You have struggled, survived and endured in the logistics space... now come lay down on this couch and let's talk about it.
We launched a brand new podcast, aptly titled, “Supply Chain Therapy” Each episode, our host and supply chain expert, Alex Kent, interviews different thinkers and operators in the space to provide you with actionable insights to help you make savvy decisions on either the physical or technological infrastructures of your logistics.
The new series just debuted with three episodes so you can get moving quickly to heal your own supply chain trauma. Make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform (Spotify, Apple) as we are dropping new episodes regularly!
Shipping Soulmates - Matthew Hertz (Episode 1)
Matthew Hertz, co-founder at Second Marathon, joins Alex to discuss the current obstacles brands face and how they can pick the right 3PL to overcome them. According to Matthew, here are the three biggest challenges facing growing e-commerce brands.
1 - Fear of the Unknown. Fear of uncertainty has gripped brands everywhere. The last several years have bred fear directly into the thinking of organizations. A “what’s next” strategy has made brands more thoughtful towards contingencies and redundancies.
2 - Volatility. The instability experienced over the last few years has created massive volatility across supply chains. One key example can be found in the shocking swings in freight, postal services, and drayage costs. With shipping containers reaching 3X+ their traditional prices, brands have had to adapt their pricing to manage the volatility without overburdening their customers. These costs and fuel surcharges can be crushing to CPG brands and require new thinking.
3 - Lack of Predictability in Business Performance. Perhaps a byproduct of volatility and the fear of the unknown, businesses now struggle to forecast their performance. With so many variables in constant flux, being prepared is increasingly difficult. For example Instacart and other food delivery apps exploded in recent years, but are seeing a rapid implosion in demand as human behavior shifts back to shopping at grocery stores.
Learn more about how brands can manage these challenges and pick partners that can help you grow by listening to the entire episode here.
Buy. Build. Boost. - Joe McIntyre (Episode 2)
Building a flexible and resilient supply chain is the dream of many companies. Joe McIntyre, the Director of Supply Chain at unybrands, is singularly focused on developing a system that can adapt and respond to internal and external forces ensuring that products are delivered on time and, ultimately, customers are kept happy.
In order to create a supply chain that can deliver extreme customer satisfaction while also remaining flexible requires collaboration with the brand management team. Working closely with your internal partners to understand their goals—entering or growing a market—allows the supply chain team to plan ahead. The disconnect between these two entities often occurs because they are working on different timelines. The brand team is often thinking in quarters of the year while the supply chain team needs to think on 6+ month timelines.
Learn more about developing the absolute best customer experience for DTC brands by listening to the entire episode here.
Our Billion Dollar Supply Chain - Jeff Raider (Episode 3)
Create things people like more. This simple mission is what has propelled the meteoric growth of the brands Jeff Raider has created. As the co-founder of billion-dollar brands Harry’s and Warby Parker, Jeff has an unimpeachable track record in the DTC space.
“How many people can you reach and how much can you improve their lives,” is a utility equation that Jeff regularly thinks about before creating a new product, and when they are both well-defined they know they are in a good place.
To learn more about how you build brands that can deliver 500 million razor blades to tens of millions of customers all over the globe, you must listen to the full episode here.
Want More? Of Course You Do!
Make sure to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice so you never miss an episode. We have a stacked line-up for you.
Upcoming guests include Nate Skiver, founder of LPF Spend Management; Zach Stuck, founder of Homestead, a digital agency focused on scaling eCommerce businesses; and so many more.
Want us to interview someone? Have suggestions on how we can improve? Shoot us an email with your suggestions or ideas to kent@stord.com.
