From Our Founder: Bob Warfield
I've been in the software business since 1984 when I built a product called Quattro Pro and ran all the Engineering for Borland. My name is on a number of patents, including the one for the notebook tabs that are so prevalent in spreadsheets like Excel today. Along the way, I learned a thing or two about Calculators, Programming Tools, and how to make powerful software easier to use.
I had my first machining experience in the 1960's, when a machinist named Charlie Brown showed me how to machine a shaft for a telescope I was building on his Southbend lathe. I was hooked from that point on. I put myself through school by consulting for the CAD software companies of the day, including Computervision and Intergraph. I've been involved with CADCAM and machining applications ever since.
I'm a serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and CNCCookbook is my 8th startup. It is by far my favorite and I plan for it to be my last and longest-running business venture-I don't ever plan to retire from it. It's the first company I had to do that centered on my life-long passion for machining.
The first thing I noticed looking at software for machinists was that it didn't follow the best practices of the broader software markets, and it didn't seem to recognize the needs of the machinist in many fundamental ways.
Being a machinist is a tough business. Margins are thin and competition is intense. Whether you're a Pro or Hobbyist, CNC is complicated. Mastering all the skills is never easy and is something you're never done with. So much software is so focused on giving you more options that they forget to help you choose the best options. Not CNCCookbook-that's our special niche.
CNCCookbook was created to help everyone become a better CNC'er, no matter what skill level you've reached. Only great customers can help us create really great software, and we depend on you for everything.
Our customers are our only investors, and we pay back that investment in every way we can. We answer to our customers, not some outside investors. Heck, we started out writing software for ourselves so we could get something that really worked well and did things the others couldn't. We run the kind of business we'd like to be able to do business with, and we hope you will do business with us too.
If you own a small business or would like to start one, you can learn more about how I built CNCCookbook from my Entreprepreneurship blog, BobWarfield.com. Check it out!
Best Regards,
Bob Warfield
CEO and Founder
PS If you're in the Santa Cruz area and want to meet up, drop me a line. I love to catch a cup of coffee with interesting folks.
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