Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Brodbeck. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
I would like to talk about our shop manager, Brad, and how he came into the picture. To get to that point we need a little back story.
Vince Molina (Co-owner of Brodbeck Ironworks) and I first met competing against each other on History Channel’s Forged in Fire (Season 7 Episode 3, The Jian Sword) in May of 2019. Brodbeck Ironworks had a pretty solid design and a few units sold. Vince joined the company in July 2019. Within 6 months we began to see some exponential growth in sales by implementing design improvements and really working hard to market the machine. We did not anticipate the large amount of growth so quickly. With an increasing amount hours of packing to do each month on top of working my full time engineering job, it really put a lot stress on me and my family (wife and 3 kids). In May of 2020, out of concern for my health and our family, my wife gave me the ultimatum to either stay at my current job or go full steam ahead with Brodbeck Ironworks. The decision in my mind was easy and terrifying at the same time, Brodbeck Ironworks. Quitting your job in the middle of a global pandemic sounds like a crazy idea to most.
Vince works remotely for Brodbeck Ironworks in Maryland. Our order fulfillment and manufacturing is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH where I live. At the time I quit my job we had 160+ hours of packing to do so I went right to work. The company kept growing at a fast rate and soon I found myself not able to keep up with packing orders and my duties running the business. Vince and I decided it was time to hire some help. We are fortunate to rent out of a shared maker space full of wood workers, blacksmiths, glass blowers, and most importantly, knife makers. As it turns out one of the knife makers was looking for some extra work. We decided to hire them to keep this business moving forward.
In summer of 2020 my wife and I decided to get a pool for our house because our kids were going stir crazy with all the shutdowns and restrictions. Apparently, we were not the only ones with this idea. Install lead times went up to 15+ months. This was not going to solve our current problem so I decided I would do the installation myself and hire someone to help. One evening at volleyball we had a sub on our team named Brad, and he began talking about how he just started his own landscaping company earlier that year. One of my first questions was, “Have you ever installed a pool?” He had not but wasn’t opposed to giving it a try. I had him come out and quote the job. We settled on a chef’s knife, a Brodbeck Ironworks 2 x 72 and some cash for his labor on the installation. Over the next couple of weeks he and I got to know each other quite well and got the pool finished. Afterwards both of us vowed never to do that again.
Fast forward a few months to the fall. I noticed our first employee really was not working out and I was having to bring in temporary help to make up for it. We made the decision to let them go in November. One thing to keep in mind is we were a couple weeks out from Black Friday. This was our first Black Friday sale with having the business in full swing so we were not sure how much sales to anticipate. We vastly underestimated the amount of orders that came in and my temporary help picked up another job and was no longer available to help. I began thinking of who I could call to just come help so I wasn’t packing November orders in February. Then I remembered Brad talking about not wanting to plow in the winter. If you do not know anything about plowing snow, your hours are at the mercy of the snow. So I gave Brad a call to see if he could help out. He thankfully agreed to come give me some help. We packed orders all the way into beginning of January that year. I was incredibly impressed by Brad’s willingness to learn and take things over quickly. He also was not afraid to voice his own ideas for improving things.
Spring came around and we thought we would be losing Brad back to his landscaping business. We began to discuss with him about potentially doing both. Brad thankfully agreed and worked for Brodbeck on the weekdays and filled in his landscaping work when he needed to. It is hard to describe the sense of relief that was.
We were impressed by his hard work commitment to the company, so we offered him a full time salaried position as a shop manager. After bringing him on full-time, Brad has done nothing but excel at improving the shop. His problem solving skills are excellent and he is an incredibly hard worker. He has helped with developing and implementing our inventory management system, international shipping processes, and improve packaging efficiency to name a few things.
It really proves you never know where an opportunity can pop up. If I didn’t go to volleyball that evening Brodbeck Ironworks wouldn’t be the company that it is today.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I got onto forging much later than when I was introduced to it. As far back as I can remember growing up we would go to a small town in Friendship, Indiana for the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association Shoot in June and September. This event has modern black powder competition as well as a primitive side. I grew up competing on the primitive side of the event. This typically meant you were only allowed to wear primitive 18th century clothing and use only items that were period correct while competing. One of my father’s good friends was a blacksmith and set up each year. I was always amazed watching him turn that steel into hooks, fireplace sets, etc. Another popular and useful item sold at the rendezvous was hand made knives. Growing up there was a man named Wayne Mims from Titus, AL who always had such beautiful knives. He specialized in a skinner style knife with some type of bone or antler handle. When I was in high school, I remember being quite frustrated that I could not afford to purchase one of those beautiful knives, so I decided to make my own. I grabbed a saw blade and an angle grinder and when to work. After a day or so of messing around with it, I made my first knife shaped object.
Fast forward a few years after getting my degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and I found myself in need of a good skinner for hunting. Looking around at custom knife makers I found myself short of the cash needed for the knife I wanted. As a result, I decided I could make my own. I decided to research knife making more seriously and picked up some knife steel. After creating my first filing jig I began on my first knife. Quickly realizing that the file just wasn’t cutting fast enough for my liking, I found myself a 1×42 belt/disc combo at an estate sale. This machine was way faster than a file.
After making more knives on the 1 x 42 I found myself frustrated with it as well. The tracking did not work very well and it was quite easy to get the belts to pop off while grinding. I began researching how to improve and the consensus was to get a 2 x 72. It is the industry standard for knife makers. Then came the sticker shock. Being fresh out of college with a family and a house, I did not have the expendable cash to pay for a machine that was a few thousand dollars. So I built my own. I spent my nights and weekends developing the new machine. Thankfully It was a success! Once I got the first one put together I decided I wanted to sell a few to help pay for my blacksmith/bladesmith tools.
I quickly learned that a weld together design was not for everyone. In Spring of 2019 is when I completed the first ever bolt together design. At about that same time I got the call to film for Forged in Fire. Since I only had less than 18 months of experience, I was not as ready as I had hoped to be on the show. I went anyway because I figured it would be a fun experience and I could potentially sell a few grinders. That is where I met Vince Molina. After the first day of filming, Vince and I decided to get a few bourbons and that is when he made his pitch. We were talking about my grinder and he had mentioned he was thinking about starting a grinder company. Instead of competing against each other, he proposed working together. With his background in business, Vince started working on a marketing plan for the grinders before the design. So, we decided to join forces. About a month later, I shipped my machine up to Vince and we went through it with a fine-toothed comb. After some revisions we decided to move forward and release the new grinder.
Our goal as a company is to offer the most value for your money. We do not offer a cheap machine. All of our offerings have been thoroughly tested and proven to be of high quality. We also stand behind our products 100%. Early on, we would constantly hear that we were the only ones who picked up the phone when someone called with a question. We strive to have the best customer service and equipment on the market.
Our Machine will do a lot more than just grind a flat. We offer over 12 different attachments so you can grind many different geometries. Not only that, we provide a wide range of abrasives so a user can have the correct belt for the job they are working on. The Brodbeck Ironworks 2 X 72 also keeps in mind efficiency. Once it is put together you will not need any tools to make any adjustments. On top of that this machine is built with the beginner and expert in mind. Whether you are just starting or looking to upgrade/add another machine, Brodbeck Ironworks is an excellent choice.
I would say one of the things I am most proud of is the fact we built this company in such a short amount of time. We only have 2 employees, a part time contractor, and the two owners. With those few people we have shipped 1000s of grinders all over the world. The only continent that doesn’t have a Brodbeck grinder is Antarctica.
One of my favorite things about this business is the maker community. The people are just amazing. They all seem to work together to help each other succeed. That is also where we come in. I have had so many people tell me how the Brodbeck 2 x 72 changed their life and the way they work. Now that they have our machine in their shop, they have been able to quit their job and start making full-time to their dreams. If I can make that much of an impact it makes all of the late nights and long weekends totally worth it.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Our reputation was built on having a great product and customer service to back it up. We know we have a great product. There’s no smoke and mirrors. And If something does go wrong, we stand behind the product and make it right.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Our most effective strategy has been utilizing social media to get as many eyes on our product as possible. We have also partnered with popular TV shows like History’s Forged In Fire, Outdoor channel’s Gunfather Restorations, and This Old House Channel’s Make 48.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brodbeckironworks.com
- Instagram: brodbeck_ironworks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brodbeckironworks/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brodbeck-ironworks/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcaaJLX4EpNl3swPoGI7CMg
Image Credits
Mark Adams Photography