How Our Small Business Received Over 2,300 Job Applications in a Year
How Our Small Business Received Over 2,300 Job Applications in a Year June 6, 2024 As the CEO of Nix Companies, I rarely have a conversation without someone asking me, “How’s your hiring going? Are you able to find people?” My response is always the same: “It’s the hardest thing we do.” Attracting top-tier talent […]
The Critical Need for Entrepreneurs in the Manufacturing Industry
The Critical Need for Entrepreneurs in the Manufacturing Industry May 16, 2024 Since 2008, the number of metalworking shops has dropped from 21,000 to 17,000, a 16% decrease. Some may view these figures as a sign of contraction in the industry, but I see it differently. We are not shrinking; we are transforming. There is […]
Worry About Money
Dad, why do people worry about money? November 13, 2023 “Dad, why do people worry about money”? That was the question posed by my 7-year-old son on Sunday morning as we were leaving for church. “Geez, I haven’t even had my coffee yet, go easy on me buddy,” was my first thought. My next thought […]
A Giant of A Man
A Giant Of A Man December 28, 2022 “A giant of a man.” At 5’ 7” and 170 lbs. he wasn’t big in stature. He played baseball, football, and basketball, but he never set any records. By his own account, he wasn’t more than mediocre at any of them, but we know he played with […]
What do backyard baseball & business have in common?
What do backyard baseball & business have in common? October 11, 2022 There’s nothing like time away, disconnecting from the day-to-day, to gain a fresh perspective. I recently had the opportunity to spend 10 days “out west” with my wife Lindsey Nix and two older boys (6 and 8). We are very blessed with willing and able […]
What does it mean to be a ‘family business’?
December 8, 2020 (Originally published in the Q3 Nix Companies internal, team member newsletter) Between a late Saturday night conversation Jared (CFO) and I had over a glass of bourbon, a recent book I read at the suggestion of Angela (H/R Mgr), and a recent family meeting Lindsey, Adam, Lacey, and I had with Tad […]
Are your ‘core values’ collecting dust?
December 4, 2019 One of our Core Values is “Commitment to Excellence.” That sounds really nice, but what does it mean? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. I love all five of our Core Values, but it occurred to me a couple of years ago that while they are great aspirations, it was hard to really transform them into criteria […]
Why I told my employees they should quit their job.
October 1, 2019 Every 6 months, I bring our entire organization together for lunch and a ‘state of the company’ talk. After recapping our performance compared to our goals, discussing new initiatives, celebrating some big wins, and giving out awards, I like to close with some type of motivation or inspiration. After all, a part […]
A team that plays together, stays together!
August 19, 2019 A team that plays together, stays together! …………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………….. And Wins together! People ask me all the time how we are doing ‘it’. (Growing and Winning). These pictures represent a big part of it. I tell those people, the first thing you have to decide is what you REALLY want. Most business […]
Better Together
Seven, just as a number, doesn’t have any more significance than 6 or 8. If you are wondering why I chose the 7th year to write this post, I don’t have a good answer. I just felt compelled to. Maybe as I’ve aged another year, I’ve become more appreciative of the blessings in my life