# Top Shops Benchmarking: The Numbers That Separate Leaders from the Rest, Ep #27

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/buy-the-numbers-7058319/top-shops-benchmarking-the-numbers-that-separate-leaders-from-the-rest-ep-27.md
Podcast: [Buy the Numbers](https://stenobird.com/podcast/buy-the-numbers-7058319)
Published: 2025-08-28T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://dcc033c8-8903-4fb0-9253-67dad5f7e9db.libsyn.com/top-shops-benchmarking-the-numbers-that-separate-leaders-from-the-rest-ep-27
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/dcc033c8-8903-4fb0-9253-67dad5f7e9db/BTN027.mp3?dest-id=4723887
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Duration seconds: 3188

## Resource

In this episode of Buy the Numbers , Mike Payne sits down with Dave Necessary , Executive Vice President of Products and Markets at Gardner Business Media, to dig into the power of benchmarking and the Top Shops program. For more than a decade, Top Shops has been the definitive survey that shows manufacturers where they stand—highlighting the practices, strategies, and investments that consistently separate the best from everyone else. Dave shares how the survey functions like a business health check-up, providing both an industry-wide benchmarking standards report and a personalized scorecard for participating shops. From capital investment and automation strategies to marketing, HR practices, and efficiency metrics, Top Shops reveals the numbers that matter most to shop owners serious about growth. Mike reflects on his own journey—how filling out that survey after acquiring his first shop in 2018 shaped a five-year plan to transform into a Top Shop. Along the way, he and Dave connect the dots between numbers like revenue per employee, profit margin, and capacity utilization, and the strategies that drive them upward. Whether you're buying, selling, or scaling a manufacturing business, this conversation underscores why understanding and acting on benchmarking data isn't optional—it's essential. And with the upcoming Top Shops Conference in Charlotte this November, you'll discover why being part of this community can accelerate your shop's success. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... (0:14) Register for Top Shops and meet us in Charlotte, NC! (1:38) Learn about today's guest, Dave Necessary (3:34) Hill Manufacturing's experience with the Top Shops benchmarking report (6:27) How the survey works, personalized reports, and five key differentiat…

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