Why Starting a Machine Shop Felt Less Risky Than Another Corporate Job, Ep #529

Getting laid off twice early in your career could make you crave stability. It did the opposite for Brian Balthasar. After two rounds of corporate layoffs, he decided that starting his own machine shop was the safer bet. This is another one of our Gen CNC conversations. Brian founded Balthasar Industries in 2022, and he just bought his first building in North Tonawanda, New York. We walk through the leap: buying a mill and a lathe before he had customers, learning that the sales cycle can run a year or more, and finding out how fast the costs that have nothing to do with machines pile up. Some of the most useful parts are about money. The SBA 7(a) loan that got him started, the tooling and support gear that blew past every budget, and why his original business plan turned out to be 10 to 20 percent right. We add the rule every shop owner learns eventually: plan on it costing twice as much and taking twice as long, then pressure test that plan against the worst case. We also get into growing past a one person shop, standardizing on DN Solutions, and building a tech stack in the right order, with connectivity first. Brian shares the CAM path that let him run a shop knowing only basic G code, and where he wants to take the business next, from complex turning and mill turn work to the optics, aerospace, and defense jobs around Buffalo. Underneath all of it is an idea we keep circling back to. Growth is a calculated risk. You run the numbers, decide how much risk you can live with, and then, as Brian puts it, burn the boats and go. There's also a DN Solutions machine giveaway coming at IMTS this year, and you can sign up at makingchips.com/giveaway. What's Covered in this Episode (1:57) Learn more about Brian Balthasar and his journey in manufacturing (4:56) Why starting a shop felt less risky than another corporate job (6:22) Take your shop high-end with DN Solutions (7:35) Buying machines, hunting for customers, and learning sales (10:41) The startup costs nobody budgets for (15:04) Plan on twice as long and twice as much, then pressure test it (16:11) Boost spindle uptime with the Hennig workflow automation system (17:03) Buying the building and adding a third machine (18:33) Financing gear and getting a line of credit before you need it (21:09) Win a DN Solutions SVM 4100 at IMTS 2026 (22:37) The SAE effect and the community that shapes young founders (26:19) Growing past a one person shop and protecting your balance (27:48) Invest in yourself first with ProShop ERP (29:24) Building the tech stack in the right order, connectivity first (34:19) The CAM journey and running a shop on basic G code (36:06) Where the equipment is headed and a wild GM grinder story (39:34) Positioning for optics, aerospace, defense, and AS9100 (44:36) Closing advice: decide your risk threshold and burn the boats Resources Mentioned DN Solutions Hennig Workflow Automation ProShop ERP IMTS Bryce Barnes: The Tech Stack Advantage Connect with Brian Balthasar Balthasar Industries Balthasar Industries on LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook Email Connect with MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube