Talkin Shop with ShopSabre

How much does an employee really cost a small business beyond their hourly wage? In Episode 255 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters answer that question directly for shop owners and small manufacturers.   The short answer: an employee's true cost runs well past base pay. Once you add payroll taxes, workers' compensation, health and dental benefits, a 401(k) match...

When does buying a CNC machine make more sense than hiring another employee or outsourcing the work? On this episode of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters answer that question for shop owners weighing automation against labor. The conversation breaks down how to calculate the real return on investment (ROI) of CNC automation — and why most shop owners get the math...

You already know the answer. You're just waiting for someone to say it out loud. If you've ever stared at a job you turned away, a backlog you can't beat, or a stack of repetitive work eating your week alive, this episode is the gut check you've been avoiding.   Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters get real about the single most expensive decision growing shops keep putting off: when to stop doing thi...

What is the difference between a challenge and an excuse in business? On Episode 252 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters explain why challenges require a response while excuses only require justification — and why that distinction determines whether a manufacturing business grows or stalls. Brandon outlines the concept of business momentum and why it functions li...

Why is wasted time the most expensive cost in business? In Episode 251 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters explain why time — not broken machines, material costs, or competition — is the single resource a business can never recover once it's spent.   This episode covers the real-world cost of poor follow-through in manufacturing and the trades: unanswered quote r...

Every customer wants the best quality, delivered yesterday, at the lowest possible price. So why does chasing all three destroy businesses from the inside out? This episode of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre breaks open the truth behind the "good, fast, cheap" triangle — and it might change how you price, produce, and position everything in your shop. Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters get real about th...

What happens when you strip the covers off two "completely different" CNC machines and find the exact same frame, the same gantry, and the same components from the same overseas factory — just with different stickers? In this episode of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters break down the private label import CNC machine cycle — how one Chinese factory builds a single CNC r...

What if the most famous phrase in business is actually destroying your shop from the inside out? In this episode of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters tear apart the myth that the customer is always right and rebuild it into something that actually works for real business owners. If you run a CNC shop, a fabrication business, or any kind of service operation, you already...

Step into the leadership role you were meant for by learning the lessons most shop owners only discover the hard way. In this episode of Talkin' Shop, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters dive deep into the personal side of building a business. Leadership isn't just about making decisions or telling people what to do; it's a learned skill that often requires facing uncomfortable truths. Brandon shares...

Everybody online has an opinion about what makes a CNC machine "industrial." But here is the real question — does any of that noise actually help you run parts, meet deadlines, or grow your business?   Welcome to the Official Talkin Shop Podcast, hosted by Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters from ShopSabre. Today we are tearing apart one of the most overused and least defined words in all of CNC manu...

Ready to stop leaving your shop's success in someone else's hands? In Episode 245 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters get straight to the heart of one of the biggest decisions every CNC owner and fabricator faces: are you truly manufacturing your products, or are you just distributing someone else's work? Brandon unpacks exactly why owning the full process—from design...

Challenges Don't Discriminate: Real Talk on Business Grit | Ep 244 What if the deck isn't stacked against you — it's just waiting for you to stack the right kind of effort? In this no-fluff, straight-to-the-gut episode of Talkin' Shop, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters rip the lid off one of the most uncomfortable truths in business: challenges don't care who you are, where you started, or how "fai...

Welcome back to Talking Shop with ShopSabre! In Episode 243, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters tackle one of the most universal challenges every CNC shop owner, fabricator, and business leader faces: pressure. What if the weight of deadlines, important decisions, and growing expectations isn't a burden — but actually a privilege that signals trust, capability, and real growth in your shop? Br...

Welcome back to Talking Shop with ShopSabre! In Episode 242, host Brandon Bombardo and co-host Nicholas dive deep into one of the most important — yet often overlooked — drivers of every successful CNC shop and growing business: authentic leadership. Instead of textbook theory, this episode explores real-world leadership lessons taught on the manufacturing floor every day. From earning respect (no...

Are you a small CNC shop owner feeling like a tiny player in a massive manufacturing world? In Episode 241 of Talking Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and "Vacation Nick" prove that small businesses aren't just surviving—they're the backbone driving real innovation, agility, and local economies.  Kicking off with a hilarious (and snowy) morning mishap story, the guys dive straight into...

What if you knew exactly how many failures stood between you and massive success in your CNC shop? In Episode 240 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and "The Psychiatrist" Nick Peters tackle the real reason most businesses stall—not the failures themselves, but the fear, doubt, and hesitation they create. They flip the script: Imagine success was guaranteed after exactly 25 fai...

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...

In this episode of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters sit down with longtime customer Brad Goodman of Goodman Metal Fab in Mississippi. After seven years running ShopSabre plasma and router machines, Brad opens up about why he invested his own hard-earned money in their 2kW single-phase fiber laser and how it completely transformed his shop. Brad runs a busy alumin...

Frustration isn't usually a sign of failure; it's often a signal that you are on the edge of growth. In this episode of Talkin Shop, Brandon and "The Highlighter" Nick Peters dive deep into the psychology of business frustration. We explore why reaction without clarity can lead to disaster and how to transform that "daily grind" pressure into fuel for your company's expansion. Whether you are a sh...

Tired of online hype making every company seem perfect or fraudulent? In Episode 236 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters sit down with long-time customer Chris McCormick of Hatch X to cut through the noise and talk real-world business—perception vs. reality, building trust over time, and why dependable CNC equipment matters when deadlines are non-negotiable. Chri...

Tired of chasing viral sales gimmicks that never deliver for your CNC shop? In Episode 235 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Slippery Nick dive into why selling on tricks and shortcuts ultimately fails—and what actually builds long-term customer trust and business success. We kick off with a hilarious (and painful) ice-falling story, answer viewer questions about satisfyin...

Are you tired of endless scrolling, online drama, and highlight-reel success stories that make you feel behind? In this raw episode of Talkin' Shop, Brandon Bombardo and Nick " The Thermometer" Peters deliver the wake-up call every shop owner needs in 2026: the internet is loud and emotional, but real business growth happens quietly — off the apps and in the shop. Close the phone, open the doors,...

Stop trying to fix chaos with a "panic hire" and start building a scalable business through the power of automation. In this episode of Talking Shop, Brandon and Nick are joined by Curtis from HR to pull back the curtain on the harsh reality of hiring in today's unpredictable labor market. We explore why the old model of "hiring more people to grow" is increasingly fragile and why successful shops...

Don't give away the first month of the year! In this kickoff episode for 2026, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters dive into why January is the "bridge month" that determines your success for the entire year. Many businesses lose momentum after the Q4 grind, but we're discussing why taking your foot off the gas now is the most dangerous mistake you can make for your annual goals. We break down the "J...

2025 is a wrap! Before we rush into 2026 chasing new numbers and new growth, it is crucial to pause and take a true "inventory of success." In this final episode of the year on Talkin' Shop, Brandon and Nick revisit the highs and lows of 2025. Success isn't just about where you end up on December 31st; it's about what you endured, what you learned, and how you choose to move forward. We discuss wh...