#03 Business Spotlight — Paul Critchley of New England Lean: How One Mainer Helps New England Businesses Thrive

"It's basically a way to make work suck less." That's how Paul Critchley explains his job at backyard barbecues — and after this episode, you'll understand exactly what he means.This week on the So New England Podcast Business Spotlight Series, Ian Brownhill and RJ sit down with Paul Critchley, owner of New England Lean Consulting — a regional firm helping manufacturers, machine shops, and small businesses across New England operate smarter, faster, and with less stress. Born and raised in Maine, Paul spent 20+ years in mechanical engineering and operations across automotive parts, medical devices, and military jet engines before going out on his own in 2015. Today, his firm works with everyone from two-brother machine shops to Brown University.In this episode, we cover:What lean consulting actually is (it's not Bar Rescue, but close)The seven wastes that quietly cost New England businesses millionsWhy workers sometimes ask "are we going out of business?" when business is actually boomingThe factory worker whose life genuinely changed because of operational improvementsThree questions every business owner should ask themselves right nowWhy communication is almost always the real bottleneckPaul's date night spent mentally auditing a bar's kitchen layout (yes, his wife was there)Why he can't shop at Stop & Shop or Home Depot anymoreThe box of wire from 1986 that an engineer refused to throw awayThe welder who threatened to zap him with a torch (and became his biggest advocate)His honest ranking of the six New England statesWhy he refuses to drive in Boston anymoreThe stranger who saved his life in the Financial District with one Boston-flavored sentenceYou can find Paul at NewEnglandLean.com, on LinkedIn as Paul Critchley, and on Instagram at @NewEnglandLeanGuy.Follow the So New England Podcast for new episodes every week. Don't forget — life's better in New England.