Ridge’s Post

Hey LinkedIn Fam, We're Waggon, a scrappy 3PL with a fresh perspective and a hunger for disruption. We're not here to play nice with the legacy giants but to modernize the way freight moves. We challenge the status quo to make the experience of working with a 3PL better for customers and carriers alike. Think nimble execution, cutting-edge tech, and the most passionate team in the business. We're building something special, brick by brick (or should we say, pallet by pallet?). Here's the deal: Are you tired of corporate slowboats and siloed thinking? We're all about owning your impact, wearing multiple hats, and pushing boundaries. Worried about layoffs and downsizing? We're hiring for the future, not the past. Jump aboard a rocket ship (or should we say Waggon ;). Do you crave the thrill of building something from scratch? We're not just another cog in the machine; we're the next generation of 3PLs. Join us and see the Waggon Way. Message one of our Founders, Robert Rajfer or Tyler Sala, if you are interested in opportunities. #3pl #supplychain #logistics #hiring #recruiting #waggon #onboardthewaggon #technology #aiadoption

Why don't companies hire candidates with no experience in Amazon or other marketplaces? If someone is new to this field, why are companies reluctant to invest in training them? Why is the focus solely on immediate financial returns? What options do these candidates have if they never get the chance to learn? #ecommerce #jobseeker #layoff #marketplaces

I learned a lesson in capital-efficient scaling while I was in college. Only a few dorms had vending machines when I was getting my undergraduate degree. The campus store closed early in the evening, and the options to walk off campus to get a snack were limited. A friend of mine and I started a business called Mobile Munchies. The model was you would place your order on Monday, cash would be collected, and then your order would be delivered on Tuesday. It sounds a bit slow but remember, this was before DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc. If you didn't have it, you might not get it. There were a few reasons the business worked; 1- We had cash in hand on Monday. We have zero receivables. 2- We would buy the items in bulk at Costco and, on a per-unit basis, had a margin of about 40% 3- We had zero labor costs - well not totally true, we did all the work ourselves and didn't take any money. 4- We were profitable on day one. Again, this is sort of not true since we didn't pay ourselves, but for two college kids, we always had cash on hand. So what was the problem with the business model? It couldn't scale- One dorm was manageable, two were a stretch, and when we got permission to expand to all ten dorms, we could no longer manage on our own. The more we expanded, the fixed labor costs increased and outpaced our ability to grow sales. Sound familiar? The expansion was largely our undoing. Perhaps we could have gotten some outside investment as a cash flow positive, not profitable business 😉 and then gone public. What would I have done instead? I would have stayed with two dorms and expanded our offerings. That way we could increase our revenue per dorm while maintaining low headcount and fixed costs. In my advisory work and in job interviews, the question always comes up: "What's your hiring plan?" and my answer is always, "It depends." The reason it depends is you need to answer the question of what are we hiring for first to build out a plan. Are you hiring to own all the dorms or are you hiring to increase your LTV and drive adoption? It matters. Figure out why you are hiring and what that goal is and then build the model.

For more than 4 decades, Walmart’s company policy and its major profit driver have been to shift labor cost to U.S. government and its tax payers. They pay their ‘associates’ below living wage with full knowledge (and calibrated at corporate level) the amount of public assistance such as food stamps and public healthcare that their employees qualify for. When Walmart became the largest physical retailers in U.S., they also became U.S. largest workforce on public assistance using our tax dollars. Therefore… we all have been paying for the Walmart discounts from our income taxes. Don’t buy from #Walmart and it’s high tech equivalent called #Amazon Amazon copy and pasted the exact labor and exploitation strategy but did it even more aggressively. For more than a decade… they didn’t even contribute to state sales taxes while their employees were getting public benefits because Amazon’s system designer make sure they are all working poor that would need public assistance - an indentured servant or slave of sort. #truth on #capitalism and #neoliberalism

This is happening in Corporate America Weekly Newsletter/73 November 26, 2023 Online spending on Thanksgiving Day jumped 5.5% compared to a year ago. According to the 2023 Deloitte holiday retail survey, consumers allocated an average of US$567 for Black Friday and Cyber Monday events, a 13% increase from 2022. Layoffs have begun at Citi. The “Project Bora Bora” relates to dismissing at least 10% of workers in several businesses. Amazon Is laying off hundreds of people in the Alexa Division. Amazon is going all in on car sales next year, allowing customers to buy new vehicles directly from dealers on its site. The company announced that Hyundai Motor Company (현대자동차) would be the first automotive brand available on the e-commerce platform. Chipotle Mexican Grill founder will launch a largely automated, meat-free restaurant chain called Kernel. The initial site will launch in Manhattan by early 2024 with just three human employees, using a robotic arm, a programmed toaster, and conveyor belts. Shrink, the industry term for product loss encompassing theft, rose 19% in 2022. Despite the belief that self-scan machines would eliminate the need for cashiers and lower labor costs, staff is still required for customer help and theft prevention, which is twice as high in stores with self-checkout lanes. In order to combat theft, Best Buy is hiring additional workers and implementing full-service cashier lanes. Target has implemented a policy to direct customers with 10 or more items to a full-service lane with a cashier.   #business #culture #logistics #cpg #hr #corporate #retail #ethics #law #compliance #nwa #tech #leadership #ecommerce #management #walmart #jobseekers #amazon #target #risks #supplychain #hiring #jobs #talent #humanresources #finance #grocery #retailnews #recruiting #training #placement #technology #automation #harvardbusinessreview Picture below source: Bloomberg 

Sad to see this again. I joined Wayfair just a year before the onset of that tumultuous layoff cycle. At the time, some analysts raised concerns about the future, but those were overlooked. Instead, aggressive growth plans were in place. I had great colleagues, learned a lot, but as the business deteriorated, I witnessed the company laying off several talented individuals I personally knew, including many with years of service and mastery in their area. This is not the only challenging aspect; enduring those conditions is also stressful and painful. Layoffs adversely impact company culture. Reliability forms the foundation for building trusted relationships, fostering the courage to make mistakes and learn from them. It enables employees to support leadership through bold decisions, or lighten the way out with diverse perspectives. All those exceptional individuals will find their way elsewhere, and only companies with trusted leaders will thrive in volatile economies – there's no doubt about that.

As an ex-HR. Professional I concur. Even before being put on a PIP you are usually already targeted as the next bottom 10% first layoff and the PIP is just legal justification for corporate action to reduce severance. Looking inside the company for other opportunities is usually delusional as your file has been “marked”. As a manager I have helped several employees pull out of a PIP situation ( with real come to Jesus coaching) and move on to greater opportunities. But that’s just me. I always support the underdog.

Wayfair announced on Friday its plan to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,650 employees. This significant move is expected to generate annual cost savings exceeding US$280 million. Following the announcement, Wayfair's shares saw an uptick, rising 16% in pre-market trading. For more details: https://bit.ly/3Oc1uWW In times of uncertainty and major corporate changes, having a reliable legal team is crucial. At Minken Employment Lawyers, we offer expert advice and a proven track record of success. If you're navigating employment challenges, we're here to help. Contact us at 905-477-7011 or contact@minken.com. #WayFair #WayfairLayoffs #CorporateWorld #Layoffs #MinkenEmploymentLawyers #EmploymentLaw #EmploymentLawyers #EmployeeRights #EmployerRights #EmployerObligations #EmploymentPractices #Consultation #HireAnEmploymentLawyer #Minken

My only "Unicorn" 🦄 experience (so far) was at Heyday. We raised nearly a B-B-B-BILLION dollars to buy and grow brands as an "Amazon Aggregator." We were offering double-digit multiples for brands and making people millionaires. It was thrilling work. The upside seemed unlimited. Until COVID waned and normal buying habits returned. 📉 💣 💥 Brand valuations plummeted, acquired brands underperformed, and creditors started knocking. Layoffs, reorganizations, and cutbacks, oh my! Our sales team was cut by 75% and Heyday quietly sidestepped the limelight to grow their existing portfolio (and likely reorganize their debt). Others like Thrasio, Perch, and Benitago, have faced harder choices. Looking back, it's hard to know how to feel... Did I learn a ton? Heck yes. Did people get hurt? Definitely. Myself included. Would I do it again? I have no idea. Probably. It's easy to be smug when over-hyped businesses fail. Greed and hubris don't invite empathy. But I met a lot of whip-smart brand owners and worked with dedicated, talented people. I grew a lot and it led to bigger and better opportunities. So I choose to remember the thrill of the ride, and to celebrate the people who are trying to do something big. #amazonaggregator #amazonseller #layoffs

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