Supply Chain Moves (Official Move Supply Chain Podcast)

Bad sourcing trips don’t just waste time—they waste margins.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara shares the 10 biggest lessons learned from recent sourcing trips to China and Vietnam—the good, the bad, and the costly mistakes founders can avoid.Together, we unpack:✅ The “confidence gap” between Chinese and Vietnamese suppliers—and how to use it to your advantage✅ Why factory vs. trading company isn’t always obvious (and the questions you should be asking)✅ The truth about MOQs: why they’re always negotiable with the right approach✅ How tariff strategies and country diversification protect your margins✅ Why real relationships—not catalogs—are the ultimate sourcing advantageWhether you’re sourcing your first product or scaling a multi-SKU brand, this episode will help you approach factories smarter, not just faster.And here’s the exciting part: Move is heading back to China and Vietnam this season, this time with clients alongside us. If you’ve ever wanted boots-on-the-ground support while navigating supplier selection, negotiations, and tariff strategies, now’s your chance to be part of the journey.Every move counts. Tune in now. Or learn more about it here: https://vendorvisits.movesupplychain.com/ Also, don’t forget to join our free Slack community, the Supply Chain Lounge, where operators, founders, and experts share real-time solutions to real-world challenges: https://tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge And be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Supply Chain Moves.

In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, Lara breaks down one of the most overlooked connections in DTC operations: how customer service issues often start in the supply chain. As brands gear up for BFCM, Lara reveals why ticket volume spikes, the top three supply chain problems that drive those complaints, and how fixing warehouse accuracy alone can cut tickets by up to 40%.From delayed shipments and defective products to incorrect orders and costly returns, this episode shows how solving upstream inefficiencies can protect your brand’s margins and reputation, especially during the busiest time of the year.Listen in to learn:- Why 80% of customer service issues trace back to supply chain errors- How one DTC brand slashed support tickets by fixing warehouse accuracy- The hidden cost of not linking returns and defects to vendor claimsIf you’re preparing for peak season, this one’s a must-listen.Explore more and plug in:Supply Chain Moves podcast hub: movesupplychain.com/supply-chain-movesVendor Visits (China & Vietnam): vendorvisits.movesupplychain.comLara’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@supplychainlaraSupply Chain Lounge (free Slack): tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge

You don’t need a massive ops team—but you do need the right roles.In this quick episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara breaks down the must-have players behind a smooth, scalable DTC supply chain.Whether you're flying solo or growing fast, this is your cheat sheet for who to hire, what they do, and how each role pays off in time, margin, and sanity.You’ll learn:✅ What a supply chain manager really does (spoiler: they end the chaos)✅ Why forecasters are the unsung heroes of cash and inventory health✅ How a logistics coordinator saves you from missed cutoffs and bloated freight bills✅ The game-changing magic of a strong procurement/NPD lead✅ When to hire these roles—and what happens if you don’tIf you’ve ever said “I’ll just handle ops myself a little longer,” this episode will change your mind. Because every delay, stockout, or freight fire drill has a root cause and usually, it’s a missing role.Explore more and plug in:Supply Chain Moves podcast hub: movesupplychain.com/supply-chain-movesVendor Visits (China & Vietnam): vendorvisits.movesupplychain.comLara’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@supplychainlaraSupply Chain Lounge (free Slack): tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-loungeBecause the right team isn’t overhead—it’s your engine for growth.

Finance isn’t just bookkeeping—it’s oxygen for your supply chain.When the cash stops flowing, production stalls, warehouses choke, and ads can’t move inventory.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara sits down with Judy, a controller who’s seen firsthand how missing financial visibility can quietly collapse even the strongest supply chain. Together they unpack the decisions that tie your numbers to your operations—forecasting, purchase timing, cash allocation, and the messy realities that make or break peak-season readiness.You’ll learn:✅ Why finance and supply chain aren’t separate worlds and what happens when they operate in silos✅ How weak cash-flow forecasting leads to delayed deposits, missed cutoffs, and “rush” freight that kills margin✅ The early-warning signs in your numbers that reveal brewing supply-chain problems✅ How to set optimal inventory levels without freezing cash or over-stocking slow movers✅ The bare-minimum dashboards every founder needs: real inventory balance, cash runway, and SKU-level margins✅ Why having “too much” money can be just as risky as not having enough and how to plan around bothReal examples include a founder who lost weeks of production waiting for budget approval, a team that paid for inventory but couldn’t afford the ads to sell it, and brands that scaled faster only after syncing their controllers with their supply-chain planners.Explore more and plug in:Supply Chain Moves podcast hub: movesupplychain.com/supply-chain-movesVendor Visits (China & Vietnam): vendorvisits.movesupplychain.comLara’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@supplychainlaraSupply Chain Lounge (free Slack): tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-loungeIf you’ve ever treated “finance” as something separate from “ops,” this episode will change how you run your business.Because every supply-chain decision is a financial one and visibility is your real profit margin.

In Part 2 of our logistics mini-series, Lara gets tactical: how a simple carton optimization project can save ~$2/order, why 3PL SLA audits beat “surprise fees,” the no-bloat visibility stack (AfterShip + clean exports/Sheets), and the playbook for disruption-proof routing (split ports, split forwarders). We wrap with what’s next: nearshoring (MX/LatAm) and AI-driven logistics for predictive tracking and auto-rerouting. If you want faster, cheaper, calmer ops, start here. Explore more and plug in:Supply Chain Moves podcast hub: movesupplychain.com/supply-chain-moves Vendor Visits (China & Vietnam): vendorvisits.movesupplychain.com Lara’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@supplychainlara Supply Chain Lounge (free Slack): tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge If logistics has felt like a black box, this episode gives you the vocabulary, the gotchas, and the practical moves to run it on purpose, not by accident.

For this Supply Chain Moves episode, it emphasizes that real stories don’t just happen at the fair; they happen in factories. In this episode we’ll have China–Vietnam deep dive, where Lara shares field-tested lessons from supplier visits: why you never skip the factory tour, how polish often signals higher costs (and better standards), what hesitant body language reveals, why bringing your own interpreter matters, and how showing up with real numbers—not mood boards—moves MOQs. Meet the QC and R&D leads, ask for peak-season capacity plans, find a factory’s “hero” product, and don’t skip the dinner where deals close. Explore more and plug in:​Supply Chain Moves podcast hub: movesupplychain.com/supply-chain-moves​Vendor Visits (China & Vietnam): vendorvisits.movesupplychain.com​Lara’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@supplychainlara​Supply Chain Lounge (free Slack): tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge

Shipping isn’t “set it and forget it.” It’s the bloodstream of your brand and when it clogs, margins bleed.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara answers 10 core questions to demystify DTC logistics—from what “logistics” actually covers to the real-world mistakes that turn containers into cash drains. She breaks down how goods move factory → port → customs → warehouse → doorstep, why forwarders aren’t a magic switch, and the fees that blindside founders who don’t plan buffers.You’ll learn:✅ What logistics really means for a DTC brand (end-to-end flow, borders to doorstep)✅ The biggest misunderstanding: hiring a forwarder ≠ you can stop worrying✅ Hidden costs that crush margin (demurrage, detention) and how preventable paperwork delays trigger them✅ Air vs. sea vs. express: speed-cost tradeoffs + when LCL beats per-kilo express✅ Why the playbook moved from Just-In-Time to Just-In-Case—and how added days of inventory can protect revenueReal examples include a brand that missed BFCM by assuming transit times, a furniture company eaten by port fees over paperwork, a jewelry brand that cut landed cost ~35% by switching from all-express to LCL sea, and a home goods team that increased on-hand inventory to keep shelves full.Explore more and plug in:Supply Chain Moves podcast hub: movesupplychain.com/supply-chain-moves Vendor Visits (China & Vietnam): vendorvisits.movesupplychain.com Lara’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@supplychainlara Supply Chain Lounge: tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge If logistics has felt like a black box, this episode gives you the vocabulary, the gotchas, and the practical moves to run it on purpose—not by accident.

Most DTC brands hit a wall between $1M and $10M; not because of weak sales, but because their backend can’t keep up.In this Quick Take episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara breaks down why your supply chain—not your ads—is what’s holding your growth back.She unpacks:✅ The real role of supply chain in scaling a DTC brand✅ Why founders managing ops themselves become the bottleneck✅ How a fractional supply chain team can start showing ROI in 30–90 days✅ What great supply chain support actually looks like✅ The pros, cons, and must-haves when building offshore ops teamsIf you're still wearing all the hats—from inventory to supplier follow-ups—this episode will show you what it looks like to step back without losing control.Every move counts. Tune in now.Also, don't forget to join our free Slack community, the Supply Chain Lounge, where operators, founders, and experts share real-time solutions to real-world challenges: https://tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-loungeAnd don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Supply Chain Moves.

Most DTC product launches don’t fail because of bad ideas—they fail because of bad process.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara is joined by Move Supply Chain’s NPD experts Nea and Myrna, who have helped global and DTC brands alike bring ideas to market—profitably and on time.Together, they unpack:✅ The hidden pitfalls that derail most product launches✅ Why market validation matters more than founder “gut feel”✅ The five must-do’s and five never-do’s in NPD for DTC brands✅ Lessons from working with multinational giants like Nestlé and Unilever—and how to apply them to your scrappy DTC launch✅ Trends shaping the future of NPD: sustainability, personalization, and community-driven productsWhether you’re a founder prepping your first launch or an operator tired of costly missteps, this episode will give you a framework to launch products smarter—not just harder.Every move counts. Tune in now.Also, don't forget to join our free Slack community, the Supply Chain Lounge, where operators, founders, and experts share real-time solutions to real-world challenges: https://tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Supply Chain Moves.

Why do some brands thrive in uncertainty while others crumble?In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, host Lara Guevara sits down with Omar Cali to unpack what it really means to adopt a supply chain mindset and why it’s the difference between brands that stay resilient and those that get stuck in reaction mode.Drawing from Omar’s diverse background, running his own café, managing operations in construction, and now working hands-on with DTC brands—this conversation brings a fresh perspective to one of the most overlooked growth levers in business.Lara and Omar break down:1. How every business, big or small, already has a supply chain (whether you realize it or not)2. Lessons from running a café that apply directly to inventory planning and DTC operations3. Why founders can’t afford to treat supply chain as an afterthought4. The five mindsets that set resilient brands apart: problem-solving, end-to-end thinking, data-driven decisions, agility, and customer focus5. The role of mentorship, training, and continuous learning in building future-ready ops teamsIf you’ve ever thought of supply chain as “just logistics,” this episode will change the way you see it and help you reframe it as your brand’s ultimate competitive advantage.Join our free Slack community, the Supply Chain Lounge, where operators, founders, and experts share real-time solutions to real-world challenges: https://tinyurl.com/move-supplychain-lounge And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Supply Chain Moves.

Most DTC founders are told: “Get a 3PL so you can scale.”For brands doing $100K to $200K, that advice can quietly destroy margins, flexibility, and momentum.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, Lara breaks down Mistake #1 of 12 supply chain mistakes: signing a 3PL contract before you’re ready.You’ll learn:The 4 traps of early 3PL adoption (minimums, lock-in, lost learning, and the wrong kind of scale)The story of Luna, a $120K skincare founder who felt stuck by $800KWhen you actually need a 3PLThe “Goldilocks” fulfillment setup for $100K to $500K brandsHow to systematize before you outsourceHow to transition to a 3PL without losing controlIf you’re packing boxes in your garage and wondering if it’s time to “level up,” this episode might save you six figures and a lot of regret.Mistakes planted at $120K become painful at $800K.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chainSC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Two point one million in revenue.Twenty-three SKUs.One exhausted founder.Two point five percent net margin.Six months later:One point nine six million in revenue.Fourteen SKUs.Seventy-two percent more profit.Twenty fewer hours of work per week.This episode is the full case study.I’m walking you through exactly how Rachel, a $2M pet accessories founder, cut 40% of her catalog and rebuilt her business around contribution margin instead of revenue.We break down:• The spreadsheet that revealed her “hero” product was actually underwater• Why 9 SKUs were quietly draining $18,000 per year• The Kill, Fix, or Scale decisions that felt terrifying• What happened when revenue dropped 18% in month one• How profit increased even while sales declined• The exact numbers behind the 72% profit jump• The emotional reality of cutting products tied to your identityThis is not theory.It’s the real application of unit economics.Real contribution margin.Real operational decisions.Real panic.Real results.If you’ve ever thought, “Once I get bigger, the numbers will work,” this episode will challenge that belief.Because sometimes the path to more profit is fewer products.And sometimes your hero SKU is your villain.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chain⁠SC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Last week, a founder showed me her numbers for the first time.Forty-three SKUs.Eleven were clearly profitable.Eight were clearly losing money.And twenty-four were stuck in the gray zone.Her question was simple:What do I actually do with this?Because knowing your numbers is only half the battle. The real challenge is deciding what to kill, what to fix, and what to scale. And most founders freeze when it’s time to make that call.In this episode, I walk you through the Kill-Fix-Scale framework. The exact system I use to help founders make clear, confident product decisions without guessing, hoping, or relying on gut instinct.You’ll learn:• How to categorize every product using contribution margin thresholds• Why products under 15% margin quietly destroy your growth• The five levers that can move a product from barely profitable to scalable• How to liquidate underperforming products cleanly and strategically• Why the best founders kill products faster, not slower• How to escape the gray zone where most businesses get stuckThis isn’t about cutting products randomly. It’s about reallocating your time, cash, and energy toward what actually builds profit.Because every product in your catalog is doing one of three things: building your business, draining it, or distracting you.Your job is to decide which is which.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chain⁠SC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

She thought she had a 72 percent gross margin best seller.Two years later, it was barely breaking even.In this episode, Lara walks through the exact invoice and data set that stopped a fast-growing DTC founder in her tracks. What looked wildly profitable on paper collapsed to an 8 percent contribution margin once every hidden cost was accounted for.You’ll hear a full, line by line teardown of real unit economics, including the eight costs most founders underestimate, miscalculate, or completely ignore between the supplier invoice and actual profit. Freight, duties, fulfillment, shipping, returns, customer service, CAC and more.This is the math that turns “hero products” into silent cash drains. And it’s the framework Lara uses to help brands stop scaling busy businesses and start building profitable ones.By the end of this episode, you’ll know exactly where to find these numbers in your own systems and how to build a unit economics spreadsheet that tells the truth about every SKU you sell.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chainSC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Most founders know their gross margin by heart.Sixty-five percent. Seventy percent. A number that sounds healthy and investor-ready.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, Lara explains why that number is often lying to you.Gross margin only tells you what it costs to make a product. It says nothing about what it actually costs to sell it, ship it, return it, and acquire a customer for it. And at the $500K–$3M stage, that blind spot quietly destroys otherwise great brands.You will hear real examples of DTC founders scaling their “best sellers” straight into losses, including a hero SKU with a beautiful 68% gross margin and a negative contribution margin once the real costs were counted.By the end of this episode, you will know exactly how to calculate the one margin number that actually matters and how to use it to make better decisions across marketing, inventory, and product strategy.In this episode, we cover:Why gross margin is a vanity metric at the growth stageThe difference between gross margin and contribution margin by SKUA real example of a best-selling product losing money on every saleThe seven costs most founders forget to include in their margin mathWhy your “hero product” might actually be your biggest problemHow to build a simple contribution margin calculator in a spreadsheetWhat to do with products that have low or negative contribution marginHow to realign marketing, finance, and supply chain around one shared numberKey takeaway:Gross margin is for pitch decks.Contribution margin is for survival.If you are making decisions based on gross margin alone, you are flying blind.Action step:This week, calculate contribution margin for your top five SKUs.Just five. The results will probably surprise you and tell you exactly what needs to change next.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chainSC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

“They seem fine” is not a supplier strategy.In the final episode of Supplier Power Month, Lara introduces the Supplier Scorecard, the system that turns vendor management from gut feel into data-backed decisions.If you’ve ever struggled to explain why inventory feels chaotic, margins are slipping, or suppliers keep disappointing you without anything “major” going wrong, this episode is for you.Lara breaks down the five metrics every DTC brand must track to understand supplier performance clearly, including exact formulas, realistic targets, and a Red, Yellow, Green framework that tells you when to invest, when to fix, and when to walk away.This episode goes beyond theory. You’ll hear real examples of how “fine” suppliers quietly cost brands tens of thousands of dollars, and you’ll get scripts you can use to have direct, professional conversations without damaging the relationship.In this episode, you’ll learn:The five Supplier Scorecard metrics that actually matterHow to calculate on-time delivery, defect rates, and true costWhy unit price alone is a misleading metricHow to use Red, Yellow, Green zones to make decisions without emotionScripts for introducing scorecards and addressing performance issuesHow to exit a supplier relationship without burning bridgesBy the end of the episode, you’ll have a scorecard template you can implement this week, not next quarter, and a clear system for managing suppliers like a real operator, not a hopeful one.This episode ties together everything from Supplier Power Month, from ranking and repositioning to negotiation and long-term leverage.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chainSC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Most DTC founders think supplier agreements are overkill. Until they’re staring at a warehouse full of unusable inventory and a supplier saying, “This is what you approved.”In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, Lara breaks down a real story of a $50,000 mistake that almost killed a growing skincare brand and exactly how it could have been prevented with one simple document.You’ll learn why trust alone is not a supply chain strategy and how vague specs, missing quality standards, and verbal agreements quietly destroy cash flow. Lara walks you through the eight non-negotiable sections every supplier agreement must include, using plain English and copy-paste language you can actually use this week.This is not a legal lecture or a 100-page contract. It’s a practical playbook designed for DTC founders who want clarity, leverage, and protection without slowing down growth.In this episode, you’ll learn:The real reason good supplier relationships still blow upThe eight sections every supplier agreement must includeHow to define quality so defects don’t become your problemHow unclear terms quietly drain cash flowRed flags that tell you a supplier is not worth the riskHow to introduce a written agreement without damaging the relationshipIf you’ve ever relied on WeChat messages, emails, or “we’ve always done it this way,” this episode is for you.By the end, you’ll know exactly how to draft a simple supplier agreement that protects your margins, your sanity, and your business before the next shipment goes wrong.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chainSC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Most DTC founders think supplier negotiation starts and ends with price.It doesn’t.In this episode, Lara breaks down the seven things you can actually negotiate with suppliers, why price is often the weakest lever, and how to frame your asks so suppliers want to say yes instead of quietly deprioritizing you.This is a tactical, no-fluff playbook you can use on your very next PO.What you’ll learn in this episode:Why negotiating on price alone leaves money on the tableThe 7 supplier terms you can negotiate (and which matter most)Simple scripts that get better terms without damaging relationshipsHow suppliers actually think about your asksWhen to push, when to accept, and how Finance changes the gameIf this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chain⁠SC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Episode SummaryMost DTC founders assume that being the customer automatically gives them leverage with suppliers. In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, Omar breaks down why that belief quietly costs brands money, time, and sanity.Suppliers rank their customers, even if they never tell you. That invisible ranking determines who gets prioritized when capacity is tight, delays hit, or problems arise. Drawing from real-world experience working with DTC brands, this episode unpacks the five factors suppliers actually care about, the warning signs that reveal where you truly stand, and a case study of a $3M brand that discovered their “bad supplier” was simply reacting to their behavior.You’ll also hear why finance decisions, especially payment timing, play a much bigger role in supplier relationships than most founders realize.Key Topics CoveredSupplier prioritization and invisible account rankingVolume consistency versus large but erratic ordersPayment reliability and its downstream impact on operationsOperational ease and why suppliers remember frictionGrowth trajectory and long-term supplier thinkingRelationship history and earned flexibilityThe finance and supply chain connection most brands missWho This Episode Is ForDTC and ecommerce founders frustrated by missed deadlines, slow replies, or inconsistent qualityBrand operators who feel “stuck” with a supplier but are not sure if switching is the right moveFounders who assume supplier issues are caused by size or lack of leverageFinance and operations leaders responsible for cash flow, payments, and supplier relationshipsGrowing brands that want better treatment from suppliers without constantly renegotiating priceIf this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chain⁠SC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Omar, Growth Partner at Move and sourcing specialist, breaks down what 2025 actually did to sourcing and inventory for DTC brands and why the cost of being wrong quietly skyrocketed.If 2025 exposed anything, it was how fragile most sourcing setups really were. Tariffs, trade friction, timing issues, and shrinking reaction windows forced founders to confront a hard truth. Sourcing is no longer a one-time purchasing decision. It is a core business model decision. This episode is a founder-friendly, no-fluff wrap-up of the biggest lessons from 2025 and a practical playbook for building optionality in 2026 so you are not trapped when things shift again.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy 2025 made supply chain lag painfully visible for DTC brandsThe hidden costs founders felt but rarely modeled, including decision lag, quality tax, cash timing tax, and switching taxWhat sourcing paralysis looks like and why “waiting for clarity” is still a decisionHow to shift from chasing certainty to building systems that work under uncertaintyThe Optionality Stack framework and how to actually build it without chaosHow inventory strategy needs to change based on demand confidenceWhere AI and tools actually help and where they do notA 7-day action plan to turn this episode into real operational progressWho This Episode Is ForDTC founders navigating supplier risk and cost volatilityOperators managing inventory, sourcing, or cash flowEcommerce teams preparing for 2026 planningBrands that felt exposed by tariffs, delays, or forecasting misses in 2025If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chain⁠SC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders