Why Some People Build Companies and Others Don’t, with Mike Payne (Part 2) – EP 233 (Best of Swarfcast)

Why Some People Build Companies and Others Don’t, with Mike Payne (Part 2) – EP 233 (Best of Swarfcast)

April 7, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 233

About this episode

In this episode, Mike Payne discusses the reasons behind why some individuals become entrepreneurs while others remain employees.

I often ponder—why do some people own and build companies, while most people are destined to spend their careers as employees. In Part II of my interview with Mike Payne, owner of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication , we explore this question. Mike comes from a family of six generations of teachers, not business managers or entrepreneurs, and he says he was a “mess” in high school without direction. There’s no question that he’s smart and ambitious, but there are lots of people out there with those qualities, and only a small handful of them acquire and grow manufacturing companies. I enjoyed pushing Mike to analyze how and why he does what he does, and I think he enjoyed being pushed. Spoiler alert, it goes a lot deeper than just making a bunch of money and being your own boss. *********** Listen on your favorite podcast app using pod.link.   View the podcast at the bottom of this post or on our YouTube Channel Follow us on Social and never miss an update! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swarfcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swarfcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/todays-machining-world Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmwswarfblog ************* Link…

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