The Fab Lab

Friends and Fellow Fabricators!   In this episode, we discuss 3 practical steps to getting your stone shop to a place where it can drive itself!   Philosophy or Full Self Driving companies Boundaries for fab shop owners Start small with simple tasks that free you up to do more important work   Want to stop lifting and risking on install? Visit No Lift Install Systems here:  www.noliftsystem.com  ...

Running a stone shop is like driving a car...you have to keep your hand on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times, otherwise you "may not get there"...   Unless you have a TESLA with Full Self Driving Mode. Then you plug in the address and hit the button.   The reality is you can evolve your stone shop to run without you, and in this episode we discuss how to begin making that evolution.   Ep...

Happy fabricating or keep grinding? Thanks for tuning in to this exciting new season of the Fab Lab! Make sure to subscribe, so you know when new episodes are live!   Action Flow - Spring - management software for stone fabricators! Watch video on Spring:  https://youtu.be/qrRq0S4oBwk?si=0S5u44cUFQvuzlSF Free 14-day trial:  https://www.actionflow.net/spring-sign-up/   Email the host:  aaron@aaronc...

We are back with a brand new season. Please subscribe so you know when new episodes are available! And please support the podcast by supporting our sponsors! Get premium fab gear for your shop crew...keep them dry, warm, and productive with Fabricators Friend gear!  www.fabricatorsfriend.com Get bigger pieces in with fewer installers! Get more counters with fewer seams! Get a No Lift Install Syste...

There are some important elements to starting a successful side hustle and I share them in this episode.  The good news fellow fabricator is that you already have them! 1. Examples 2. Practice 3. Encouragement So if you have an idea or a solution to a problem that your fellow fabrciators could benefit from, maybe its time to think about starting a side hustle! Enjoy and happy fabricating!  

In this episode, I explain what happened with SVB - Silicon Valley Bank - and its failure over the weekend. What does it mean for those of us in the stone industry?  Well, we get into that in this episode:) If you'd like to contact me to discuss it further, visit me here: aaroncrowley.com In the mean time, happy fabricating!

Please consider donating to Rancho Santa Marta! Your donation will fund the work at this amazing orphanage in Baja Mexico.  RSM was the first special needs orphanage in the region and they care for orphans with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. Donate here: (use "Living Water Spanish" at the red asterisk * to specify our group) https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/Vanco_ver3.vps?ap...

Please consider donating to Rancho Santa Marta! Your donation will fund the work at this amazing orphanage in Baja Mexico.  RSM was the first special needs orphanage in the region and they care for orphans with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. Donate here: (use "Living Water Spanish" at the red asterisk * to specify our group) https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/Vanco_ver3.vps?ap...

This may sound crazy, but starting a side hustle can contribute massively to making life easier in your stone shop...I know, I know, that does sound crazy, but it may not be as crazy as you think, especially once you've listened to this episode.   In this episode, I share the story of how I started 3 side hustles...and none of them were on purpose. Then I share 2 extremely important thoughts on th...

In this episode, I share an idea I was exploring prior to selling my stone shop...Its unconventional, its out of the box, its a "blue ocean strategy" if you will. I dont suggest you should consider implementing this idea in your own stone business. What I am suggesting is that you should be thinking outside the box!  You should be open minded to doing the unconventional in the interest of make you...

In the last episode, I detail a list of the ways the counter fabrication business is just plain hard.  In this episode, I share the 3 most important tactics for positioning your stone shop to overcome those challenges and succeed in spite of them. 1. Do more direct to consumer work 2. Develop standards, process, and your daily operations meeting 3. Strategic relationships with suppliers, built on...

Running a stone shop is HARD!!! On its best day, its more difficult than just about any business you could run. As such, you deserve MASSIVE credit and honor for succeeding! In this episode, I rant and rave a little bit, I even vent some frustration at the inherent flaws in our industry that create a very difficult environment to run a legitimate and successful business in. Lack of Standards, low...

Gift cards, hams, and Christmas bonuses are GREAT ways to show your love your employees and share the fruits of their labor. But there are 5 other gifts that are worth their weight in gold, and it doesn't cost you a cent to give them to your staff this Christmas! 1. Appreciation 2. Trust 3. Side Work 4. Vision/Mission/Values 5. Healthy and Safe Work Environment Give them these gifts and they will...

If you're doing work for builders or remodelers, you're waiting to get paid.  The longer you wait the bigger risk you take, especially if your customer experiences a decline in sales and revenue. The fabricators that follow these tips wil get paid and get through an economic storm. Those that don't may not have the cash to weather the storm. 1. Visibility - Aging Accounts Receivables Reports 2. Te...

Better to have a plan and not need it than to be caught unprepared!  The simple principles in this episode will serve you well if an economic storm hits your business.  They will serve you well if a storm doesn't hit your business. 1. Know your #'s - what numbers should you know? 2. Cost Cutting Plan - "If...Then..." 3. Debt Plan - Keeping Reserves Enjoy and Happy Fabricating!

Times have been good in recent years, but will they continue?  Hopefully.  But if they dont, and the economic weather gets stormy, the companies that have prepared will be fine. Those that aren't prepared will make many mistakes like I did in the Great Recession, and some wont survive. In this episode, I share the 3 biggest mistakes I made so you can avoid them: 1. Not knowing the #'s 2. Hoping in...

We have much to be thankful for, but sometimes bad news and our perceptions can cloud reality to the point we really miss out…and forget how much we have to be thankful for. In this episode, we explore the POWER of gratitude and the positive effects it WILL have for those who practice it. We discuss the following: The Chemical Reality of Gratitude Positive Effects of Gratitude Discipline of Gratit...

Stone Shops are in a catch-22.  They can’t say no to the work otherwise their customers will go somewhere else. So when the customer wants a full slab island installed, the stone shops have to say yes. But what are they saying yes to? They are saying yes to enormous risk.  In this episode, we talk about the risk and the reality of moving full slab islands on site and the nuances that MUST be under...

If you run a stone shop, someone has to install those counters you’re manufacturing…We call them installers and we ask a lot of them. You might be shocked and you may not believe that we ask them to lift over One Million Pounds of stone per year. In this episode, I show the math, that proves this statement’s truth. Additionally, I explain the massive negative EFFECTS the Million Pound Problem has...

If you are in the stone fabrication business, you are creating airborne silica.  Its not a question of whether you or your employees are breathing it. The question is whether the levels are safe for you and your staff and whether they are below the OSHA PEL (permissible exposure levels). In this episode of the Fab Lab Podcast, we hear from Mark Meriaux from the Natural Stone Institute on changes t...

Safety might be the least popular, most uncomfortable, but all the while important topic a stone shop owner needs to face.  In this episode, I share my near-death experiences and the uncomfortable fact that we had many close calls in my stone shop.  This episode begins a short series where we will cover the following: Silicosis Slab Handling and Storage Installing – The Million Pound Problem Safe...

You may not be at a low point in your stone career, but you may know someone who is.  Don’t underestimate the power of an encouraging word, your friends in low places may really need to hear from you! Happy fabricating! Click Here to explore 90 minutes of complimentary coaching with me!  No strings attached, no cost, my gift you fellow fabricator!

We must have small victories, little wins, achievements along the way on the journey towards the big dream… In this episode we break down four areas of life where you can identify smaller dreams that can be achieved in the moment or in the short term, as you build your business to enable you to accomplish the big dream! Click here to watch the No Lift Install System Q&A Youtube Series Or click the...

The journey of a stone shop owner can be exhilarating and marked by success and profits.  Along the way, there can be roadblocks that either wear us out or prevent us from continuing the journey. In this episode I share the 6 stages of leadership growth and management capacity: The Doer The Director The Dictator The Delegator The Discipler The Dreamer If we get stuck managing in one of these stage...

Imagine what your family and friends will say when you tell them you’re taking a day off to spend with them and that you won't be on your phone! Once you’ve mastered the art and science of taking lunch breaks without being interrupted, you can start taking full days off! The steps are the same, they just require a little more communication and little more planning. With a little practice, it's onl...