She Runs the Shop

She bought the shop with a loan, a used press brake and a customer list that turned out to be mostly nostalgia.

The first two years were about survival. The next three were about standards. She lost two long-time customers by refusing to rush a job she could not stand behind, and picked up four who had been burned by shops that did.

Asked what she would tell someone starting out, she does not talk about equipment. She talks about the moment you decide what you will not do.

"The work will tell people who you are long before you get to."