The case for a maker's very small production line
The useful details behind a subject that is usually discussed in generalities.
Why this is happening
A first hire changes the owner’s job more than the business’s output. Suddenly, the work includes explaining, scheduling, and letting go.
The people closest to a maker's very small production line tend to describe the work in unglamorous terms: a schedule, a checklist, a conversation that happens every week. That repetition is the point.
“Ambiguity is expensive on both sides of the counter.”
The details that matter
Sharing machines is a way to access capability without owning the whole cost. The model only works when maintenance is someone’s job.
Scale changes the problem. A solution that works for ten people can fail at a hundred if the support structure never grows with it.
What to keep in mind
Cash flow notices problems before the profit statement does. The bookkeeper is often the first person in the room to see the shape of the month.
The people who inherit this work will need more than a manual. They will need the reasons behind the decisions and the freedom to change them.
The point of looking closely at a maker's very small production line is not to arrive at a verdict. It is to notice the choices that were hiding in plain sight.