Your manufacturing business should be generating real profit — not consuming you.
You've built something solid. But growth has brought chaos: cashflow pressure, delivery failures, staff you can't rely on, and a calendar that puts you inside every crisis. There's a better way to run this.
The issue isn't effort. It's that your business has outgrown its original structure.
You're working harder than anyone in the building. But revenue growth isn't turning into profit. Delivery is inconsistent. Good people keep leaving. And somehow, everything still comes back to you.
You're approving every purchase, fielding every complaint, fixing every mistake.
You scaled fast — but the systems and structure didn't scale with you.
Revenue is up. Margins are not. The harder you push, the more it costs.
You can't step away because if you do, things fall apart.
You know something's broken — but you can't see clearly from inside it.
This isn't a reflection of your ability. It's what happens to every business that grows faster than its operational infrastructure.
You don't need a bigger strategy. You need someone who's been on the floor.
I spent 25 years running manufacturing and industrial operations — not advising from the outside, but leading from the inside. I understand the pressure of holding a business together when the systems are thin and the team is stretched.
Mike Bahr — Credentials
- Led a $100M+ manufacturing operation in Shanghai with 350 staff
- Executed a manufacturing turnaround in Sydney
- Worked through COVID shutdowns, cashflow crunches, supplier failures, and competitive threats across Australia and Asia
I've made expensive mistakes — and learned what actually works at this scale. I've built performance frameworks that changed how teams behave, restructured organisations where nobody knew who owned what, and simplified product portfolios that were bleeding margin.
The difference between me and a big-firm consultant? I don't write a report and hand it back. I get on the floor, diagnose the real problems, and stay until they're fixed.
Three steps to a business that runs.
Diagnostic
A structured assessment of your operations, financials, people, and systems. Within weeks, you'll know exactly where value is leaking — and why.
Prioritise and Restructure
We agree on the high-impact changes: the right people in the right seats, clear KPIs, where lean principles can recover margin. A practical plan — not a 200-page deck.
Embed and Improve
I work alongside your leadership team to implement changes and build accountability that holds without me in the room. The goal: a business that runs cleanly and generates real profit.
Ready to find out what's actually holding your business back?
A diagnostic conversation costs you nothing. What it gives you is clarity — on the real problems, what needs fixing first, and whether working together makes sense.
What's at stake.
If nothing changes
- –Still firefighting in three years
- –Revenue higher, margins tighter
- –Key people gone, new ones struggling
- –No closer to stepping back or exiting
- –Still the one holding everything together
When operations actually work
- Delivery on time, quality consistent
- Team clear on accountabilities — and meeting them
- Margins reflecting the effort going in
- Strategic decisions — not approving every invoice
- A business that runs when you're not in the room
About Mike Bahr
Mike Bahr spent 25 years running manufacturing and industrial operations across Australia, China, and Southeast Asia — including a decade leading increasingly complex businesses in Shanghai, and time in Sydney executing a full operational turnaround.
He's worked in startup, growth, and distress environments. He's kept businesses alive during cashflow crunches, restructured leadership teams where nobody knew who owned what, simplified product portfolios bleeding margin, and built KPI frameworks that actually changed behaviour.
In January 2026, Mike launched Mike Bahr Industrial Advisory — a fractional COO and operational advisory practice for Australian manufacturing and industrial SMEs, and for the PE and family office investors who back them.
He's not here to write a strategy deck. He's here to help you build a business that works.