changing Landscape of Manufacturing
After 4+ decades in manufacturing, I've seen this industry transform in ways most people never imagined. When I started, shops were running manual mills and…
- my TRUE POSITION
Manufacturing Sales Isn't What It Used to Be
There was a time when machine shops could sit back and wait for RFQs to land in the inbox. If you ran a solid shop, the work showed up. That world is changing…
- my TRUE POSITION
If I Sold the Business Tomorrow…
What would happen if I sold the business tomorrow? Not the valuation. Not the multiple. Not the wire transfer. What would I regret? In this episode, I take a…
- my TRUE POSITION
Your 3 Uniques: The Difference Between a Commodity Shop and a Premium One
Most machine shops think they're unique. Most are wrong. In this episode, Jim breaks down the EOS concept of 3 Uniques and why they determine whether your shop…
- my TRUE POSITION
Executive Throughput: Why Your Health Drives Your EBITDA
Most C-suite leaders track every metric inside their business — margin, throughput, OEE, cash flow. But almost none of them track the performance of the one…
- my TRUE POSITION
Digital Is Fast. Relationships Are Slow.
In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down why speed, tools, and constant updates don't build real relationships in manufacturing—especially in aerospace, where…
- my TRUE POSITION
If You're Not Obsessing Over Cash Flow, You're Already in Trouble
In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down how real small business owners actually keep the lights on—managing AR, AP, lines of credit, savings, and credit cards…
- my TRUE POSITION
You Agreed to WHAT?! Flowdowns, AVLs, and the Silent Killers of Margin
Most manufacturing shops don't lose margin on the shop floor—they sign it away during contract review. In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down how customer…
- my TRUE POSITION
Leadership Through Empowerment
Most leaders say they want empowered teams. What they really want is compliance without pushback. That mindset is exactly why so many manufacturing businesses…
- my TRUE POSITION
Why I'm Back at the Table: The Real ROI of Networking and Board Service
I spent ten years active in industry boards, then disappeared for seven. Nothing broke—but nothing grew either. In this episode, Jim breaks down why serious…
- my TRUE POSITION
Simple Marketing Fixes Every Shop Owner Should Do Before 2026
If your marketing looks the same as it did last year, you're already behind. In this episode, Jim breaks down five simple, no-bullshit ways to clean up your…
- my TRUE POSITION
GD&T Isn't Harder — Manufacturing Just Got Less Forgiving
GD&T didn't get harder — manufacturing got less forgiving. Thirty years ago, drawings were guidance and experience filled the gaps. Today, drawings are…
- my TRUE POSITION
End of 2025 Reflections: Five Decades of Precision, Perseverance, and Progress
As 2025 comes to a close, CARR Machine & Tool marks 53 years in aerospace manufacturing — spanning three generations and five decades of grit, reinvention, and…
- my TRUE POSITION
Fixing Toxic Culture: The Blueprint, the Metrics, and the Reality
In this episode, we get brutally honest about toxic culture — what causes it, what sustains it, and what it really takes to fix it. I'm breaking down the…
- my TRUE POSITION
Calibration Frequency: How to Set It, Prove It, and Defend It
In this episode, we dig into one of the most misunderstood parts of any aerospace quality system: calibration frequency. I'm breaking down how to set intervals…
- my TRUE POSITION
Relocation Regrets: When a New Hire Becomes a $30,000 Mistake
Think hiring from out of state is the answer to your talent shortage? Think again. Between relocation costs, lost productivity, and cultural misfires, that…
- my TRUE POSITION
Cut Chips, Not Profits: Managing Labor Like a Pro
Let's be real — the fastest way to torch your profit isn't a bad part or a missed deadline. It's when your labor starts running you instead of the other way…
- my TRUE POSITION
When Branding Meets Blue Collar: Why Every Shop Needs a Marketing Engine
Most machine shops think marketing is fluff — that the work should speak for itself. But here's the truth: in 2025, if you're not telling your story, you don't…
- my TRUE POSITION
Five Years After COVID - Where Manufacturing Was, and Where We're At
It's been five years since COVID flipped manufacturing on its head. Back then, it was all about survival — keeping the doors open and the machines running…
- my TRUE POSITION
TRACTION, Re-Engaged: How Leadership Discipline Drives Growth at CARR Machine
In 2018, we implemented TRACTION for the first time — and like most small teams, we were figuring it out as we went. Fast forward to today, and CARR Machine…
- my TRUE POSITION
LinkedIn or Look-At-Me? How the World's Largest Job Network Lost Its Job
LinkedIn was built for professionals — a place to connect, learn, and grow careers. But somewhere along the way, it turned into a stage for personal branding…
- my TRUE POSITION
From Day One to Year One: Building Loyalty Through Onboarding
The first two weeks on the job set the tone for everything that follows. At CARR, we've built a structured onboarding playbook — with 5-day, 30-day, 90-day…
- my TRUE POSITION
Is This the End of the Family-Owned Machine Shop?
The family-owned machine shop — once the backbone of American manufacturing — is disappearing. Private equity is rolling up independents, succession is drying…
- my TRUE POSITION
Signals of Success: How I Spot Future Talent in Manufacturing
Degrees don't impress me. GPAs don't build careers. The real signals that matter? Showing up, asking questions, taking pride in your work. In this episode of…
- my TRUE POSITION
Forget the Tuition Trap: Pathways into Precision Manufacturing
College debt is crushing a generation—but there's another way. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, I break down the real pathways into precision…
- my TRUE POSITION
The New Shop Class: Precision, Software, and Six-Figure Trajectories
Forget the grimy stereotype—this is aerospace-grade, software-driven manufacturing. In Part 1 of The New Shop Class, I pull back the curtain on clean…
- my TRUE POSITION
Book Deals or Bullshit? Exposing the Vanity Press Scam
Ever get that email saying, 'We want to offer you a book deal'? Yeah…bullshit. These aren't publishers—they're predators. They target business owners, shop…
- my TRUE POSITION
Margins, Mistakes, and the Machines That Made Us
In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr by his CFO and business coach Dave Capkovitz, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to evolve a…
- my TRUE POSITION
Artifact What? Why AS9100 Shops Need to Step Up Their Gage Game
In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr uncovers the real story behind artifact parts in Gage R&R studies. Too many shops are cutting corners when it…
- my TRUE POSITION
Leave of Absence or Exit Strategy?
Is that employee "taking time off"… or walking out quietly? In this episode, Jim Carr dissects the real motives behind employee leave. From legal obligations…
- my TRUE POSITION
Private Equity Wants a Piece...But What Happens After the Check Clears?
PE firms are circling job shops like vultures — waving fat checks and buzzwords like "scale" and "efficiency." But what happens after the champagne dries up?…
- my TRUE POSITION
Smart Specs, Dumb Risk: Ray-Ban Meta vs. ITAR Reality
What happens when AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses stroll onto your ITAR-regulated shop floor? In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, I unpack how one slick-looking…
- my TRUE POSITION
Low-Mix, High-Volume: Our Big Shift — and What It's Teaching Me
Too many part numbers. Too many changeovers. Too much chaos. For years, we ran a low-volume, high-mix job shop — and it was eating us alive. Until we flipped…
- my TRUE POSITION
Get Out and Kiss Babies: Why Your Customers Need to See Your Face
You're the face of the shop — act like it. In this episode, Jim Carr unpacks why getting out of the office, shaking hands, and "kissing babies" isn't politics……
- my TRUE POSITION
Leads, Lies, and Lanyards: The Real Cost of Exhibiting
Dropped $10K on a booth and walked away with a pocketful of business cards and no leads? You're not alone. In this gritty solo episode, I pull back the curtain…
- my TRUE POSITION
Receivables Redefined: Be Firm. Be Fair. Get Paid.
Are you tired of chasing down payments like it's part of your job description? In this episode, Jim Carr strips down the BS and breaks down how to manage your…
- my TRUE POSITION
Blueprints & Blood Pressure: Why GD&T Still Gets Misread
Why does GD&T still trip people up? In this episode, I break down the real reasons prints get misread — and how it leads to confusion, wasted time, and bad…
- my TRUE POSITION
Talk Dirty to Me: The Language of the Trade
From bird's nests to cowboy cuts, we're breakin' down the raw, unfiltered slang of the shop floor. It's gritty, it's funny, and yeah—we swear a little. This…
- my TRUE POSITION
Grit, Chips, and Change: Four Decades in the Game
After 40 years in the game, Jim Carr asks the question no one wants to answer out loud: Was it easier to run a machine shop back then… or have the rules just…