# 148: Why Your Manufacturing Business Should Be Boring with Marc Bowers, Executive Director of St. Louis Makes

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2023-08-08
- Length: 52m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Marc Bowers, Executive Director of St. Louis Makes, explains why manufacturing businesses should be boring, advocating for predictable cash flow and deep operational knowledge over high-tech hype. He details the process of acquiring or taking over small-to-mid-sized manufacturers (under $30M revenue), emphasizing a 100-day period to understand financials and shop floor realities before pursuing adjacent growth opportunities. Bowers also discusses the resurgence of old-school entrepreneurship in St. Louis, the importance of trade education, and his personal philosophy of living an interesting life through global travel and gap years.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=0) Introduction: Marc Bowers and St. Louis Makes
- [3:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=186) St. Louis Infrastructure and Cortex Center
- [8:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=533) Why Manufacturing Should Be Boring
- [13:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=820) The St. Louis Manufacturing Ecosystem
- [18:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=1113) Old-School Entrepreneurship and Succession
- [26:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=1596) Acquiring and Running Small Manufacturers
- [35:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=2150) Due Diligence and 100-Day Integration
- [39:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=2373) Education, Trade Schools, and Career Paths
- [43:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive#t=2618) Living an Interesting Life and Gap Years

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- St. Louis Makes (company)
- Cortex Center for Emerging Technologies (company)
- O'Connell's Pub (other)
- Colgate Palmolive (company)
- Toro Company (company)
- Metal Durables (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Demystifying the Buying and Selling of a Manufacturing Business w/ Mike Payne](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-02-25-demystifying-the-buying-and-selling-of-a-manufacturing-business-w-mike-payne) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [8 Silent Business Killers For Manufacturers w/ Steve Blue](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Growing a Profitable Manufacturing Business Without Outside Investors w/ Kyle Ewing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Advice Line with Katlin Smith of Simple Mills](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-01-23-advice-line-with-katlin-smith-of-simple-mills) (How I Built This)
- [410: Now You’re Just A Weirdo!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2023-09-08-410-now-youre-just-a-weirdo) (Making It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Manufacturing Happy Hour.