What happens when a young marketer decides to stop chasing every client and instead zeroes in on one industry? You get Gorilla 76—a leading agency that’s spent nearly two decades helping B2B manufacturers connect, grow, and lead. In this special episode of MakingChips, the team sits down with Joe Sullivan, co-founder of Gorilla 76 and host of three powerhouse podcasts, to officially welcome him into the MakingChips Network. Joe opens up about the early missteps of trying to be everything to everyone—and how discovering a niche in mid-size manufacturers changed the game. The conversation touches on everything from how content marketing builds trust, to why ditching a break-even product line can be the smartest growth move you’ll ever make. Along the way, the hosts reflect on their own decisions to niche down, double down, and expand the MakingChips mission. But this episode isn’t just a reunion. It’s a launchpad. Joe and the team announce the addition of “The Manufacturing Executive,” “The Manufacturing Marketer,” and “The Manufacturing Employer” to the MakingChips Network—further cementing their collective goal: to equip and inspire the next generation of manufacturing leaders. If you’ve ever asked yourself how to stay relevant in an industry changing faster than ever, this one’s for you. Segments (2:38) Nick introduces Joe and how Gorilla 76 helped shape his own journey (4:28) The origin story behind the name “Gorilla 76” (6:01) Biggest early mistake: trying to serve everyone instead of niching down (7:55) Mike shares his own lesson from cutting a product line to grow faster (9:26) MakingChips’ brief foray into agency work—and why they walked away (10:32) Joe’s IMTS keynote: marketing in a changing manufacturing landscape (15:36) Introduction of Joe’s three shows joining the MakingChips Network (16:23) Overview of Joe’s podcast, “The Manufacturing Executive” (18:30) Learn about “The Manufacturing Marketer” and the Industrial Marketing Collective (20:06) Overview of “The Manufacturing Employer” and its focus on people (21:07) The real value of implementing ProShop ERP (22:42) The ROI of podcasting and learning from your audience (25:20) Rundown of other MakingChips Network shows (32:30) Why holding onto “how we’ve always done it” is a risk (36:03) The best way to gain attention is to pay attention first (37:51) Why you need to listen to Machine Shop Mastery Resources mentioned on this episode Connect with Joe Sullivan on LinkedIn Gorilla 76 The Manufacturing Executive The Manufacturing Marketer The Manufacturing Employer The Industrial Marketing Collective The real value of implementing ProShop ERP Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.