Makingchips | Equipping Manufacturing Leaders

Before you spend a dime on advertising—or hire a marketing agency—you need to answer one foundational question: Who exactly are you trying to reach?  In this episode of the Machine Shop MBA series, Nick, Mike, and Paul sit down with Joe Sullivan, co-founder of Gorilla 76 and host of The Manufacturing Executive podcast, to break down the strategy behind smart marketing for job shops. Joe makes one thing clear from the jump: marketing isn’t just sales turned up louder. Instead, it’s about building trust before the buying conversation even starts. That means identifying your ideal customer profile (ICP), understanding their pain points, and crafting messages that speak directly to them—so when they’re triggered to buy, they already know who you are. The conversation dives into the practical side of marketing strategy: defining your total addressable market, publishing your ICP, understanding buyer personas, and turning a few high-quality content pieces into lead-generating machines. Joe also shares real-world ti