The Industrial Side
Listen. Learn. Execute. Repeat.
Conversations with operators in industrial, distribution, and field service businesses.
New to The Industrial Side?
March 18, 2026
What this is
Most businesses are not won in strategy meetings. They are won or lost in the day to day trenches. This is a short introduction to The Industrial Side. Why it exists, why now, and what you can expect. After hundreds of conversations with operators across distribution, manufacturing, and field service businesses, one thing became clear. The gap is not ideas. It is execution. This podcast is about those trenches. The goal is simple. Pull out practical lessons operators can apply immediately t
Recent Episodes
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Aug. 26, 2026
Buying and Selling Series: The Operator-to-Owner Path with Stephanie Quay
Most conversations about business acquisition focus on preparing an owner to sell. This episode flips that lens. Brian sits down with Stephanie Quay, founder of Five Experts, whose work centers on preparing a buyer to buy, and unpacks what it actually takes to move through the five phases of acquisition: aspiration, search, deal financing, ownership and value creation, and eventual exit or succession. Stephanie breaks down why proprietary search tends to outperform brokered deals for many searc
21
Aug. 19, 2026
Buying and Selling Series Part 1: The Real Number — Preparing Your Company to Sell with Anthony Perez
Guest: Anthony Perez, Harvest Wealth Strategies Episode Summary Most business owners think about selling their company once — usually when someone finally makes them an offer. Anthony Perez says that's backwards: the exit plan should start the day you open the doors. In part one of this two-part Buying and Selling series, Anthony breaks down the "blind spots" that quietly kill company value — owner dependency, client concentration, missing systems, thin bench strength — and walks through what
20
Aug. 13, 2026
How Kaufman Logistics Wins (and Keeps) Clients in a Trust-First Business Part 2
Sammy and Elizabeth Kaufman are back for round two. In our first conversation, we broke down what freight forwarding and customs brokerage actually is. This time, we go deeper into how Kaufman Logistics actually runs the business day to day — how they price their services, how they win new clients in an industry where trust matters more than a pitch deck, and why logistics is fundamentally a relationship business dressed up as a technical one. We cover Incoterms (EXW, FOB, DDP) and why understa
19
Aug. 4, 2026
Sales Knows the Pain Point. Marketing Knows How to Say It.
Abigail Lind writes content for manufacturers and industrial companies. She started out as a high school English teacher and cheer coach, picked up a master's in English, spent time in outside sales, and now works with everyone from mid market shops to Fortune 500 manufacturers on messaging and content. We got into why marketing is still a hard sell inside industrial companies, how to prove value when the sales cycle runs three years, and where the handoff between sales and marketing actually b
18
July 28, 2026
Inside the IRS Network: How Independent Restoration Services Builds Owner-Operators
This one's a little different — Dustin Walter is the founder of Independent Restoration Services, the network Brian is a partner in. In this episode, Brian gets to ask questions as an insider, and Dustin breaks down how IRS's ownership model works, why he built a centralized back office instead of a traditional franchise, and what he actually looks for in the people he partners with. What we cover: Dustin's path from a decade in the insurance industry (adjuster, supervisor, manager) to foundin
17
July 21, 2026
Metal, Margins, and Mission-Critical Parts with Mick Montesi
Mick Montesi runs an aerospace components manufacturer supplying structural metal parts to defense, commercial, and space OEMs like Boeing and Airbus. In this episode, Mick breaks down what it actually takes to become an approved aerospace supplier, why the onboarding process can take up to two years, and how his company competes on speed and in-house capability rather than price. What we cover: What an aerospace components manufacturer actually does and who the end customers are Why defense
About the Host
Brian Kabisa
Operator & Host
I’m an operator focused on how industrial, distribution, and field service businesses actually run day to day.
I started my career as an A-10 aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, working in environments where execution mattered and there was no room for error. Since then, I’ve worked across operations, consulting, and supply chain roles, with a focus on solving real business problems.
Today, I spend my time investing in and working with businesses facing the same challenges discussed on this show. The Industrial Side is an extension of that work.
WHAT WE FOCUS ON
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Working capital and inventory decisions
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Hiring and leading teams
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Customer relationships and execution
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Day-to-day operational tradeoffs
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What actually works in practice