Hunter Angell
|
Talkin Shop Podcast
|
03.10.2026

Inconvenience Fuels CNC Business Growth | Ep 239

If everything in your shop ran perfectly, you’d never actually get better. Think about that for a second.

Today on Talkin’ Shop, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters dig into a topic every business owner deals with but nobody really talks about — inconvenience. The delays. The missed deadlines. The customer who changes the scope at the last minute. It all feels personal in the moment, but the truth is, it’s just part of running a real business.

Brandon got the idea for this episode from his own experience with a travel insurance headache. He was told his refund would take six weeks instead of seven days. Instead of blowing up on the phone, he stayed calm, explained his situation, and the rep expedited the whole thing. That one conversation became the blueprint for this entire discussion — how you respond matters way more than what happened.

The guys talk about why expecting a frictionless path is one of the fastest ways to create stress you don’t need. Machines break down. Suppliers miss ship dates. Employees make mistakes. None of that means your business is failing. It means your business is real. The shops that stay steady through those moments are the ones still standing five and ten years from now.

They also share practical ways to handle disruption — normalize it so it doesn’t hit so hard, build flexibility into your schedule, keep your ego out of it, and focus on the quality of your response instead of trying to control things you can’t.

Before all that, the guys answer three listener questions: why manual tool calibration beats electronic switches for MDF doors, how to choose between cabinet software like Mozaik and Cab Builder, and how CNC equipment financing actually breaks down. Spoiler — a ShopSabre machine works out to about $25 an hour. Good luck finding an employee for that.

Bottom line: inconvenience isn’t blocking your progress. It’s usually a sign that progress is happening. Changes will not happen without inconvenience.

Episode Chapters:
[00:00] – Intro & Banter: Skiing Adventures with Nick
[04:16] – Customer Questions Segment
[04:24] – Q1: Why Not Use a Tool Measure Switch on MDF Doors?
[06:42] – Q2: Should I Choose Mozaik Over Other Software?
[08:38] – Q3: Financing Advice for First-Time CNC Buyers (Dan from Red Barn Custom Cabinetry)
[14:52] – Main Topic: Inconvenience in Business
[15:36] – The Myth of the Smooth Path
[18:05] – Why Expecting Frictionless Operations Creates Stress
[22:41] – Sorting Real Problems from Minor Inconveniences
[25:01] – Emotional Discipline During Disruption
[27:05] – Inconvenience as the Price of Progress
[30:48] – Practical Strategies for Navigating Inconvenience
[32:30] – Real Story: Travel Insurance and the Power of Staying Calm
[36:10] – Long-Term Thinkers vs. Short-Term Reactors
[37:42] – Hockey Parenting Update: The Pool Noodle Follow-Up
[39:35] – Key Takeaways & Motivational Quote
[41:00] – Closing Thoughts & Call to Action

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For over 20 years, ShopSabre CNC has provided businesses and hobbyists with the best CNC machines at the best value. By focusing on unbeatable customer service and high-quality products built in the USA, we’ve grown from a single machine built at home to one of the most trusted CNC machine manufacturers in the country.

Since building our first machine two decades ago, we now have over 10,000 CNC routers, plasma, and laser engraving machines in a wide variety of industries in over 40 countries. Our success is a result of our commitment to developing a better way to build CNC machines and support our customers.

ShopSabre CNC
www.ShopSabre.com
21673 Cedar Ave, Lakeville, MN 55044
800-493-6021

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