By: Samantha MacMillan Nichols College

Business and Society MGMT 100-02with Professor Fleury-Lawson

Interview Information

• I interviewed Anthony Muscillo, currently the owner of T&T Machine Products Inc., about his small business and all the factors that come along with it.

• Co-owners: Anthony Muscillo and Thomas Brown

• T&T stands for Tom and Toni(the nicknames of the co-owners)

• Thomas Brown has recently passed away

• This small business owner is my grandfather.

T&T in Depth• Type of business structure:

partnership

Wanted to both help each other out and create a successful business to make a good living

• Manufactures only small metal machine pieces for all types of industries(Ex. Medical, Electronic, Hardware, etc.)

• Been in business since 1984 on a part-time basis but went full-time in 1989

History of the Business

Toni and Tom originally met at Cambridge Screw Machine Company in the 1950’s. The current owner of this company offered my grandfather a part-time job to start up a new screw shop company, with the promise of him owning 25% of the business. He accepted and as the new company started booming, his boss broke the original promise of my grandfather being a partial owner so, he left the company and decided to make his own, with the help of Brown.

They took out a $20,000 Rockland Trust loan to start the business.

Reason for starting the business: Muscillo and Brown wanted to run their own business where no one could backstab them, wanted to make the rules, they had a passion for this type of industry, and this type of trade was all that they knew.

Training: My grandfather went into the machine industry right after he graduated from high school. This trade excited and interested him the most. He ended up working for Cambridge Screw Machine Co. where he gained all of his skills and knowledge, as well as met his future business partner, Thomas Brown. After the incident with his boss, he decided to take a risk and start his own business in this industry. He has been making machine parts for years and it has become a part of his life.

My grandfather feels that his business when he first started it up was more in the “now” but today, he feels like he is behind the eight ball with all this new technology and speed of information. Another thing that he has noticed is the demand for his production in America has decreased as the years have gone by due to the constant outsourcing of jobs.

Victories and Obstacles

Successes:

Has survived this current recession and is still maintaining his customers

Made a good living and has taken care of his family of five along with all the grandchildren that have come along the way

Has provided jobs to numerous employees and has remained genuine in his business decisions

Challenges:The offshore markets keep taking more and more business away(China, India, Taiwan, Mexico) (65% of his hard work is being lost to them)Being able to retireCompeting with the unfair advantages of the offshore markets(lower wages, no safety regards, bigger population, gov. help)

Most challenging aspect would be competing with the fierce offshore market due to the unfair advantages they have over the industry. The U.S. Gov. has working rights in which businesses must abide by while other countries have none whatsoever.

Solution: to work long hours 7 days a week and to have no vacation days

Critical Success Factors: keeping up with paying your bills on time, making sure your priorities are straight, and constantly having your business and its well-being in the back of your head.

Fatal Flaws: when people do not pay him back because he has to be the one to pay up front. If this occurs, he ends up losing his profit and not gaining anything out of his manufacturing except loss of profit. Another fatal flaw is that he invested in what seems to be a dying industry in America. Lastly, the Environmental Protection Agency keeps making restrictions that hinder the success of his business.

My grandfather plans on keeping the business for the next 10 years as long as he is healthy enough and the economy does not kill his success. His goal is to someday pass his business down to one of his faithful employees and have him keep the industry alive.

Interesting Questions

“Did the after affects of the Great Depression and the way your parents behaved play any part in how you ran your business?”

“No it didn’t play a part in how I ran the business but it made me very cautious about how I used my money.”

“Was being in a partnership tough and was what deal was made between the two of you?”

“No, he let me do everything. His role was more like being the head of productions while I was the head of the administration.”

“How much does one manufacturing machine cost?”

It used to cost $100,000 for one new machine but now because business has left the country, you can buy one for $1500 at an auction.”

Summary• My grandfather advises that running a business is not

for everyone and that if people do not have the will or desire to run a business, they should not try to. He says his job is very fulfilling but he would not recommend it to someone who is afraid of working long hours and constantly having the well-being of your business on your mind all the time. An owner, as he thinks, should be willing to solve problems and to be satisfied with the fact that they will be sacrificing a lot of their time for their business.

• I have learned so much about my grandfather that I did not know before. I had no clue how his business came about and why he chose to go into this industry but now that I do, I have the utmost respect for him. I have also realized that I might not want to deal with the constant worrying and constant thoughts that come along with a business. I think I would prefer a job where I can separate my life away from my career, where it is almost impossible to do this if one becomes a business owner.