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Scaling exposed the cracks
- Liah
- Jul 7
- 1 min read
by: Jacqui Shemilt, 02 July 2026
A 35-person wholesale distributor came to us after a strong growth year.
Revenue was up.
Margins were not.
Here’s what was happening:
Sales were closing deals faster than operations could fulfil.
Inventory accuracy was inconsistent.
Purchasing relied on one experienced team member’s memory.
Customer complaints were rising.
Nothing was “broken” on its own.
But the system wasn’t built to scale.
We mapped their current state. Not the ideal state. The real one.
What we found: • No documented order-to-dispatch workflow • No single source of truth for stock adjustments • No defined handover between sales and warehouse • ERP being used differently by each team
We centralised the core processes. Defined clear handoffs.Documented decision rules. Standardised ERP inputs.
Within 90 days: • Order errors reduced by 42% • Stock adjustments dropped significantly • Leadership gained real visibility into operational load • Team stress decreased
Scaling without process clarity creates chaos.
Scaling with documented, repeatable workflows creates control.
You can’t automate or grow what you don’t understand.
If growth is creating friction in your business, it’s time to map the current state.
Message me if growth is starting to feel messy instead of exciting.