The AC Method

Aaron Clippinger
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  • CADA SEMANA

Custom Manufacturing Industry podcast is an entrepreneurship and motivational podcast on all platforms, hosted by Aaron Clippinger. Being CEO of multiple companies including the signage industry and the software industry, Aaron has over 20 years of consulting and business management. His software has grown internationally and with over a billion dollars annually going through the software. Using his Accounting degree, Aaron will be talking about his organizational ways to get things done. His podcast will give you shortcuts to handling situations without having to live it firsthand. With his comedic way of looking at things, you will be entertained by his stories while learning best practices. 

  1. HACE 5 DÍAS

    #146 Your Competitors Are Your Best Salespeople

    In this episode, Aaron sits down with Rick Goyette, owner of All Mark Signs and Graphics, to discuss the "total teardown" of a legacy family business. Rick shares how he applied 30 years of corporate operations experience to move All Mark from a safety signage focus to a high-end custom project management powerhouse. They dive deep into the modern realities of the sign world: why answering the phone is your greatest competitive advantage, how to successfully manage a global remote design team, and when to pull the trigger on vertical integration for in-house installation and UL certification. 🔥 Topics Covered: Transitioning from corporate executive to small business owner. The "Responsive" Edge: Winning business by just saying hello. Scaling with remote talent in a "hands-on" industry. Strategic Vertical Integration for safety and quality control. Leveraging peer networks to handle national property accounts. 📣 Growth is about being found and being responsive. If you aren't doing both, you're leaving 50% of your orders on the table. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today.

    29 min

  2. 23 ABR

    #145 You Are the Bottleneck in Your Own Company

    Are you the most valuable person in your company, or its biggest obstacle? In this episode, Aaron Clippinger explains why being "busy" is the biggest lie entrepreneurs tell themselves. He reveals the exact framework he uses to "fire himself" every year to ensure he isn't the cog stopping his company's gears. Learn the "Keep, Coach, Kill, Replace" audit and how to use the 80/20 rule to move mountains instead of just putting out fires. 🔥 Topics Covered: The 21-Day Test: Can your business survive without you? Busy vs. Valuable: Breaking the reflex of "running into burning buildings". AI SOPs: How to document your job in 30 seconds. The Fire Yourself Ad: Writing the job description for your own replacement. 📣 Your company doesn't need more of you—it needs less of you and more of your vision.  🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today.

    13 min

  3. 17 ABR

    #144 Why Your Estimates Are Killing Your Margins

    Fresh off the massive success at the ISA Expo, Aaron is pulling back the curtain on the most requested feature of the new SquareCoil platform: Precision Cost Accounting. In this episode, we move past the "cool AI tricks" and get into the brutal reality of shop floor labor, scope cards, and the human factor. Aaron discusses why your team—no matter how technical—has no excuse for not tracking data, and how having those data points allows you to reward your top performers and make smarter machinery investments. 🔥 Topics Covered: The ISA Expo Recap: Why the reception of the new platform was a humbling "artist's moment". The Human Factor: Why one-off custom builds defy standard algorithms. Scope Cards: Gaining granular visibility into every department of a project. The 16-Year-Old Rule: Why tracking data is simpler than your team thinks. Incentivizing Speed: How to turn project data into departmental wins. 📣 You can't manage what you don't measure. Stop reinventing the wheel and start tracking your data. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today.

    11 min

  4. 2 ABR

    #143 Why Your 20-Year Business is Losing to a Startup

    In this episode, Aaron is on the "five-yard line" of the biggest launch in his company's history. Reflecting just days before the ISA Expo in Orlando, he reveals the brutal psychological reality of the long-term entrepreneur: the temptation to quit right before the finish line. Aaron breaks down why a "clean slate" approach is often superior to decades of evolution, how to shift your perspective to solve problems you didn't even know you had, and why the most "high-tech" move you can make in 2026 is actually picking up the phone. 🔥 Topics Covered: The Ground-Up Advantage: Why new companies often outperform established ones in 12 months. Total Rebuild vs. Evolution: Knowing when to stop patching and when to start over. Multi-Location Logic: How to manage transfers and inventory across complex entities. The Perspective Trap: Ensuring your team sees the "whole car" before they start building. The ISA Expo Unveiling: What’s coming next for the industry. 📣 Difficulties aren't burdens—they are the opportunities that make the great stories. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    13 min

  5. 26 MAR

    #142 Why Is Your Business Broke with a Full Schedule?

    Is your sign shop acting as an authority, or just another vendor? In this episode, Aaron sits down with Mike Davis of Hilltop Signs and Graphics to discuss the "Cheesecake Factory" trap of offering too many products and how a 3-day deep dive changed the trajectory of his business. They dive into the "Liquid Gold" of customer data, the necessity of wholesaler relationships, and the brutal reality of surviving the 2008 and 2020 crises. Whether you're a second-generation owner or just starting out, Mike’s "7-day plan" for survival is a masterclass in discipline. 🔥 Topics Covered: The Authority Shift: Transitioning from seller to regional resource. The AR Plague: Surviving when the bank account hits single digits. Distributor Partnerships: Why floating credit and training are life-savers. Supply Chain Survival: Bartering and stockpiling during a global collapse. AI in Operations: Automating the weakest link in your purchasing chain. 📣 Success is about being an authority, not just a vendor. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Web⁠🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil.Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min

  6. 19 MAR

    #141 Why You Aren't the CEO of Your Own Life

    In this episode, Aaron challenges the traditional way we look at leadership and potential. Returning from a grueling trip through Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Houston, Aaron reflects on a powerful lesson from the Iron Oak Society: we often fail as leaders because we try to see our own potential in other people's shoes. He breaks down how to stop "telling" and start "sharing," why true CEOs must categorize the people in their lives based on reality rather than hope, and the hard truth about why only 1% of people can lead companies—but 100% must lead themselves. 🔥 Topics Covered: Stop Projecting: Why "if I were you" is the wrong way to coach. Storytelling as Leadership: Giving experiences instead of orders. The 1% Rule: The brutal reality of being a company CEO. Right Person, Right Seat: Categorizing your team for maximum impact. The CEO Mindset: Taking back control of your calendar and your energy. 📣 True leadership isn't about changing people; it's about placing them where they can actually win. 🌐 Follow Aaron on Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/🌐 Follow Aaron on Instagraminstagram.com/theacmethod🌐 Go to Aaron's webpageaaronclippinger.com 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more episodes of The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    12 min

  7. 12 MAR

    #140 Is Your Software Killing Your Growth?

    In this episode, Aaron is on the "five-yard line." After a year and a half of intensive development, he shares the raw journey of rebuilding the SquareCoil platform from the ground up. This isn't just a software update—it's a masterclass in recognizing when your current "engine" can no longer support your vision and having the discipline to start fresh. Aaron also dives into his recent experience with the Iron Oak Society, revealing why true leadership and business success aren't about "waking up motivated," but about the grueling consistency of the "Elite Eight." 🔥 Topics Covered: The Starting Fresh Mindset: Knowing when your platform/process can’t support "new toys." The Discipline of the Long Game: Why big projects require trials, not just intent. Granular Profitability: Using "cards" to see which 5% of your business is actually making money. Data as Liquid Gold: Why you can never leave your history behind during a migration. The Power of AI in Operations: Moving from searching for data to asking your system questions. 📣 Success isn’t about cutting corners; it’s about keeping your moral compass due north and executing with speed. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Web⁠⁠🔔 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more episodes of The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    11 min

  8. 26 FEB

    #139 This is the truth about running two sign companies at once

    What do you do with a bucket truck after Christmas light season is over? If you're Trevor, you start installing signs; and eventually build two separate companies from that single piece of equipment. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Trevor Lavy, a former utility lineman who stumbled into the sign industry through a power washing trailer, some vinyl graphics, and a whole lot of entrepreneurial hustle. From buying a struggling vinyl shop to surviving a skid steer falling off a trailer on the interstate, Trevor shares the raw, unfiltered journey of building Vantage Signs and Sign Service Pro. The conversation dives deep into the decision to split a sign company into two separate entities—one for manufacturing, one for installation—and the unexpected pros and cons that came with it.🔥 Topics Covered: From lineman to sign owner: The bucket truck origin story Buying a declining business: The first year trial by fire The interstate incident: When a skid steer goes rogue Why we split: Liability, marketing, and competing with customers The pros: Selling "expert installation partners" to big clients The cons: Two of everything—fuel cards, payroll, websites, headaches Equipment investments: CNC router, channel letter bender, paint booth The heating system surprise: Why warm paint dries faster (and costs more) Future plans: Hub and spoke model, wholesale dreams, and finding people 📣 Sometimes the best business move is creating two businesses out of one. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Web⁠🔔 Subscribe for more honest conversations on entrepreneurship, operations, and industry insights on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com to streamline your custom industry today. #BusinessStrategy #SignIndustry #Entrepreneurship #SuccessStory #Manufacturing #Installation #TheACMethod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min
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Custom Manufacturing Industry podcast is an entrepreneurship and motivational podcast on all platforms, hosted by Aaron Clippinger. Being CEO of multiple companies including the signage industry and the software industry, Aaron has over 20 years of consulting and business management. His software has grown internationally and with over a billion dollars annually going through the software. Using his Accounting degree, Aaron will be talking about his organizational ways to get things done. His podcast will give you shortcuts to handling situations without having to live it firsthand. With his comedic way of looking at things, you will be entertained by his stories while learning best practices. 

Información

  • Creador
    Aaron Clippinger
  • Años de actividad
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodios
    145
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © Aaron Clippinger
  • Mostrar sitio web
    The AC Method

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