Working On the Business, Not In the Business, w/ Paul van Metre
Paul van Metre, co-founder of ProShop ERP, explains how he transitioned from running a 75-person machine shop to building software after realizing existing ERP solutions ignored the shop floor. He argues that founders must document every role to create scalable processes, allowing them to shift from working 'in' the business to 'on' the business. Van Metre highlights that this discipline is critical for employee retention, successful audits like ISO 9000, and maximizing company valuation for potential buyers. He shares a case study of a customer who increased revenue by 20% and eliminated $30,000 in annual expediting fees by adopting his integrated ERP, MES, and QMS platform.