The Open Business Foundation (OBF) operates on two premises: that the open source development community makes good business sense, and that small businesses can be more successful if they band together with each other to share resources of all kinds.

OBF's founder Robert Whetsel, the owner of Ravensong Consulting, says that OBF "was developed from the design philosophy and the principles of open source software communities. Furthermore, we promote true community empowerment in that we require members to share resources, experiences, and business processes. Therefore we can pursue joint opportunities with trusted and proven members to create a thriving, open business community."

Whetsel came from an entrepreneurial family, and grew up surrounded by small business owners. After a tour of duty in the military, his first goal was to open his own business. He started with a Sonic restaurant franchise, but ended up working so many hours that his "quality of life was zero. That's not what I signed up to do."

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