2016 New Year: Reflecting on what was, Pursuing what will be!
As 2015 draws to a close and a new year soon approaches, I generally take this time to look back at what kind of year CNCROi.com had and dream-up where I want this company to be in the coming year.
By far the biggest news of 2015 for the company was moving into a far larger shop with ROOM. It’s incredible what was achieved in our old shop and I can’t wait to fully set things up in the new one. Yes, the shop moved almost a month ago but there is still so much work needed to be done before things settle and are optimized perfectly.
I’ll be doing a video tour soon enough of the new shop but until then, I’m going to be finishing the filming of a few projects that I did in the old shop to clear the slate clean in the new year.
Using just about every metric, CNCROi.com has really had a banner year, full of challenges and investments. In preparation for the move, I got a brand new 80 gal air compressor that has already paid huge dividends for my sanity. The old 11 gallon one literally went off every 2 minutes for upwards of 30 seconds a pop on some projects while the new one, well, it doesn’t kick-in for over an hour! What’s even better, when it does compress more air, it’s whisper quiet by comparison!
I also took advantage of all the “sales” happening on the lead-up to the holidays by getting some additional equipment for the shop, from an industrial sandblaster (wow, don’t know how I lived without it) to tools and supplies. Part of running a business is buying when the best discounts come into play, and investing those savings into other capabilities.
Suffice it to say, everything at CNCROi.com is TOP OF THE LINE. From our Austrian CNC laser with dual-sourced tubes (CO2 and fiber) to American CNC router to even our extractor and computer equipment. Do we NEED a i7 processor in the laptop controlling our CNC laser? NO! Does ours have it? YES! This makes things more efficient as project files load FAST which saves us time and our customers money!
Over the past few months, leading to the move to the new shop, I started looking at things that could be improved upon, from our marketing materials through memberships we are part of and so forth. It all starts with having the best engine, then you look for ways to tweek it further by improving the fuel, optimizing the timing and reviewing what could be done to make things even better!
Although I’ve focused the business heavily on the corporate end, I am starting to pursuit relationships with wholesalers and other design professionals to see how our capabilities can improve THEIR bottom line. It’s one thing to say “hey, we can do XYZ” but quite another to to say “we want to work with you to make both of us more money”.
One project might have us doing, quite literally, thousands of alpha-numeric engraving units and the next, something for an upcoming wedding or anniversary. Each day and each project is unique and that’s one of the best aspects of running a custom CNC business. Not only do I get the opportunity to help a business or individual out but play a small role in turning their dream or concept into reality!
So far, I’ve grown CNCROi.com without ANY ADVERTISING. We aren’t even in the Yellow Pages! The focus of the business is to help grow potential in other businesses, become their personal factory to sell unique and custom projects to their customer base.
There is a lot of responsibility playing such a pivotal role in another companies success but I really wouldn’t have it any other way. We both succeed together by working together towards a common goal.
Although it would be VERY EASY for us to open a storefront, so far, I’ve resisted the desire to even go down that route. There is so much untapped potential yet to be explored without going the easy way that it makes sense for the company to keep on growing behind the scenes with our customers.
What I find particular is that even with our new shop, we still have no signage and even on this website, you can’t find an address. Why? Well, we do lots of work for amazing customers and they trust us with their secrets. We aren’t building top secret stuff, we just enjoy our customers getting the limelight.
I look forward to helping many more businesses as our capabilities increase to match the demands from our customers. There is always room for improvement and realizing where the gaps exist and finding ways to fill them is an endless process. The fun part is enjoying the journey and providing awesome customer service that trust us to do their work.
Growing a business is tough and finding trustworthy and passionate people to work with makes the entire journey a smoother and more interesting one. It’s a great feeling being on the speed dial of so many creative problem solvers.
To all our current and future customers, I know we’ll have an awesome 2016. Thanks again for the fantastic opportunities you’ve afforded me and my company and I look forward to doing even more with you in the new year.
Sincerely,
Jon, founder of CNCROi.com
