# 8 Silent Business Killers For Manufacturers w/ Steve Blue

- Show: [The Manufacturing Executive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive)
- Published: 2023-02-28
- Length: 43m
- Episode: 141
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue
- Listen: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-manufacturing-executive#episode-b33d35b3-3fb7-4ffa-b992-bb4bae5a1da9

## Summary

Steve Blue, CEO of Miller Ingenuity, outlines eight silent business killers that threaten manufacturing companies, drawing from his experience leading an international high-tech manufacturer. He details specific operational failures, including CEO complacency, suppressed conflict in meetings, and the stagnation of innovation processes. Blue also highlights the dangers of sales teams becoming too close to customers, retaining toxic employees, ignoring factory cost controls, avoiding international markets, and failing to manage rising healthcare expenses.

## Chapters

- [0:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=36) Introduction: Steve Blue and Miller Ingenuity
- [2:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=161) Steve Blue's Career Path: Navy, Night School, and Authorship
- [8:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=484) Killer 1: CEO Complacency and the Echo Chamber
- [11:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=697) Killer 2: Making Nice and Suppressing Conflict
- [16:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=993) Killer 3: Innovation is Dead on Arrival
- [21:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=1303) Killer 4: Sales Teams Working for the Customer
- [28:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=1690) Killer 5: The $10,000,000 Toxic Employee
- [32:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=1953) Killer 6: Accepting Rising Factory Costs
- [35:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=2125) Killer 7: Hiding in the USA and Avoiding International Markets
- [38:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-02-28-8-silent-business-killers-for-manufacturers-w-steve-blue#t=2290) Killer 8: Unsustainable Healthcare Expenses

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Miller Ingenuity (company)
- Gorilla 76 (company)
- QVC (company)
- Boeing (company)
- NASA (company)
- EOS (other)
- How to Fix a Factory (product)
- Metamorphosis (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [148: Why Your Manufacturing Business Should Be Boring with Marc Bowers, Executive Director of St. Louis Makes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-08-08-148-why-your-manufacturing-business-should-be-boring-with-marc-bowers-executive) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [S6E38 Wally Waldron | How to Successfully Exit A Manufacturing or Industrial Services Business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-09-19-s6e38-wally-waldron-how-to-successfully-exit-a-manufacturing-or-industrial-servi) (Being an Engineer)
- [Greatest Hits: Top 3 Leadership Lessons from Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-05-11-greatest-hits-top-3-leadership-lessons-from-manufacturing-happy-hour) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [180: Made in Missouri, Live from the 2024 Midwest Manufacturers Trade Show & Conference](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-04-09-180-made-in-missouri-live-from-the-2024-midwest-manufacturers-trade-show-confere) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Books in the box redux](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-06-28-books-in-the-box-redux) (Oxide and Friends)

## Citing this page

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