About this episode

Kenny Williams shares his journey from technology to building a seven-figure aerospace and defense business, emphasizing the importance of relationships and sustainable growth in manufacturing.

In this episode of Machine Shop Mastery , I got to sit down with Kenny Williams of Native Aerospace and Defense. Kenny has a really interesting background because he did not come into manufacturing through the traditional path. He started in technology, worked with major ERP companies, served as a CIO for several manufacturing companies, and saw firsthand how deeply connected systems, process, people, and business really are. What I really appreciated about this conversation is that Kenny has lived the lessons he shares. He started a shop, grew it from zero revenue into a seven-figure aerospace and defense business in less than two and a half years, and eventually sold it. Now, through Native Aerospace and Defense, he is looking at his next chapter: acquiring and growing shops with the right foundation, systems, and opportunity. We talked about the realities that many new shop owners do not fully understand when they first get started. Kenny shares how he and his partner expected some large purchase orders to materialize early on, only to realize that relationships, trust, cash flow, capacity, and execution matter far more than simply having machines on the floor. His perspective…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Van Metre

Guest: Kenny Williams

Topics covered

• manufacturing
• entrepreneurship
• business growth
• cash flow management
• startup challenges
• aerospace and defense

Keywords

• manufacturing
• startup
• seven figures
• cash flow

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Native Aerospace and Defense, ERP

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