Episode
Smart Money Moves: How to Grow Your Shop Without Breaking the Bank, Ep #22
- Podcast
- Buy the Numbers
- Published
- Jul 10, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 3362
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Summary
I'm halfway through the year and, like many of you, I feel as if it's still February. Orders are steady but not spectacular, and every headline seems designed to keep shop owners awake at night. That's why I invited my friend and financing partner Ty Willis back on Buy the Numbers —because cautious optimism only works if your cash flow can keep up with your ambitions. Ty funds machine tools every day, from three-spindle startups to $40 million fab shops, so he sees the real score behind the press releases. In this conversation we pull the veil off equipment financing: when to borrow, when to walk away, and how to keep your banker, your line of credit, and your future robots playing nicely together. We also unpack why a "slow-and-steady foundation" beats any shiny new five-axis—unless that five-axis comes with the cash-flow runway to feed it. You'll hear Ty's three phases of lending wisdom, my own war stories of growing Hill Manufacturing (including a 24-spindle acquisition we're closing in two weeks), and a practical playbook for calling your shot six months before you sign a PO. We even run a lightning round on interest rates, Section 179, and whether the latest "no payments for six months" gimmick is really a deal. If you're tired of financing offers that treat every shop the same—or tired of hearing "rates are too high, maybe next year"—this episode gives you the numbers, questions, and mindset to finance growth without betting the farm. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... (0:00) Ty's "run lean first" mantra and why slow & steady wins the race (0:25) Check out Verdant Commercial Capital to gain a partner in your corner (1:30) Ty's path from tech to ten years in independent equipment finance (4:53) Job shops are softer, DOD/aerospace is hum…