• Serial Entrepreneur Megan Smith on Pallets, Poshmark, and Why Warehouse Relocation Is the Next Big 3PL Pain Point | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 020
    Apr 30 2026

    Megan Smith is a serial entrepreneur who has spent 20 years building businesses in the parts of supply chain most people overlook. Recorded live at BGSA 2026 in West Palm Beach, Megan shares her path from launching an eco-friendly boutique in Denver to running Total Pallet Management sites for Publix and CHEP, to growing a 3PL through acquisition, to now disrupting the moving and storage industry with Packgistics and Ray the Mover in Naples, Florida.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - From babysitter to boutique owner to pallet manufacturer: a 20-year entrepreneurial arc

    - Unity Boutique: eco-friendly fashion in Denver before green was a trend (2006)

    - Total Pallet Management: how pallets get graded A, B, and C and why it matters

    - Growing a national pallet network for P&G, Unilever, and Driscoll's

    - Retail chargebacks: the millions hiding in minutia that new brands never think about

    - Poshmark boutique with 150,000 followers and the resale economy

    - Gen Z dupes, Buy Nothing groups, and cultural shifts in consumption

    - Acquiring a 45-year moving and storage business and why the industry is ripe for disruption

    - Warehouse decommissioning: the move every 3PL dreads

    - FF&E, inventory tracking, and order fulfillment during a warehouse relocation



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    0:30 First Impressions of BGSA 2026 at The Breakers

    3:27 Megan's 20-Year Entrepreneurial Journey

    5:49 University of Denver and Unity Boutique

    9:37 From Retail to Pallet Management

    13:02 Pallet Grading: A, B, and C

    15:11 Chargebacks and the Cost of Minutia

    19:44 Just-in-Time, Lean Management, and Breeding Genius

    21:52 Micro Supply Chains and Buy Nothing

    25:11 Poshmark and the Resale Economy

    30:34 Gen Z, Dupes, and Cultural Shifts

    33:24 From Pallets to Omnichannel 3PL

    35:14 Founding Packgistics and Acquiring Ray the Mover

    38:50 Warehouse Relocation: The Move Every 3PL Dreads

    45:30 What Drives Megan Today

    47:38 How to Find Megan Smith



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    Megan Smith is the founder of Packgistics and owner of Ray the Mover, a 45-year moving and storage business in Naples, Florida. She holds a master's in supply chain from Michigan State University and has spent 20 years in supply chain entrepreneurship spanning pallet management, omnichannel fulfillment, and warehouse relocation services.



    KEY TERMS:

    Megan Smith, Packgistics, Ray the Mover, serial entrepreneur, pallet management, CHEP, Total Pallet Management, TPM, retail chargebacks, retail compliance, 3PL, warehouse decommissioning, warehouse relocation, FF&E, Poshmark, resale economy, BGSA, omnichannel, P&G, North American Van Lines, CRST

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

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    49 mins
  • 21 Years Inside UPS: Glenn Gooding on Small Parcel Strategy, Zone Skipping, and How 3PLs Should Partner with Carriers | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 019
    Apr 13 2026

    Glenn Gooding spent 21 years at UPS — from package handler to driver to corporate revenue management for Dell, IBM, and Apple. He then spent nearly two decades in third-party parcel negotiation. Glenn shares how carriers price, how they view 3PLs, and what operators must do to compete.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - 21 years at UPS: package handler to corporate Special Pricing for enterprise clients

    - The Nintendo story: zone skipping 900,000 Game Boys for Black Friday delivery

    - UPS vs FedEx DNA: Teamster drivers vs contracted operators and the RLA

    - COVID's impact on the carrier market and the residential volume hangover

    - USPS losing $9.1B per year and the Delivering for America plan

    - Amazon, Walmart, and Target building their own delivery networks

    - How carriers view 3PLs as resellers and why that must change

    - Zone skipping for 3PLs: peak season strategies and carrier collaboration

    - Volume thresholds: $2M+ for one carrier, $10M+ to multi-source

    - Custom corrugated, returns, and inventory positioning as value props



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    0:19 Glenn's UPS Career: Package Handler to Revenue Management

    3:50 The Nintendo Story: Zone Skipping for Black Friday

    7:09 UPS vs FedEx: Ground DNA, Air DNA, and the 1997 Strike

    12:10 The UPS Driver as Brand Ambassador

    17:30 Bird Dog Solutions and Third-Party Negotiation

    23:10 Enterprise Pricing: 10% Out of Dell's Costs Year Over Year

    28:10 COVID and the Small Parcel Market

    33:44 USPS Crisis: Delivering for America

    37:03 Amazon, Walmart, Target: Building Their Own Networks

    43:01 Multi-Sourcing: Why No Single Carrier Works

    48:43 The 3PL Margin Problem and the Carrier Perspective

    56:29 Proving Value: Average Zone, Corrugated, Network Efficiency

    1:09:03 Zone Skipping for 3PLs: When and How

    1:18:05 Returns as a Differentiator

    1:29:20 The Fragmented Marketplace and What's Next

    1:40:27 Who's Innovating in Small Parcel

    1:43:29 Closing Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    Glenn Gooding spent 21 years at UPS and nearly two decades in parcel negotiation at Bird Dog Solutions and iDrive Logistics.



    KEY TERMS:

    Glenn Gooding, UPS, FedEx, USPS, small parcel, zone skipping, carrier negotiation, 3PL, Bird Dog Solutions, iDrive Logistics, Delivering for America, gig economy, residential delivery, demand surcharges, returns, multi-sourcing

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

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    1 hr and 45 mins
  • Alternative Carriers, Zone Skipping, and the Future of Small Parcel: Ben Emmrich of Tusk Logistics | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 018
    Jan 26 2026

    Ben Emmrich spent 10 years at Google managing parcel carrier relationships for Google Shopping before leading carrier partnerships at Shippo for four years. He discovered that alternative carriers could save shippers 30–40% on small parcel — but nobody could access them at scale. In 2021, he founded Tusk Logistics to solve that problem. Recorded live at BGSA 2026 in West Palm Beach.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - From Google Shopping to Shippo to founding Tusk: how Ben discovered the alternative carrier ecosystem

    - What alternative carriers are: regional operators like GLS, UDS, CDL, and DoorDash that deliver for 30–40% less than UPS or FedEx

    - Zone skipping explained: when it makes sense, how to back-load trailers with multiple carrier stops, and linking freight tracking to final mile

    - Volume thresholds: local alternatives first, zone skipping at 10,000+ parcels per day

    - Chinese 3PLs entering the US market: zone skipping at massive scale with regional last-mile delivery

    - UPS margin optimization under Carol Tomé: closing facilities, prioritizing margin over volume

    - The Fast Group collapse: what happens when PE-backed carrier consolidation fails

    - Anti-fragile shipping: why single-source UPS shippers were panicking during the 2024 Teamsters near-strike

    - 3PL billing pain: unified invoicing across multiple carriers

    - Dynamic parcel pricing: negotiating rate caps with carriers who flex down

    - Ship with Walmart at $6.90 all-in vs. $15 loaded through traditional carriers



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction: Live at BGSA 2026 in West Palm Beach

    2:30 Ben's Story: Google Shopping, Shippo, and Discovering Alternative Carriers

    9:10 What Tusk Is: Shipping Infrastructure for Alternative Carriers at Scale

    10:10 China's Inroads: Chinese 3PLs, Zone Skipping, and Regional Last Mile

    13:57 Zone Skipping Explained: How It Works and Multi-Stop Trailer Strategy

    16:12 Volume Thresholds: When to Start with Local Alternatives vs. Zone Skips

    21:43 Tracking Visibility: Linking Freight Tracking to Final Mile Across Carriers

    27:04 Rate Comparison: $10 Retail to $6.50 Loaded with Alternative Carriers

    30:23 Carrier Consolidation: The Fast Group Collapse and Ecosystem Dynamics

    34:12 UPS Strategy: Carol Tomé's Shift from Volume to Margin

    37:35 Anti-Fragile Shipping: Why Optionality Beats Single-Source Risk

    41:20 3PL Billing Pain: Unified Invoicing and the Smart Zack File

    49:01 Dynamic Parcel Pricing and the Future of Rate Shopping

    55:35 What Keeps a 3PL Operator Up at Night

    1:04:04 When Carriers Pitch Your Clients Direct: How to Handle the Conversation

    1:13:18 How to Work with Tusk and Closing Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    Ben Emmrich is the founder and CEO of Tusk Logistics. He spent 10 years at Google and four years at Shippo before founding Tusk in 2021 to make alternative parcel carriers accessible at scale.



    KEY TERMS:

    Tusk Logistics, alternative carriers, regional carriers, zone skipping, small parcel, GLS, UDS, CDL, DoorDash, Shippo, Google Shopping, FedEx, UPS, USPS, carrier performance, unified invoicing, dynamic pricing, PLD, parcel level data, anti-fragile, Carol Tomé, Fast Group, BGSA

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • From Sega to Salesforce: How Jonathan Green Uses AI and Platform Thinking to Transform Supply Chain Operations | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 017
    Jan 5 2025

    Jonathan Green became VP of Technology at Colliers International at 22 and spent 13 years scaling the company from 40 employees to 15,000 across 122 acquisitions. He went on to build direct-to-consumer systems for medical device companies, reverse engineer claims processing in healthcare, and now runs Health Admins — acquiring TPAs and rebuilding them on Salesforce. In this episode, he shares practical ways any supply chain operator can start using AI tools today.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - From making video games for Sega and Activision to becoming VP of IT at Colliers International at 22

    - Building Snap-On Smile's D2C system on Salesforce in eight weeks — from $2M to $18M in revenue

    - Why Salesforce is the only platform that inherits security, updates three times a year, and interrogates your code

    - WMS systems are a race to the bottom — why none are leveraging AI effectively yet

    - Notebook LM for supply chain: upload contracts, manifests, and invoices and ask questions of your data

    - Custom GPTs: build one for marketing, one for manufacturing, one for logistics

    - Crystal Knows: AI personality profiling from public data to prepare for any meeting

    - Make and Zapier: workflow engines that stitch together WMS, Zendesk, Slack, QuickBooks, and Bill.com

    - Why curiosity and critical thinking matter more than technical knowledge for adopting AI



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    0:44 Jonathan's Story: Video Games, Colliers International, and Medical Devices

    6:44 The Common Thread: Stitching Together Existing Technologies

    9:35 Why Salesforce Is the Only Platform That Verifies Your Code

    13:40 Real Estate, WMS, and Where AI Opportunities Exist in Supply Chain

    16:31 What Steps Should 3PL Operators Take to Keep Up with AI?

    19:11 Getting Started: Notebook LM, ChatGPT, and Custom GPTs

    23:23 Stitching Tools Together: Make, Zapier, and Workflow Automation

    26:00 Building Your Online Brain: Crystal Knows, Storyworth, and Personality AI

    28:59 AI in Real Life: Diagnosing Appendicitis with ChatGPT at 1 AM

    31:30 The Big Picture: Starlink, Rural Access, and Why Curiosity Wins

    32:13 Tool Recap: Crystal Knows, Notebook LM, Superhuman, Make, and Salesforce

    34:52 Closing Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    Jonathan Green is the CEO of Health Admins and a technology leader with 30 years of experience. He became VP of Technology at Colliers International at 22 and has built technology systems across commercial real estate, medical devices, and healthcare.



    KEY TERMS:

    Jonathan Green, Health Admins, Colliers International, Salesforce, AI, artificial intelligence, Notebook LM, ChatGPT, custom GPTs, Crystal Knows, Make, Zapier, Superhuman, beautiful.ai, WMS, workflow automation, direct to consumer, platform thinking, TPA, claims processing

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

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    35 mins
  • He Invented the Return Label in the Box: Phil Siegel on Newgistics, Private Equity, and 3PL Market Consolidation | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 016
    May 29 2024

    Phil Siegel is a private equity investor and the co-creator of the prepaid return label in the box. He and his wife launched Newgistics (originally I Return It) in 1999 after a trip to Legoland sparked the idea. The company grew to hundreds of millions in revenue before being acquired by Pitney Bowes. Phil now invests in supply chain and logistics companies through his PE firm.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - From the University of Chicago and BCG to founding Newgistics with his wife's brainstorm at Legoland

    - How the prepaid return label reduced customer service calls by 70–90%

    - Unintended consequences of easy returns: consumer fraud, gaming, and retailer blacklists

    - 24,000 3PLs in the US: why the entrepreneurial model works and why European-style consolidation raises prices

    - PE in supply chain: how firms evaluate risk, diligence, and growth potential in smaller operators

    - Contracted vs. spot business: why operators should avoid betting on commodities they don't control

    - Investment timelines, COVID boom-and-bust, and the $80M-to-$10M EBITDA crash

    - Three types of tech investment: efficiency automation, visibility (now table stakes), and regulatory compliance

    - Why supply chain outsourcing is still growing at low teens annually — and will for two more decades



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    0:24 Phil's Background: University of Chicago, BCG, and the Path to Entrepreneurship

    1:31 The Legoland Moment: How Phil's Wife Invented the Prepaid Return Label

    4:13 Newgistics: Founding, Funding, and Zone Skipping with the Post Office

    6:46 Market Opportunity: Catalogs, Early E-Commerce, and Amazon as an Early Customer

    8:39 The Aha Moment: Reducing Customer Service Calls by 70–90%

    10:46 Returns Fraud: Unintended Consequences of Making Returns Easy

    13:44 Returns Today: COVID, Gaming, and How 3PLs Handle It

    15:15 Market Consolidation: 24,000 3PLs and Why the US Model Works

    21:22 Private Equity in Supply Chain: How PE Firms Evaluate Smaller Operators

    25:15 Preparing for Acquisition: What Small Operators Need to Know

    27:45 Real Estate vs. Operations: Contracted Business vs. Spot Business

    31:56 Investment Timelines and the COVID Boom-to-Bust Cycle

    34:08 Automation ROI: Three Types of Technology Investment

    37:46 Why Supply Chain Is Still Vibrant for Investing and Entrepreneurship

    40:47 Closing Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    Phil Siegel co-founded Newgistics (originally I Return It) in 1999, inventing the prepaid return label in the box. The company grew to hundreds of millions in revenue before being acquired by Pitney Bowes. He now invests in supply chain companies through his PE firm.



    KEY TERMS:

    Newgistics, I Return It, Pitney Bowes, returns, prepaid return label, zone skipping, Boston Consulting Group, Austin Ventures, private equity, 3PL, market consolidation, contracted vs spot, real estate, automation, visibility, EBITDA, outsourcing, nearshoring, capital intensity

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

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    39 mins
  • From Texas Humor to 120,000 Orders a Month: How JB Sauceda Built and Sold a Culture-First 3PL | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 015
    Mar 5 2024

    JB Sauceda is a serial entrepreneur who went from commercial photographer to Twitter parody account (Texas Humor) to launching his own retail brand — and when he couldn't find a 3PL that met his standards, he built one. Sauceda Industries grew from a 3,000 SF garage operation to 125,000 SF and 120,000 orders per month before being acquired by Cart.com in a 30-day close in July 2021. JB explains how culture, bootstrapping, and a "yes and" mentality drove every stage of growth.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - From commercial photography (NYT, Wired, Southwest Airlines, Yeti) to launching Texas Humor on Twitter

    - Why photography and logistics are the same business: vision, budget, timeline, and a rotating cast of people

    - "Give a Shit" as a core value: writing job descriptions that attract the right people and repel the wrong ones

    - Bootstrapping from 3,000 SF to 125,000 SF and $13M in revenue with zero outside investment

    - Employee loan programs, paternal leave, and benefits that create generational wealth at no cost

    - The 30-day exit to Cart.com: why clean books and an SPA vs. asset sale made it possible

    - Why the Shopify Fulfillment Network mattered — and how Sauceda shipped the very first SFN package

    - The 4PL model critique: why "software will take care of that" is never the full answer

    - Venture capital in logistics: why Convoy failed and why Deliverr wasn't successful for the ecosystem

    - Customer-centric FP&A as the real competitive advantage — not robots or software layers



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    0:56 JB's Story: From Commercial Photography to Texas Humor to 3PL

    8:23 Early Days: From the Garage to a Proper Warehouse in 12 Months

    14:36 First Warehouse: Forklift in 3,000 SF and Packages in the Silverado

    18:22 Culture as Competitive Advantage: Outsider Perspective in a Traditional Industry

    24:28 Job Descriptions, Core Values, and Recruiting for Culture Fit

    31:54 Benefits and Employee Programs: Loans, Paternal Leave, and Retention

    35:14 Growth Trajectory: From 3,000 SF to 125,000 SF

    38:24 The Exit: How Sauceda Industries Sold to Cart.com in 30 Days

    47:16 PE, VC, and Logistics: Why Bravado Without Operations Knowledge Fails

    54:13 The 4PL Critique: Deliverr, Shopify Fulfillment Network, and Ecosystem Impact

    1:06:29 Shopify, Amazon, and the Future of Entrepreneurial Retail

    1:12:48 Closing Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    JB Sauceda is a serial entrepreneur based in Austin, Texas. He built Sauceda Industries from a garage fulfillment operation into a 120,000 order/month 3PL before selling to Cart.com in 2021. He previously ran a commercial photography studio (Public School) and created the Texas Humor brand.



    KEY TERMS:

    Sauceda Industries, Cart.com, Texas Humor, 3PL, culture, bootstrapping, D2C, direct to consumer, Shopify Fulfillment Network, SFN, 4PL, Deliverr, Convoy, venture capital, private equity, SPA, asset sale, quality of earnings, FP&A, Six River Systems, Saltbox, Shopify, customer acquisition cost

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Why Your WMS Is Broken and How Soapbox Fixes It: Unified Supply Chain Software with Danny He | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 014
    Jan 31 2024

    Danny He is the founder and CEO of Soapbox (soapbx.com), a unified supply chain platform that combines WMS, OMS, TMS, shipping, and returns in one native tool. After managing 52 CPG brands and discovering that every software solved only one piece of the puzzle, he built Soapbox to give 3PLs and brands real-time visibility across their entire fulfillment network — no integration headaches, no data reconciliation lag.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - From IBM and Royal Caribbean to managing 52 CPG brands — and why no existing software could tie the ecosystem together

    - Why the WMS should be prescriptive: standardize operations first, handle exceptions as exceptions

    - Soapbox as a unified platform: OMS, WMS, TMS, shipping, and returns on one data layer

    - The beverage company doing 10M units/month on pen and paper — and how Soapbox went live in five days

    - Why Soapbox started as a 4PL to drink their own juice — and why they stopped

    - The Shopify-Deliverr-Flexport theory: was Deliverr always a play for Flexport equity?

    - Why venture capital in supply chain creates unsustainable models: subsidized fulfillment and gig-work warehousing

    - 80% of Amazon third-party sellers are Chinese manufacturers — what that means for US brands and FBA capacity

    - Section 321 cross-border fulfillment: how it works, who lobbies against it, and Soapbox's first Mexico border warehouse

    - TikTok fulfillment, Walmart's infrastructure play, and the future of marketplace logistics



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    1:47 Danny's Background: IBM, Royal Caribbean, and 52 CPG Brands

    6:05 The Problem: Why No Software Tied the Supply Chain Together

    14:11 Standardization vs. Customization: What a True 3PL WMS Should Do

    25:01 Soapbox for 3PLs: Onboarding, Integration, and Real-Time Visibility

    33:28 Real-Time Data vs. Batch Updates: Why Seconds Matter

    37:25 The Beverage Company: 10M Units on Pen and Paper

    44:32 From 4PL to SaaS: Why Soapbox Stopped Operating and Went Software-Only

    50:00 Venture Capital in Supply Chain: Subsidized Fulfillment and Gig-Work Warehousing

    1:06:29 Industry Trends: Amazon, Walmart, Shein, Temu, and the Marketplace Wars

    1:13:38 Amazon and Chinese Sellers: The 80% Problem

    1:23:36 Section 321 Fulfillment and Cross-Border Logistics

    1:28:00 TikTok Fulfillment and Closing Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    Danny He is the founder and CEO of Soapbox (soapbx.com), a unified supply chain platform. His background spans IBM, Royal Caribbean's digital transformation, and operations leadership for a $300M CPG conglomerate with 52 brands.



    KEY TERMS:

    Soapbox, soapbx.com, WMS, OMS, TMS, unified platform, 3PL software, order management, inventory management, real-time visibility, 4PL, Deliverr, Flexport, Shopify, FBA, Amazon, Walmart fulfillment, Section 321, cross-border, Shein, Temu, TikTok fulfillment, venture capital, gig work, NetSuite, FedEx Consulting, API integration

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 31 mins
  • From Techstars to the NBA: How James Garvey Built Self Financial to Help 100 Million Americans Build Credit | Supply Chain Saga Ep. 013
    Jan 3 2024

    James Garvey founded Self Financial in 2015 to help people build credit through a savings-backed loan. He grew it from a Techstars accelerator to 600 employees, $127M in venture capital, and 1.3 million active customers. Mark met James at Techstars and explores what operators can learn from his fundraising discipline and team building.



    TOPICS COVERED:

    - How Self Financial works: a small-dollar loan deposited into a CD that builds credit and savings simultaneously

    - Why 100 million American adults have no credit score or a subprime score — and how that affects jobs, insurance, and housing

    - Why the smartest people in banking said it would never work — and how millions of customers proved them wrong

    - Weekly investor newsletters: seven years of Saturday updates that built trust from seed through Series E

    - Fundraising strategy: warm intros beat cold emails and repeat investors are the holy grail

    - The team evolution problem: why early-stage risk takers may not fit at Series C

    - How a random employee connection led to the San Antonio Spurs jersey patch deal

    - Mentors at different stages: why your advisory needs change as the company scales



    CHAPTERS:

    0:00 Introduction

    0:16 James Garvey's Story: From Hurting His Credit Score to Founding Self Financial

    6:39 How Self Financial Works: The Credit Builder Product

    8:56 Credit Scores in America: Why Half the Country Is Subprime or Invisible

    12:22 Serial Entrepreneurship: Identifying the Opportunity

    17:34 AI, Automation, and Why Warehouse Workers Need Credit Tools

    21:48 Fundraising from Seed to Series E

    29:14 The Weekly Investor Newsletter: Seven Years of Saturday Updates

    34:40 Fundraising Strategy: Warm Intros and Building the Right Team

    43:27 The Team Evolution Problem: Risk Takers vs. Scale Operators

    45:28 Mentors and Peer Networks

    51:13 The San Antonio Spurs Jersey Patch Sponsorship

    55:36 Economic Outlook and Parting Thoughts



    ABOUT THE GUEST:

    James Garvey is the founder and former CEO of Self Financial. He raised $127M in venture capital through Series E, grew the company to 600 employees, and secured a jersey patch sponsorship with the San Antonio Spurs. He and Mark met at Techstars in 2015.



    KEY TERMS:

    Self Financial, credit builder, credit score, fintech, Techstars, venture capital, fundraising, Series A, Series E, investor updates, San Antonio Spurs, jersey patch, Moody Center, secured credit card, subprime, startup, accelerator, team building, mentorship

    Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

    Website: warehouserepublic.com
    Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
    Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

    Have a logistics question? Email mark@warehouserepublic.com

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min