Meet Ryan Brodbeck

We recently connected with Ryan Brodbeck and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I would say at it’s core, my father. As long as I have been alive my parents have had a small farm. We grew up mainly taking care of horses and chickens, but we also had a wide variety of other animals. For those that have not grown up on a farm the list of chores is pretty much endless. You have different types of chores as well. There is stuff that needs to be done everyday like cleaning the horse stalls, food and water, collecting eggs and so on. You have weekly chores like washing and filling the water troughs, restocking the ground level hay bales from the loft, and completely stripping the horse stalls and refreshing the shavings. Then you have seasonal stuff like cutting firewood for the winter, baling hay in the summers, mending fences before spring, etc. Basically it is a ton of work year round and my father needed mine and my brother’s help to keep it all in operation. There were many times I did not feel like going out in the cold winter, hot summer, or a rainy day to take care of the animals, but my father was persistent in us keeping up with the farm. Not only did I learn hard work, but I also learned good quality work. Taking the time to do things correctly the first time will end up saving you time in the long run. There were many times when I got lazy and said it is “good enough”. That did not go over well with my dad at all. And every time I had to go back and redo something it made me more frustrated than having to do the task in the first place. “Good enough” quickly ended and I am so thankful that my dad didn’t just get frustrated and do things himself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am one of the co-owners of Brodbeck Ironworks LLC. As an owner of a small business, I have a ton of responsibilities (HR, Payroll, Content Creation, Quality Assurance). My main focus is design and development of our machinery. We build industrial grade 2 x 72 belt grinders, and a 1 x 42 sharpener. In both designs we have the user in mind, from a beginner to an expert level. Our goal is professional results with efficiency in mind. For example, once assembled, our machine needs zero tools to operate. Everything that can be adjusted by the user is done with knobs and levers to remove the need for a wrench. We also want our users to spend minimal time on servicing the machine. Therefore, there are very few wear parts on the machine itself. The most exciting part of what I do is the community by a long shot. The knifemaking and maker communities are like no other. It seems as if everyone is willing to help and share knowledge.
One of the best things I hear from my customers is how our machine changed their life. We have had so many people say that the versatility of the grinder has improved their quality of work and the efficiency of their shop. Even better we have had some tell us that our machine gave them the capability to become a full time maker and pursue their dreams. That is definitely one of the most rewarding things you can hear.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say first and foremost I had to learn to set my pride aside in certain situations. For example if someone tells me my product is garbage, I shouldn’t take offense to it. I have to take it as a form of learning. The products that I produce get used in ways that I haven’t even thought of. Instead of firing back with an insult or shutting down, I try to ask open ended questions: “Why do you feel it is a piece of garbage?”
“I have never thought of using it that way. What do you think would be the best way to improve it?”
“Is there something you recommend changing about the product?”
I find these questions especially helpful because you can really learn from the customer what they are experiencing and how to help them. It also enables you to receive a possible solution to a problem you were not aware of in the first place.
Two other skills vital to a company’s success is communication and stress management. This was a skill I had to develop from learning the hard way. I was overloaded with family drama, being a father of three, a business deal gone bad that ended a great friendship, figuring out how to get ready for our very first Blade Show (the largest knife show in the world), major home projects, and still holding my regular roles with Brodbeck Ironworks. It put me in the hospital. Thankfully I was okay, but that moment completely changed the way I look at things. I have since prioritized my stress management over most things in my life. I learned to set and keep boundaries with people in my life. I now sleep a lot more. I try to make or do something creative at least 1x per week. I found this really helps my brain just slow down. I saw a therapist to help deal with losing my best friend of 7 years. Most importantly I learned to communicate when I needed help with things. I am the type of person that would not say no to additional workload, ever. I was able to get away with it by forgoing sleep and eating to get things done. Now I am better at communicating to the others when I need some help or working with the co-owner of Brodbeck Ironworks, Vince Molina, to layout our priorities. My advice to others would be to make sure you’re taking care of yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
As a maker, I am always looking for potential partners or collaborations. That is how we have grown Brodbeck Ironworks into what it is today. For example, our new standard flat platen is named after Mareko Maumasi (one of the knife makers in the USA). He brought the idea to us asking if we could create it. After Mareko explained the versatility of the design, we implemented it alongside our standard flat platen at the time. It quickly outsold the existing standard platen and became the new standard. Another great example is our Pirate Sharpening System. Wayne Meligan of Pirate Forge contacted us with the idea of a sharpener that could sharpen just about anything. From small knives to swords, it had to do it all. So we worked with Wayne to develop one if the best commercial sharpeners on the market.
The ideal person to collaborate with is someone who has an idea that solves a problem for others, whether it is a service or a product. Another great person to collaborate with is someone who has a totally different perspective than you. They are extremely helpful in seeing the things that you may overlook. Please feel free to reach out to us for any collaborations through the contact form on our website https://brodbeckironworks.com/pages/contact-us, Instagram and Facebook: Brodbeck_Ironworks.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
The black and white photos are taken by Mark Adams Photography at the Catskill Mountain Maker Camp

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,