In this episode, Kevin and co-host Richard Fielder break down the manufacturing systems used by large-scale factories and show you how to implement them in your small shop. Richard is a controls engineer at Peterbilt where he works with the systems that manufacture semi trucks at scale, and he brings that expertise to help small fabricators, tuners, and parts manufacturers work smarter. Whether you're making one-off custom parts or producing small batches, these principles will make you faster, more consistent, and more profitable.We cover 5S for organizing your workspace, shadow boards for tool management, standard operating procedures for documenting your...

In this episode of Do It For a Living, we sit down for a followup with brothers Alejandro and Pablo Moreno, co-owners of Tandem Offroad. Their shop specializes in off-road truck builds and general maintenance, serving customers who demand both performance upgrades and reliable day-to-day service. The brothers share their journey of building a business together, the challenges of manufacturing their own products, and how they've grown their customer base in a competitive market. One of the biggest challenges they faced was manufacturing their own products without properly understanding their true costs. Like many small shops, they were pricing based...

  In this episode of Do It For a Living, we welcome back Zach Denney for a follow-up to his first appearance on episode 083. Back then, Zach was running Wholesale Power (WHP), the US distributor for ECU Master, as a one-man operation out of an 1,800 square foot facility, hoping to hire his first employee. Fast forward to today, and he's now importing several brands including ECU Master, Verkline, and Delta ABS, as well as manufacturing harnesses and components to compliment those product lines. Zach shares how he scaled from solo importer to running a full team, the challenges of navigating...

In this episode of Do It For a Living, we sit down with two students from the University of North Texas Formula SAE team. This marks our first video episode and a new format where we explore the next generation of motorsports talent. Emily Gooden is the Operations Manager and Zach Warren is the EV Powertrain Lead - both are seniors studying engineering at UNT. Kevin, who has an FSAE background, discusses what it takes to run a student racing team with Emily, and put Zach's powertrain work to the test in a "Shark Tank" style technical challenge. Emily shares...

In this episode of Do It For a Living, I talk with Peter Aggapoglou, founder of Autosport Fabrication, about his deep roots in the motorsports industry. Before launching his own shop, Peter built his expertise working for several high-end European and race shops, honing his skills in fabrication, chassis setup, and race car development.  Peter also shares his challenges and solutions to running a business that caters to exclusively race cars. We dive into:His journey through prestigious race and performance shops before going soloThe turning point that led him to start Autosport Fabrication out of necessityLessons learned from working with top-tier teams and applying that...